41 8 [Proc. B.N.F.C., 



is the attraction in wearing such a decoration ? And, in reply, he 



would only quote a couplet by Sir E. B. Lytton, which appears on 



the title-page of Carter's work on " Army Medals" — 



" What is a ribbon to a soldier ? 

 Everything ! Glory is priceless." 



He then went on to say that in the following paper it would be his 

 object, not to tell over again the many victories which had been 

 won by British arms since medals were first awarded, but simply to 

 notice the medals themselves descriptively, with regard to classifi- 

 cation, and according to the following arrangement : — Medals of 

 konorary distinction granted to British soldiers by Charles I. and the 

 Protector — the Peninsular and Waterloo Medals — Medals given for 

 actions and campaigns in India, closing with the Mutiny, 1857-8, 

 including the Honourable East India Company's medals to native 

 troops — the Chinese wars, 18 42- 1860 — the Kaffir and Crimean 

 wars— Medals for long service — Meritorious and distinguished 

 conduct — Regimental medals —and lastly a glance at naval medals. 

 By a look at Carter's work already referred to, you will find that 

 the custom of striking medals to commemorate victories may be 

 traced to the ancients, and the Moguls are believed to have granted 

 them for civil and military service in the twelfth century ; but it 

 was only in modern times that they have been issued in order to 

 be worn as personal decorations. Sir Nicholas Harris Nicholas, 

 in his " History of the Order of Knighthood of the British Empire," 

 published in 1842, has given much interesting information regarding 

 many of these decorations, both naval and military, although there 

 has been quite an era in war medals since the publication of his 

 work. After a rapid historical sketch of the early British war medals, 

 Mr. Browne went on to say that he had tried to show that the prac- 

 tice of bestowing honorary distinctions in the many naval and military 

 operations of our country is but of recent date. It is only a few 

 years since that a general order was granted for the distribution of 

 medals to those surviving officers and men of both services who 



