KETUKNING STKENGTB. 343 III. When even against the conclusions that chap. seemed to be enforced by our sick lists, there '__ thus began to appear small, doubtful germs of ^n,^'"^i;" hope, an auspicious arrival took place. On the 13th of February, the Erminia sailed into port. She was only a schooner under the flag of the Eoyal Yacht Squadron — a schooner that belonged to Lord EUesmere — but she brought nothing less than an Embassy — an Embassy of affection and gratitude from our people at home to the sur- vivors of that valiant army which had borne the privations and hardships of November, De- cember, and January, and was still locked in strife with its foe. The Erminia had on board adminis- her both Tower " and Egerton, t the two ' Hon- Tower ana ' orary Agents ' who had undertaken to admin- ister what went by the name of ' the Crimean ' Army Fund ' — a fund contributed by the Asso- ciation which, under the Presidency of Lord EUesmere, undertook to do what it could for the comforting of our troops at the seat of war. What manner of man Tower was we shall presently learn by seeing him busied in work. Egerton was a man much younger than his colleague, who now suddenly found himself asso- ciated with Tower in one of those difficult tasks of army administration which were understood to
- Thomas Tower, a younger son of the late Mr Tower ot
Weald Hall, Essex. t The Hon. Algernon Egertori, a younger son of Lord BUesmere's.
