Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/395

RETURNING STRENGTH. 351 anr] the Home Government; but with this ex- chap. X caption, the immensely various articles supplied __. by the Fund were all, it seems, of such kind- ~ including even 10,000 'books' — as to prove both useful and welcome ; whilst in quality — for a heartfelt goodwill had been dictating all this bounty — they were ' the best that town or ' country could produce.'(^^) Owing mainly, I suppose, to the skill and the energy with which Tower and Egerton worked, but also in part to their tact and good feeling, our army responded to their exertions in a spirit described as one of ' universal goodwill ; ' and so steadfast was this grateful contentment that it even held good when religious books were distributed amongst our militant clergymen for the use of their combatant ' flocks.' (^■^) The thousand tons of gifts altogether are believed to have represented a value of about £60,000. Some of these had been bought out of monies supplied by the ' Fund,' but the contributions bestowed in the form of specific gifts proved no less welcome, and oftentimes strangely interest- ing. There were thousands and tliousands of cherishing things meant to arm the poor soldier against cold, that had been worked for him by lady's hands ; but even in wliat commonly went by the name of ' the Christmas hampers ' — baskets laden with holiday food — there used to appear sure traces of womanly care ; and gra- cious signs such as these were not lost on the kind of men to whom they thus spoke from afar The soldier, who almost by this time had li ed