Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/428

384 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHAP. SO far as concerns the internal administration of XI " our gi'eat Barrack Hospital at Scutari, England owed to the Lady-in-Chief that decisive improve- ment which began, as we know, at the time when she first interposed, and grew always with the Tiio result of growth of her power. It was not only under her reign, but by force of her actual sway that Order sprang out of Chaos ; that the hell she had found when she came knew at last the blessing of cleanliness ; that wants of all or most of those things which money can buy were rapidly met ; and that, even though the need of trained orderlies and of a permanent staff to direct them still made itself felt, the administration of our Levantine hospitals began to seem almost perfect.(^^) unde- Whilst the vigour of the Lady-in-Chief was Bigned trial .. _^ itt-ic i of brain- bringing the vast Barrack Hospital irom what power and . , , , i • i it speed be- it had bccn to what it became, our male rulers tween Man i • t • t mid Woman, wcrc taking a course which enregistered as tan- gible fact what satire — though almost too grossly — might have ventured to feign as a taunt. At a time when the sick and the wounded lay awaiting the care of the State, people could not but know that the worth of any public ser- vices rendered in the matter of hospital business would largely depend on their promptitude ; and, it happening at this very time that the energies of both women and males lent their strength to the same cherished purpose, there was thus un- designedly constituted, an interesting trial of both brain-power and speed between the sex which had hitherto engrossed the whole public