“What is a presentation?”
“Presentations are of different kinds. Sometimes colours are presented, and sometimes other things. In January 1831, King William was pleased to declare himself colonel-in-chief of the household brigade of cavalry, consisting of the first and second regiments of life-guards and the royal regiment of horse-guards. His Majesty expressed his intention to present to each of the two regiments of life-guards a pair of silver kettle drums, constructed of fine silver, ornamented with royal and regimental devices, of fretted silver, in high relief, with the name of the sovereign, the number and title of the regiment, and the date of presentation, on each drum. The second regiment received these May 6th, 1831. When the ninetieth regiment of light-infantry was presented with a new stand of colours, in the square of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Lieutenant-General Sir Hussey Vivian concluded his address to the troops in the following words:—
“Before I conclude, I must impress upon you, that at all times the watchword of a soldier ought to be ‘Honour and fidelity.’ To attain this, the governing principle of his conduct must be, ‘obedience to the orders of his superiors.’ I will remind you of the last, that most impressive order of that great naval commander, who fell in the most glorious victory ever gained by the navy of England, and who in falling sealed the maritime ascendency of the country, annihilating the fleets of France and Spain,—I say, I must remind you of that last, that most impressive order, which he issued to those brave men under his command, calling upon them to recollect that ‘England expects every man to do his duty,’ an order so nobly given, and so gloriously and triumphantly executed, that the remembrance of it can never be effaced from the annals of our country. And, lastly, I must beg of you never to forget, when marching against the enemy to victory and glory, as I have no doubt you will do, should an opportunity offer; I say, when marching against the enemy under those colours which I now place in your care, I call on you never to forget that they are to be stained only with your blood; to be surrendered only with your lives.”
“Sir Hussey Vivian knew how to animate his men.”
“Many military men say, that camps of instruction ought to be formed in England, that soldiers may become more accustomed to the usages of war, and made more perfect in their duty. They have them in France, and other countries: and one bad effect has certainly followed the plan, it has made the people more fond of fighting than they were before. You are no smokers, boys, and therefore can hardly conceive what a luxury a cigar is, under some circumstances. You shall hear what a brother officer says on the subject.”
“Ay! let us know all about his cigar.”
“‘Late on the eve of the memorable battle of Waterloo,’ says one who was engaged in the strife, ‘the regiment to which I belonged took up its position on that hard-fought field, in front of Hougomont, or, more properly speaking, the Château de Goumont, a strong farm-house, and the key-stone of the British line. The sun set red, ominously foretelling stormy weather; and about dark the rain descended in torrents. Our situation, as may easily be conceived, was none of the most enviable, being totally destitute of tents or field matériel. We bivouacked in line; and here and there might be seen, through the murky gloom of night, men huddled together, trying to retain that animal heat so necessary to our existence, to say nothing of our comfort. A party of half-a-dozen of us gathered round a fire of half-ignited logs of wood, trying, by every means ingenuity could invent, to nurse it into flame, and prevent the rain utterly drowning its genial influence. We were sitting despondingly, wet, and talking over our probable fate in the morrow’s fight, when, by some unaccountable influence, I put my hand into the side-pocket of my grey great coat. I felt a something; I withdrew my hand with a mingled feeling of joy and fear; joy, occasioned by the unlooked-for discovery; fear, from a dread of being disappointed if I prosecuted my search without ultimate success; when, having essayed again, to my great delight, and to the envy of my companions, I pulled out a cigar,—my last cigar! I seized the half-ignited stick and applied it to the weed,—alas! no smoke rewarded my efforts. I cursed my folly for so carelessly exposing it in my pocket: I rolled it and unrolled it; in fact, I tried all the arts that smokers have invented to doctor a bad cigar, when, after half-an-hour’s patient endeavour, I elicited a blue curling cloud from my last cigar. Happy moment! Though years have intervened, never have I forgotten that most ecstatic speck in the few hours of terrestrial happiness I have met with.’”
“Poor fellow! How he must have enjoyed it!”
“No doubt he did, boys! It recalls to my mind not only the memorable plains of Waterloo, but also many a camp-scene, wherein comforts were scarce. It sets before me bygone struggles in company with those who are now no more. Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Salamanca, and Vittoria, rise before me! To the memory of many who fought and fell on Spanish ground, the following beautiful lines would be an appropriate tribute:—
“It was not in holy ground,