him a just claim to your Majesty's favourable consideration; and Lord
Aberdeen believes that to confer upon him the Blue Ribbon at this
moment would be regarded as a very graceful act on the part of your
Majesty. It is even possible that Lord Aberdeen's political opponents
might give him some credit for tendering such advice.

If therefore your Majesty should be pleased to take the same view of
this matter, Lord Aberdeen would communicate with Lord Cardigan on his
arrival in London, and would willingly postpone all consideration of
your Majesty's gracious intentions towards himself. But Lord Aberdeen
will venture humbly to repeat his grateful sense of all your Majesty's
kindness, and his acknowledgments for the expression of sentiments
which he can never sufficiently value.[2]

[Footnote 2: Subsequently Lord Aberdeen yielded to the Queen's
affectionate insistence, and was installed Knight of the
Garter at a Chapter held on the 7th of February.]

[Pageheading: WELFARE OF THE ARMY]

_Queen Victoria to the Duke of Newcastle._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _12th January 1855._

The Queen returns the enclosed despatch to the Duke of Newcastle,
which she has read with much pleasure, as bringing before Lord
Raglan in an official manner--which will require official enquiry and
_answer_--the various points so urgently requiring his attention and
remedial effort. It is at the same time so delicately worded that it
ought not to offend, although it cannot help, from its matter, being
painful to Lord Raglan. The Queen has only one remark to make, viz.
the entire omission of her name throughout the document. It speaks
simply in the name of the _People_ of England, and of _their_
sympathy, whilst the Queen feels it to be one of her highest
prerogatives and dearest duties to care for the welfare and success of
_her_ Army. Had the despatch not gone before it was submitted to the
Queen, in a few words the Duke of Newcastle would have rectified this
omission.

The Duke of Newcastle might with truth have added that, making every
allowance for the difficulties before Sebastopol, it is difficult
to imagine how the Army could ever be _moved_ in the field, if the
impossibility of keeping it alive is felt in a _stationary camp_ only
seven miles from its harbour, with the whole British Navy and hundreds
of transports at its command.

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Aberdeen._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _13th January 1855._

The Q