Volume II Part 1 (2/2)
[2] Miss Nightingale related this incident in two letters--to Dr Farr (Sept 10), and to Harriet Martineau (Sept 24)
Lord de Grey was also influential in securing a redefinition of Captain Galton's duties at the War Office Lady Herbert told Lord de Grey that this was one of the last official htingale again supplied the details, and to her ally was committed responsibility (under the Secretary of State) for new barrack works On soale had the bitterness of seeing projects abandoned which she and Lord Herbert had almost matured ”It is really19), ”to see the attempts made on all hands to pull down all that Sidney Herbert laboured to build up” She recounted some of the disappointenuine syhtened by a journalist's scent for ”copy,” was eager to go on the war-path ”No harale (Oct 4), ”of an attempt to shame the Horse Guards I have consulted my editor [of the _Daily News_], and if I can obtain a sufficiency of clear facts, I will gladly harass the Commander-in-Chief as he was never harassed before--that is, I rite a leader against him every Saturday for as ainst him and his Departale was to supply the powder and shot; Miss Martineau was to fire the guns The partnershi+p was declined by Miss Nightingale The reason she gave was that she was no longer in the way of obtaining much inside infors which she had just h
There were other possibilities of usefulness before her She was playing a difficult gathened by newspaper polemics, for the form of which she would not be responsible, but the infor the points which she had just ed to score was the appoint the Barracks Inquiry to the Mediterranean stations Headquarters tried to stop it
”And I defeated them,” she had told Miss Martineau (Sept 24), ”by a trick which they were too stupid to find out” Her papers do not disclose the nature of the ”trick” by which this excellent piece of as carried through
[3] See Vol I p 405
And there was another thing which she did in order to forward Sidney Herbert's work, though in a field outside that of their collaboration: she wrote a stirring letter (Oct 8) on the Volunteer Moveht her several ”offers,” as we have heard already[4]; and, displayed in large print on a card, must have attracted many recruits She wrote it as one who had experience of war and its lessons; as one, too, who had worked for the Army, ”seven years this veryhour” She made eloquent appeal to the patriotic spirit of the British people; and she included this piece of personal feeling: ”On the saddest night of all o, when , and I knew that with him died much of the welfare of the British Army--he was, too, so proud, so justly proud, of his Volunteers--on that night I lay listening to the bands of the Volunteers as they ca in successively--it had been a review-day--and I said to o back which is capable of such a movement as this; not the spirit of an hour; these are ive up; all men whose time is valuable for money, which is not their God, as other nations say of us'” I do not know if the naht to be--a name of poith the people If it is, then her letter of 1861for the Territorial Force She laid stress upon the voluntary spirit, as opposed to compulsion But she laid stress also on the supre: ”Garibaldi's Volunteers did excellently in guerilla ular army”
[4] Vol I p 496
III
Presently soale's way
She had returned to London in November, chiefly in order to be on the spot for consultation and suggestion in connection with the Me, that the Memorial should include a Prize Medal at the Army Medical School For this sojourn in London, Sir Harry Verney lent his house in South Street[5] to Miss Nightingale The American Civil War now kept her busy ”Did I tell you,” she wrote to Dr Farr (Oct 8), ”that I had forwarded to the War Secretary at Washi+ngton, upon application, all our War Office For the occasion to tell theistrar-General's nomenclature, it would be easier for them to adopt our Army Statistics Forms It appears that they, the Northern States, are quite puzzled by their oant of any Aranization I also took occasion to tell the the Army mortality to one-tenth of what it was, and the Constantly Sick to one-seventh of what they were during the first winter of the Crimean War, due to ale's example in the Crimea had produced an immediate effect A ”Woman's Central association of Relief” was formed in New York In co-operation with other bodies they petitioned the Secretary of War to appoint a Sanitary Commission, and after some delay this was done Camps were inspected; female nurses were sent to the hospitals; contrivances for ihtingale's Crimean as reproduced[6]
Presently she becaland was on the verge of being eitation over the _Trent_ affair was at its height, the British Government decided to send reinforceed with ale (Dec 3) if he enerally” He wished to profit by her experience and judg of the troops, supplies, coers to be feared,” and how best to prevent them He also asked for the names of suitable men for the position of Principal Medical Officer, and he consulted her again beforethe appointment Without a moment's loss of time, she set to work in conjunction with Dr
Sutherland, and sent in her suggestions The draft instructions to the officers in charge of the expedition were sent to her on Deceot all your suggestions inserted in the Instructions, and a off the Expedition to Canada as fast as we can,” she wrote to Mada just as I did in the tianization, my dear master! But the Horse Guards were so terrified at the idea of the national indignation if they lost another ar” A few days later another draft of instructions was sent to her through Captain Galton ”We have gone over your draft very carefully,” she wrote (Dec 18), ”and find that although it includes al necessary, it does not define with sufficient precision the et fro from the Army Medical General store on to the soldier's back You must define all this Otherwise you will havethe responsibility” Merasp of detail hich she worked out the probleed the scene of operations She calculated the distances which es; she counted the relays and depots; she co capacities of blankets and buffalo robes A great Coale was born a woestions in the case of the Canadian reinforcements were happily not put to the test of war The _Trent_ affair was s to thecounsels of the Prince Consort It was his last service to his adopted country Miss Nightingale felt his death to be a national loss ”He neither liked,” she said of him, ”nor was liked But what he has done for our country no one knows”
[5] No 32 at that time; now renuraphy B, No 23 The Secretary of another body, the United States Christian Coale (July 26, 1865) wrote: ”Your influence and our indebtedness to you can never be known Only this is true that everywhere throughout our broad country during these years of inventive and earnest benevolence in the constant endeavour to succour and sustain our heroic defenders, the naerant Hospital on Ward Island were sent to her In return she sent engravings of the Departure and the Arrival of the Pilgriration of New York for the new Eale as a slight sign of her deepest reverence and her warnificently provided for--not their own sick, but--those of the Old Country”
IV
Miss Nightingale's work in connection with the Canadian expedition was done in the nancy, if second at all, to that caused by the death of Sidney Herbert This was the death of Arthur Hugh Clough He had broken down in health and been ordered abroad in April 1861, and she had urged hio He died, however, at Florence on Noveland from the Crimea His sweetness of disposition, his hu, alike attracted her
He on his side had deep adth--alas! but little--as remained to him from work in the Privy Council Office to her service He fetched and carried for her He ements for her journeys, as we have heard, and escorted her He saw her printers, he corrected her proofs He becaale Fund It was poor work to set a poet to, but he did it with cheerfulplain work”; he had ”studied and taught,”
he said, ”too an to fail Miss Nightingale was sometimes a little impatient His loyalty and zeal she could never have doubted; but she was inclined to think hiy She was always inclined to drive willing horses a little hardly In the case of Clough, as in that of Sidney Herbert, she sometimes attributed to infirmity of as in fact due to infirrief, when the end came, was not free, I think, from some element of self-reproach ”I have always felt,” she had written to her uncle (Dec 7, 1860), ”that I have been a great drag on Arthur's health and spirits, a reater one than I should have chosen to be, if I had not promised him to die sooner” ”She saw ale (Dec 4), ”to speak only of Arthur, as only she can speak She was quite natural, very affectionate, very, very much moved”
But in her state of loneliness and nervous exhaustion her feeling for lost friends was sometimes morbid She said that for ain after that of Clough, she could not bear to open a newspaper for dread of seeing some mention of a beloved nah ”I like very much,” she replied (Nov 13, 1865)--”how much I cannot say--to receive that book from you But it would be impossible to th, but fro, not too little, but too much on him
But I don't say this for others I believe it is aillness, of the loss of power of resistance to hts I cannot bear to see a portrait of those who are gone” The depth of her grief at the death of Mr Clough is expressed or reflected in letters which she wrote or received at the tiale_) BALLIOL, _Nov_ 19 [1861]
Thank you for writing to s which your letter brought ree entirely in your estimate of our dear friend's character It was in 1836 (the anniversary is next week) that I first saw him when he was elected to the Balliol Scholarshi+p No one who only knew hi youth he was before he got worried with false views of religion and the world I never h-h life sireat genius, but sos around hilad he was married: life was dark to him, and his wife and childrenious, and I think that he never recovered the rude shock which his religion received during his first years at Oxford He did not see and yet he believed in the great belief of all--to do rightly Did I quote to you ever an expression which Neander used to me of Blanco White: _einer Christ rieves me that you should have lost so invaluable a friend No earthly trial can be greater than to pursue without friends the work that you began with them And yet it is the more needed because it rests on one only
If there be any way in this world to be like Christ itin solitude and illness, without the support of syood of mankind I hope you will sometimes let me hear from you Let me assure you that I shall never cease to take an interest in your objects and writings--Ever yours sincerely, B JOWETT
(_Miss Nightingale to Sir John McNeill_) SOUTH STREET, _Nov_ 18
He was a ladly do ”plain work” Toharasses which were the uses to which we put him, he seemed like a race-horse harnessed to a coal truck This not because he did ”plain work” and did it so well For the best of us can be put to no better use than that He helped ment and constant sympathy ”Oh, Jonathan,the love of woman” Now, not one man remains (that I can call a man) of all those whom these five years I have worked with
But, as you say, ”we are all dying”