It is said that both Houses of Parliament are abort
to pass votes of thanks to the Armies in the field. We hope that this will be done. The thanks of Parliament are an ancient and honourable form, not sufficiently used in them modern days. One cannot help feeling that if really groat personal achievements were generally associated with the thanks of Parliament, something would be done to increase the prestige of the House of Commons, which has un- doubtedly dwindled somewhat during the war. The thanks of Parliament ought to be regarded, as they used to be regarded, as one of the highest honours the nation has it in its power to bestow. We see it remarked that there is no precedent for bestowing the thanks of Parliament during a campaign. This is a mistake. Any one who will take the trouble to look up the history of past cam- paigns will find that the thanks of Parliament were often accorded after a particular victory. Thus votes of thanks were passed to Wellington after Vimiero, Oporto, Talavera, Torres Vedras, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, San Sebastian, and Orthea. Within five years Wellington received no less than nine separate votes of thanks.
