VICTORIA CROSS. A war decoration in stituted 29 Jan. 1856, by Queen Victoria for the purpose of rewarding individual acts of bravery performed by officers of the lower grades in the naval or military service of Great Britain, or by (warrant and petty officers, sea men and marines in the navy, and non-com missioned officers and soldiers in the army?' By a second warrant, dated 13 Dec. 1858, the honor was extended to non-military persons (who, as volunteers, had borne arms against the mutineers in India should be considered eligible, subject to the rules and ordinances,( etc. An annuity of flO is bestowed together with the decoration. Reward for any further act of exceptional bravery is presented in a bar being attached to the ribbon by which the cross is suspended, carrying with it an additional an nuity of f5 with each bar. The Victoria Cross annuity of flO may, in particular cases, be extended to f50. The present state of the Victoria Cross donation permits its award to civilians for acts of exceptional heroism in times of war. The decoration consists of a Maltese cross of bronze and was made from Russian cannon captured at Sevastopol (September 1855). The centre contains a
royal crown surrounded by the British heraldic lion gardant. Below, on an escroll, is borne the inscription (For Valour.° The reverse side of the bar bears the rank and name of the recipient. On the cross is inscribed the name and date of the (action° or campaign in which the honor was won. The clasp above, which is decorated with two horizontal branches of laurel, has a V appendage, into the orifice of which is inserted the ring by which the cross is suspended. The cross is borne on the left breast suspended by a ribbon, blue for the navy, red for the army. The Victoria Cross is the most coveted of all the British military or naval orders. By 1913 there had been 522 Victoria crosses awarded; toward the end of 1918 the number had been extended so as to include about 670 recipients surviving from former periods, those conferred during the late war still living, and those whose death had oc curred subsequent to its conferment.