THE INDIAN WAR MEDAL, 1799–1826.

This medal, the design of which is extremely chaste and beautiful, has on the obverse the Queen’s head, with the inscription Victoria Regina, similar to the Crimean and other medals. The artist, the late William Wyon, Esq., R.A., was the chief engraver to the Royal Mint until his decease in 1851. On the reverse of the medal is a figure of Victory seated, holding in her right hand a laurel branch, in her left, a victor’s laurel-wreath. A lotus flower, emblematic of India, is by her side, a trophy of Oriental arms and a palm-tree in the background. Above are the words, “To the army of India”: in the exergue, “1799–1826.” The various services are commemorated by clasps, and the medal is worn with a pale blue ribbon.

The glorious achievements of the army of India, from the decisive victory of Assaye to the capture of Bhurtpore, were not commemorated by a medal till the year 1851, and the few survivors who took part in the first-named battle did not receive the decoration until forty-eight years after the event.