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| LIEUT. HAMILTON'S STATUE, DUBLIN MUSEUM. -The accompanying sketch is a striking reproduction of the statue which commemorates the heroic prowess of Lieutenant W. R. Pollock Hamilton - an Irish officer in the British army - who died defending the English embassy at Kabul, Afghanistan, in September, 1879. It is the work of C. B. Birch, A. R. A., and is claimed to be his masterpiece. Nothing could be finer than the attitude of the martial figure, with the wild foeman prostrate beneath the flashing sword. The left hand of the effigy grasps a revolver, while the countenance is expressive of the most exalted courage and resolution. The massacre at the embassy resulted in the death of Sir Louis Cavagnari, the British resident, the officers of his staff, and the main portion of the native guard, who sought to protect the embassy from the fury of the Amcer's revolted soldiery. While all the victims resisted gallantly, the defense of Lieut. Hamilton was most conspicuous, and the Afghans, to this day, remember the daring soldier with the respect which dauntless bravery begets in the savage breast. |
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