History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. VI.] LHE PARSI RESPONSE. 281

grief of the soldier’s desolate widow and fatherless children ; but there is a peculiar bliss in doing it on such an occasion as the present. Moreover, the Queen has made an appeal to us, and it is our duty to respond to it. I cannot refrain from eulogising our gracious Queen. Religious sovereigns are scattered at distant intervals along the centuries of the world’s history, like ‘angels’ visits, few and far between.’ In all this dreary length of way they appear like five or six hghthouses on as many thousand miles of coast. But the greatest nation now on earth is favoured with the best of earthly sovereigns. The present appeal of Her Gracious Majesty is dictated by her pious heart ; and I must say in reference to it, in the language of another, ‘I should just as soon expect to see British soldiers refuse to bear their share in the storming of Sebastopol, because they did not approve of the general plan of the siege, as to find men who call themselves leal-hearted subjects hesitate to meet this otherwise irresistible call, because the mode in which it is proposed to achieve the object jars somewhat unpleasantly with their preconceived notions of political economy.’

“To the call of our gracious Sovereion, and to the call of humanity, the Parsis, my lord, will cordially respond.” And so they did most handsomely,

When the unhappy revolt broke out in the upper provinces of India, the Parsis had further opportunities