Mary Seacole; the end of the war

My hotel prospered, even after the fall of Sevastopol, fighting continued here and there. I remained in the Crimea until the very end of the war, which ended with the treaty of Paris signed early in eighteen fifty-six which led to a lively trade between us and the Russians. However as the British soldiers began to return home I was left with a great deal of stock, which I had to sell at a loss. I was one of the last to leave the Crimea and was a lot poorer than when I had arrived. Upon my return to London, my creditors were demanding payment for the goods I had bought, and, being unable to pay, I was declared Bankrupt. It wasn’t long however before my plight was highlighted in the newspapers and as a result a fund was set up and many of the army and navy officers who had known me in the Crimea came to my aid.