DEATH OF LORD LOCH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 184, 4 August 1900, Page 3 (Supplement)

DEATH OF LORD LOCH.

PARTICULARS OP HIS EARLY

CAREER

It has been my privilege to converse with many of our great Pro-Consuls, from the: late Sir George Grey clown to Lord Beauehainp, but I don't think I ever saw one better fitted to play viceroy than Lord Loch. He had, ind«ed, as a social diplomat only one living1 superior—Lord Duit'erin. I met Lord Loch on a P. and 0. boat in 1898, when, he was very ill (with the dreadful disease which ultimately killed him oil), and going- out to Egypt with his wife and daughters. Nothing could be homelier and yet courtlier than the manner of the entire family to their compagnons de voyage. A repulsive atomy, alleged to be a Scotch law lord, put on prodigious friUs, and couldn't know this man, or wouldn't know that. Lord Loch, on the contrary, walked into the smok-ing-room and conversed with any ohance neighbour generally, to the great interest and edification of all near. ♦

The history of this remarkable man's later years is well-known, but some recollections of his beginnings should interest you:

Young Henry Loch entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1840; but after tAvo years' service gave up the Navy and chose a military career. He joined the Bengal Cavalry in 1844, became aide-de-camp to Lord Gough, Commander-in-Chief in India, in 184G, and was adjutant and second in command of Skinner's Horse in 1850. He took part in the memorable events of; war in Europe in the. fifties. He assisted in the organisation of the Turkish Cavalry in 1854, and afterwards crossed to the Crimea in H.M.S. Agamemnon. Still more notable experiences awaited him in the Far East, where he was attached to Lord Elgin's special embassies to China and Jnpau. He brought Home the Treaty of Yeddo, which was concluded with Japan in 1858,, and was soon back again in China to play, as it happened, a painful part in the China war. When the British Army was advancing towards Peking, and were stayed by a proposal for peace, Mr Parkes (afterwards Sir Harry Parkes) found that certain works had been thrown up, guns placed in position, and a large army assembled, so he rode back to the Chinese camp to ask the meaning of the preparations, and to remonstrate with the mandarins for these attempts to resume hostilities. Young Loch asked Sir Hope Grant to let him go back under a flag of truce to look after Parkes, and an artillery officer named Brabazon (who was subsequently captured and murdered by the Chinese) accompanied him. The story of what happened was told by Sir Hope Grant in his correspondence published in 1894 by Blackwood. On the 18th September, Loch and Brabazon, having ridden into Tangchow, collected all the party, consisting of De Normau, Mr Bowlby ("Times" correspondent), Lieutenant Anderson, 19 Sowars, one man of the King's Dragoon Guards —Phipps by name—and Parkes himself, and started on. the way back. Eve long, however, they were fired at from the Chinese lines; and on riding round a field of high maize they came across, a body of infantry, who, levelling their matchlocks at them, desired them to halt. Parkes spoke a few words of remonstrance, but was told that no one could be allowed to pass without an order from Sang-ko-lin-sin, who was not far distant, and to whom he was referred. Loch and a Sowar accompanied him, and thus they became separated from the rest of their party. That general, however, turned round upon him, abused him, said that all the evil of the war had been brought upon the Chinese owing^ to his misconduct, and ordered both him and

Loch to be made prisoners. They were then made to dismount, and forced ,to kiss the ground. Their arms were tied tightly behind their backs, and they were taken to the roar, where their custodians began to ill-treat them, and they expected every moment to be killed. They were however, put into a cart and driven to Peldn, thrown into a common prison in company with seventy-live common malefactors, murderers, and robbers, and loaded with chains— : one round their necks, one round their bodies, two round their arms, and two round their legs. These were connected by a main chain to a ring in the roof so tightly that they could not sit down. It was afterwards lengthened, which relieved them considerably. Parkes told me that, they were treated with the greatest kindness by the wretched people who were in the same prison with them, who gave them a part of their miserable food. A gaoler kept close to each of them day and night. In this state they were kept badly fed for nine days, when they were released from their chains and put into prison by themselves, where they were interrogated by inquisitors as to the strength of our force and other matters connected with us,' but the two Englishmen refused to answer. At length they were taken away and placed in a very excellent joss house, where up to the time they were brought back to us they were fed like turkeys preparatory to a Christmas feast. The poor sow ra.r was kept chained in a separate dark dungeon. For three days no one came near him, and he had nothing to eat. At last coarse grain and some water were given him to keep up life. The endurance of these poor natives of India was wonderful and they stand hardships which would break down a European. Three only of our prisoners had been saved, "and the fate of the others was not known until the 13th October, when eight Sikhs and one Frenchman, the sole survivors, were given up to us. They were in a sad state, and their hands and wrists were ulcerated from the manner in which they had been tied up. They then gave us a shocking account of the way in which they had been treated. When Parkes and Loch left to remonstrate with the Chinese general, a crowd of soldiers set on them and tied their feet and hands together behind their backs as tightly as possible, afterwards pouring water on the cords to increase the tension, and they were kept in this terrible position until the condition of their hands and wrists became too horrible for description. Poor Anderson was affected by delirium and died after nine days of captivity. De Norman suffered still more', and lived for seventeen days. Anderson was a noble fellow, clever, amiable and much looked up to by his brother officers. De Norman and Mr Bowlby were also great favourites. In course of time all the others died or were put to a violent death, with the exception of those whom I have already mentioned. Private Phipps, of the King's Dragoon Guards, was especially distinguished by the fortitude with which he <$idured his sufferings and with which up to the day of his death he strove to keep up the courage of his fellow captives.

After this painful experience Mr Loch had the compensation of bringing home the ratified Treaty of Tientsin and the Convention of Pekin. For some time after this he enjoyed a quieter life as private secretary to Sir George Grey, the Home Secretary of that period. After this he was for twenty years Governor of the Isle of Man, and his administration has left a deep mark on the history of that island.

In ISB4 Sir Henry Loch was appointed Governor of Victoria, and from that date on you will know his brilliant career tolerably accurately.