Valentine Baker.

Evening Star, Issue 7412, 6 January 1888, Page 2

Valentine Baker.

The death of Valentine Baker (say* the London correspondent of the ' ArgOß') illustrates the saying that in this world things always happen either just too sooft or just too late. If he had lived another fortnight he would have been reinstated in the British Army. It has often been proposed to take this step, but in past years Her Majesty's personal veto has stood in the way. The Queen's feelings on this subject have, however, become softened by time, and she had latterly lent a merciful ear to the representations of her Ministers and military relations. It required some effort on the part of Ministers themselves to screw their courage to the sticking-point, for the announcement would have caused an i outburst of excitement and denunciation in the Puritan and Democratic world; but latterly the Cabinet have come to the conclusion that their best course is to give logical expression in all things to the sentiments and the social elements which they represent. Baker Was always regarded as in some way belonging to the sacred hierarchy of social order, and his continued ostracism was looked upon as a hateful concession on the part of nous autris to the clamor ollesautres. The intense devotion of society and the service to Baker was the more remarkable as he was in breeding and bearing hardly np to the average of an English cavalry officer. He began his service in the 9th Lancers—not the a crack corps—and after serving with that regiment in the Kaffir war saw more fighting in the Crimea as a st ff officer. Returning to the Lancers he served with them until 1859, when he exchanged to the famous "10th," succeeding in the following year to the command of that regiment, which he held for thirteen years. It was a bitter pill to the 10th to find such a rough diamond at their head. "Hewas't ' our man,'" said one of them on the occasion of his conviction ; " but he taught us to worship him." He made the regiment the smartest cavalry corps in Europe, and when he left it on account of senority in 1873 he was held to be the first cavalry commander of his day. After a brief spell of travel in the border land between Russia and India he returned to Aldershot as assistant adjutant-general for cavalry, and displayed his fine qualities as an officer in one or two autumn manoeuvres, when suddenly his career was closed by his insane assault upon Miss Dickenson, a sister of the great specialist in renal diseases. During the criminal proceedings which followed he showed himself a gentleman au fond. He took the punishment of twelve months which Lord Esher awarded him in silence. He was made a first-class misdemeanant, and occupied his year of incarceration in writing upon military topics. The morning he was released he was invited to breakfast by General Charlie Forster, of the Indian Council, the father of the two lovely Mrs Plowdens, of Simla fame. The gallant General is accustomed to declare that it was the only occasion he had ever known his daughters to be down in time for breakfast. At that gathering Baker was welcomed back to liberty by a fashionable gathering, including the chief lights of his Former profession, for it was his profession no longer—in the first ' Gazette' after his conviction it had been curtly announced that "the Queen has directed the name of Lieutenant-colonel and Brevet-colonel Valentine Baker to be erased from the Army List, Her Majesty having no further occasion for his services" —a mode of expulsion only used in one other case in recent times, that of an honorable major, also of the 10th, who had been found cheating at cards.

About the time of Baker's release men's minds were much occupied with the question of the best means, if any, of imparting stability to the Turkish power in Europe. It was argued amongst other things in the newspapers that all would go well if only "an armed gendarmerie" were created "under English officers." The Foreign Office, always eager to take up a Press notion without comprehending it, urged the proposal strongly on the Porte, well knowing that there were no available funds to pay and support such a force. The Porte consented "in principle," and a body of English officers was at once sent out—Baker at the head of them, with the enormous salary of L 5.000 a year. The force itself cannot be said to have ever fairly come into existence, and Baker spent his dayß in smoking and gossiping about Pera and Therapia. On only one occasion during his tenure of service was he able to do anything in return for his pay —that was when he conducted the retreat of the Turkish forces on Adrianople after the forcing of the Shipka Pass. That was a military achiev ment of great brilliancy and power, and constituted Baker's only serious claim to recognition as a general. At other times, he was forced to eat his heart out for lack of employment, and during these years he grew heavy, and laid those seeds of gout and disease in his constitution which have led to his death at the early age of sixtytwo. Whilst serving in Turkey, he came often to England to be petted and feted by his old friends. He was present with Lord Wolseley, I think in 1878, at the annual dinner of the Savage Club, held in the Grosvenor Gallery. Mr Samuel Danks Waddy, Q.C., M.P., was a fellow guest, and be made a disturbance on the occasion by getting up and leaving the table as soon as he perceived the presence of Baker. I met Baker in 1879 at Dinard, whither he had gone for his daughter's health. He seemed to be almost painfully subdued and timid in bearing, and grateful for any recognition. I remarked sadly to a fair lady ot our mutual acquaintance that he appeared to have all the devil knocked out of him. " Has he ?" was the the reply ; " he squeezes my hand as hard as ever." In 18S1 he was restored, after a fight, to membership of the Army and Navy Club (the "Rag.") Early in 1884 he was sent on a fool's errand 'o Suakin, with a view of relieving Sinkat, The rabble of fellaheen whom he commanded, were ignominiously routed, and he, with his friend Burnaby, escaped by a' miracle. 'Amongst the British troops

lent to Suakin to wlrie out the defeat was hla old regiment, the 10th Hussars, and the meeting between him and tbem Is one of the most picturesque and touoblng inoidents of modern campaigning. At the first battle he put himself at their head and charged the enemy, their colonel riding at his saddle girths. He was wounded in the faoe, but the injury appeared trifling at the time. Later in the year it began to trouble him, produoing squint and partial blindness. On examination it was ascertained that a splinter of cheek bones was lodged in the floor of his nose. The trouble was ended by a dexterous operation, performed by the great Irish surgeon Sir William M'Cormao, but it helped on the break-up of his constitution, and the prolongation of his life has not been anticipated by those who have been in his company of late years., Baker married.comparatively early an heiress with L6.00Q a year, and she-being dead. the fortune passes to his only surviving daughter. He was a man of no brilliancy or wit, but he had a ptrtain gift of sympathy which endeared him to his comrades and Acquaintances. J