THE DOINGS OF THE COLONIAL TROOPS.

Evening Star, Issue 10394, 16 August 1897, Page 4

THE DOINGS OF THE COLONIAL TROOPS.

JAUNTS AND JUNKETINGS.

[From Our Special Correspondent.]

London, July 10. The colonial troops marched up in great; stylo from Chelsea last Friday afternoon to the special matinee in their honor at the Lyceum Theatre. The house was packed from floor to ceiling with soldiers. It was an impressive scene, and, perhaps, gave one a better idea of the true brotherhood of Greater Britain than anything that had gone before. To see British troops from every quarter and corner of the globe marching in their separate regiments or companies as part of a royal and military pageant is one thing, to see the same soldiers all mingling together and commingling with civilians in the companionship of social pleasure is quite another, and one that comes closer home to the ordinary Briton. And then to see these sons of the Seven Seas stand up shoulder by shoulder, Australian and Haussa, Canadian and Sikh,' Briton and Borneo Dyak, Christian and Mahomedan and Hindo men of all colors and creeds, but all of one nationality whatever their race—to see all these stand up with heads thrown proudly back and hats held high in the air singing * God save the Queen ' and cheering for the British Hag and all the flag represents, that was the crown of all. There were no civilians—barring pressmen—in the theatre, and only one notability. This was the Colonial Secretary, whom the men recognised, and, at the iostauce of a New South Wales lancer, loudly cheered between the acts.

The programme consisted of ' The Bells ' and 'A Story of Waterloo.' The latter was an extremely happy selection. There is wit, there is humor, there is pathos in Dr Conan Doyle's sketch of the poor old "straggler" who remained so long after his old comrades of the Scots Guards had marched away. Never, however, in all probability, in spite of all this, in spite, too, of Sir Henry Irving's marvellously skilful impersonation, has the piece produced so powerful an impression as it did yesterday. It is a soldier's piece, and how the soldiers enjoyed it. A thrill went round the house when the old man, in spite of infirmities, stood bolt upright and executed the familiar salute only to fall back faint and exhausted with the effort. If there was not a suspiciouslooking moisture in the eyes of some of the gallant fellows in front just at this moment, then surely it was the most extraordinary optical illusion that ever was seen. In short, the performance was a huge success, as might confidently have been predicted. The colonial troops went to the naval review after all, leaving London (some 800 strong) soon after five o'clock in the morning, and getting to Portsmouth whilst the day was still young. Here they met with a great reception, the mayor and civic notables, not to mention a guard of honor of the King's Light Infantry, awaiting them ou the platform of the station, whilst outside thousands huzzaed them3elve3 hoarse When the contingent were formed into marching order, and headed by the Artillery Bind, tiie Mayor addressed them as follows : —"Allow me to congratulate you and welcome you to this ancient borough. We are not able to entertain you as we would like ;<> have done, but we hope that the day will be a bright and pleasant one, ;-.ud that you will enjoy the magnificent spectacle which will be presented at Spithead. We hope that the time is not far distant when we shall all be united by even a stronger bond than at present. We are all met on the occasion of the celebration of the sixtieth year of Her Majesty's reign to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, and we are proud indeed to see you here as representatives of the Greater Britain beyond the seas, and hope that you will return home with pleasurable impressions of the extent of the Queen's dominions." His Worship called for three cheers for the colonials, who, in return, exerted their lungs with marked effect in houor of the mayor and Corporation. ' God save the Queen' was sung, and then the detachment walked down to the vessel from which they saw the review. THE COMPLAINTS P.OGEY. The statements with regard to the alleged complaints of the colonial troops as to thtir treatment in England were finally disposed of on Monday, when Mr Broclrick (the Under-Secretary for War) produced in Parliament the following letter voluntarily addressed to his department by the officers commanding the various colonial, detachments, all of whose signatures are attached to it: —" Having seen in some of the daily pxper3 that dissatisfaction exists among the colonial troop 3 stationed at Chelsea Barracks with reference to the treatment they have received from the military authorities, we have the honor to inform you that the report 13 entirely devoid of foundation. The officers in command of every detachment from the colonies are unanimouß in their opinion that the accommodation provided and the arrangements made for their comfort reflect the greatest credit on the military authorities, enhanced as the difficulty is by having to deal with so many units of different nationalities." "It is," added Mr Brodrick, "further reported to the War Office by the commanding officer that, a3 far as he can judge, the feeling of all ranks under his command is one of resentment againwt those persons who have taken upon themselves the task of making complaints." That this statement fairly represents the truth I am in an excellent position to know, having during the bst few weeks visited Chelsea pretty constantly. Of courss there are a few grumblers. It would be odd if there weren't amongst over 1,000 men, but hardly any of them seem to be Austraslaians. The latter, recognising that the authoritie3 are doing their best for everybody in the face of considerable difficulties, have cheerfully put up with small inadequacies and inconveniences. The growlers are mostly Canadians, and, curiously enough, spring from a division that invited itself over. As an instance of the sort of grievances raked up at Chelsea by enterprising "liners" of the halfpenny Press, I must tell you the story of the Canadian N.C.O. who was "grossly insulted" on Jubi'ee Day by a hussar officer. This gallant Canadian, according to his own account, was attempting to curb the friskiness of his mount, when an English lieutenant rode up and said : " If you <;* n't keep your horse quiet we shall have to cut your spurs off." A brother officer of the Canadian puts, however, a very different complexion on the incident. He says his comrade was behaving very badly—kissing his hands and ogling the women all the way along, and sticking his Bpurs deliberately into the charger to make it curvet and caracole. At length a much-tried Englishman rode up and said: " Look here, old man, that charger you are on is one of our best horses, and will go as quietas a lamb, properly ridden, but she won't stand Bpurs. You'll come off ignorniniously presently if you are not more careful." That was all. A VISIT TO THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. On Monday last, upon the invitation of the authorities, many of the colonial troopers paid a visit to the Imperial Institute, and were escorted in sizeable batches round the building by Sir Alfred Jephson. As each man arrived at the Institute he was provided with ticketß for refreshments—six sn number, and representing a purchasing power of 2s—and it may bring joy to the hearts of the colonial enemies of alcohol to learn that the greater number of these little pieces of pasteboard were exchanged for tea, lemonade, and other non-intoxicants. PINING WITH THE AETLSTS' VOLUNTEERS. 11l the evening the officers of the colonial •contingents dined with Colonel Edis and the officers of the Artists' Rifle Volunteers,, the feast being spread at the corp3' headquarters in Duke's road, Euston road. A previous engagement to dine with Sir Saul Samuel unfortunately prevented the officers of the Kew South Wales troops accepting the hospitality of the "smartest volunteer corps in England," and several of the Westralians were unable to be present, but these defections in no way detracted from the pleasure of those who were able to turn up. Ample justice having been done to the menu, the Chairman, having dismissed the usual loyal toasts in the briefest possible manner, proceeded to give "Our Guests." He testified to the great pleasure it gave him and his brother officers to meet their colonial guests. He was sorry that he knew so little about them and their methods, but that they were liked an

appreciated was shown by the enthusiastic i manner in which they were received by the i populace on Jubilee Day.—(Loud cheers.) i Lord Roberts, in reply, said that it was always a pleasure to him to be with volunteers, whose very existence paid to profes- i sional soldiers a most graceful compliment, ; and who, despite the enormous armaments of Continental Europe, were' perhaps the only generous, enthusiastic, and disinterested exponents of war in the whole world. He most cordially welcomed the representatives of the armed forces of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other places, who had come so many thousand miles to join with the people of this country in commemorating the record reign of our Sovereigu. The presence of these representatives on this occasion was the beßt possible proof that could be given of the cordiality and loyalty which existed between the Country and the great selfgoverning dependencies, of which Great Britain wa3 so justly proud. For himself, be could honestly say that he felt a very great honor had been conferred upon him irhen he wa3 asked to be commander-in-chief of the colonial contingent during its stay in this country—a contingent which took such a prominent part in that splendid pageant which they so recently witnessed, and which received, as he knew it would, a most splendid welcome from the populace of this great metropolis. COLONIAL TROOPS AND THE CHILDREN. On Tuesday last about a score of the

colonial troops —mixed as to country of origin, but all of the Methodist persuasion—spent a happy afternoon fraternising with the little inmates of the Bonner road Children's Home, from whence Dr Stephenson aud his colleague have sent hundreds of welltrained boys and girls to the colonies. For the benefit of the visitors the children were put through their drills and then order was temporarily abandoned, so that theyoungsters might lionise the guests in their own peculiar fashion. This they did by wearing the men's hats, examining with minute care every detail of their habiliments, and besieging them with brain-twisting questions as to the why of this and the wherefore of that. Each colonial (white and black) had his own particular little coterie of tormentors, and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy being "with the kids." Soon they were rescued for an inspection of the Home and for tea. Dr Stephenson warmly welcomed the visitors in a sacred speech, and bespoke the good offices of his guests for any of his children they might come across in their own countries. A brief concert by the children ensued, and then, having satisfied the demand for autographs, the colonials mustered to thank Dr Stephenson for the pleasure his invitation had given them. In replying the doctor managed to let slip the information that the colonials had deposited with him some money, which he was to spend in giving the children a treat, whereat the little ones cheered lustily. The proceedings came to an end with the National Anthem and cheers for the visitors, who, having replied in kind, left the Home well pleased with their reception at the hands of its fatherless inmates. A VISIT TO PORTSMOUTH. On Wednesday the majority of the colonial troops left Chelsea in the early part of the clay for Portsmouth, and reached the scene of Saturday's grand display shortly after one o'clock. On detraining they were received by the First Lord of the Admiralty (the Right Hon. G. Goschen), General Davis (commanding officer of the southern district), the Commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, the Naval Superintendent, and what the local reporters term " a distinguished party." The first proceeding of the visitors was to inspect the wonders of the dockyard, for which purpose they were split up into parties of fifty, each of which was placed in charge of one warrant officer and two chief petty officers. It would require eight hours a day for at least a week to "do " the dockyard thoroughly, but in the short space of time at their disposal the colonials did a "powerful amount" of inspection. They saw huge battleships in all stages of construction, had the mechanism of torpedoes explained to them, viewed with consternation the dire effects of up-to-date guns ou massive steel plates, and gleaned all sorts of curious information respecting the manufacture of the Queen's "navee." Whilst the colonials were on the premises work io the yard was practically suspended, for the workmen felt it incumbent upon them to give the gallant sons of the Empire a warm welcome at every possible point on their tour. Then luncheon supervened, and the entire party gathered in the Mould Loft to cat, drink, and make merry. When ample justice had been done to the generous fare provided, Colonel Walker, of the Malay Guides, got upon his feet and briefly thanked the officers of the staff for their kindness. He concluded by calliug for three cheers for the Queen. These, the 800 odd colonial troopers gave with a will, aud added thereto the opening verse of the National Anthem. After lunch the colonials were embarked on eight small vessels for the purpose of a tour of inspection round the fleet. Each party met with a very hearty reception from the bluejackets. Several vessels were examined in the course of the afternoon, including the new cruisers Powerful and Terrible aud the great line of battleship Magnificent. One of the sailors on this vessel managed whilst the visitors were leaving her to fall overboard. He was promptly rescued, but in the course of his fall had badly injured one of his legs. On returning to the shore the visitors were given tea, and at 6.30 a start was made for London. From all accounts the men thoroughly enjoyed this outing, but most of them would like to have spent a few more hours in the dockyard. THE COLONIAL TROOPS AT WINDSOR. Friday last was a red letter day for the colonial troops at Home, for not only did each man—white, black, and brown—get what many of them were denied on Commemoration Day—namely, a fair and square view of the "great little lady" in whose honor they journeyed to England—but everyone wa3 for a brief hour or so a guest of the Queen-Empress. The troop 3 left Chelsea Barracks early in the forenoon, and, headed by the Grenadier Band, to Paddington station, where a couple of special trains were waiting to convey them to Windsor. On the way to the Grpat Western terminus the troops were heartily cheered by the crowds gathered here and there along the line of route, and at Windsor they were accorded a royal reception. At the Castle the Chelsea contingent, which numbered something like 900, was strengthened by the New South Waleß Mounted Rifles, who had come up from Aldershot. The luncheon provided by Her Majesty for the men was served in twenty large marquees erected under the Castle walls. The repast consisted of a generous cold collation, embracing roast and boiled meats, salads, cheese, and strawberries, and a liberal supply of beer and mineral waters. The officers were entertained in one of the State apartments in the Palace. After lunch the troops were formed up in line on the parade ground to await Her Majesty's arrival.

Shortly after five o'clock the Queen's carriage, minus escort, and having only a few outriders in attendance, came down the avenue from the Castle's eastern terraces. The line was called to attention, and as Her Majesty drove on the parade ground she was received with a royal salute of presented arms, while the band played the National Anthem. With the Queen were Princess Beatrice and Princess Henry of Prussia. In another carriage were Prince and Princess Aribert of Anhalt. After Her Majesty had spoken a few words to Lord Roberts the carriages moved off for an inspection of the ranks. In front of' every detachment they had to stop in order that the Queen might ask questions of ■ the officers and men. Having gone down the entire front from right to left, the Queen drove back to a position marked as the saluting point, and the march past began. Nothing could have been better than the marching of the Canadian and Australian contingents, the mounted rifles, cavalry, and lancers moving with the swing and precision of regulars used to foot work, and the steady bearing of the colonial infantry was beyond criticism. The march past over, the line was re-formed and the advance in review order made. Halting a few paces from Her Majesty's carriage, the troops once again presented arms in royal salute, and the band struck- up the National Anthem. After this several Canadian officers unattached were presented,' and then Her Majesty desired that an officer and man from each detach-!

ment under arms should be called out and presented. This done, Lord Roberta addressed the troops as follows: " Her Majesty wishes me to tell all , the officers, non - commissioned officers, and men the very great pleasure it has given her to see so many of her subjects irom distant colonies here to-day. She hopes that you will all return to your homes safely, and she wishes you all every possible happiness and prosperity Another royal salute followed, and the bands continued playing «God Bave the Queen' until Her Majesty's carriage had cleared the review ground. Then the troops broke into column to march off through crowded streets and be lustily cheered until they had reached the station, where they entrained for London. m ' 3 New South Wales Mounted Rifles accompanied the rest of the troops to Chelsea, and were lodged there for the night. TUE COLONIALS AT BUCKINGHAM I'ALACE. Perhaps the most pleasing function which it has been my lot to witness during this extended period of Diamond jubilation was that which occurred at Buckingham Palaco on Saturday morning—namely, the presenta-

tion of commemorative medals by the Prince of Wales to the wole of the officers and men of the colonial and Indian forces sent Home to participate, in the Record Reign rejoicings. The presentations were made on the spacious lawn leading up to the terrace on the west front of the Palace. Here, shortly before eleven o'clock, the troops were formed up into three sides of a square, the fourth side, that nearest the Palace, being left open. At eleven o'clock the colonial Premiers, with their wive 3 and daughters, arrived on the scene, and by this time a large company of noble lords and ladies of high degree had assembled on the terrace. The Royal party put in an appearance about 11.30. The Prince was accompanied by his wife, the Duke of • Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess' of Saxe - Coburg, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Duke of Connaught, and half a dozen other royalties. As he proceeded to the position reserved for him the troops gave a royal salute, and the band of the Grenadier Guards, posted in the rear, struck up the National Anthem. The ladies of the Royal party were accommodated with seats beneath the great elm in front of the terrace, and the Prince proceeded to pass down the lines on a tour of inspection. He was accompanied by the princes aforementioned, and by Lord Wolseley, "Bobs," Lord Methuen, Mr Joseph Chamberlain, and the headquarters staff. His Royal Highness stopped ever and anon to ask questions from the officers of the various contingents, but soon completed the first part of his task. The second parts occupied something more than an hour and a-half. Before commencing the arduous task of distributing the medals, however, the Prince spoke a few words to Mr Chamberlain, who at once gathered together the colonial Premiers and their feminine belongings, and brought them into the shade of the big elm and introduced them one by one to the Princess. The Prince meanwhile had taken up his stand by the side of a table of ample proportions piled with chests containing the medals, and soon the officers and men of the respective contingents were filing past and receiving from his hands the little leather case containing the Diamond Jubilee souvenir. The officers received silver medals and the privates and non-coms bronze, but-in the matter of "image and superscription" the medals were alike, each having a bust of the Queen on the face and on the reverse the inscription "In commemoration of the sixtieth year of the reign of Queen Victoria, 22nd June, 1597," enclosed in a wreath of laurels, the ribbons being of light and dark blue stripes. Lord Roberts was the first to receive the decoration. Whilst the distribution was in progress the Princess and her party were chatting gaily to the colonial visitors, half a dozen royalties on the terrace were "snapshotting," and numerous privileged professional photographers were taking enormous sun-pictures of the scene. The sight was indeed a strikingly pretty and effective one, the resplendent uniforms of the headquarters staff, the varied and for the most part picturesque habiliments of the colonial contingents and the bright costumes of the ladies forming a picture full of life and color, backed by the deep summer green of the spreading trees of the Palace grounds, and thrown up by the brighter green of the lawn. At the conclusion of the Prince's task the square was re-formed, and H.R.H. then called for "three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen-Empress." Right heartily did the troops respond to this invitation ; aud then came the march past, with which the proceedings terminated shortly after two o'clock.