NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9841, 8 June 1895, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The French expedition to Madagascar, which, as we mentioned yesterday, has mob with a reverse, is to some extent madcap of men liable to " Biribi"—-a term representing to the French soldier a long period of dangerous foreign service, in which they are made subject to the moss extraordinary conditions of discipline, and to cruel punishments of the character of the crapaudine. Mr. J. D. Boss, who was in the Tonquin campaign, gives in an English magazine some side-lights on ths discipline of the troops employed by France in her colonial conquests. In pursuing her new policy of colonial conquest, France husbands largely the lives of her beat sons, and the corps that are chosen for foreign colonial service are largely made up of men who have been at , war with society, and who are regarded as being mosb suitable as "food for powder." When the question of the Madagascar expedition was before the Chamber of Deputies some attempts were made by a section of the Chamber to limit the choice of the Minister of War to "Colonial troops," while some

61 ."Hi Parisian?: Deputies endeavoured id extort the concession that at all events no Parisians should be drafted from their regiments -for -service in ; Madagascar. General v !hiferfeier, however, claimed a, free hand. Still, there is little doubt that the expedition is largely composed . of; the same elements m the army which completed the subjugation of Tonkin. Coloured troops, like the Turcos, mixed up with the motley soldiers of the Foreign Legion and the noted Companies de Discipline furnish their contingent. These miscellaneous corps have fought well enough, as being composed of reckless, dare-devil men, " with is record," although they are half thU time : the terror of their officers,, Who are allowed to inflict savage punishment, which would never be permitted in line regiments. They become, a terrible Scourge to the unfortunate country in which they are quartered.

The Foreign Legion is an extraordinary body. A man may enlist in it, if fib physically, whatever his nationality, and under any name he pleases, so that it is composed of deserters from other flags, and adventurers from every country under the sun. No questions are a?ked of the man who desires, in its ranks, toi carry the tricolour to the most distant parts, of the world. The Companies de Discipline, are composed of still more questionable elements, being practically \ made up of military convicts offenders who have become a nuisance in their regiments, and are brought before a special tribunal, and, in most cases, sentenced to serve for a term of years in one of the G'ompagnies de Discipline. The luckless uoldier is then shipped to Africa, where' he joins his new regiment, under charge of- a gendarme, a very ominous beginning to the career in store for him. These convict companies are stationed in the most desolate districts of the French African possessions, and employed in road-making, and erecting buildings for military purposes. Harassed with drill, badly fed, isolated from all society save that of ' his . miserable . comrades, and punished under a Draconic military code, the luckless soldier soon learns what it is to tnvoye a Biribi. To the men of the convict companies active service is a relief to their bondage, and as they are subjected to such savage punishment as the crapauditie, they are merciless in turn, and leave a track of desolation and ruin in any country into which they march, as was the Campaign in Tonquin.

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Eeti, in the diary of his voyage round the world, which has just been published, after expressing his gratitude for the hospitality extended to him in British India, refers in flattering terms bo Engl'sh rule in that Empire. Of all the enigmatic phenomena presented by India, none, he says, makes such a profound impression as the fact that England .is able to hold sway over its population of nearly three hundred million souls. That domination is all the more striking as the power of England is only represented by a small number of her eons and an inconsiderable military force. Whatever may be the future fate of British India, the Archduke considers that the circumstance of England having been able to found, maintain, and develops her rule there nob only does honour to the English national character, but affords evidence of the superiority of Western oivilisation.

The Archduke says that the insight which he obtained into the condition of the country and its administration was due in no small measure to the candour with which the English themselves speak to strangers on Indian affairs, and the frankness with which they acknowledge the deficiencies of its institutions. Notwithstanding those shortcomings, the English have, he says, accomplished great things in thab Empire. Their statesmanship and policy have won brilliant victories, in which arms, commercial enterprise, and diplomacy, have worked together. He considers India to be unquestionably one of the brightest jewels in the British Crown, and, as such, ought to be guarded as such. England must take precautions for its preservation. It may be, as some Continental and colonial politicians think, thab the idea of an Imperial confederation by which the British colonies would be more closely united with one another and with the mother country is an impracticable dream. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand, however, ventures to think that only by such means can the British Empire, which is now a loose aggregation of parts scattered over the whole earth, be formed into an organic whole, thus enabling England to assert her power more successfully than is possible in present circumstances.

The news to-day from Turkey is grave indeed. It is announced that the Porte has finally rejected the whole of the demands of the Powers for reforms in Armenia. It denies their right to interfere, on the grounds that nothing unusual has taken place, by which is meant, we presume, that nothing has occurred to justify European intervention in the internal affaire of the Turkish Empire. This action of the Porte will bring the whole Armenian question to a head. The Powers are now brought face to face with the grave responsibility of using force to compel Turkey to agree to their demands. In all probability a naval demonstration will be made at some port on the coast of Asia Minor; it is hardly likely that a proposal to force, if necessary, the Dardanelles and menace Constantinople would be seriously entertained, at least by England. But in the event of such a demonstration proving unavailing to bring the Sultan to a right frame of mind the Powers would find themselves compelled to proclaim war against Turkey. That would no doubb suit Russia and her new ally, but England would be the loser. The whole Eastern question would once again be in the fire, and the chances are that before it could be plucked out some of the European Powers would be flying at one another's throats. The situation, it will thus be seen, is perilous in the extreme. An extraordinary and sensational piece of intelligence comes from Shanghai. It is said that a German gunboat at Formosa opened fire upon a Chinese fort because the authorities refused to allow a steamer having the President of the Republic on board to proceed to sea. After the fort was silenced the steamer proceeded to another port, where it set fire to a powder magazine, which exploded, killing ninety persons. The state of affairs at Jeddah is very serious. The Bedouins have destroyed the Cholera Hospital. In consequence of the gravity of the situation military reinforcements are to be despatched to Jeddah forthwith. A report is current that Lobengula, the ex-King of the Matabele, is still alive. A number of officials belonging to the British Legation at Athens had a narrow escapu of falling into the hands of brigands. The report that Oscar Wilde had become insane is contradicted. After his conviction ho was kept at the treadmill for six hours a day, bub as his health was not good he was put on the lighter task of picking oakum. The Ameer's son was present at a review of 17,009 troops at Alderahot. In his speech at the Edinburgh banquet Lord Hopetoun »aid Victoria had met its troubles hbauafcly.