MR FORBES' LECTURES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6501, 13 December 1882, Page 2

MR FORBES' LECTURES.

The last of. the series of lectures by the celebrated vrar correspondent, Mr A. Forbes, was delivered in the Garrison Hall last even-, ing, the subjecj; being "All Europe in Anns! ■"' There was again a very1 large audience, and the greatest interest was displayed in the descriptions given of the armies of Europe—their organisation, strength', and capabilities. As i usual, the personal element was largely introduced. ' Mr Forbes told not only "what he had learned but what ho had seen, and to his treatment of the subject imparted the vigour and reality wiiich has characterised his other lectures. The army of Germany; was placed first in all respects, though /the gallantry and heroism of : the .. French and the patient ..endurance anil determined bravery of the Russian soldiery were described with warm admiration. Some amusement was caused by the manner in which the lecturer introduced the statistics ho had to refer to. He1 acknowledged that as a rule statistics were uninteresting, but added,' " For myself statistics are an abiding joy, more particularly the commercial statistics of New Zealand, though to most people I know statistics, are irksome, if not odious." The weakness of Britain's army, when compared with-those of the great militnry Powers of Europe, was referred to. The recent successes in .Egypt, the lecturer..--re;', marked, did not : affect the \. question. What had happened,,!there reflected nothing but credit on commanders and com. manded, but the enemy had not been anything like so formidable as the Afghans or Zulus, and, as Sir Garnet Wolseley had said, the trouble had not been to light the Egyptians but to prevent them getting away, and so prolonging the war. On the question of the British army, Mr Forbes endorsed the opinion of a distinguished foreigner, that with Buch disproportionate strength, should England assail any formidable neighbour, we jnight safely anticipate one of two thiugs^-either that the war would be followed by a complete reorganisation of the army, or by the total abandonment of armsd intervention.in foreign affairs. He believed the maxim, that the best way to secure peace was to be prepared for. war, was utterly fallacious. ■ Europe was'now a hugo standing camp of armed nien. His profession was that of a war correspondent, and ho believed there was little likelihood of him finding himself out of work for a century or two to come.