DEPARTURE OF THE NORTHERN SECTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 53

DEPARTURE OF THE NORTHERN SECTION.

THE PREMIER LEAVES FOR THE CORONATION.

A FAREWELL SPEECH

WELLINGTON, April 14. Though there was no organised attempt to give the Tenth New Zealand Regiment a public farewell to-day, the departure of the troops and the Premier was witnessed by many thousands of people, who occasionally cheered loudly and heartily. Additional interest was given to today's pioceedings through the departure of the Premier with the troop:-. The double e\ent ot the departuie of the contingent and of the Premier was deemed important enough to i ustify tho 5 e in authority granting a halfhol'ddy to employees in the Gov eminent {•°r\ice. The regiment armed from Trentham by sporial train at 3 o'clock, and was detiaiiu-d at Thorndon railway station. Headed by the Garrison Band (under Lieutenant Herd), the men marched through the town to the Queen's wharf. Here a great crowd had assembled, but a clear way to the v. harf was kept by the Wellington Rifle Battalion, nearly all the corps: of wh.eh were lopresented. The College Cadet* mustered m much the strongest force There waa!?o a fair number of the Heietaunga Mounted Rifles on parade. Lieutenantcolonel Collins was in charge of the bat talion, and he had with him Major Brandon and Adjutant Harcourt. When the. troop; arrived at the head of the wharf they were received by General Babington, Lieutenant colonel Newall. X.8.. and Captain Loma\. The men were enthusiastically cheered by the crowd aa they pa-spd through the gate-; and on to the wharf No time was lost in embarkation, and the whole f o-.ee wa-, aboard the ttoarr.er by half-past 5. For the r.ext hour or two the men. who were in tltf> be=t of spirit*, amused themselves by ringing and shouting to their friends on the whaif. As the evening drew on the number of onlookers greatly nicrea=rd by tlie arm a! of people from "-hops, office*, and factorio", and at a lit lie after 5 o'ele-ck the whole of the Queen's- wharf was covered with sight aeer.s. Shortly before half-pa--t 5 o'clock tiie Pro mier arrived at th» head of the whaif, with the members of his family, andiu^ loudly < lieered on making his way up tl.e gangway of the vessel. The only speech in coiinection with the embarkation was made at thi- stage by him, but it was only of two minutes' duration. He expre-^ed his belief that the nion in the contingent would actuut themH'hes nobly in the hour ol peril, and lie was convinced they would nobly' uphold the honour of then- country .mil Empire. Then, amidst renewed cheering from the troopship and whaif. thp Drayton Grange oast off her moor.ng* and stemmed out into the haibour. When previous c ortingent- left this port it had been the custom to give the troops an official farewell, but this was elir-peii.-ed With to-day, as all theie was to -ay h.id been given utteiance to by tho I'linnc' 1 the Mayor, and other? at the citizens' lun heon to the contingent on Saturday. Abou' a hundred ladies and gentlemen, rer-onal friends of the Premier. Mis .Seddon. and Ministers went down the harbour on tin* tioopship. They assembled in the c nloon ivlicn the ve-.3el left the wharf for the kinal and general leave-taking. Sir .lo3eph Ward, in proposing Mr Sedilon's health, made an appropriate spei eh, >.vis,!iing his chief God -peed, a -uite--fiil •mi-sitm to the o'd cuintry, and a -afe l e turn. Mr Seddon, in reply, -aid the gathering wa-i to him plea-ant in the extieme\ and he had to thank everyone for the cordiality wit'i which they had wi-hed him good luck while away He mentioned that lie had leeeived v cable from South Africa intimating that Lord Kitchener desired that he should pay a visit to Pretoria, travelling by way of Durban. Thib he would have much pleusiue in doing. He was, as everyone knew, going to call at Sydney on his way to Africa : and, though the Australian journals weie using him to harass the Prime Mini-ter of the Commonwealth, he had no doubt the leading state-men of Australia entertained as cordial feelings towards him and New Zealand now a' in the pa-t Per-onally he de-ire-el thii colony to be an term- of clo->e friend-hip with Australia. When the Com mon wealth hail settled the tarifi it would Intime for hia colleague- to con-idei what this colony was pr.'pared to do. After a general handshaking and a j-.a't mg cheer, the visitors left the troop-hip loi the -hore- m a -mailer steamer, .nid the Drayton Grange steamed out to the ln-ad-Tho Premier's party on board the Diayton Grange consists of Sir- Seddon. Mi" Set! don, Miss May Seddon. Mr and Mi- Dyer, and Mr Thomson (pri\:«tr- «.r i lttaiv). A representative deoiitation of Native chief.-, headed by Mr" Wi Pore. \! II H . waitt-d on the Piemier this mnin.ne. In characteristic language the Rangatna- bade Mr and Mrs Seddon and fam-ly f.-rewpll and wi-ln-d them a lianpv voyage and -afe return. The addre-^p- also c\|in- i"l the deep loyally of the Native--, and c mt.i wd nif"->a.»cs of < ongi atuldtion to 111«1 1« - Kiny e.n the loiuiug '^U'at event 'FkuJl Oih Oin Coi<HE-roM)F\r ) WELLINGTON. April 14 'I he double event of the- elepaitiire of the Tenth Contingent - f "r .South Africa and of the Prc-mifi ior tlio fuionaUon attiaited a ( oii-id. rable unwtl tin- pvrninjz The uoveltv of -pfinj. a contingent ele-pmt ha- epi'to win off in Wellington, ami there wa.- intle en thiisi.i-m till the '•hip wa« iwumi? away from tlie whaif. The men, or rather the boy-, for ,-on:e of them arp mere lad- of 13. unc in high -pint-, and they chi Fred :<nel -aii^ lu-tilv as the .-hip \\,n leaving Nfailv cm-]) body one ."poke t<> commented on tie voutlifu'.no- = of a large numcH-r of the d<" paiting troopei-. and opunon- »oic fipclv f\prr«.-rd that it wa- a pity to -f-i.d -ucli l.wK on „, wimcr campaign m Smith Afi ica Mr Seddon, who wa- Lite in arriving re ceived an ovation, and both he a nc" the mo'iiber- of hi- family appeared lo 1> ■ < on -uk-iablv affected in coii-c-queiie c of their appi caching cleputiir-' Some very pretty bouquet-. »pip handed to Mi- and Mi — Si-ddoii -In-t befoiP tlie -hip .-ailed quite a numbi't of young "stowaway-- scrambled on board, among-t them buns several boy-. The trooper" al-o carrieel off from the wharf quite- a number of dogs. In fact, any dog tin v couid lav thoir hands on wa-, gi\en a pii.--a^<. in the Dray-ton (iiange Di Fiaiik Wallace Mackeii/.iP, -on of the la-.e Captain Mackenzie, of Glenken.th fetation ncr Tapanui. left with the Tenth Coniiuacnl as iuc£con-m.aior. Oa the exDiry of

his time of service in South Africa he intends to spend gome time at the leading hospitals at Home before returning to Wellington. Very smart work was done by a large squad of men in the horses on thp troopship on Saturday afternoon. The officers and men were complimented upon their smartness by Major-general Babington and Lieutenant-colonel Newall, C.B. From Friday night to Saturday night the troopship took on board, besides the 560 horses, 900 tons of water, 250 tons of fodder, 250 tons of store=, and 150 tons of coal.