IN HONOUR OF THE SIRDAR.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2889, 14 December 1898, Page 4

IN HONOUR OF THE SIRDAR.

. . » The State banquet at the Mansion House m honour of the Sirdar, on November 4th, was a splendid pageant. Almost the only persons present who did not wear some sort of uniform were the newspaper reporters. One then remarked|that " ' The pen is mightier than the sword ; ' but it is not so pretty." Lord Salisbury proposed the hero's health, and said a good deal m praise of what the British Army and the Egyptian Army had done. But tnat was not what the company desired to hear from the Prime Minister. "As he proceeded, m his delicate, cultivated voice, with his monotonous cadences and his almost professorial accuracy of diction, to dwell at length and with either good-natured or slightly cynical exaggeration upon the Sirdar's merits, a cold fear spread over his hearers that he was not going to say anything about the subject uppermost m their minds. A quarter of an hour passed, and still he was extolling Lord Kitchener. Despair grew upon that brilliant throng. In the catalogue of virtues he came at last to the Sirdar's diplomacy. To this it was ©wing that the delicate situation had not been more dangerous. Indeed, to Lord Kitchener's diplomatic genius was due the settlement up to a certain point, of the present dispute, for he might incidentally remark that up to a certain point everything waß settled. Since he was about it, m fact, he might just mention that the French Ambassador had called upon him that afternoon and had informed him that the French Government had come to the conclusion that Fashoda was " of no sort of value" to them, and had given orders for its evacuation. (Loud cheers.) How like Lord Salisbury! But quite dignified —quite worthy of a Prime Minister who knows that the whole country is hanging on hiß words f In the course of his remarks Lord Salisbury said " Lord Cromer is m the habit of saying that the Sirdar has almost missed his vocation, and that if he were not one of the first generals m the world he would be one of the first Chancellors of the Exchequer. I dare say many people think it a small thing that a soldier should be able to save money, but only conceive to yourselves the agony of mind with which m former times Chancellors of the Exchequer, or financial members of the Council received from time to time accounts of brilliant victories, knowing all the time what a terrible effect upon the ultimate balance of the Budget these victories would have. 1 know it is a hazardous thing to say, but I am almost inclined to believe that the Sirdar is the only general who has fought a campaign for £300,000 less than he originally promised to do. It is a very great quality, and if it existed more generally 1 think the terror which financiers entertain of soldiers, and the contempt which soldiers entertain for financiers would not exist so generally." Lord Kitchener, m his response, praised highly the Soudanese and Egyptian troops. "It has been contended, and m former days with some plausibility, that the material from which the . Egyptian Army is recruited is not caplable of being made into good soldiers, »but we m the Egyptian Army never held that view. We felt confidence m our men, and that confidence has been justified. We tested them at Gemeisch, Tokar, Toski, Firket, and Abu Hamed, and were not disappointed. And I think, under the circumstances, perhaps the best military critics, the Dervishes, never under-valued the fighting capacities of the Egyptian soldier, and when we were allowed to change our role from the defensive to the offensive, they soon learned that respect for Egyptian troops that every good soldier engenders m the minds of his adversaries. I had to give the Egyptian Army very arduous and hard work. They had to construct the railway, they had to haul the gunboats and sailing craft over the dangerous cataracts — they were incessantly at fatigue duty, moving stores and cutting wood for the steamers. I think it may be fairly said that the British troops could never have reached Omdurman without far greater suffering and loss of life had it not been for the services of the Egyptain Army. But it was not only m these pioneer duties that they showed their power. When they met the enemy they showed courage, discipline, and steadiness. AtFirket and at AbuHamed, alongside the Soudanese troops, they turned the Dervishes out of their position. At Atbara, they were not behind their British comrades, and at Omdurman, when Mac Donald's Brigade repulsed the fierce attacks that were brought against them, I think I am right m stating that the thought that was m the mind of every British soldier or officer, was 'We could not have done it better, we might have done it as well.' " Referring to the financial outlay and the financial results.Lord Kitchener said : " During the last two and a half years— though the accounts have not been absolutely settled up— we may say with considerable accuracy that we have spent two and a half millions as a military special grant. In this I include the grant that has been recently made for the extension of the railway from the Atbara to Khartoum^the work on wmcniß^tieaajr m hand. Well, my lords and gentlemen, against this large expenditure we have some assets to show ; we have or shall have 760 miles of railway properly equipped with engines, rolling stock, and a track with bridges m good order. lam afraid I cannot say much for the stations or the waiting-rooms, they are of a primitive nature, but then we do not wait long m the Soudan. Well for this running concern I do not think that £3000 a mile will be considered too high a price. This gives us two and a quarter millions out of the money granted, and for the other quarter of a million we have 2000 miles of telegraph line, six new and superior gunboats, besides barges, sailing craft, and the Soudan." The mock-modest ending of the list of assets caused great amusement. Aker the south man who joined the racing circuit at Danevirke has already proved that his trip has not been made m vain, for besides winning at Danevirke on his JDunlops he again showed winning form at Napier on his Dunlops by catching the judge's eye first m the mile second-class and the £30 two-mile handicap, the largest prize of the day. Cyclists who ride Dunlop tyres rarely experience|valve troubles; this is owing to the Wood's valve which is fitted to all Dunlop tyres. The valve is perfectly automatic, all that is necessary when desiring to inflate the tyre being to unscrew the dust.cap and apply the inflator withoutany manipulation of the valve itself.