AN EMINENT WAR CORRESPONDENT.

West Coast Times, Issue 2743, 16 January 1878, Page 4

AN EMINENT WAR CORRESPONDENT.

The London correspondent of the South Australian Register gives the following interesting particulars respecting Mr Forbes, the war correspondent of the Daily News, and the Argus: — "Lucky fellow Forbes, is a very common remark in Fleet street. Eight years ago he was little better than a liner, and was best known by bis Glengarry cap, which he only discarded after his introduction to the Crown Prince of Germany. While he was proprietor nnd factotum of the London Scotsman he was to be seen at all hours and on all days of the week attending all sorts of meetinus. He attributes his success in the field to bis comprehensive training as a man of all ■work ; but besides his power of writing — in which his American colleague, Mr MacGahan, has quite equalled him, he possesses genuine military instinct. He has an intuitive knowledge of military positions and their value. When an operation is going on he can j erceive what is being aimed at, and can describe it from the beginning with certainty as. to its object. There was a joke in circulation about him at, Berlin, representing a German correspondent ingeniously asking him how he managed to describe engagements before they had been fought out. ' Mein Herr,' Baid he, ' I draws up one little plan goot, takes it to the Russian general, and says to him ' Now General this is one good plan ; you fight him out. I have one telegram — sehr brilliante — all ready to expediren given you ein grand success. The general likes my plan— so. Hie wins his grand success, aud mein depecte appears morgen or über morgen — so.' I am uot sure but in sober earnest Forbes can write up a little beforehand. Wherever he means to go he is always there in time, and has hie ground well studied before he has to describe it. His extensive acquaintance among military men all over Europe and the facility he has for getting introduction to the highest quarters smooth the way for him. But his laurels iv ike present campaign have eclipsed all the other feathers iv his cap. He has been interviewed by two sovereigns over it— the Queen and the Czar. His account of the second failure at Plevna was published officially in Russia in lieu of an order of the day. In returning from the Shipka Pass to the Danube, his horse having been knocked up in a race with the Imperial aide-dc camp, an Imperial carriage was lent him to proceed to Sistova."