Berlin Congress had been agreed on, and a second time the House of Commons ratified the policy of Ministers by a majority of 121-347 votes to 226. Needless to do more than allude to the result of the Congress, the return of our Plenipotentiaries - Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salisbury- an event marked in public memory by the speech made by the Prime Minister from a window of his house in Downing Street, in which he claimed, before an enthusiastic multitude, to have brought back "Peace with Honour." 1 Relieved from the apprehension which had weighed so heavily on them 1 Lord Beaconsfield, it is said, piqued himself on his fluency in French, but his idioms were rather intrepid than correct. He had command of a copious vocabulary, but his accent was courageously cis-pontine, a survival of that Anglo-Gallic which developed itself among English officers during the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. Some consternation, therefore, arose among the English who accompanied him to Berlin, when they learnt that the British Prime Minister intended to deliver his opening speech at the Conference in French, and had already devoted much time to its preparation. It would have been a delicate matter to explain to his lordship that, while it was of the utmost importance that his speech should be understood by the other Plenipotentiaries, that object could not be attained unless he spoke in his native tongue. In this dilemma recourse was had to the good offices of Lord Odo Russell, British Minister at Berlin-could he diplomatically convey to Lord Beaconsfield how necessary it was that he should speak in English? Lord Odo pondered for some moments, and then said— "Yes, I think I see my way. Leave it to me.' That afternoon he visited Lord Beaconsfield, and before taking his leave, remarked 'By the by, I must tell you how much disappointment was felt by the other Plenipotentiaries when it became known that your lordship intended to address the Congress in French." 'Why should they be disappointed?" asked the Prime Minister, putting up his eyeglass. "Is not French the language most generally understood on the Continent?" "Undoubtedly, my dear lord; but they had been looking forward with the keenest anticipation to the pleasure of hearing English spoken by its greatest living master, and, if I might venture to intercede, I would beg you to give them this gratification. It is of some importance, you know, to predispose them favourably to the consideration of the questions which will arise." "I think there is a good deal in what you say," observed Beaconsfield; and, in the end, he complied with Lord Odo's suggestion. A.D. 1878.] TOUR TO CYPRUS. 181 for so many months, people were jubilant in their approval of the success gained by English diplomacy. Great Britain was rehabilitated in the eyes of Europe, and at the same time delivered from the imminence of war. Nevertheless, for the third time this session, the Government had to defend themselves against a vote of censure, moved by the Marquis of Hartington, and supported by the impassioned oratory of Gladstone, Lowe, and Forster. It was a false move in tactics, as the division list proved, for the House acquitted the Administration of blame by 338 votes to 195-a crushing majority of 143. 66 CHAPTER XII. 1878. One result of the Berlin Congress had been the cession of Cyprus to England, to be, as Lord Beaconsfield described it, a place of arms in the Eastern Mediterranean. The accounts of the capabilities, resources, condition, and popular feeling of this island were so conflicting that the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Secretary of State for War (Colonel the Hon. F. R. Stanley, M.P.1) set out in the autumn to inspect it for themselves. The occasion was one not to be lost by that gentle satirist, Mr Bromley Davenport, M.P., who, more suo, celebrated the expedition in verse :— "The Chief of the Army and Lord of the Fleet 1 Now sixteenth Earl of Derby. They erected an altar to Stanley forthwith, On the eve of his departure for the East, Smith received a letter from H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge referring to the Royal Marines in terms which, as expressing the confidential opinion of the Commander-in-Chief, cannot fail of being pleasant reading to the members of that distinguished branch of the service. Private. GLOUCESTER HOUSE, PARK LANE, W., MY DEAR MR SMITH,-I returned late last night from a general tour of inspections, & hearing that you are to start to-night for Cyprus with Colonel Stanley, I write a line to say that I have had an opportunity of seeing the four Divisions of Royal Marines at their respective Stations, and cannot speak in too high terms of their state of efficiency & smartness. They are splendid fellows, in excellent military order, & fit for any work that may be required of them. I am anxious to bear testimony to their excellent condition, as I occasionally see rumours in the public prints that there is some idea of reducing their numbers, and some naval officers go even so far as to say that the Royal Marines are now become a useless body. I hope you will never be induced to listen to such views. All the old & valuable Officers of the Navy do not share their opinions, & I trust they will not find any encouragement on the part of the First Lord, who, after all, is the authority upon whom these matters depend. I am not a Naval Man and know little of Naval matters, but I have been a public servant of the Crown for many years, & have gained some experience in that position, & I feel satisfied that the Royal Marines are a valuable branch of our public services, & as such deserve every encouragement & support, & certainly not abolition, or even reduction.—I remain, dear Mr Smith, yours most sincerely, GEORGE. To this the First Lord made the following reply : H.M.S. HIMALAYA, off CYPRUS, Oct. 29, '78. SIR,-I had the honour to receive your Royal Highness's letter on the subject of the Royal Marines on the day of my departure from London, and as it was only a few minutes before the train started, I was unable to reply. I am really very much obliged to your Royal Highness for the information contained in the letter. It is most gratifying to us at the Admiralty to have the very high authority of your Royal Highness bearing testimony to the efficiency of the Marines. They have appeared to me, with my very limited knowledge of discipline and drill, to be in a satisfactory state, but I am perfectly assured now as to their condition by the statement of your Royal Highness. A.D. 1878.] PARIS. 183 So far as the present Board of Admiralty are concerned, there is certainly no foundation whatever for the rumours to which your Royal Highness has referred. We have no intention of effecting a permanent reduction in the numbers of the corps, still less of abolishing it. For my own part I regard them as a very valuable reserve, capable of being used at sea or on land, and until wars cease such a reserve certainly should be retained. I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient humble servant, W. H. SMITH. As was always the case when duty obliged him to make a prolonged absence from home, Smith felt the pain of parting from wife and children in a degree which, to some people, might appear disproportionate to the length of the separation. But his was a warmly affectionate nature, and he was not ashamed to give expression to his feelings in the journal which he kept during his tour. Monday, Oct. 21, 1878.-Started from Greenlands for the 10.10 train. Did not "light up" in the brougham as we had been accustomed to do. Neither of us cared for it. The two dear children had our last good-bye as we drove rapidly through the gate, and although we were not sad, we were, as once before, not talkative. The weather cleared up, and we cleared up too, and we began to say to each other, What a blessing it will be not to see a pouch1 for perhaps a month! .. The order was given, "Half speed ahead," the paddles turned, and there was a good deal of dirty water, but no motion in the ship, and so it went on for half an hour. At last we got off fairly; the rain had ceased, and we had a good but a slow passage across. On the other side we found a carriage reserved for us, and we travelled comfortably to Paris, now and then saying a very few words to each other, and they were very few, of those we loved. Some thoughts are too precious to be given expression to. There is a sort of sacrilege in allowing the birds of the air to listen to them. Paris had been en fête. There had been a great giving away of prizes in the day, and flags on the houses and illuminations in the streets; but the people were returning home, and the gas-lustres were out and the Chinese lanterns were going out, but still the place looked cheerful and the people happy, lingering to see the last of the show. We drove to the Hôtel Bristol, and the Prince requested me to see him. He told me he was almost tired of the functions he had to go through. Prize-giving yesterday; deputation to-day; a fête at Versailles at night; it was too much. He said that his brother the Duke of Edinburgh had been staying two days with him, and only left the night before for Marseilles to join his ship, and he wished very much I could have seen him. We parted. I returned with Codrington to 1 An official "pouch": the leather bags in which papers and despatches are sent from the public departments to Ministers. the hotel to write letters, and at 5 in came Mr Lawson of the 'Daily Telegraph' to ask me what I thought of affairs. 166 Well, I did not think much; what did Mr Lawson think? He said his wife had not seen Venice, and he was going there to-morrow for three weeks. I was off that night to Cyprus. "Ah! then you don't think anything will happen just at present?"-"I hope not.". -"You wouldn't go if you thought anything would happen?"—"Oh, certainly not! and it is just as well to show confidence." The 'Daily Telegraph' and the First Lord shook hands and parted, with professions of profound esteem and friendship; and then we finished our letters, and went out for a stroll, and to buy Tauchnitz for the journey. Up and down the Rue de la Paix, lingering at the jewellers' windows, admiring Sirandin's baskets, and the nattily dressed girls who presided over the sweetie-shop; wondering whether the electric light really was so wonderful; thinking in between of home, and of all that makes home lovely. So the real journey commenced, and we found ourselves a party of seven, with four servants and a courier, Sir George Elliot, Sir Henry Holland,1 and Captain Fitzgeorge joining us at the station. Thursday, 24th.—. In Italy on the Adriatic coast—a rich gardenlike country, with olive and mulberry trees planted in rows in the fields. The sea is very Italian-like. Fishing-boats with the peculiar Mediterranean sails, half red, half orange-colour, sitting like large birds on the water. We passed Loretto, with its church built round the house in which Joseph lived, which flew from the Holy Land-first to Albania, and then, not being appreciated there, to the opposite shore, alighting on the hill now named Loretto. On we go in heat, but, thanks to the late rain, not in dust. At Foggia we left the sea and struck across a vast plain to Naples, a five-and-a-half-hours' fast run. To the westward was a range of very grand hills. There were some dark clouds about them, and as the sun passed through them they seemed to divide, giving golden fringes to their edges, and lighting up all below and around with a golden haze which could be felt but not described. The plain was mostly uncultivated, and houses few and far between. Troops of horses here, some hundreds together, being driven home apparently; cattle in the same way, and now and then sheep. Darkness settled upon us; the stars came out brightly. We were all very tired, and those who did not sleep thought again of home. It was very pleasant to find ourselves in the pinnace again, and steaming out, we were soon on board the Himalaya, where we were very heartily welcomed by our friends who had gone before. Friday, Oct. 25.-A bath-what luxury! On deck, and the whole Bay of Naples in sunshine before us; Vesuvius smoking, but clear to the top, the Observatory standing on a shoulder of the mountain, olive-groves and vineyards clambering up its sides, and white houses, surrounded by gardens, glistening. Description is out of the question; every variety of shape in rock, the sea deep blue, and the curves 1 Created Baron Knutsford in 1888. |