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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.

CHAPTER XII.

1878.

JOURNAL OF A TOUR TO CYPRUS.

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
Have gone out to visit both Cyprus and Crete;
The natives, delighted to see such fine stars,

Christened one of them Neptune, the other one Mars;
They erected an altar to Stanley forthwith,
And put up a bookstall to W. H. Smith."

1 Now sixteenth Earl of Derby.

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.,
Sunday, October 20, '78.

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

A.D. 1878.] LETTER TO DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE. 337

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, Of 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.

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,

VOL. I.

W. H. SMITH.

Y

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 this 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 pouch 1 for perhaps a month!

The Admiralty was a rush. I took leave of Admiral Hood, and gave him parting directions.

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At the Charing Cross station a saloon was provided, and there we met Sir George Elliot, who had come from Newcastle on Saturday to join us.

Leave-taking again with Lethbridge, and, to my surprise, White, Sandifer, and Taylor, old Strand faces, came to shake hands, and say, God bless you, sir.

We were off, with a box of cigars with which Alpin MacGregor actually ran from the Admiralty to Charing Cross at the last moment, that we might not lack good tobacco on the road.

1 An official "pouch": the leather bags in which papers and despatches are sent from the public departments to Ministers.

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