HC Deb 30 March 1874 vol 218 cc412-32
MR. DISRAELI

Mr. Speaker—The state of affairs on the Gold Coast at the commencement of last October was gloomy in the extreme. The Protectorate was entirely overrun by the enemy, who pressed in force even to the immediate neighbourhood of our own Settlements. There was great dissatisfaction among all the Native tribes, and the friendly Chiefs were in a state of utter despondency and inaction. The situation of affairs was not only unsatisfactory, it might have been described as disastrous had it not been for the efforts of a handful of blue-jackets and Marines, whose valiant energy saved in fact the whole of our subjects and those who depended upon us from being swept, I may say, from the Coast. Fortunately these men wore commanded in each Service by a man equal to the occasion. Colonel Festing, who commanded the Marines, and Captain Fremantle, who commanded the Sailors, showed that they possessed the same mettle which animated those who afterwards marched to Coomassie. But, Sir, it must be obvious that, with only a few hundred men, in the face of a foe that might be counted, not by thousands, but by tens of thousands, the result of their efforts must necessarily be limited. Yet they succeeded in checking and controlling the enemy, and during the eight months which thus elapsed between the commencement of the year and the beginning of October, with these limited resources, they had achieved and accomplished several considerable consequences. They had, in the first place, regained Elmina; in the second place, they had removed the pressure of invasion from Capo Coast Castle; and, thirdly, they had succeeded in establishing two fortified out-posts, which ultimately proved of singular value and service to Sir Garnet Wolseley when he prepared and consummated his triumphant march.

At the commencement of the month of October Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived. He was sent out by the Government with full powers, military and civil. He was not only commander of the Army, but also the chief Administrator of the Settlements. He went without troops, because it was then the plan of the Government that the war should be carried on by Native levies. But he wont accompanied by a numerous, a well-selected, and a most efficient staff, every member of which subsequently greatly distinguished himself. Of course, Sir Garnet Wolseley's first object was to assemble the Native Chiefs, and to make his arrangements for raising those Native levies with which the war was to be conducted. The subsidies and terms which he offered appear to me to have been tempting. They wore liberal; they were adapted to the customs and the wishes of the population to whom they were addressed; and at the first glance it might have been hoped that they would have been successful. That they were entirely a failure I will not now say; because in the subsequent proceedings—as hon. Members, who have doubtless followed these events with the deepest interest, must have seen—there were bodies of Native troops officered by Englishmen who really did good service to the State. Hon. Members are now familiar with the name of Rait's Artillery, Russell's Regiment, and Wood's Regiment—regiments officered by Englishmen and commanded by Englishmen, but consisting entirely, as to rank and file, of Native troops. Yet Sir Garnet Wolseley, a man possessing great knowledge of human nature as well as of military science, soon perceived that there were not in the population of the Gold Coast materials that would enable him to accomplish the purpose of the Government. This conviction must have been rapidly arrived at by that distinguished man, because he found himself, for the first time, on the Gold Coast, on the 2nd of October, and it was in the middle of that month—as early, I think, as the 14th—that he wrote to the Government, and informed them that the business could not be done without British troops. That appeal of Sir Garnet Wolseley was answered by Her Majesty's Government with laudable promptitude. Not a moment was lost in giving orders that some of the flower of the English Army should be despatched to that part of the world. A battalion of the Rifle Brigade, a battalion of the Welsh Fusiliers, and one of the most distinguished of the Highland regiments were among the troops sent out. But it required a space of two months before these troops—although not an hour had been lost in ordering them to repair to the Gold Coast—could make their appearance where they were needed.

What had occurred during that space of time, from the middle of October to the beginning of December? In the first place, Sir Garnet Wolseley, at the head of a force of Marines, and a Naval Brigade, commanded by Captain Fremantle, successfully attacked and destroyed settlements and villages on the coast from which the chief army of the Ashantees—who were encamped probably about 14 miles in the interior—received their principal supplies. This was a successful expedition, and had, ultimately, considerable consequences. In the second place, great progress was made in the military road which was constructing from Cape Coast Castle to the kingdom of Ashantee; and, in touching upon that point, I would ask the House for a moment to form some conception of the labour of constructing such a road. These settlements on the Gold Coast are towns built upon a surf-beaten shore, guarded generally by a citadel or castle. Touching the immediate precincts of these towns, what is called "the Bush" commences. The bush was originally an African forest. An African forest consists of trees of a colossal size. These trees, for purposes of domestic or other use, had been cut down; but the undergrowth remains, and on the average it is from 10 feet to 16 feet high, and quite impenetrable. There were paths through this bush which led into the interior, but there were no roads. This bush extends over a portion of territory which stretches in- wards on the average to about 30 miles, when, it ceases, and the primeval forest re-commences. Then you find yourself in a dense forest, consisting of those wonderful productions of tropical vegetation and those enormous trees to which I have adverted; and in the middle of this forest there flows a river—the River Prah—which is the limit and boundary, not only by custom, but by Treaty—which we entered into in 1831—between the Protectorate and the Kingdom of Ashantee.

Sir Garnet Wolseley had stopped the chief supplies of the Ashantee Army, and he had already made great progress with the construction of the military road, which was of course, an achievement indispensable to his ultimate success. About this time the chief of the Ashantee Army, which was in great force and was once supposed to be as numerous as 30,000 warriors, probably inconvenienced by losing some of his resources—perhaps his main resources—and probably also encouraged by the inaction of his opponents, suddenly determined to attack one of our chief outposts. It was garrisoned by Native forces known as Russell's regiment, and by about 50 sailors, who were strongly intrenched there. For a whole day this little garrison bore themselves up manfully against the attacks of the enemy, and on the second day Sir Garnet Wolseley, having received information of the state of affairs, arrived at the head of such force as he could get together—chiefly Marines and Sailors—and a considerable engagement took place, lasting two days, and ending in the complete defeat of the Ashantee Army.

From that moment the retreat of the enemy commenced. It was not for some time believed; it was, for a considerable period, thought to be only a feint; but authentic information at last convinced those who were at head-quarters that the army of the King of Ashantee was in full and regular retreat from the Protectorate. Then it was that some attempt was made to harass their roar; and to take advantage of so inviting a circumstance in war as a retreat, by means of such Native levies as we possessed. But this was not a very encouraging or successful move. Commanded as they were by English officers, the most unfortunate consequence was that the officers were generally the victims. Many were wounded, and it was in these continual skirmishes, occasioned by the retreat of the Ashantees, that, after an exhibition of valour which must excite the admiration of all, there fell, I am sorry to say, the gallant son of a respected Member of this House (Lieutenant Eardley Wilmot.) The Ashantee Army must have arrived on the banks of the Prah about the end of November—I think it was on the 27th—and two or three days were occupied by them in passing the river. So that, before the troops could arrive from England which Sir Garnet Wolseley had called upon Her Majesty's Government to send him, the invasion of the Protectorate had ended and realty ceased, and the army of the King of Ashantee was in the Kingdom of Ashantee.

When these troops had arrived, it was impossible for Sir Garnet Wolseley to avail himself immediately of the forces which he then possessed. The road was not yet finished, and immense difficulty was experienced in obtaining carriers for ammunition and the commissariat—carriers necessary in a country where there are no beasts of burden. Complaints have been made of the neglect shown in not finishing the road before the British troops arrived. But if the matter is examined there will be be found no ground for this charge, which I have often seen in the newspapers, quoted against the Government and against others the fact is, that as long as the Protectorate was occupied by the army of the King of Ashantee, it was impossible to work upon the road except under great difficulty, or to afford sufficient protection to the Engineers, with the limited force we then had. The instant, however, that the Ashantee Army had crossed the Prah, and retired from the Protectorate, the whole country became clear for the operations of our Engineers, and the work was prosecuted with the utmost energy. But the road was not completed at the time the troops arrived, and, what with the want of the road and what with the want of carriers, those who were responsible for the conduct of affairs were placed in a most difficult position, because to land the troops in that country entailed great risks—which indeed were under any circumstances inevitable—and troops had to embark and re-embark, and again find themselves upon the water, even after they had reached the Coast.

Nevertheless, affairs went on. Sir Garnet Wolseley and his head-quarters were at the limit of the Protectorate—at Prahsu, on the banks of the Prah—arriving there on the 15th; and from these head-quarters he addressed to the then Secretary of State his plan of campaign, which was as follows:—He proposed to invade the Kingdom of Ashantee by four columns. The chief force he himself commanded. Upon his extreme right Captain Glover—who had been appointed Commissioner by the Colonial Office to aid in this war—was to lead a column of Native troops, and find himself on the Prah, if possible, by January 15. Between Captain Glover, who was about 40 miles from Sir Garnet Wolseley, who was upon the main road, and the Commander-in-Chief, Captain Butler, was to lead another column of Native troops; and on the left of Sir Garnet Wolseley, Captain Dalrymple was also to lead a column of Native troops. It so happened that the Native levies upon which Captain Butler and Captain Dalrymple depended wore, in a warlike point of view, of little value to us. The men assembled, but on the first sign of combat they vanished; and nothing but the great ability and energy of the two English officers prevented, perhaps, disasters. But we should err greatly if we believed that no good effects resulted from this plan of the campaign, and from these too quickly vanishing columns of Captain Butler and Captain Dalrymple. They acted admirably in their respective positions as diversions, diminishing the pressure which would otherwise have been brought to bear upon Sir Garnet Wolseley and the main body. And that is shown by the fact that of the six great tributary Chiefs of whom the Ashantee Kingdom was composed, two, whose districts were invaded by these columns, of which they had received notice, retired each with his force to his own country in consequence. Captain Glover, who was 40 miles distant from Sir Garnet Wolseley, was more fortunate than either Captain Butler or Captain Dalrymple. He kept his men together, on the whole, pretty well. At one time he anticipated that he would be at the head of thousands, for he seems to have a marvellous power of influencing these tribes. Many of them deserted and disappeared; but still he was not wanting at the critical moment, to which, before I sit down, I may perhaps for an instant allude.

On the 15th of January Sir Garnet Wolseley had communicated his plan of campaign to Her Majesty's Government. On the 20th he passed the Prah. For the first ton days matters remained in an ambiguous and, on the whole, somewhat unsatisfactory state. On passing this river, the House must understand that our forces were still in a forest. Those battles to which I shall now have occasion to allude were battles in a forest—they were battles with a powerful and almost invisible foe. The King of Ashantee appears to have thought, on the withdrawal of his troops and giving up the invasion of the Protectorate, that the war had ceased. It never occurred to him that there would be another invasion, and that, the invasion of his own territories. When, therefore, he heard we had crossed the Prah, it became necessary for him to re-assemble his troops, and, considering they had been out for two campaigns and were naturally weary and exhausted, that was no easy task. It was most essential, therefore, for the King to gain time, and while we advanced, messengers were perpetually coming, commencing negotiations and offering terms. But throughout these proceedings the Commander of the British Forces was served with excellent intelligence. It is difficult to conceive how in such a country the Commander-in-Chief could have been so well served. De soon convinced himself of the falsity of the King's overtures, and became satisfied from the mode in which these men carry on war that a trying moment was at hand. At last that trying moment arrived, and he found himself, I can scarcely say in the face of the Ashantee Army in their first line, because he was still in a forest and the enemy were invisible, but the whole of the British forces seemed to be surrounded by foes and were assailed and fired upon all around. It required the instinct of military genius to be able to conceive where the enemy were placed, and how to dispose his forces under such circumstances. The battle which ensued lasted 12 hours. It was conducted with the utmost fury and determination on the part of the enemy; but at last their fire slackened, our troops advanced, and they bivouacked upon the very spot—I think on the night of the 31st of January or the 1st of February—where the enemy had been strongly intrenched and so advantageously posted. This battle has been, as the House is aware, called the battle of Amoaful. On the night following the battle, the position of Sir Garnet Wolseley must have been one of extreme anxiety. He felt he was dealing with a foe who were desperate, and who would make any sacrifices to arrest his course. The lives of 100 Ashantees would willingly have been given for the life of one white man, and he might apprehend, if this obstinate resistance were persisted in, not that he might not ultimately reach Coomassie, but that he might reach it at a most dangerous period of the year, with his forces so much diminished that he would be in extreme peril. Besides his losses in battle he had to establish as he advanced a considerable number of armed posts, each of which reduced the forces immediately available. It was then for him to determine what line he would pursue. To retreat would have been disastrous. Our Native levies would certainly have then disappeared; the carriers would have run away An English soldier is invincible, except;, perhaps, under one condition, and that is retreat: and if an enemy had been pressing him in all directions, and feeling their own lives to be as nothing compared with the object of destroying their foe, such a state of things might have led to the utmost disaster. Sir Garnet Wolseley decided, therefore, on the boldest course, to continue his march to Coomassie, as the least of two dangers. The enemy fought for two days after this, contesting every mile of ground. For two days Sir Garnet Wolseley advanced, having rested on the field of the great engagement for 24 hours, and on the 3rd day he arrived at the River Orda, where the Ashantee Army was in force, commanded by the King himself, and another pitched battle was fought. It did not last as long as the battle of Amoaful; but it was maintained for more than six hours, and the enemy fought with great obstinacy. At length the King fled. From that moment the Ashantees gave up all hope, and Sir Garnet Wolseley, at the head of his forces, entered the capital of the Ashantee Kingdom.

The House is well aware of the important event which then occurred. I believe it was a wise and necessary step. Time had been so calculated that there were not 24 hours to be wasted. The campaign, indeed, had no longer to be calculated by days, but really by hours. That great change in the climate and in the appearance of nature common to those tropical countries at particular seasons had already commenced. The Prah is a river which in ordinary times is, perhaps, only three or four feet deep and fordable by troops. After the first tornado it is often 10 feet deep. Sir Garnet Wolseley, therefore, took those steps which he believed would best insure the result that he desired under the circumstances, which was to make a great impression upon the population of the country, to aim as decisive a blow as possible at the prestige of the Ashantee monarch; and, having done this, he made up his mind to retire. He retired unmolested. The nature of the climate rendered it necessary that he should send on the English troops without a moment's loss of time, and he himself followed more leisurely with the Native levies alone. Pleased he must have been with the admirable conduct of those whom he led; pleased we all must be; but, perhaps, some were disappointed that he had not succeeded in obtaining that Treaty for which he had been so frequently in negotiation with the ruler of Ashantee.

It was at this time, having proceeded in his march from Coomassie some 20 or 30 miles, that he was surprised by receiving messengers from the King accepting all his terms, and offering to enter into a Treaty, which, so far as Treaties can, would secure all Sir Garnet Wolseley's objects. How was this brought about? By the successful movement of Captain Glover, who at the head of his Native levies, 40 miles distant originally from Sir Garnet Wolseley, now threatened the panic-stricken monarch of Ashantee in his rear. When the King found himself thus menaced by another force, he offered to yield to all the conditions. The House is well aware that we have no authentic accounts that this formal Treaty has been concluded, nor do we know exactly the state of affairs at Cape Coast; but I must express my belief that though we have not yet heard that this Treaty has been entered into, it is by no means hopeless. I cannot help thinking that such operations as have been carried on could not have been accomplished without bringing about considerable consequences and working beneficial changes in the relations between this country and African Sovereigns.

I have endeavoured to place before the House, in however slight a manner, yet I hope not inaccurately, and without wearying hon. Members with too many details, a general view of the remarkable operations which have been performed in Africa during the course of this campaign. I am mistaken if these are not feats of arms which will not be easily forgotten in this country. I know it has always been a vulgar error to associate military glory only with armies of great magnitude. But that is not a just view to take. Some of the greatest military feats have been performed by very small armies. In modern history, nothing, perhaps, is more illustrative of this truth than the conquest of Mexico by Cortes. So great a result effected by such slight means is not easily matched in the history of man. Even in our own times—in that great continental war which occupied a great-part and the early portion of this century—when hosts counted, not only by hundreds of thousands, but by millions, were arrayed against each other—it was a small army, admirably disciplined, which, to use the word of their illustrious commander, would go anywhere—it was a small army like that, under our matchless Wellington, which really decided the fate of Europe. I am not wishing to exaggerate the gallant deeds, of which we are naturally proud, of Sir Garnet Wolseley and his brave companions. I do not mean to say that the engagements in which they took part are to be counted among the decisive battles of the world; but I think we may say of them truly that they are those deeds which thrill the hearts of households, and which, by the examples they offer of energy and endurance, sustain and strengthen the tone of a nation. Sir, I beg to move the Resolutions which are on the Notice Paper.

MR. GLADSTONE

said: With your permission, Sir, I am very desirous to second the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman. It is quite unnecessary for me, after the ample description which the right hon. Gentleman has given of the operations on the Gold Coast, to detain the House for more than a very few moments. Everyone whom I address is sensible that we are deeply indebted to the small British force, in all its arms, which has defended the honour as well as the interests of this country in the late war. Her Majesty's Government having thought fit, upon their responsibility, to propose this Vote of Thanks to the House, I am very anxious to avail myself of the opportunity of testifying the cordiality with which, for my own part and on that of my late Colleagues, we acknowledge the magnitude of that debt, and to show the readiness with which we are prepared, and shall be prepared, to concur in every becoming form of owning and of acquitting ourselves of the obligation. An expression fell from the right hon. Gentleman in the course of his narrative with respect to which I should wish to offer a remark, applicable to the form rather than the substance of what the right hon. Gentleman said. I think he stated that, at a time when Sir Garnet Wolseley left this country, the plan of Her Majesty's Government was to prosecute hostilities by means of Native levies. In that statement the right hon. Gentleman has, perhaps, gone a little beyond, and at the same time has fallen a little short of, an actual description of the views of the Government at the time. It would be strictly accurate to say that at that moment we scarcely had what could be called a plan. The truth is that from day to day, at least with each successive arrival of intelligence, a varying state of circumstances and expectations was reported. I am bound to admit that, until Sir Garnet Wolseley was despatched, and until he had reached the Gold Coast, the amount of information which we possessed, and which, of course, must have been the basis of any determination we arrived at, was scanty; so much so, that I might even call it deplorably scanty. There were, as the House is aware, a certain limited number of British forces on the Gold Coast, and it was not until the summer was far advanced we abandoned the hope that by this force alone, acting in concurrence with that portion of the Natives who were opposed to the Ashantees, a settlement of the matter might be brought about. It was, however, thought wise in the first place to authorize the expedition of Captain Glover; and that expedition was one which, as the right hon. Gentleman has accurately stated, was to be conducted by Native forces. But, when we considered the state of things as it stood in the month of last August, it was manifest that more was required; and at that time it would have been, I think, impossible—certainly unwise and rash—to endeavour to determine either how much more, or what precise measures, were the right measures to adopt. That which appeared clear, and that upon which we decided, was that we must send to the Gold Coast the very best man we could find. The choice was made in the first instance by my noble Friend the then Secretary of State for War (Mr. Cardwell), and the then Secretary of State for the Colonies (the Earl of Kimberley), and a measure was adopted which the circumstances required, and which was the most effectual for the attainment of our end. We placed in Sir Garnet Wolseley that full and absolute confidence which has been fully and absolutely justified by the result. At the very moment when he left the shores of this country, although we were not in a condition to determine it would be right or safe to prosecute the war by means of European troops, a measure was taken which subsequently enabled us to act upon his report, and, as the right hon. Gentleman has stated, without the delay of a moment. Those battalions which have since earned such honour and distinction on the Gold Coast were at that time, and not subsequently, told off to prepare for the expedition, and the transports in which they were ultimately to sail, and in which they ultimately did sail, were likewise prepared; so that, depending as we did upon the judgment of this able officer, we might be in a condition to adopt his recommendations, to second him in his endeavours, and so with the utmost-thrift and the utmost despatch, to limit the time for the conduct of those operations. I do not wish to enter further upon that subject, because it was no part of the object of the right hon. Gentleman to describe the attitude of the late Government, and the accuracy or otherwise of their views at this or that particular moment; but he will excuse me being anxious that we should not be misunderstood as regards the measures which we adopted. I am very glad that the right hon. Gentleman, in the course of his speech, has called attention to the share which has been taken by Her Majesty's Naval Forces, and especially that he has not confined himself to noticing that portion of the Naval Force which co-operated in the final and successful movement; but that he has likewise reminded us of the gallant efforts of those who, in the worst season of the year, upon that pestilential coast, amid circumstances of the utmost discouragement, and when burdened rather than aided by a set of allies of whose character or military conduct I am afraid we can scarcely say too little, nevertheless, by their own unassisted resolution, de fended and maintained their position against the most fearful odds. With regard to the proceedings after the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley, it is in my own opinion needful to say very little. I will venture to observe that those form a very inadequate estimate of the nature of this undertaking and the difficulties that had to be encountered who regard it merely as an enterprise conducted among savage people, and who do not take into view the remarkable combination of courage, craft, and ferocity which that savage people has exhibited, the advantages which they derived from the peculiar nature of the country, and the still greater advantages they possessed from the inexorable limitations as to the time under which Sir Garnet Wolseley alone was compelled to conduct his operations. Without at all presuming to compare these military operations with other gigantic events which have occurred in our own time and in other countries, this I will venture to say, in the first place—I concur in the remark of the right hon. Gentleman opposite that nothing was more striking than the promptitude with which, from the moment of Sir Garnet Wolseley's arrival, he appeared to have mastered the secret of gathering the most searching and trustworthy information, where all before had boon darkness and uncertainty. Further, I will venture to say there are very few examples in military history of cases in which the plan of a difficult operation has been so completely conceived beforehand and, after being so completely conceived, has been executed so exactly in the manner in which it was conceived. A happy instinct, as well as a wide experience, a cultivated and intelligent as well as a gallant and manly mind, enabled the Commander of that expedition at once to take the measure of his own position; and, when he had taken it, to proceed to the execution of his plan with the most unfaltering determination, never at any moment hesitating, never at any moment finding reason to question the wisdom of the steps he had already adopted, or to doubt the result of perseverance for the full accomplishment of his measures. I am sure there has been no occasion when the House of Commons has more unanimously felt the great obligation under which it lies than to the gallant men who have been engaged in this expedition, and never has it been my fortune to make a proposal in this House with greater satisfaction than that which I now do—namely, to second the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman opposite.

COLONEL LOYD LINDSAY

said, that the speech which had been delivered by the Primo Minister had conveyed in the most appropriate manner the thanks of that Assembly to Sir Carnet Wolseley and the soldiers who had shared with him in the perils, the difficulties, and the successes of the operations on the West Coast of Africa. If that which they wore now doing were a mere complimentary business, private Members might be content to leave to the Leader of the House the task of expressing in well-chosen words the satisfaction which England had experienced in watching the conduct of her little Army during the recent campaign. But that was not a mere formal business, and private Members might be excused for a little effusion of feeling on an event which could not occur very often. Among all professions, it might be said that those who belonged to the military and naval forces of this country wore the most sensitive to the praise and blame of those in whose good opinion they desired to stand well. The frequent thought in a soldier's mind when he was engaged, thousands of miles away from home, was—"What will they say in England of the way in which we are doing this duty?" How could the House of Commons do better than encourage that noble feeling, which gave a sure guarantee that wherever English troops were engaged, and under whatever circumstances they might be placed, they would act up to the highest standard to which their strength and their endurance might enable them to attain? The war in which we had been engaged was no test of the power and military strength of the English nation, neither did it afford any sign of the patience or the endurance which English people would display in sustaining the burdens of a prolonged and arduous campaign. Our Continental friends must remember, when they expressed some surprise at the great laudations which had been common in the writing of the Press and in the speeches of our public men, that those did not indicate that we were unduly proud of having successfully matched the strength of England against that of a savage nation on the coast of Africa, but rather that we were proud—and had reason to be proud—of the handful of soldiers and sailors who had executed the difficult task assigned to them, and of the neatness and completeness with which they had performed the work the original plan of that campaign appeared to have been that it should be accomplished by sending out English officers to train and discipline the cowardly and savage tribes who hitherto had been running like sheep before their victorious and domineering neighbours. With that object in view volunteers were called for, and those who loved the Service and delighted in anything which showed its spirit and its courage, saw with pleasure the number of officers who came forward on that occasion, so that for any vacancy which offered there were 20 competitors ready to avail themselves of the opportunity. Among them there was one personally known to some in that House, probably known to all by name, for that name was a distinguished one—an officer possessing all the advantages of high position, ample wealth, and good looks, and with qualities which rendered him certain to be able to derive the full enjoyment of those blessings to the utmost of life (Lieutenant Alfred Charteris). But he preferred the rough lines of a soldier's career to remaining at home the favourite of the society of that great town. He volunteered for most arduous duty—to go on the Staff of a General about to organize an expedition such as that destined for the Gold Coast. He who approached ubiquity came nearest to what a Staff officer should be on service the Regulations allowed him three horses for his use; but on that occasion horses could not be had, and that officer had to perform all his duties on foot, which must have added greatly to his labour. Feverish nights brought no repose after weary days, and so he perished in the service of his country. Sonic consolation to his parents and his many friends was to be found in the fact that he did not die in vain. High and low had stood in the trials of that campaign, and perhaps they might be drawn closer together in consequence. The plan of operations was to discipline the savage tribes, and with them to perform the campaign. Amid many onerous and anxious labours devolving on the Leader of that House, such a task as he had performed that night must have been one of the most pleasing. The right hon. Gentleman had had the privilege of congratulating Sir Garnet Wolseley, and of thanking him and his brave comrades for having done so well and so gallantly their duty to their Queen and country, In conclusion, as a private Member, he had desired humbly to add his voice in confirmation of the vote proposed by the Prime Minister.

DR. LUSH

said, he did not rise to prolong the debate; but he must express his regret that the body of officers whose duty it had been to take care of the health of the troops engaged in that Expedition, and whose services wore unusually important on that occasion, had been in no way mentioned either in that Vote of Thanks or in the speech of the Prime Minister. It appeared to him that the medical officers in that Expedition had a special claim to consideration; and although it might have been contrary to etiquette to mention them specially, yet he ventured to think that was not an adequate reason for omitting to notice them. It was well known that on the medical policy adopted in an enterprise on that coast, the power of the troops to withstand the dangers of the climate, and thus to go successfully through their work, vitally depended.

MR. GATHORNE HARDY

might, perhaps, be allowed to say that it would have been out of place to mention the medical officers in the Vote of Thanks, inasmuch as other officers of the same rank were not named in it. But the hon. Member who had just sat down would observe that the thanks of the House were given to all "the other Officers of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines who have taken part in the Operations on the Gold Coast"—terms which would embrace both the combatant and the medical officers. The rule was not to mention an officer by name unless he had held a command in the field, and it would be remarked that all who were named had been in command. He certainly did not wish to depreciate the services of the medical officers, which were most important; but some of the most distinguished officers who had taken part in the Expedition were left out by the rule on which it was usual to act in those cases. No one had read with greater pride and pleasure than he had done some of the reports of the medical officers, which reflected the greatest possible honour on them and on the Service to which they belonged.

SIR EARDLEY WILMOT

said, he had to acknowledge his gratitude to the right hon. Gentleman at the head of the Government for the handsome terms in which he had spoken of the services of his gallant son (Lieutenant Eardley Wilmot). He expressed his most cordial concurrence in everything which had fallen from that right hon. Gentleman, and also from the right hon. Gentleman opposite (Mr. Gladstone), respecting the noble and heroic conduct of every officer and soldier who had taken part in the Ashantee Expedition. There was one officer, with whom he had had some personal communication, whose name he should have liked to have seen associated with the distinguished names which had been mentioned in the Resolutions before the House; but, from what had just been said by the Secretary of State for War, he felt that its omission was unavoidable. He meant Captain Rait, of the Artillery—a most zealous and deserving officer. It was well known to those who had followed the operations of the campaign on the Gold Coast, that the services of Captain Rait had contributed in no small degree to their success. Even during that hard fight which had been so well described by the First Lord of the Treasury—the action of Amoaful—they knew, from the accounts given by the newspapers and also by those who were present at the battle, that Captain Rait's rockets were extremely useful in enabling the gallant 42nd Regiment to drive the enemy through the bush and gain the victory which they won. With respect to the war itself, while he knew that every soldier who went to war must go with the full expectation of risking or losing his life, he confessed that he felt the loss he had sustained to be rather bitter when he regarded the necessity which bad induced the late Government to send out a handful of officers to the Gold Coast totally unsupported by troops. As early as January, 1873, they knew that the Ashantee Army had invaded the Protectorate, and from the tenor of the despatches sent home by Governor Henessey and by Colonel Harley in the middle of that year, the unreliable character of the Fantees ought to have been known to the then Government. There were gentlemen who well knew every portion of that country, who could have told Her Majesty's Ministers that it was worse than useless to send out gallant officers to head the Fantees. If the House would kindly permit him, he would briefly mention the circumstances under which his gallant, and might he be permitted to say, his noble son met his death. He was detached on the 3rd of November, with a party of those men, to make a re-connoissance of the enemy's camp near Dunquah, and having arrived at the appointed place at 7 o'clock in the morning, soon after received his first wound, his shoulder having been completely shattered. There was not a single white man present to assist him in working his gun, which he actually worked himself from 7 to half-past 9 o'clock, when he fell mortally wounded. Only five minutes before his death he wrote upon a slip of paper to his colonel—Colonel Festing—asking him to send him a few men of the West India Regiment, for that the men he had with him had gone; and he could not help expressing his gratitude and admiration at the heroic conduct of that gallant officer, who rushed to the spot amid a shower of slugs, caught his son in his arms—himself receiving a severe wound—and saved his body from mutilation and from being borne away by the Ashantees; and he trusted that when the distinguished honours which wore so much prized by our gallant soldiers and sailors came to be distributed, and especially that reward for bravery which bore Her Majesty's name, his right hon. Friend at the bead of the Government would not forget the heroic and noble conduct of Colonel Festing, to whom he should ever feel grateful for securing for his son a peaceful grave at Capo Coast Castle, instead of leaving his body in the hands of our barbarous enemies. He begged, in conclusion, to express his thanks to the right hon. Gentleman for his reference to his loss, as well as to the House for the manner in which they had received the mention of his son's name.

MR. GOSCHEN

said, he was sure every hon. Member of the House would wish, on that occasion, when all were desirous to do honour to the soldiers who had been engaged in this arduous undertaking, that there should be no kind of controversy introduced, nor anything said that would tend to mar the unanimity that prevailed with regard to the object the House had in view. He only rose, with reference to what had fallen from the hon. and gallant Gentleman who had just addressed the House, to say that his right hon. Friend (Mr. Gladstone) had omitted to state that the white troops could not be sent earlier to the Gold Coast than they were, on account of the sanitary condition of the country. [Sir EARDLEY WILMOT: The officers were sent.] The officers were sent with Sir Garnet Wolseley, at his request, to take preliminary measures, to get information, and organize matters; and it would be apparent to the House that it was possible to take sanitary precautions with reference to a handful of officers which it would be impossible to take with regard to entire regiments. He wished it to be understood that when Sir Garnet Wolseley was despatched, the white troops were not sent with him—not because it was intended to carry on the war with Native allies only—but because from the nature of the climate it was unsafe to send white troops until December. As soon as the season admitted of it the European troops arrived at the Gold Coast.

COLONEL NORTH

rose to suggest that the £5,000 which was brought back with the greatest difficulty by his gallant friend, Sir Garnet Wolseley, from Coomassie should be considered as part of the prize, and should be distributed among the troops. The House was aware that anything in the shape of pillage was put down with the utmost severity in our Army, and the things which had been taken during the war and sold at Cape Coast had, he believed, realized but a very trifling sum. He hoped the Government would, under the circumstances, see the expediency of acting upon the suggestion which he had thrown out, following the precedent which had been set in the Abyssinian Campaign, in connection with which he had been so fortunate as to obtain the distribution of a sum of£2,000 among our soldiers and sailors. It should be borne in mind that in regard to the Ashantee Expedition, it was no more nor less than a forlorn hope on a large scale. He could not but express his regret that the usages of the House prevented the appearance of the name of any medical officer in the Vote of Thanks, because he believed that from the beginning to the end of the war nothing could equal the attention and personal gallantly displayed by every medical officer present. Dr. Home, the chief of the Medical Department, had for former services received the Victoria Cross, and was a Knight of the 15th, and he extremely regretted that the custom of the House prevented that distinguished officer's name being mentioned on this occasion.

Resolutions put, and agreed to.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House he given, to Major General Sir Gurnet J. Wolseley, Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, for the exemplary skill with which he planned, and the distinguished courage, energy, and perseverance with which he conducted, the recent Expedition into Ashantee, resulting in the expulsion of the enemy's Army from the British Protectorate, the defeat, by Her Majesty's Forces, of the Army of the King of Ashantee, and the capture and destruction of Coomassie.

Resolved, Nemine Contradiceate, That the Thanks of this House he given to—

for the distinguished gallantry, indefatigable zeal, and great ability which they displayed in conducting the operations on the Gold Coast, and to all the above Officers for the cordial co-operation which they afforded to Her Majesty's Land Forces.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to Brigadier General Sir Archibald Alison, Baronet, Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and to all the other Officers of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines who have taken part in the Operations on the Gold Coast and the. Expedition to Ashantee, for the energy, gallantry, and ability with which they have executed the various services which they have been called on to perform in a most unhealthy climate.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That this House doth highly acknowledge and approve the discipline, gallantry, and endurance displayed by the Petty Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men of the Navy, Army, and Marines, whether employed in the front, on the line of communications, in reserve on land, or off the Coast; and that the same be signified to them by their respective Commanding Officers.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to Commander John Hawley Glover, Royal Navy, for the energy, courage, and ability with which, as Her Majesty's Special Commissioner to the Eastern Tribes of the Gold Coast, and with the aid of Other gallant Officers of the Army and Navy, he led a considerable Native force from the River Volta to Coomassie, thereby largely conducing to the success of the main operations under the Major General commanding.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That this House acknowledges with admiration the distinguished valour and conduct of those who have perished during the operations against the Ashantees, in the service of their Country, and desires to express its deep sympathy with their relatives and friends.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do communicate the said Resolutions to Major General Sir Garnet J. Wolseley, and that he be requested by Mr. Speaker to signify the same to Commodore John E. Commerell, Commodore William N. W. Hewitt, Captain the Honourable Edmund R. Fremantle, Colonel Francis W. Festing, Brigadier General Sir Archibald Alison, and Commander John Hawley Glover, and to the several Officers of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines who served in the said Expedition.—(Mr. Disraeli.)