HC Deb 12 August 1885 vol 300 cc1872-87
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER,

in rising to propose the Vote of Thanks to the Forces engaged in the Soudan Expeditions, said: Mr. Speaker—Sir, I have the honour to move the series of Resolutions which I have placed on the Paper, proposing that the thanks of this House be given to Her Majesty's Forces by sea and land, in return for their gallantry and conduct in the late Campaigns in the Soudan. Sir, I hope, and I think, it will not be felt that the period of the Session at which these Resolutions are moved in any way detracts from their character or from their value. It seems to me a not unfitting close to the work of a Session and of a Parliament that we should endeavour to express our gratitude to those who have worked and fought so well for their country in those distant climes, and our sympathies and our admiration for those who have lost their lives in those services. Sir, I trust that these Resolutions may meet, not merely with the cordial, but with the unanimous, assent of the House of Commons. It seems to me that, if we owe it to Her Majesty's Forces to pass them, we owe it even more to ourselves not to mar the gracefulness of our action by allowing Party differences on political subjects to intrude in a Vote which is of quite a different character. Sir, we have carefully excluded from the terms of these Resolutions anything that can raise a discussion as to the policy which dictated these Expeditions to the Soudan, or as to any political subject connected with them; and nothing, I trust, in the remarks which I am about to address to the House will in any way depart from that example. It seems to me that all we have to consider on this occasion is the conduct and the gallantry of Her Majesty's Forces in doing their duty to their country, and our own duty in expressing our appreciation of the services they have rendered. Now, Sir, I am afraid that it will not be possible for me, in the outline which I shall venture to sketch of the operations which have been undertaken and carried through, to give either a sufficient history of the facts, or anything like a due acknowledgment of the merits of individuals. The facts have spoken, and will long speak, for themselves; and with regard to the merits of individuals, we have felt it so impossible to name even a fractional part of those who ought to be named in a Resolution of this kind, and so invidious to select, that we have purposely confined ourselves to those who have occupied the highest positions only in the work that has been done. Sir, I would also ask the House, if I do not particularize the services that have been rendered by the different branches of Her Majesty's Forces, to attribute it to its true cause—namely, that the Navy, the Army, the Marines, and all the branches of the Forces engaged performed those duties with so much harmony and unity that I think they ought to be considered and spoken of together. The two Expeditions, to Suakin in February, 1884, and to Khartoum in the autumn of last year, had this in common—that both of them aimed at the relief of a beleaguered garrison, and neither of them succeeded in its object. But in neither case can it be said for a moment that the Expedition to Suakin in 1884 or the Expedition to Khartoum last autumn failed through any want of skill or ability on the part of the Generals commanding, or of courage and discipline on the part of our soldiers. Generals and soldiers alike faced and conquered all the difficulties, and all the enemies that were opposed to them; but there was one enemy with which they could not deal, and that, Sir, was Time. Time alone was the reason why each of those Expeditions failed to accomplish its object. Yet, Sir, I do not think, as I have said, that anyone will say that either of these Expeditions was a failure. Take the story, in the first place, of the first Expedition to Suakin. The orders for the Expedition to Suakin in 1884 were received by General Stephenson on the 12th of February. By the 28th of February a force of 4,500 men had actually disembarked at Trinkitat; the battle of El Teb was fought, and Tokar, the object of the Expedition, was reached on the 1st of March. Three days later the force returned, bringing back about 700 of the survivors of the garrison and inhabitants of Tokar. The battle of Tamai was fought on the 13th of March, and the Expedition was concluded on the 28th. The military result of that Expedition was that the power of Osman Digna was effectually crippled for a time by the two severe blows struck at him by the Expedition; and to do more than this was not in the power of the General or the gallant force entrusted with the Expedition. Take, again, the second Suakin Expedition. On the 8th of February last it was decided to open up the Suakin-Berber route, and to make a railway to Berber. On the 13th of March a force of nearly 11,000 officers and men were assembled at Suakin, and during the following month the important positions of Tamai, Handoub, and Otuo were successfully occupied. The railway was laid and finished for a considerable portion of the distance from Suakin to which the advance of our Forces reached. By the time the Force was withdrawn it is not too much to say that the power of Osman Digna had been absolutely crushed, and a position obtained from which there was every prospect of securing the goodwill and confidence of some of the most important Arab tribes had it been desired to pursue the undertaking. All this was not obtained without arduous efforts, and the calling forth of the best qualities of our officers and men, who, in the Eastern Soudan, as in the Desert march to Khartoum, met and conquered the fanatical bravery of a vigilant and indefatigable foe simply by their superior discipline and cool resourceful courage. But they had to contend in both cases with enemies worse than any foe with whom they fought in actual combat—with constant exposure and monotonous toil, with long and fatiguing marches under a burning sun, and, especially at Suakin, with a most trying—I might say a most deadly—climate. All these evils they surmounted with a patient endurance and uncomplaining heroism, which have been, perhaps, the finest characteristics of British soldiers whenever and wherever they have been tried. I will venture to say that among all the proud records of the British Army none will be found in which these qualities have been more completely displayed than in the operations round Suakin and Tamai. Let me turn for a few moments to the Nile Expedition. I do not think that our pride in that glorious march—that fighting march—to Metammeh and back over the Nile Desert, or in those stirring records of the voyage to Khartoum and back—which include deeds worthy of the heroic age—ought to dim our recollection or prevent our acknowledgment of the exceptional difficulties of organization and transport which had to be encountered in the Nile Expedition, or the way in which those difficulties were overcome. For more than 500 miles of river, cataract, and desert, the whole system of transport for men, material, supplies, and stores, including medical stores, which were never better supplied in any Expedition which has left this country—had to be organized. Whaleboats had to be forced up 190 miles of most turbulent and dangerous water; camels had to be taken across long stretches of waterless desert by soldiers who knew nothing of the management of boats or of the camels which they had to ride. Yet all this was successfully done with hardly any loss of life, and with a willing cheeriness which insured the success of those most difficult operations. I do not believe that in any Expedition which ever left this country was everything that tends to the efficiency and health of the troops more completely cared for than it was in this Nile Expedition. When the Force was directed to withdraw down the Nile the withdrawal was effected at the hottest period of the year, when the river was lowest and in the most difficult condition to navigate, with the loss of only a single life. Not only that, but 14,000 refugees from Dongola were sent down in safety and in comfort; and I do not think that stronger testimony could be given than the recital of these facts to the remarkable ability with which the operations were planned, and the skill with which they were carried out. I should like, however, for a few minutes, to advert to a distinguishing feature of these Campaigns, which has proved—first to ourselves, and then to the whole world—what the real resources of the British Empire are. There never was a Force of the size of those engaged in these Expeditions composed of men from more different latitudes—British, Indian, Egyptian, Soudanese, Kroomen; and last, but by no means least, it will always be remembered there were Canadians and Australians. No doubt these latter were few in number; but it is not their number, but the fact of their presence there, which has made this Expedition memorable; for they have shown—conclusively shown—to the world that strong and deep loyalty which is the real bond of union between this country and her Colonies, and that, at the faintest idea of danger, our Colonists will rally around the Mother Country, and fight with her soldiers and sailors wherever they may be required. Nothing can be stronger than the testimony borne by General Graham to the spirit of good-fellowship, as he described it, existing between the Australian and the Canadian and the British troops, and to the strong determination which animated them all to preserve untarnished the ancient reputation of the British Army. Sir, so long as these feelings exist and increase—as I believe they will increase—I am sure that in no emergency in which this country may find itself need there be any fear of the result. I am convinced that if we only treat our Colonies rightly, we have in them a fund of strength which would enable us at any great crisis to face even the nations of the world. One word in conclusion as to the last paragraph of this Resolution. We ask the House in that paragraph to record their admiration of the distinguished valour, devotion, and conduct of General Gordon, General Stewart, General Earle, and all those other officers and men who have perished during the Campaign in the Soudan in the service of their country, and their deep sympathy with their relatives and friends. I can attempt to add nothing to the eloquent tribute which, only a few days ago, my right hon. and learned Friend the First Commissioner of Works (Mr. Plunket) rendered to the memory of General Gordon. This only I will say—that I think the character, life, and deeds of General Gordon will ever be remembered in this country. But it was a strange and a sad coincidence that the Commanders both of the Nile and the Desert Columns of the Nile Expedition should have fallen at the head of their troops. Each was a Commander such as the country cannot afford to lose. The rapidity of General Stewart's rise in his Profession gave promise of the highest distinction had he been spared to us; and the singular charm of his character was such as not only to drive away the shafts of envy, but to endear him to all his comrades. General Earle was not less successful in gaining, not only the thorough confidence, but the personal liking, of the soldiers under his command. I venture to say that no two men were ever more really and truly sorrowed for by the troops they loft behind; and I know nothing which has a stronger title than this on the part of the soldier to our admiration and regret. I will not detain the House longer. If these Nile Expeditions did not rescue General Gordon or relieve Khartoum, I think they at least succeeded in one way. They showed the world that we could send from this country an Expedition of considerable importance, under very great difficulties, completely furnished in all respects, to the most distant regions, led by able and successful Generals, backed by officers of singular ability, and composed of men of whom I will only say that I believe "they could go anywhere and do anything." They have done their work for the time; and they have shown themselves capable of doing similar work—perhaps at a more crucial moment—so as to win credit for themselves and safety for their country. It is for us now to acknowledge what they have done, and to do our duty—I will not say to them, but to ourselves—by according to thorn, I hope without a dissentient voice, that which every soldier and sailor looks upon as his best and highest reward—the thanks and approbation of his country, voted by the people's Representatives in Parliament.

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON

Mr. Speaker, it is a great satisfaction to me to be permitted by the courtesy of the House, as I trust I may be, to associate myself and my Colleagues in the late Government in the proceedings in which the House is now engaged; and, Sir, the able, eloquent, and lucid statement which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made in moving these Resolutions has rendered my task an extremely easy one. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, following the laudable precedent of past times, has carefully abstained from entering into any discussion of the political considerations connected with these Expeditions. I think that precedent is a laudable one; because it appears to me that it is extremely desirable, in addition to those honours and rewards which it is in the power of Her Majesty, on the advice of her responsible Ministers, to bestow upon our gallant soldiers and sailors for deeds of this character, that the appreciation of their countrymen should be convoyed to them through the method of a Vote of Thanks of both Houses of Parliament. It is extremely desirable that such thanks should be voted to them totally irrespective of any opinion which the House may form, or any Party in the House may form, of the policy which actuated the operations, and altogether irrespective of any results that may have been achieved. We cannot expect our soldiers and sailors to be more indifferent than anyone among us can be to the success or failure of the operations in which they are engaged. But, Sir, whether successful or not, it is due on our part to them to recognize the spirit and the qualities displayed by them utterly irrespective of what the results accom- plished may be. It is, above all, our duty on the present occasion, when there is some sense of failure and some sense of inadequate results for the sacrifices made, that we should do what lies in our power to mitigate that sense of disappointment, and to bring forward clearly and strongly to those engaged in our Service that we, one and all, recognize that, if failure there has been, that failure has not been due to any shortcomings on the part of the officers who designed those operations, or on the part of the men who carried them out to their end. Well, Sir, it is, I think, a satisfactory circumstance that almost one of the very last acts in which Parliament is to be engaged during the present Session will be one in which we shall, I hope, be able to be practically unanimous. The present Session and the present Parliament have not been wanting in subjects on which there has been sharp debate among us, nor has there been wanting energy in the way in which our controversies have been conducted; but it is a satisfactory consideration that almost the very last proceeding in which we shall be engaged is one in which Party differences will disappear, and in which we shall be unanimously engaged in rendering a necessary and just tribute to the services of our gallant soldiers and sailors. The only regret I experience is that the proceedings in which we are now engaged take place at so late a period of the Session as to render it impossible for a larger number of Members on both sides of the House to be associated with us in this act. Sir, I am glad it has been possible for the Government to include in the Vote of Thanks which we are now considering the operations which were conducted at Suakin in the spring of last year. The House may remember that on several occasions I was asked—the late Government were asked—whether it was their intention last year to propose a Vote of Thanks to those soldiers and sailors who had been engaged in those operations. I can assure the House it was from no spirit of disparagement to the services either of the troops or of their Commanders in that Campaign that the Government, after much consideration, came to the conclusion that it was not in accordance with the usual precedents to move a Vote of Thanks on that occasion. We carefully examined the precedents that appeared to boar upon the subject; and although the question was not by any means free from doubt, we came reluctantly to the conclusion that to ask Parliament to agree to a Vote of Thanks on that occasion would be to give some extension to the practice which had up to that time prevailed, and might possibly tend to diminish in some degree the just value attached to the recognition of the deeds of our soldiers and sailors by both Houses of Parliament. It is certainly most appropriate on this occasion, on a Vote mainly relating to larger and more extended operations which have since been carried on, to place the question of our appreciation of their services beyond all doubt, and to do what is in our power to repair the omission, if omission there be, by expressing our appreciation of the services of the troops engaged in Suakin last year as fully as of those engaged in the present year both there and on the Nile. After the full and clear expressions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it is quite unnecessary for me to enter in detail into the operations of the Campaigns or of the gallant deeds performed. I would only advert to one or two principal features incident to those Campaigns. As to the Suakin Campaign, it has been marked, as far as I am aware, by incidents which have been more or less common to many Campaigns which have been undertaken by our troops in various parts of the world, and especially in India and Africa. The troops engaged in the neighbourhood of Suakin have been exposed, as stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to great toil and to great hardship under a climate which is especially trying to inhabitants of Northern regions. They have had to work hard and to fight hard under a burning sun, and frequently with an insufficient supply of that greatest necessary of life—water. These are incidents which have been common, as I have said, to many Campaigns in which our troops have been engaged; but the Suakin Campaign has, in my opinion, been marked in a very high degree by those incidents. They have also had, under these trying circumstances, to fight an enemy superior—greatly superior—in numbers; and if inferior in discipline and organization, or in knowledge of the arts of war, that inferiority has been amply compensated by the determined and fanatical bravery which animated them. The Nile Expedition has been marked by incidents which, so far as I am aware, have not had any complete precedent on any former occasion. The ascent of the Nile for a distance of 1,500 miles from what was practically the base of the Expedition at Alexandria, by means which had to be improvised for the occasion, and means which depended altogether on the troops themselves for their efficiency, is, in my belief, a precedent altogether new in our military annals. The conception and execution of that operation will form a new chapter in our military history. In my opinion, great credit is due to Lord Wolseley for the courage and self-reliance with which he formed the plan of that operation, and for the manner in which he staked his great military reputation on the success of measures which were hitherto untried, and of which we had no knowledge. And not less credit is due to the soldiers and sailors who were engaged in that Expedition for the manner in which they undertook new and untried duties, and for the perseverance and resolution with which they grappled with and encountered all the difficulties and hardships which were entailed upon them. It is said—and I do not know whether upon absolutely good authority, but I believe on sufficient authority—that the conduct of our troops in the Nile Expedition has excited the enthusiastic approval of a great military authority—no less than that of Count Moltke, of the German Army. It is said that Count Moltke, in speaking on the subject to a distinguished Englishman, made use of expressions to this effect. He is reported to have said that our troops on the Nile were heroes, not soldiers; that our British Cavalry had become Infantry; our Infantry had turned into sailors, and our sailors into Mounted Infantry. In short, the handiness of the troops and their powers of endurance have excited the admiration of one who is justly considered to be the leading military authority in Europe. Not less remarkable an incident of the Nile Expedition was the march, to which the right hon. Gentleman has referred, of the Column across the Bayuda Desert. That Column—cut off from its base, dependent upon itself and on its slender means of transport for every necessary of life, including, to a great extent, the greatest necessary of life to all—namely, water—committed itself to the passage of a Desert which was almost unexplored. Little was known of the difficulties which would have to be encountered, except that the Column would be met undoubtedly by an enemy, the numbers of whom it was difficult to estimate, and of whom nothing could be accurately foretold, except that it would probably fight with the same determined courage as had been previously evinced by the tribes of the Eastern Soudan. That movement has been criticized for its rashness; but success in war is not to be accomplished solely by the exercise of prudence or judgment. There are occasions on which it is necessary for the most prudent and most skilful General to run risks and dangers, and trust something to the valour, determination, and endurance of his troops. In my opinion, the wisdom of this movement has been amply proved, not only by the success with which it was accomplished, but also by the proof, which was almost immediately afterwards afforded, of the urgent necessity for a movement of this kind. I cannot upon this occasion, and I think the House cannot, withhold its sympathy and admiration of the small body of men who, under the leadership of Sir Charles Wilson, supplemented that march across the Desert by the perilous and romantic Expedition up the river to Khartoum. This would not be the occasion upon which it would be fitting that I should enter upon any matter of controversy whatever. I am aware that criticism has been levelled at what was alleged to have been a slight delay on the part of Sir Charles Wilson in embarking on that Expedition. I think it is only due to that gallant officer—and I can express my own opinion without committing any other Member of the House—to say that in the Paper which has been laid before Parliament Sir Charles Wilson has justified himself from any imputation of that kind. Whatever opinions there may be in the minds of some hon. Members on that point, there are none, I believe, who will withhold a tribute of admiration to the coolness and courage with which that Expedition, when it did set out, was undertaken. There are none who will withhold their sympathy from Sir Charles Wilson and his gallant companions in the bitter disappointment which they must have experienced on their arrival before Khartoum only to find that it was in the hands of the enemy; there are none who will withhold their admiration of the manner in which the extraordinary perils of the return of that Expedition were encountered; and I am sure there are none who will withhold their admiration from that most gallant feat of arms performed by Lord Charles Beresford, and by the soldiers and sailors under his command, in rescuing Sir Charles Wilson and his companions from a position of almost unparalleled and unexampled danger. I have no doubt that in the selection of the names of officers who have been specially mentioned in the Resolution before the House the precedents of former occasions have been strictly adhered to. There are many who, like the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will regret the omissions in the list of names which the adherence to precedent has entailed. As to the names which are mentioned, I will only detain the House with a very few observations. Of Lord Wolseley I have already spoken. I believe that this is the first Expedition with which that gallant officer has been associated which has not ended in the most complete success, and in which the results aimed at have not been fully achieved; but I believe that the reputation of Lord Wolseley will not have suffered in any degree from his association with this enterprize; and that the confidence that he has hitherto so justly inspired in those who have had the honour and privilege of serving under and with him has not, in the slightest degree, been diminished by the part which he has taken in this Expedition. It is extremely gratifying to me to have this opportunity of expressing, on my own behalf, and on behalf of the late Government, our sense of the obligations under which we stand with regard to General Sir Frederick Stephenson. The manner in which that gallant officer accepted the position confided to him, and the untiring manner in which he worked to secure the success of the Expedition, which naturally it would have been his greatest desire personally to have commanded, is worthy, in my opinion, of the highest commendation of this House. In the conduct which Sir Frederick Stephenson has pursued, it appears to me that he has set an example of duty and of uncomplaining discipline which are worthy of the highest admiration. I will not attempt, by repetition, to weaken the effect of those numerous and eloquent tributes which have been paid to the memory of General Gordon. This is not the occasion upon which it would be fitting for me to speak of the great moral qualities of that hero. It is enough for me to say upon this occasion that the records—unfortunately imperfect records—of the siege and defence of Khartoum by General Gordon and his devoted band of followers will for ever secure for it a most prominent place in the history of those heroic actions which have so frequently been performed by individual Englishmen. The right hon. Gentleman has spoken of General Earle and of Sir Herbert Stewart. I have already had an opportunity—and I will only repeat what I said then—of expressing my deep sense of the loss which Her Majesty's Service has sustained by the death of those gallant officers. They were officers who were conspicuous not only by the possession of great military qualities, but also in the most pre-eminent degree by the manner in which they had succeeded in securing the confidence, and not only the confidence, but the affection of all those who had the honour and privilege of serving under them; and I believe there are no two officers of the British Army who ever met with a more glorious death, or who in that glorious death were more sincerely mourned by their country and their comrades. I should like on this occasion to add an expression of my deep regret at the singularly unfortunate fate of another officer not mentioned in the Vote—that of Colonel Stewart, the companion of General Gordon. It was not his fate to die at the head of victorious troops. His rather was the sad fate of falling a victim to the treacherous assassin; but not less so has he fallen doing his duty to his Sovereign and his country, as those officers have done whose happier fate enabled them to perish in the hour of victory and in the midst of their admiring countrymen. There are others whose names I am sure the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have been glad to have been able to include in this expression of Vote of Thanks. There was Sir Redvers Buller, Chief of the Staff of Lord Wolseley. The merits of Sir Redvers Buller have been amply and fully and generously acknowledged by his Chief. The services which he rendered in the conduct of the retreat from Gubat across the Bayuda Desert were, in my opinion, not less conspicuous, not less worthy of record and of the best thanks of this House, than those which were performed by his illustrious comrade and friend Sir Herbert Stewart in his advance across that Desert. Nor would the House, I am sure, but for precedent, withhold its thanks from General Brackenbury, who succeeded General Earle, on whom it devolved to conduct the scarcely less difficult and arduous retirement down the rapids of the Nile from the advanced post which that force had occupied. Sir, there are other officers whom I regret that a strict adherence to precedent makes it impossible to include in this expression of our thanks. The services of the Indian, the Australian, and the Canadian Contingents have, I am glad to see, been recognized in the Resolution now before us; but it would have been satisfactory to all of us, I am sure, if it had been in accordance with established precedent, that the names of General Hudson, who commanded the Indian Contingent; of Colonel Denison, who commanded the Canadian Voyageurs; and of Colonel Richardson, who commanded the New South Wales Contingent, could also have been included in this Resolution. In my opinion, it is impossible to overestimate the good conduct of all these Contingents. A portion of the Indian Contingent especially has had the opportunity of rendering, in company with British troops, most gallant and most conspicuous services; and I have been informed by officers who were present on the occasion that nothing could exceed, not only the courage, but also the steadiness, the firmness, and the soldier-like qualities which were displayed by the Sikh regiments on the occasion of the attack on M'Neill's zereba—a coolness, steadiness, and courage which did much to avert the great and imminent danger which at one time threatened the whole of that force. Sir, I think that we ought not to omit on this occasion, without entering into any details, to notice the credit that is due to those officers connected with the Departments at home, to whose exertions so much of the credit of the admirable preparations which have been referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was due. It is admitted, I believe, on all hands, that the commissariat, the transport, and the medical arrangements were made with a completeness and a perfection which have certainly never been surpassed, and which, I believe, have never, on any previous occasion, been equalled. To the officers of the Departments at home, on whom the duty devolved of purchasing and sending out supplies, and to the officers of Departments in the field, on whom devolved the duty of distributing and making use of them for the benefit of the troops, in my opinion, the greatest possible credit is due. I believe that the perfection of the medical arrangements in this Campaign has been the cause of mitigating, to a great extent, the unavoidable sufferings which must be endured by our soldiers on all occasions of this kind, and that on no previous occasion has the devotion to duty which has been shown by the medical officers of every rank been exceeded. Well, Sir, I shall not detain the House longer. In conclusion, I will only say that these Campaigns, though they have failed to achieve that complete success, or to achieve those permanent and definite results which alone can fully compensate the country for the sacrifices which it has been called upon to make, and which alone can reconcile the country to the unavoidable horrors and miseries of war, have done credit to the Military and Naval Forces of the British Crown. They have proved that the ancient courage of our soldiers and sailors has in no degree deteriorated. These Campaigns have also proved that their intelligence, their resource, and the knowledge of their profession, possessed both by officers and men, have considerably increased. They have proved also how wide and varied are the military resources of the British Crown; and that for all the purposes of war, as well as for the purposes of peace, the British Empire is not only a name but a reality. Wide as are the responsibilities of an extended Empire, and the responsibilities which our extended interests impose upon us, these Campaigns have proved that we can count upon the willing and effective support of all the citizens of the British Empire, and all the subjects of the British Crown, in every quarter of the globe.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to General Lord Wolseley, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., for the distinguished skill and ability with which he planned and conducted the Expedition of 1884–5 by the Nile to the Soudan.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Graham, K.C.B., V.C., for the distinguished skill and ability with which he conducted the Expeditions of 1884 and 1885 in the Eastern Soudan, which resulted in the repeated defeat of the Arab Forces under Osman Digna.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to Admiral Lord John Hay, K.C.B., to Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Charles Arthur Stephenson, K.C.B., and to Vice Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett, K.C.B., K.C.S.I., V.C., for the support and assistance they afforded to the Forces employed in the operations in the Soudan; and to the Officers and Warrant Officers of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines, including Her Majesty's Indian Forces, European and Native, for the energy and gallantry with which they executed the services in the Soudan Campaigns of 1884 and 1885, which they were called upon to perform.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That the Thanks of this House be given to the Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men of the Forces of Now South Wales for the gallantry and zeal with which they cooperated in the Eastern Soudan with Her Majesty's British and Indian Forces employed there; and also to the Canadian Boatmen and their Officers for the valuable assistance rendered by them to the Expedition.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That this House doth acknowledge and highly approve the gallantry, discipline, and good conduct displayed by the Petty Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men of the Navy, Army, and Royal Marines, and of the New South Wales Contingent, and of Her Majesty's Indian Forces, European and Native, and by the Canadian Boatmen; and this House doth also acknowledge the cordial good feeling which animated the United Force.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That this House doth acknowledge and highly approve the zeal and gallantry with which the Troops of His Highness the Khedive have co-operated in the Soudan with Her Majesty's Forces there employed.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That this House doth acknowledge with admiration the distinguished valour, devotion, and conduct of—

and of those other Officers and Men who have perished during the Campaign in the Soudan in the service of their Country, and feels deep sympathy with their relatives and friends.—(Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer.)