The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-09 00:00:00

GENERAL PEEL ON THE ABYSSINIAN

EXPEDITION.

The annual Huntingdon Wool Fair was held on Wed-
nesday, at the conclusion of which a dinner was held in
the Corn ;Exchange. Among those present were Lord R.
Montagu, M.P., General Peel, M.P., Mr. Baring, M.P.,
and Mr. Fellowes, M.P. After the usual loyal and consti-
tutional toasts, General Peel, who was warmly received,
acknowledged the toast of " The army, the navy, the
militia, and the volunteers." In the course of his speech
he spoke in high terms of the services of Sir R. Napier and
the forces under his commanclin the Abyssinian expedition,
which had been, he said, from first to last a great success.
He hardly knew how to express in adequate terms his
admiration of Sir Robert Napier with regard to the whole
of his arrangements and his minutely correct calculation
of the force that would be required without wasteful ex-
penditure of both money and troops. Some thought,
and he (General Peel) was not sure that he was not one of
them, that a less force would have sufficed ; but if ever
there was a general who distinguished himself in every
particular relating to the matter in which he was engaged,
it was Sir Robert Napier on the late occasion. He com-
plimented the Government not only on their selection
of Sir Robert Napier, but upon their having, as it had
proved, so wisely given him the entire control of the whole
matter ; while he, in his turn, was equally successful
in the choice of his officers. It was a grand military
success, not only acknowledged and admired by our own
ilitary tacticians, but acknowledged and admired by the
military men of all foreign countries. The expedition was,
no doubt, expensive, but he was sure no one would regret
a small additional impost upon his income when he con-
sidered that it was the price of the rescue of his fellow-
countrymen from the clutches of a half civilised barbarian
who at any moment might have thought fit to cut their
throats. Though expensive in the first instance, it may,
in the end, prove economical. It may teach us—first,
not to indulge in the expense of sending consuls where
they can be of no possible use ; and next,
that -dvirY anirote.withoilt all those ineghbranees •
hitherto thought necessary for transport and other matters,
and he trusted, at least, that it would teach other Powers
that it is not possible to insult the British nation with
impunity. (Loud and long-continued cheering.) He
trusted, too, it would teach our military men the abso-
lute necessity of discipline, for it was discipline alone that
enabled our army to do what it did—(cheers)—and it
was the want of it that caused the Abyssinians to rush
headlong to their own ruin.

SIR ROBERT NAPIER AT THE CRYSTAL

PALACE.

On Wednesday the directors of the Crystal Palace gave
a fete in honour of the return of Sir Robert Napier from

is successful campaign in Abyssinia. No addition was
made to the prices of admission ; it was a chilling day, in
fact, and a great deal was given for the money. There
was a really good concert and some very good fireworks ;
but on the whole it did not differ much from ordinary fire-
work days at this season of the year, when everyone is glad to
get out in the evening to take his chance of finding a cool
breath of air. Sir Robert and Lady Napier, with the chief
members of the Abyssinian staff, came to the entrance, or
tropical end, of the Crystal Palace soon after one o'clock,
and were there received by Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P.,
most of the directors, Mr. Bowley the manager, and Mr.
Grove the secretary. The party were an in plain morning
dress, greatly, as it appeared, to the disappointment of
the audience, who, no doubt, had expected them to come
in fall uniform. The visitors were immediately con-
ducted to the Queen's Balcony to witness the great
fountains. Rarely has a day occurred on which these
great waterworks have been seen to more advantage. Per-
haps the first day on which the Queen saw them they were
seen eqaally well, but never better certainly than on Wed-
nesday. With high feathery columns of water reaching
nearly 200 ft. into the air,!a breath of wind suffices to break
their line and drown their beauty in a cloud of spray. On
Wednesday, however, the day was intensely hot and still,
so the great columns rose like huge white feathers from
the ground, and even when once or twice they slightly
drifted it was on] to turn tlJe spray into rainbows quite__
as beautifulas the fountains themselves. An immense
crowd had collected to witness the scene, and also
to welcome Sir Robert Napier, judging from the large
proportion of uniforms amid the throng ; and when
Sir Robert himself appeared in the balcony there was a
prolonged burst of cheering, which was repeated again
and again, and, indeed, was continued more or less vehe-
mently as long as Sir Robert and Lady Napier were in
sight. After the fountains the party retired to take
luncheon is what is now called the Royal Corridoruif hich
was fitted up in the same exquisite style as when it was
used on Saturday last by their Royal lli,,e,linesses the Prince
and Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. After
luncheon the party returned to the royal box, and at this
time nearly 10.000 visitors were collected in front of it.
The instant Sir R. Napier appeared there was' another
great roar of cheering, so loud and so long that he was at
last compelled to come to the front of the apartment and
bow his acknowledgments a recognition which by no
means tended to diminish the applause. Of the concert
which followed very little more need be said in its praise
than that it was fully equal to the high standard of
the great set concerts by which the Crystal Palace has
achieved so high a reputation. At the end of the first
part of the programme Sir Robert Napier had to leave
London, but Lady Napier and the staff remained
till its close. After the concert a magnificent display of
fireworks was given, and this seemed to be the most
attractive portion of the whole entertainment. It was
late befere the last visitors returned to London, but on the
whole the railway arrangements were satisfactory. The
admissions by season tickets were 7,690; ditto, by pay-
ment, 19,340 ; total, 27,030.

A N:)NaGENALIAN HAYMAKER. - On Tuesday last,
notwithstanding the great heat, Mr. Jonah Bulrnan,
although in his 93rd year, might be seen working hay
in a field, near Oakhurst, Cockermouth.—Cumberland
Pacquct.

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. —On Wednesday
morning, as Mr. Urquhart, of Liverpool, was hurriedly
leaving the Hoylake train, near Birkenhead, befor; it had
stopped, he was 911-ht between the carriage wheels and
the platform, and dreadfully injured. One leg was ampu-
tated, and the unfortunate gentleman lingered in great
agony until the evening, when he expired at the hospital
at Birkenhead.—A shocking railway accident has hap.
pened at Newport (Monmouthshire), by which a young
woman; named Hodgkinson, aged 20, and residing at
Maindee, lost her life. The Monmouthshire Railway
runs across the principal thoroughfare of the town, Com-
mercial-road, and along George-street. Across the roal-
way -are placed large gates to protect the- traffic on the
passing of trains, and on each side of the gates were small
wicket gates for the accommodation of foot passengers.
The gate-keeper heard the approach of one of the Western
Valley Railway passenger trains, when he closed the large
gates. The-young woman was on the west side, and just
as the train was approaching she opened the wicket gate
on the left hand side and attempted to pass over. She
was caught by the engine and thrown a distance of thirty
feet to the right hand gate, and the wheels of the engine
and the whole of the carriages went over one of her legs,
completely severing it. The foot of the other leg was
smashed, one of her thumbs cut off, and her head fearfully
cut at the hack. She was immediately taken to the
nfirmary, where she died in about half an hour after
being admitted. - I