New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-09-08
THE RETURN OF FORBES AND CAREY.

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THE RETURN OF FORBES AND CAREY.
PUBLIC ATTENTION LARGELY DEVOTED To TuFM--
Mr.. FORBES ARRIVES IN LONDON INVADED
AND DESCRIBES HIS RIDE FROM THE BATTLE
FIELD OF ULUNDI-HIs SERVICES TO GENERAL
woLsELEY-A CHANGE OF SENTIMENT IN REGARD
TO LIEUTENANT CAREY-HIs "vISDIcAIIoS
GOING on
IrRoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE !
INvERNEss-sHIRE, Aug. 24.-Jouneying yester-
day and the day before from Yorkshire through
Northumberland, across the border to Edinburgh
and so on amid the Highlands to the country house
in this northern county where am staying / heard
all along the route topics. and two only, talked
about. Two mems names we're every lip, Forbes
and Carey. and the talk was about equally divided
between them; one for bis heroism, the other
wei, viii not complete too tempting antithesis
but say for his lucky escape from the consequences
OF conduct which people, when they first heard of
II, did not think courageous brilliant. OF each
IN bis turn want TO say word OF two. emitting
| much nevertheless, which might have seemed in
season had been able to send it by earlier post
| On Thursday of last week The Daily Nccs
published private letter from Mr.. Archibald
Forbes the special correspondent of that Journal
who had arrived in England the day before in the
Dublin Castle from the Cape. Whether YOU have
printed Forbes's letter not. i may perhaps have
| leave to make a comment certain points i'm his
story. 1t iils column and a half. and there are
very few narratives in history OF romance better
worth printing and reading Here, for the first
time, is the true story of the ride from
Ulundi. 1t differs in several details from the
many more or less conjectura accounts heretofore
published, my own among them. Forbes's feat is
no longer the attempt of special correspondent to
| put his own paper ahead of the world He knew
and he says, that dispatch next morning would
have answered his personal tnrn quite as WELL OF bet
ter. The battle ended early Friday, and there
mail from Cape Town to Europe till the following
Tuesday. He knew that Lord Chelmsford meant to
send Guy Downay as messenger that same night TO
/ Landsman's Drift, the nearest telegraph statiOn
and Forbes meant that his account should be taken
! by that messenger. But on reaching headquarters
with his dispatch written out Forbes learned, TO his
amazement that Lord Chelmsford had changed his
mind, and would send nobody till next day, wait
| ing for accurate returns Of the casualties ex-
planned the British commander. in bis phegmatic,
vacillating way. Now Forbes is a soldier, and
whatever Lord Chelmsford might think, the folly
and possible danger of delay rushed in upon his mind
He saw clearly and felt strongly. g confess lost
my temper, and spoke impulsively," he says and
he excaimed &" I'll start myself at once" He
goes on: "What angered me was the apparent
supneness in holding over the dispatch of intelli-
gence the communication of which was obviously
of the deepest importance TO WOlseley in view of
further operations the other line of advance. Ii
is "a primary axiom in war that intelligence of inn
portant events should be- disseminated to all con-
cerned with the utmost swiftness; and here
this axiom seemingly wantonly ignored" So the
motive and spriug of this start not the ambi-
ton or devotion of the correspondent, but pat
riotic and military impulse. He could not stand by
al NH, lor1I ha1,
ford was making up and again unmaking his mind
on n matter of elementary necessity.
With characteristic frankness Forbes adds 81
think on the whole ! was sorry had spoken. the
moment had spoken" The madness of his resolve
flashed upon hin. II was dusk. lie had been in the
saddle without food from five in the morning. All
his horses had been out, and were no longer fresh
His first stage of fourteen miles was to he done in
the gloom through thick bush and broken ground,
where Zuus were lurking almost to n certainty.
" But had not courage enough to retract," adds
Forbes. Nor would he ask for an escort which was
not rendered He volunteered to carry any com
muncation Lord Chelmsford might have ready.
And Lord Chelmsford was not too proud to hand
bundle Of dispatches to the man whom he allowed
to ride forth alone from his camp at night on such
an errand amid such perils.
/ do not presume to abridge or summarize the
story Of the ride 1t must be read as Forbes tells
ii. 1t has been read in England by millions.
In the other morning papers of London you will
find no account of this exploit. or reference to it,
The soul of English journalism is seldom.
great enough to rise above the jealousies
which degrade the profession and lessen its
power. Bat in what London delights to
call the provincial journals this jealous spite
fitness does not exist They have copied it freely.
In my journey nOrthward on Friday bought all
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Forbess letter and it has been the text for many
judicous reflections. with none of which will
trouble you. But it is worth remarling that at
least one great and powerful paper. The Leeds Ner
cury. devotes leading article to it, saying that
as a plain narrative of really brilliant feat of
courage and endurance it will hold its own beside
any similar story in our language" That is not too
high praise heard it echoed by everybody with
whom talked.
at was not much of q ride for speed" says
Forbes-only 10 miles in twenty hours and he half
excuses himself for not being quicker on account of
the fog, the darkness, the want of road, the
losing his way the delays In getting fresh horses,
and on, yet he covered the distance In SIX hours
less time than Lord Chelmsfords messenger, who
started an hour later with an escort. For Lord
Chelmsford, who has perfect genius for changing
his mind, did send Guy Downay after all and Guy
Downay, weighing three stone less than Forbes,
rode into Landslnan's Drift seven hours behind him
Forbes meanwhile had sent to Sir Garnet Wolseleya
dispatch which is a masterpiece of condensed state
| ment. Sir Garnet for once in his life had to
acknowledge, and did acknowledge handsomely
enough. an obligation to newspaper CORE
spondent, kind OF animal he is understood to de-
spise and detest He elegraphed Forbes his sincere
| thanks FOR his most welcome news. And 1t so hap
| pened that but for Forbes, Sir Garnet would not
have known of the victory of Ulundi for another
| two DAYS. Forbes's dispatch found him on satur-