New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-09
BRITISH TOPICS.
:, u,,rruAp rur NOME RILERs.

OF MR., FINEGAN AT ENEIS-GEOR0h AO"V'iN'
sALA TALKED OF AS A cANDrDATE-IHh ih'i'"
UNIVERSITY BILL
srpoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRBuNbl
ToxnoN Julv GA supplementary dispatch
from Nr. Forbes on the battle OF Ulundl Is PAD
Iisbed in this mornings Daily Meas. by some mis-
chance n was not put on shore at ST. Vincent ana
now arrives nv telegraph from Madeira, where the
Same steamship touched later This is case where
what is called Forbes's luck deserted HMM other
words it is where the TRANSMISSION OF bis tele
gram WIS not within his own control. So FAR as l
have Observed FOrbes's luck, like that of most
other successful people, consists in his unseeping
energy and minute attention TO those details whch
men of less genius consider beneath them. III lsa
pity the whole account should not have
been received At the same moment-Still, what MI
Forbes sends 90 be read. and this Is one OF
his most marvellous tsblesus. The Macaulays and
Froudes who are TO be the journalists OF the future
will find it hard to surpass tins sort oil Work:
There WAS biz hollow square, and men IN red coats
n, tho b,ck rifles IN hand hs hour this square
stood dogeedy pouring the soe OF death from every
face Outside this square, mostly at respectful ds-
ahields aud SssegAis aud firing heavily pu nlInly rom
the,r tagged front Presently these black men wavered
then boiled. in hight ty The steady sdInnhratlon
of canister. Ihe square, stlu gnmY nrih gSNe 9 1b
baJoBets vavered IN the ar Tor motnent; tnen tne
business recomnc need. The infantry betook them,
Ss b,T S Of horsmen sped from the square
ightninC bursts from the thundercoud, ana dAsheu
hot and fierce after the hylng Zoe
And hereis psrsgI aph which IN these days OF M
thinking Jingoisn. seems to me much to the honor
of its author:
Inside the square a few dead Britons lay, who had
spent their lives for their Q1esn and country Tue
greensw ard outside was Uttered thick with dead Luius
who less than our dead have fallen IOr lhe GOV
ereign
Itis TO be remarked also that Mr., Forbes, who has
fIa hla
among Lord Chelmsford's critics. says that BIZ
soldierly GOODNESS and decisive clear-headed-
ness in action go far to redeem the
rassiyeDess and peevish vacilatiOn which
are his characteristics when no battle is
raging One might wish him a military Rip
Van Wrinkle, only Weakening to direct battle"
Upon such testimony there IS nothing left for me
but to retract my recent remark TO the effect that
Lord Chelmsford had " blundered into q victory"
There was indeed, says Forbes, no manGuvrng,
and there were elaborate tactics TO recount
"The affair was simply struggle, reduced to the
first principles Of ding-donQ fighting, with the nat
ural advantage to the Zulus in numbers to MS III
the character of the armament" Lord Chelmsford's
parting words to Forbes were So far as | am con-
cerned. the war IS over" Forbes adds; " / believe
he contemplates an immediate resignation In the
opportunity of which he rs happy"
Forbes's exploit in bringing the news has been
understated. He tells in a postscript, appar-
emily not meant for publication, that the distance
from Ulundi to Landsman's Drift-preyOuSy stated
at sO-was 40 miles. THIS he covered in fourteen
hours riding alone all night and twice losing his
way in fog / met at dinner last night one OF the
most accomplished cavalry officers in the British
Army-one of ITS youngest and most famous gen
erals. the son of still more famous father. asked
him what he thought of FoTbes's ride. He answered
with soIdIerly directness and fIankness: | never
knew it beaten except by myself" Then he
added: i once made my 20 miles In
five hours and half; riding, as Forbes no
doubt rode, with RELAYS of horses every ten
miles But my difficulties nothing to his"
And Of course the surprising merit Of Forbess
achievement lies not in the distance he accom-
plished but in his promptness in starting the pers
he braved. the trackless and rugged country he
traversed and the story he had to tell
The fuller details received make ii more and
more doubtful whether the Zulu war has really been
brought to an end by the battle of Ulundi. There
seems but one reason why CetywayO should not fall
back on his fortified kTaal fifteen miles further up
the country aud decline to negotiate. The one rea-
son is the possible decentralization of his troops by
their recent defeat and their experience of the
British rifle But IT idle TO speculate. few days
will bring clearer intelligence.
Mr. Finegan, newly-elected member for Ennis, is
Journalist. | near III NnaI DIdnCu OF uls pIpltS-
son-or OF what would have been his profession If
certain New-York weekly had not taught us that
Journalism is not and cannot be professionally
made his reputation do not know. AS Mr.. Nnegan
is an "obstructionist" and won his seat such.
am not sure that care to know He is MT. ParnelPs
4rotGqA ana by Mr.. ParnelPs help and champion
ing is elected over an avowed Home Ruler and an
ayowed Conservative. The thing l remark
in bis favor is that the priests opposed
him. This is the first sound argument as
vel advanced in behalf of obstruction There must
be something good III ii if the priests are against
Even in that case the good is negative only. Ennis
is not large constituency. The whole vote is a
little over 200. But Mr. Parnell seized the Oppor
+unity to fight a battle on Irish ground for the
est crotchet in Irish pOhtics-to prove that Home
Rule in Ireland is possible because q squad of
yrong-headed Irshmen ID Westminster made Home
Rule for England all but impossible. You may not
see the logical connection between these two propO
sitlons. but Mr.. Parnell it, and that
must suffice. Mr. Paruell is just now the most
powerful parsonage in the British Parliament
He cannot do anything for his country, but he can
prevent Englshmen doing something Tor theirs. 1t
is poor sort of power, but it seems to answer Mr.
ParnelPs purpose. And he is now to have Mr.
Finegan to help him in doing nothing 1t has been
said that the Conservatives might have left out
Mr.. F1negan Dy cOalosclhB Win Tue O"hui'"'o WIN
opposed him as a Home Ruler. But that, remarks
an English critic, amounts to saying that the
Conservatives Of Ennis could only have kept out
a poltcian who seeks the overthrow of English
parliamentary institutions by voting for who
merely aims At the dismemberment of the British
Empire Which can hardly be much of a consola-
ton.
Since these lines were written have met with
brief biography of Mr.. Flnegan. Born IN Liverpool.
1914. says this account; Liverpool being one of
the chief Irish cities Of the British Empire. Edu-