The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-02-08
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9. 1885.
VIII England Rise to the Occasion

The alarming situation resulting from the
OF the Crimean war. when incompetence at
home and upon the scene Of action provoked
, storm Of Indignation that drove Lord
ABERDEEN from Office and committed to
Lord PALMERsToN the guidance OF affairs.
1t would be fortunate for England IL like
rude and trenchant solution Of distressing
difficulties were now possible. What she
needs Is new Premier and new General;
and 1t is the most discouraging feature OF
her present predicament that she Is likely to
get neither. For Parliament is not in session,
and, II 1t were, there Is no PALMERsToN. no
DIsRAEL1. to smlte the delinquent Min
istry and shame the House OF Commons into
passionate revolt against q nerveless leader
There Is, therefore, little ground for hope
that Mr. GLADSTONE will be Immediately re-
placed by statesman In ardent sympathy
with the vehement outburst Of patriotic de.
termination, or that the stiff-necked, self
appreciative WoLsELEY, who spent four
months In crawling from Cairo to Korti and
IL covering at Korti yet, will be superseded
by ROBERTS, who, when he meant to strike
the Afghans. chose the quickest and not the
longest road.
But although their failures in the past
Justify distrust In the fitness OF GLADSTONE
and OF WoLsELEY to carry out the late
awakened but now infexible resolve Of the
British nation. there is no longer any Disagree
ment among the great majority OF intelligent
men OF all parties touching what should be
done. Unquestionably. WoLsELEYs first duty
Ia to relieve, with all possible despatch, tho
remnant Of Gen. STEWARDS column at Gu
bat, which. since the capture OF Khartoum
has set all the desert tribes aflame and
left all the MAHDI's forces available
Tor fresh a9gressons, Is In the ut
most peril. This paramount and urgent
duty can be discharged either by crossing
the Bahiuda desert, which, II traversable by
STEWART with 500 men. should be still safe
enough for WoLsELEY with 5000, or by fol-
lowing swiftly in tho wake OF Gen. EARLE
who may also DO In sore need OF succor, and,
after forming junction with that officer,
pressing on along the Nile to Gubat The
three fragments Of his force, which, it Is now
too evident, should not have been divided,
having been once moro united, WoLsELEY
should fall back on Berber. which is the true
strategic base for an ultimate advance upon
>NAAs~A scehs SSpSSioiy doW LILO pIepOS-
terous river route is definitely abandoned
and the indispensable reanforcements are to
come by way OF Suakim.
We know how HICKS and his companions
were treated by the savage bigot who is now
lord OF khartoum, and it Is unhappiy too
probable that GORDON is either dead or SUBJ
jected at the hands OF dev!ish malignity to
fortunes and indignities that the mind sick
ems to contemplate. But although, thanks
to WoLsELEY's stubborn adhesion to the
river route, 1t Is probably too late to save
him. no may be terribly avenged, and
the lustre OF the British name may be sig
nally renewed throughout the bounds OF
Islam. Looking back over the last twelve
months, Engllshmen have Cause to blush for
nothing but the blunders of procrastinating
statesmen and overrated Generals. Wher-
ever subordinate commanders have had a
chance to test their skill. wherever British
soldiers have been allowed to prove their
mettle, they have earned gratitude and
honor. Four times-twice under GRAHAM
and twice under STEwART-British troops,
although outnumbered live and even ten to
one, have faced triumphantly the MAHp1's
fercest partisans.
Al wow VI tho pIoWcSS SlOWu Ut lQInanleD
and Abu-klea. no one can doubt that, WoLsE-
LEYs present force once strengthened by
10000 additional soldiers forwarded from
Suakim, Khartoum would swiftly be retaken,
and the False Prophet, who now poses ON the
score Of GoEDoNs death or capture rs q
greater than MoHAMMED, would be stripped
Of his mock sanctity aud chased, a skulkny
fugitive, back into the wlds OF Darfour.