New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-02-27
NOIES FROM LONDON.
THE DEATHS OF HERBhRT AND CAMERON
Ma YATES AND HIS ENEMlES-MR.

NaXp DsfOre
IN war brought so wildly before the Engnsh pun,
~ 80 wire along which flashed the news
-. cauont and brilliant fighting near Metemheh,
III of Sir Herbert Stewards wound, ahhou"'o'
tho death in action of two special corfesPo"''or.'
ii tbo ,voupJnp of a third. More Jo'ih,
lilled than officers, is the days re0"i' ,an
w,,se,ev whose dislike to correspondents .Ii,,I
chow, in this As in other campaigns uoeo .,
.o;r f,te worth line In his dispatch' no POP ~
- chose service they met their tate 10 .ne'" an
-. 60 7 am sure. does the public; whom also
they served, and to whom tneir coui"e' "N
cauacity have been of immeasrraoie Nai"o'
~ e, agcr Herbert of The Morning Post. was
,ho ,,ornoar and less known Of the two VINO were
Iuld Rnt h, had done much and done IL we'll
IT. r,ust have been known TO many on inc olhei
side of the Atlantic for he had been secretary "
Lord Duiferin when Governor-Genera' vi "'
He was with Lord WOseley in cyprus anu ti'',
in Sonth Africa served as volunteer a' i0',o'
Keh;r and again under Sir Herbert Stewart Ill 'no
battles near Suakim. And now uhder .no '"'n0
commander aud as representative Oh 'no '"n0
formal he has been shot dead IN the lront "a oeVo
BEFORE him Law every promise of distinguished
aoroar Ue was Of good family. had influence. and
had fine abilities An Arab bullet is the chd oi al
that. ,.
The death Of Mr. Cameron, special correspondent
of The Standard who was killed near Metemneh on
the 10Th is grevous loss to the profession W"'o"
he adorned Now that Mr. Russell ana MI roloo'
have retired Cameron was beyond question: INC
foremost of war correspondents. Yet unti MS oo'.i
mazda him famous all at once, he was Unknown u
tbe nnblic. He was known to Journalists, he was
known in the army but if you had askeo WHO
Cameron was nine Englishmen out oil ten couiu
have given you no answer HIS WORK was ""o"'
mans am not sure that his name had ever been
Al, ba spryel IN.
That ;s not meant as a reproach to its conductors.
Cameron seems TO have cared little for the reputa-
t;on which was his due. The writer who pens one
of the three accounts of his life which appear IN Inc
Stand nd to-day describes him as one OF the most
modest and retiring OF men-a man WHO SO sirahA
from any approach to publicity that Nrlng us
short STAYS in England he spent most OF MS te ou'
of London. Like great sardnt who cares LOT no
oninion beyond that of his own circle, Cameron
NAV well enough have been content with the pre-
eminence which his fellow journalists conceded nm,
and with the deep respect accorded to him In inc
armies among which his work was done
The list of Canerons exploits is nearly as long as
that of the campaigns fought by the British army
during recent years lie won his spurs III AighaniS-
tan leaving a clerks desk i'll Bombay to act aA
correspondent to Tie Bombay Gazette at the outbreak
of the Afghan war in 1875. His work at the very
beginning was good as to become KNOWN Il"
England and secured him an engagement on NE
Standard at the end of the year following. lie was
with General Roberts. and when that officer had
won his victory Cameron beat all competitors, Gov
eminent couriers included. by day and half.
riding with his dispatch to the nearest telegraph
most His literary ability was shown declslVeiy Ill
tie same campaign. lie next heard OF IN south
Africa and was present at the battles Oh Lang
Mex and Ingogo and at the disaster Of MaJuOa
Hill where he was taken prisoner, because he had
not learned to run away,"-a phrase which might be
cut into his tombstone 1t is characteristic "t the
man that prisoner as he was, he contrIyed next day
70 send of what is well called his famous message
descriptive of the battle Returning to England he
weot ont to Egypt in time for the first cannoi-Shot
at Alexandria and made the whole campaign. III
an interval of peace he visited Madagascar, gave us
the first real account of French proceedings IN that
island. and shortly after went on to Ionqun' sa"
rs much fighting as the French General wouid allow
him to See and left because that astue commander
preferred describing well as lighting MS o' Il
battles On his way home the news OF the Osuah
Digna outbreak near Suakim stopped him. he was
with Baker Pacha and all but killed; then III t"e
subsequent battles with General Graham. Finally
he iciued the expedition of Lord Wolseley 70 the
soudan. and has met the fate he so often rlskei'
Faithful and dauntless. is the epitaph the
Standard writes on Camerons grave, and never did
man deserve it better. The credit which that
ionrnal has gained for priority of intelligence was
often due as it frankly declares, to his alacry ana
yigor He had as my brief narrative mas SHOWN
the one indispensable quality OF successful core
spondent genins for beng in the right place at the
right moment. fe was brave, even Indifferent 10
danger but not rash nor forgetful OF duty ID the
eagerness to he whers bullets were thckest. Few
men saw SO much of battle none described 1t
moro Iucidly OF wildly. None was more popular or
more trusted by his comrades and by tie officers
with whom he served. | hope he is not quite
unknown in America / am glad to remember that
at intervals during the few years OF his lie as war
correspondent have had something to say OF his
brilliant and daring exploits. and have paid him
such tribute as could. His exploits. his admirable
services may get official recognition here. Lord
Wolseley as / said. has not word. But as the
journal which he helped to lift into celebrity well
observes the English people are not oblivious of
brave men, and though the State may be unwilling
or unable to apprsise such heroism, public opinion
will crown Cameron with the laurels of the soldier
He lived heros life and he died hero's death.
From the enforced retirement Of Wilmington
Priory" mole commonly called Holloway Jail. Mr..
Edmund Yates is sounding forth defiance to his
foes But it is an old friend whom he hits hardest,
none other than The New- York Herald. lie is never
astonshed he candidly tells u.s. at the enterprise of
his old colleagues. One of them wrote to me a
few days ago saying that he had just cabed TO his
journal an account of wholy fictitious interview
with me, in which he described me as sitting at
dessert in club-like style" The sitting at dessert in
club-like style Mr.. Yates does not mind. but he
strongly protests against the "nonsense " in the
same interview about his being deprived of COM
forts in consequence of the intervention OF the
Duke Of Beaufort atthe Home Office. The Duke is
snot that sort of man." Nor, may add, is the
Home Secretary.
Mr.. Yates Denies too, tie story put into Lord
I.onsdale's mouth that he had offered large OF