The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-17
LUCKY GERALD PORTAL.
N -
A Young Englishman Who Has
Won Knighthood and an Ex-
tensive Satrapy.
Sent on a Political Mission That
Promises a Great Deal
of Sport.
His Career In the Diplomatic Service That
Has Brought Him 10th Fame
and Fortune,

Sir Gerald Portals expedition to Uganda
may be described ns the very horaiest diplo-
matio mission eyer sent ont by the British
government. and his staff se to have
been composed moro with regard to sport
than to politics. Sir Gerald him
self il crack polo player. who.
during his stay at Cairo, used
generally to ~oficiate as captain OF the VIC
torious team out at the polo grounds OF
Gezireh. while bis brother, Capt. Melville
Portal. and Col. Rhodes. Grs equally dis
tinquished az adopts at this game. Capt.
Portal 10 the famous qunrter.mile runner
Of Dalliol college. Oxford. who o the
interuniversity quarter in 1873. 49,.
All three mon are considerably over six
feet in height and broad in proportion, the
namely, Consul Berkeley and Lieut.. Ar
thur. Of the Rifle brigade, are also very
tall men. the only short member OF the
staff being little Major "Roddy" Owen.
The latter is the TO emost gentleman rider
on the English turf, and only the other day
carried off the blue ribbon at the Grand Ma.
tional. The major, I may add. has of late
become a great favorite in the Marlborough
house set. and yves to the influence OF the
prince, as much as anything else. his APP
pointment as q member of the mission. I
do not know either Mr.. Berkeley or Lieut..
Arthur personally. but I hear that they are
both renowned for their prowess at Gym
khana meetings. Mr.. Berkeley be-
ing especially noted for the
time which he is able to make in q
hurdle race while carrying a large number
Of eggs. Col. Rhodes is an officer Of the
First Royal Dragons. md has recently
been acting az military secretary of the
governor of Bombay. The latter is Lord
Harris. tho we'll known cricketer, and Col.
Rhodes. who is a b other OF the pine min
lister of Cape Colony. is quite as dis
tinguished a cricketer us his late chief.
Sir Gerald Portal ia one of the luckiest
and most popular officers of the British
di. !omatic service. and is the youngest
member either of the order of the Bath or
of the order OF st. Michael and ST. George.
being barely 80 Yeas of age. Within a few
months after joining tho diplomatic service
lie found an opportunity OF distinguishing
himself at Alexandria. where, as on attache
of the English envoy, Sir Edward
Malet, during the bombardment and
the subsequent Anglo-ERyptian war. he
displayed considerable gallantry, discretion
0uu Alh ~ AluSA NJ bAuu hU Ulic VI
the ORE atoms he received both the British
war medal and the khedivnl bronze star.
Subse quently he acted as third and then as
second secretary of the British mission Mt
Cairo. and became a great favorite of the
envoy, Sir Evelyn Barring, who has since
become Lord Cromer.
When, therefore, 1t became necessary to
send a mission to King John of Abysinia,
Lord Ctomer at once put forward the name
of young Portal. Accompanied only by a
- h.. 20 AL-
he set ont ON his adventurous journey from
the Red sea coast to the camp Of the
Abyssinian king in the highlands.
and although he failed in the object of
the mission, the presence and resources of
mind, the endurance and the courage
which he displayed. were such that on his
return he was decorated by the queen with
the order of the bath. Among the anus.
ing features of this trip was the fact that
he was p esented. on his arrival at the royal
camp, by King John with a robe of honor
mado out of some material which he him.
self had brought to Abyssinia among the
PRESENTS of the British government, and
which had been stolen ftom him on his
way up the country by some of the kings
followers.
Ayear or two afterwnrd he was appointed
TO the duty of temporarily replacing Sir
Charles Euan Smith IA consul general and
diplomatic agent at Zanzibar. and made
such good use of his time there that he
succeeded in getting the sultan to enact Il
law abolishing slavery. This. of course,
won for him the favor of the powerful
nnd influential Anti-Slavery society
in England. and when shortly afterward
Sir Charles was promoted to tho rank of
minister to Morocco both the government
and the public were unanimous in desig-
mating Portal as the man best fitted to act
ms his successor. Accordingly he was ap-
pointed consul-general and diplomatic
agent. with q salary of some $1,000 a year,
besides numerous allowances.
Within a year of his appointment he ne
eotiated the subsection of the Zanzibar
s%ultanate to q British p~rotectorate, as a
reward for which he received from the
queen the honor of knighthood and the
star of the order of st. Michael and st.
George. He is now not only consul-Qeneral
ut Zanzibar. but also British high commits
Eioner for all the northeastern part of Eng
lish Africa, having IN immense number of
consuls, vice oonsuls and deputy commits.
sioEe-s under his orders. Indeed his
government ia rs vast and as extensive as
that of one of the great Indian preslden-
cies. and no administers it with wonderful
Judgment and skill. What new honors are
IN store for him if he brings his lresent
mission to Uganda TO a successful close 1t
is impossible to saw. but the future of a
man who already. at the age of 30. has won
the honor of knighthood, OF an independ.
ent diplomatic post and a satrapy as i'm
Iortant and extensive as that possessed bv
Gerry" Portal il brilliant in the extreme.
A younger son of Melville Portal, of Law
erstoke house. Overflow. who Ia one of the
NEST popular county magnates of Hnmp-
rhire. and of Lady Charlotte Portal. a
daughter of the late earl of Mimic. Sir
Gerald is married to Lady Alice Bsrtie,
daughter of the seventh earl of Abingdon.
One of his brothers, l may ndd. is in tho
navy, and was present during the engage.
ment of the British cruiser Shah with the
Peruvian ironclad Huasoar. His cousin,
Willie Portal. is a frequent visitor to tho
United States and has many friends In NH.