The Warwickshire Herald. — 1893-03-02 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

BRITISH MISSIONARIES IN EAST AFRICA.  The Wohai,ity Ga:ette states that it is in a pr-it ion to state that very decided representations love been made by the German Government to the Foreign Office in reference to the alleged proceedMgs ot certain liritisit missionaries in East Africa. A well-informed correspondent writes: It would anpear that as long ago as last May the Gerrna,, accused the Rev. A. R. Steggall, the aurea i ssionary Society missionary at Nimbi, • 'Siam, of arming the nativea and inspiring them to resist the German influence. These charges, how ...... _ ever. he emphatically denied, and from letters received at the time it was clear that he had acted a ilk great impartiality. At Medd, as elsewhere :It Eastern Equatorial Africa, the C.M.S. missionaries were on the ground before the Germans, hut hey have never, it is affirmed, interfered with Is politics a the country. Just prior to the attack •n Moclii in June last. the Getman officer in command, Herr von Billow. offered Mr. Steggall protectinn, but. the missionary declined to accept it. He -tuck bravely to his post, and after the attack tended the wounded. In a letter, in which he graphially described the battle, he wrote (June 11th): "All day long, except for two meals, I have been trying to patch up the wounded. There has not been much variety in the work—chiefly washing, syringing out bullet-holes, cutting off scraps of shatte ed tisrue where they appeared at the surface, removing pieces of splintered bone, and putting on bandages." Meli, the native chief, was very unfriendly at this time, and proved a great obstacle to the missionary's work. Yet the Germans insisted that Mr. Steggall was fomenting mischief, and asked for his withdrawal from German territory. This was, we believe, conceded, and for some months Mr. Steggall has been engaged in mission work within British territory. Now, however, the German Government are clamouring for his recall from East Africa altogether, on the ground that he is distributing arms amongst the natives in German territory, and they have lodged a formal complaint at the Foreign Office. Communications have been i opened up between the Foreign Office and the Church Missionary Society, and the matter is still under 1 consideration. In the meantime, it may be added that Mr. Steggall indignantly denies the charges brought against him by the German Government, and they are not credited in Church circles. If Mr. 1 Steggall has to he transferred to another field, the loss to East Africa will be great; he is one of the bravest and noblest of missionaries.  A t,legram received.from Pau states that a young Englishman—a Mr. Borthwick, 24 years of age—has committed suicide in that city. He shot himself through the head in the refreshment-room of the English Club. Mr. Borthwick had been residing in PA', nr Nome months.  An author, complaining of the injustice of the Tress in condemning his new tragedy, said "the censures were unjust, for the audience did not hiss it." "No," replied the friend, "how could they yawn and hiss together r" "What do you mean, sir," asked the irate bishop of the newly ordained minister, "by ending your prayers eternally gyrated, a men ?" "But,my dear bishop," expostulated the minister, "don't you think it sounds better than whirled without end?"