British Nonconformists and Ulster.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14970, 18 May 1914, Page 6

British Nonconformists and Ulster.

A telegram which we published on Saturday shows that tho British Government -will now havo to take seriously into account their Nonconformist supporters in England when framing the amending Bill for the settlement of the Irish question. Since receiving his knighthood Sir "W. Robertson Nicoll, who is a great friend and ardent admirer- of Mr Lloyd George, has been a thick-and-thin sunporter of tho Government, even as regards their Irish policy. On - the other hand many English Nonconformists havo not disguised their sympathy with their brethren in Ulster, and more recently, since it became evident that the latter intended to resist by force any attempt to placo them under tho control of an Irish Parliament, even the "British Weekly,'' | of which Sir Robertson Nicoll is tho able editor, has shown signs of weakening. It now states plainly that, after the concession of tlie six years' interval by tho Nationalists, there is no stopping short of a fresh option when tho six years have onded. In making this statement Sir Robertson Nicoll is only recognising the plain facts of the situation. Having gone so far, it j is absurd to suppose that the TJlst-or-lnen will be satisfied with exclusion for six years coupled with tho condition that they must at tho end of that period automatically come under the control of the Irish Parliament whether thoy liko it or not. They will insist that at least .ho question shall again be roferred to them for their unfettered decision after they have seen the practical working of tho new Parliament. It may prove so beneficial that all then- objections to it will vanish and they will bo only too glad tt> be included. On' -tbe other hand, their objections may he confirmed and even intensified. By agreeing to a temporary exclusion the Nationalists havo conceded tho principle that the people of Ulster, who are at nresent subject to the Imperial Parliament, have the right' to be consulted before they aro placed under a new jurisdiction, and that they cannot be compelled t*o change their allegiance against thoir will. If it is admitted that they havo that right now, when they are objecting to what is moro or less an unknown quantity, tho same right must be conceded to them when six years' practical working of a. Homo Rule Parliament will havo made its advantages and drawbacks plainly apparent, so that they will have moro solid ground on which to base their judgment. With tho "British Weekly," wo do not now think that tho Government will go to the country on tho question of coercing Ulster. If they do they will probably lose a very large section of tho Nonconformist vote. Mr Asquith's position, therefore, is still full of extreme difficulty. If he can persuade Mr Redmond to forego a little more of his pound of flesh by agreeing not only to the present exclusion of the counties which are opposed to Home Rule, but to the question being again submitted to a referendum at tho end of six years, or such other terms as may bo agreed upon, tho difficulty will have been solved. If Mr Redmond is obdurate, then tho Primo Minister will havo cither to throw him over, or face tho consequences of civil war and a serious defection i& his own ranks.

There died a few weeks ago in India, an Afghan chief whoso name is associated with one of the most serious disasters, and one of the most brilliant feats of arms, in the history of BritishIndian warfare. This was Ayub Khan, the victor st Maiwand, and the vanquished in the fight with which Sir

Frederick Roberts ended his famous, march from Kabul to Kandahar. After the massacre of the British Mission at Kabul in 1379, Sir Frederick Roberts forced his way to tho capital, defeated tho Afghans, and tout the shifty Ameer. Yakub Khan, to India. After a while Abdur Rahman was recognised as Ameer of Northern Afghanistan. Ayub Khan, a younger brother of the deported Yakub, marched. from the Herat side- to claim the crown. and proclaimed a

holy war against the infidels holding Kabul. He left Herat with 7500 men and 10 guns, and moved towards the Helmand, gathering reinforcements as ho advanced. General Primrose, commanding the British garrison at Kandahar, was ordered to deal with him, an 1 Brigadier-General Burrows was sent out from Kandahar for that purpose. With 2600 British and Indian troops, General Burrows encountered tho enemy at Mai wand on tho morning of July 27th, 1880. Believing the force to be small, ho attacked, only to find that he was face to face with t 15,000 Afghans, well armed with artillery. Thirty guns opened on tho exposed British lino, while riflemen, under cover, galled tho front and right flank. After a while the enemy began to press ou tbe front and flanks, and, exhausted by tho long march and tho heat, the British lino commenced to waver. A native regiment fled in confusion, and in spiio of tho resistance of tho Grenadier Guards and the 66th Regiment, tho whole British force was rolled back, pursuers and pursued being mingled in a mass. Tho Colonel- and about ono hundred officers and men of the 66th threw themselves into a garden near a village, and, fighting magnificently, perished to a man. They did not fk_ht in vain, for their stand enabled tho remains of the army to come together and reach Kandahar. But, of 2600 men, 034 were killed and 175 wounded.

On hearing of this disaster. Sir Frederick Roberts and Sir Donald Stewart at onco determined to send the army at Kabul to Kandahar to relievo tho beleaguered garrison. On August 9th General Roberts set out with 10,000 men, and covered tho 313 miles over very difficult country in 22 days. Tho day after he reached Kandahar, General Roberts attacked Ayub and utterly defeated him. Tho Afghan chief, when the British triumph was assured, ordered his British prisoner, Lieutenant Maelaine, captured at Maiwand. to be butchered, and then fled. When the British evacuated Afghanistan Ayub made another bid for tiio Ameership, but Abdur Rahman defeated him, and ho had to tako refuge in Persia. After a while he retired to India, and for, twenty-six years lived a placid and apparently contented life as a pensioner of tho Indian Government, forgotten by the world. Once ho appeared ac a review in the Punjaub he'd in honour of an English prince, and when tho latter learnt of his presence he rode up to Ayub's carriage and saluted the fallen Sirdar. This incident profoundly touched the Afghans who were present. The whole treatment of Ayub was a magnanimous return for . tho brutal murder of poor Hector Maelaine.

Quite the best joke with a literary flavour wo havo seen for a long timo comes from Germany. A well-known German writer, in passing one evening through the. streets of a small University town, noticed a group of students standing round one of their comrades, who was bellowing out lustily the words "Rabindranath Tagore! Rabindranath Tagore! Rabindranath Tagore!" The passer-by was very pleased to learn that the name of the Indian poet, the recipient of the Nobel prize, had reached "such unexpected quarters," and he went up to the students and expressed his gratification. Tio stndonts received his remarks with JTToSs of amazement. "But we are only testing his tongue. Wo want to know how far ho has gone!" Tbe funnysyllabled name of tho poet was being used as a test of drunkenness. The traditional test in England is "British Con--stitu.ion," but we cannot for the moment think of the name of an English literary light that might he used in its place. Among American writers, however, there is Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

American competition in the Argentine meat trade has compelled ■the two leading British companies to combine in self-de-fence. The arrangement was announced in the beginning of last month, and consists in the amalgamation of tho River Plato Fresh Meat Co. and James Nelson and Sons. The River Plate Company were the first to export meat from tho Argentine, but they were quickly followed by James Nelson and Sons. The former company is to bo absorbed by tho latter, who will then change their name to Tho British and Argentino Meat Co., and tho tot .1 share capital is to be increased to £2.000,000. At the present timo Messrs Nelson and Sons have debenture stock outstanding to tho extent of £157,534, which is a first charge on that company's assets, and out of the issue of £750,000 of tho now debentures sufficient, will be reserved to enable the present holders of Nelson's debenture stock to exchange into the new issuo. It is intended to offer tho balance of the £750,000 to shareholders, both ordinary and preference, of the amalgamated company, in the form of six per cent, debentures, at D 8 per cent., and upon the terms that the subscribers for the new debentures 6hall receive a bonus in fully-paid ordinary shares of 50 per dent, on the nominal amount of debentures subscribed for and allotted. This somewhat novel plan has been adopted, it is explained, so as to make "a family affair" of tho whole subscription rathed than to go outside for any help. Farther developments will bo watched with keen interest. What is already evident is the fact that American competition has made itself severely felt by the British firms.