Departure of the Troops from Taranaki.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 13, 9 February 1870, Page 6

Departure of the Troops from Taranaki.

(Conilemedfrom /lie, Taranaki Herald.)

! The two companies of the 18th Royal I Irish, stationed at Taranaki, took their " '■departure for Melbourne by tlio Claud • Hamilton on Monday last. The vessel ar-| j ..rived in tlio roadstead about 2 p.m., and & , ..the captain came ashore at once, men would liavu to bo aboard;,by 0 jfrP.ui. 'J.'his was shorter notice than wasr unexpected, but the embarkation was cfl'ecteuj , ;.very soon after the time. Most oLahel .111011 belong to the Roman Catholic/per-' suasion, and the Catholic community in tlio province, among" whom they weira deservedly popular, had arranged for a, private re-union with them on Monday,livening, but the hurried departure of the steamer compelled the arrangements to bo '''altered.* As Colonel Ilocke could only '•promise ton minutes previous to their embarkation, the whole of the refresh meats •prepared for the men in the Catholic J ithad to be brought down to tlio' ~,sfount Elliot reserve—and a private part.p j*ig of co-religionists was thus made a pub-* ufe demonstration. As six o'clock drew nigh, a large number of the townspeople ; assembled near the beach to see the last ! %Pa regiment who by their good conduct "hyd gained the respect and good-will of and shortly after that hour the band ■'(#•'the detachment might be heard, as they from the barracks, playing the 1 ijifhiiliar plaintive Scotch air, " Auld Lang "•Syne." ()u the men reaching the enclosure '"'opposite the Government buildings, they 'halted. They then marched on to the "'green and up the sides of a long table, on ■ I which were the refreshments that had been ;>ipreparcd for them. Mr Crompton then Stepped forward and read an address from .the Catholics of Taranaki, congratulating the soldiers on their exceedingly Orderly conduct, thanking them for the assistance they had afforded their co-religion-ists and the province, and cordially wishing them future prosperity. Sergeant 'Walsh made a suitable reply, and Father Rimlield then said a few words, paying a cijigh compliment to the men's behaviour, 4 rjand saying they left Taranaki with the ribest character that could be given to soldiers. Colonel ftoeko replied, and said lie took the denioiisfiation to be a Catholic)** "one in the literal meaning of the word, and ;Waid though he was grieved to leave them, f> Vet he hoped prosperity would again dawn ; 'upon the Province. After this the men i shouldered their arias and were marched • f fp the beach, when they wer(! taken oil'in ,ithe cargo boats to the steamer, and as the Jiisl boat left the shore, the men gave three cheers, which were heartily responded to by those on the beach. Thy .. Jlerald concludes —" Tiny have gone, buV \ f.Jfjie memory of them will exist in this proevince for many years to come, and when the most exemplary regiment of the ■British army is spoken of, the Taranaki people will give the palm to the 18th ".loyal I Irish."— Chrintchnrch /'row.