NEWSPAPER MEN WITH ROYALTY.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 15 June 1901, Page 3

NEWSPAPER MEN WITH ROYALTY.

Who They Are and Where They’ve Been.

It is not often that so distinguished a gathering of journalists is seen in New Zealand as at present. Accompanying the Royal party are six newspaper men from London, the most famous being Mr E. F. Knight, well known as an author, traveller, and war correspondent, who on this occasion represents the London Morning Post. Mr Knight is chiefly celebrated as the author of “Where Three Empires Meet,” a graphically written account of his own travels and experiences in Kashmir in 1891. For some years Mr Knight did brilliant work as the special correspondent of The Times, in many lands and on many great occasions. In addition to his chief d’oeuvre Mr Knight has published “Madagascar in Wartime,” “Rhodesia of To-day,” “Letters Alerte,” and “The Cruise of the Falcon.” Mr Knight went to South Africa early in the war as special representative of the Morning Post, and did a deal of splendid work. Unfortunately, however, at the Battle of Grasspan he was severely wounded, his right arm being shattered to such an extent as to render amputation imperative. By using a typewriter, Mr Knight still manages to get through his work as successfully as ever.

Another of the visiting journalists who has been through a term of arduous compaigning in South Africa is Mr W. Max--1 well, the special correspondent of 'the Standard. Like the late lamented G. W. Stephen, Mr Maxwell went through the Soudan campaign, which culminated in the fall of Khartoum. He also accompanied the German Emperor on the occasion of his visit to Palestine. Being in Natal shortly after the outbreak of the Boer war, Mr Maxwell was unfortunate enough to be shut up in Ladysmith, and had to bear his share of the privations and hardships of the prolonged siege. Like most of those who lived through the trying experience, Mr Maxwell was greatly reduced in health when relief at last came, but with characteristic tenacity stuck to his work and saw much more of the war before he returned to England.

Mr Joseph Watson, Reuter’s special representative, has had a long and successful career. He hails from north of the Tweed, as his name indicates, and was for 13 years on the staff of the Scotsman, doing Parliamentary and special work. On the establishment of what is known as Reuter’s Special Service Department, he was placed in charge, his duties being chiefly of an editorial character. Occasionally, however, he has personally undertaken missions of unusual importance, such as the coronation of the Tzar of Russia at Moscow, and the funerals of Gambetta and President Carnot. Mr Watson has the advantage of proficiency in several modern languages, particularly French and German. He has always taken a prominent part in all journalistic organisation movements and is at present a Follow and Vice-Presi-dent of the British Institute of Journalists, by whom he has been formally charged with greetings to the journalists of Australasia.

Mr G. Scott-Cranston is the only Australian among the visiting correspondents. He is a native of Victoria, but shortly after taking up journalism as a profession he migrated to England. He has successfully represented the Central News Agency on various occasions in America, Canada, and India, and more recently had the distinction of being the only journalist who went through the campaign by the troops of the Allied Powers in China, from the taking of the Taku forts t» Tientsin, and the relief of Admiral Seymour, as well as in subsequent operations. Mr Cranston was instrumental in preventing the holding of the Requiem service in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, when the foreign residents of Peking were believed to have been massacred, having to ride a very long distance in hot haste in order to get the news through.

The Times correspondent with the Royal party is Mr J Vincent an old pupil of Winchester College, and an English University man. Mr Vincent has done much special work of importance on behalf of his famous journal, including the lace Queen Victoria’s visit to Ireland, and was also at Osborne House during the illness of her late Majesty, which ended in her death. Mr Vincent has for some years past written the accounts of rifle shooting at Bisley.

Mr. B. G. Le Sage is the son of the manager of the London Daily Telegraph, which journal he now represents. He was for some time in the United States on behalf of the same paper, doing special work in connection with the Cuban hostilities.

Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace, Foreign Editor of The Times, is a member of the Eoyal staff, nominally as Assistant Private Secretary, but it is generally understood’that he is to write the official account of the tour. He was born in Dumbartonshire in 1841, and was educated at the Universities of Edinburgh, Berlin, and Heidelburg, and also at the Ecole de Droit, Paris. From 1863 to 1884 he was living and travelling in various foreign countries, but mainly in Prance, Germany, Russia and Turkey, acquiring a fund of information which must have been of immense value to him in his journalistic work. He has also had a good training in official and diplomatic life, having been Private Secretary to both the Marquis of Dafferin and the Marquis of Lansdowne, whilst Viceroys of India during the years 1884 to 1889, nod he accompanied the Taarewitch as political officer on the occasion of his visit to India and Ceylon in 1890-91. He is the author of ‘ Russia, ’ published in 1877, and ‘ Egypt and the Egyption Question ’ (1863), both regarded as standard works. He was created R. C. I. E. in 1863. Sir Donald is a man of charming personality and address, and quite won the hearts of the Australian journalists with whom he was brought in contact.