THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 107, 10 April 1885, Page 3

THE SOUDAN.

GENERAL McNEIL.

General Sir John McNeill, X.C.8., K.C.M.G., and Y.O, who commande.l the British troops at the Hashcen engagement, and who wa« blamed for •allowing himself to l»e surprised on that occasion, is (says the Post) au officer who was formerly %l *ell known m New Zealand. As Major McNeill he served undur General Sir Duncan Cameron m ihe Maori war from its commencement m 18.61 to the withdrawal nf the 'troops m 1865. H& then Imd a brother settled m Southland an a sheep farmer and sitting m the House of Representative*. Major McNeill was exceedingly popular m society, and his service* m the field were hot less brilliant than his social successes. In half a dozen different engagements and ••* affairs " he dis pl.iyi-d conspicuous bravery, and at the bloody b-ittles of Rangiriri and Gate Pah he so distinguished himself as to pain both glory and promotion. On the 30th 'March, 1864, he earned the Victoria Cross by one of those cool acts of daring winch come naturally to men of his temperament, but whioh are utterly impossible to men of a different sort. Riding on staff duties to headquarters at Te Awamutu, lie savr his escort, Privates Vosper and Gibson, of the New Zealand Defence Force, suddenly attacked by an ambuscade of 50 natives. Gibson gained safety by flight but Voeper was unhorsed, and m a . few seconds mu*t have been m the enemy's hands. Thereupon Sir John McNeill, who was out of danger himself, deliberately returned, caught Tester's horse, assisted him (o mouni and brought him away m safety by .sheer hard galloping, amid a shower of bullets. The native's >idmitl'.ed that they ought to have - killed both officer and man, .but they wore so d unbounded by the intrepid courage of the proceedings that tji««y first lost time, and then fired wildly. Since his New Zealand experiences General McNeill has .seen service m the Lit;' l River, where he was secoivl m command, and m A.shantee. He retired from active service with great distinc lion after tho last named campaign, and has been for ten >ears A..D.C. to. the Comnmnder-in -chief and Equerry to the Queen. It is thought that his misfortune m ndug surprised was possibly owing to his long absence from military duties.

"We buried General Stewart m the little British graveyard near the Gakdul Well," writes an officer of his staff. "It was the most iinprcssivo scene aivyone ever wont through. We formed a procession through the valley, headed by the firing party and the band of the Royal Sussex. The pall-bearers were Majors Hon. C. Byn<? and Gould, Lieutenants Lord, Browning, Douglas, and Dawson, and Captain Rhodes. Colonel Ta-lbot read the service. I looked up once. It is no exaggeration to say that everyone round the place had utterly broken down. 1 have lost the kindest, best friend man ever had, and England, I honestly think, one of her beat officers. It was a most trying time for him, that march out from El Gubat ; but the doctors say nothing could possibly have saved him from the first. I fully believe them. The 19th Hussars made a forced march to try to be m tiihe for the funeral, but arrived just too late. This morning they asked to be allowed to do the stonework round the grave, and have been working all day."

(electric telegraph. — copyrtgnt.) (reuter's special correspondent.) Souakim, April 8 (10 p.m). The Coldstream Guards and Colonial troops advanced this afternoon from the zareba, situated five miles hence, to Handoub., On their arrival there they formed a fresh zareba, and are now m occupation of the position. A few of the enemy were seen by the force near Handoub, but no fighting with them took place. The Scotts Guards proceed to Handbub to-morrow to join the Colstreams and Australians, and the rest of the troops now here are intended for an advance m force, and will be despatched to Handoub gradually. Reports from Handoub state that the troops have found quantities of wateir there, but it is entirely brackish and unfit for drinking.