THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 29, 2 July 1885, Page 2

THE SOUDAN.

A REMINISCENCE OF GOBDON.

At the Gordon Memorial Fond meet; ing, held m Molbourne, His Excellency the Governor, Sir Henry B. Loch, who moved the first resolution said, m the course of his speech :— I first knew Gene^ ' ral Gordon a great number of years ago m China. There was a charm it was impossible to describe about his, manner and m his conversation, but upon look ing back to it since his death to endear. t our to arrive at some conclusion ;as Id ■ the cause of that charm I "feel it is due"' * h ? Pecuhar modesty of his character, and to the purity of Ms ; thoughts. aJ illustrative of the peculiar modtsty of his character, perhaps I may be permitted to recite an account that- was given to me by the late Sir Frederick Bruce, who was our first ambassador ; at Plkin, and the story he told me was afterwards continued by Gordon himself to me, It was after the successful suppressidp of the Taipmg rebellion, which was due as you are aU aware, to General ; Gordon'! great skill and ability, that the Chinesa Orovernment were exceeding desirous to marktheir sense of his great service's by bestowing upon him a very large pecuniary reward. He declined to accept it, but they, feeling how deeply indebted they were to him for his services* applied to Sir Frederick Bruce, the ambassador, to use his influence Gbr* don to induce him, if possible^ accept it, but m the event of him declining it to at all events induce him to ~ go to Pekin to confer with the Government with respect to the affairs of China. With regard to the last proposal he consented, and he was on the point of starting from Shanghai when jihe.mail from the North arrived with the" news that a reception was being prepared for him that had never been accorded to anyone but an JBmperor himself. As soon as Gordon heard of it. he called a boat alongside the steamer, had his portmanteau •■' put into it, and. went off to the shore, sending a message to the Government that, hearing that this reception was being; prepared for him, it was far greater than anything he. deserved, and he would hot go to Pekin.