The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1885.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5024, 18 February 1885, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1885.

Vabious offers are being made by our Australian neighbors to provide troops to assist England in her Soudanese difficulty, and. these reflect every credit upon and lend lustre to those proffering them, pointing out, as they do, the strong feelings of loyalty existent in tho southern British dependencies. Yetnotwithstanding this exhibition of affection for, and interest in, the welfare of the parent country made by Victoria and New South Wales, we cannot but think that there is too great an amount of romance about tbe concern when it is looked at from a plain and practical point of view. New South Wales opened the ball by offering to provide 500 equipped men in Egypt. Victoria said that if the offer of the sister colony were accepted, she was prepared to place'her quota of men in the field, and South Australia has also come forth with her men. The Homo Government, apparently guided by feelings of sentimentality, accepted the first offer made, viz., that of New, South Wales, but has evinced no, desire to continue receiving offers of the services of colonial troops. There is something in these movements, which although worthy, is Quixotic, and we feel bound to say that common sense has been shown to have taken little part in them. Even supposing that New South Wales was "bulging" with generosity, most do-' votedly attached to its parent country, and wished to display the all-consum-ing love which devoured her, would it not have been better to show all these things in a more practical shape. England has accepted the first offer of love made her as a fond mother, who had been somewhat harsh with her offspring, would do under similar circumstances ; but how did'she receive offer No. 2? Victoria's proffered contingent was not so welcome. Of course Victoria has long been a troublesome child, and has annoyed the Colonial Office very much— perhaps that had something to do with it, —but there cannot be any doubt that the expense and delay likely to be incurred in sending any of those patriotic ones, willing to go to Egypt, from one end of the globe to the other, is a bar to the whole proceeding. • If Great Britain is short of anything in the matter, it is not men—she has "plenty of those. Of course the compliment paid by the colonies had to be gracefully acknowledged, but the Home authorities very wisely drew the line at its acknowledgment by accepting only the effer of one of them in this matter.