Why the "Jollies" stay at Home.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 105, 6 February 1900, Page 3

Why th e "Jollies" stay at Home.

—O A little whilo ago the London Press and the Loiulon pvsbhc I'bld'il with a good deol of ssperity, why ihe . .danralty ptM'oHtid >n d<n mmr; in Kntjlc nd the form'Ja'j 1 , furci 1 ot m.irmes, red ond blue. v.luc'.i would have been so valuable an addition to fcho fighting in South Afuoa. i.l en accustomed 10 handling qmYi wore m request, bu^ uisk* itl oi forwarding a contingent of the Koyal Marine Aitillery to iho Cape, the authorities k^pt them in barracks at Homo. We could not understand the reason, especially as we hoard that the very gunners who are to man the siege tram for the reduction of Pretoria weiv almost at the last moment to lx> put through a hurried couce.e of infearuetion in the m ui.piinUhui of heavy oidnanco — i,h<» vt.r> xu'upon^ in the use of v\hich the R.AI. ex' col. The apparent neglect of the '* Joihui," as our splendid soldiersailors are aiiectnonately termed, can only be explained on tlie assumption that the authoi\liL-s have seen, or think they see, a oiond, no bigger than a man's hand, in some other portion of the international horizon, and desire to^be in a position to throw a strong force of marines into Gibraltar on the appearance of serious military activity on the part of France m North Africa. The popular opinion here, of course, that trouble between twixt England and France is very improbable, but cosmopolitans do not poon-pooh the notion that France may take advantage of our present full-handed condition to attempt to aggrandise herselt at our expense on the shores of the Mediterranean. France longs for Morocco, and indications are not Wiouting to show that a serious attempt to satisfy her longings will be made shortly. Two battadonh of Zouavis, two of Algerian Tirailleurs, and two squadrons ot Ghassuers D'Afrique, and other cavalry and infantry, were war ied for active service more than a month ago, and certain battalions of Zouavi, who were destined for a period of service in L ranee, have been retained in Algiers, and are now stationed at Tiomeen and Sas-el-Mar, on the Wost Algerian frontier. These things may uirau nothing, but it is jnsb as well, perhaps, that we should be in a position to run a few thousand soldiersailors into those points of vantage wbich we posse -S in the great highway to the* » ast.