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THE DECLINE OF THE WAR CORRESPONDENT.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
(Daily Press, 30th January.) Not the least interesting episode in the his- tory of the latter half of the nineteenth century, when it comes to be written, will be the Progress and Decline of the War Correspondent. Springing into existence like Minerva in full panoply, the last year of the century has seen his somewhat igno- minious disappearance, without & plaudit, or even a word of recognition. Yet the war correspondent has done good and use- ful work in his day; and though in the end he fell upon evil times, it is doubtful if, with all his faults, he were not more sinned against than sinning. There was, of course, a wide difference in the position of the in- dividuals from the time when W. H. Rus- SELL was sent out to the Crimea, as the acknowledged agent of the Times, with all the prestige that such a commission could give him, and the latterday correspondent, who too frequently was but a free-lance, picking up what scraps of war, gossip he could, and openly selling his gleanings to the highest bidder. The one had every thing to gain by working in close touch with the leaders, whose secrets, interest, as well as honour, compelled him to respect; the other was but a waif on the surface, un- known to fame, whose only function was to give such news as he could pick up in any quarter to an insatiable public, who as long as it got the "gup" of the day was per- fectly regardless, doubtless in most cases through ignorance, of its effects, and of the possible inevitable injury his prema- ture disclosures were bound to cause. The result; however brought about, is of course to be regretted, and the war correspondent has the right to show that his services have not been unworthy, and that even he has the strongest claims on the gratitude of his fellow countrymen. To the essential change in the position of the individual was of course attributable his extinction. A simple word, of no apparent consequence, is often to a careful and astute enemy capable of affording the most important information. To caution the correspondent is to give him valuable information; and few men in the position of a correspondent paid by results will be chivalrous enough not to make use of a hint thus given. Of course with men such as
undertook in the first instance the dangerous task of war correspondent, who were the accredited agents of some powerful organisation, such as the Times or the Daily News, these confidences could be freely given. When, however, it came to dividing interests, and each correspondent represented not one but many papers, pro- bably representing opposite influences, it became impossible to make in any way a confidant of the correspondent, and deprived of confidence the individual found himself practically reduced to the position of a spy or at the best a nuisance. The result has been markedly apparent within the last few months.
+
[February 2, 1901.
Secretary of State, London, to Governor,
i
Hongkong, dated 24th January, 1901.
touched by loyal expressions of condolence His Majesty the King has been deeply conveyed in your telegram. Please thank Members of Legislative Council, Chinese community, and Freemasons, on behalf of His Majesty the King and the Royal Family."
PROCLAMATION OF KING EDWARD VII.
UNIQUE CEREMONY ON THE CRICKET GROUND.
woro sombre
ters worse. Boer sympathisers were not "Governor, Hongkong, to Secretary of wanting even in England; on the continent State, dated 24th January, 1901. Dr. LEYDS had established an almost per "Resolution passed by Members Legisla fect system of eoding, so that any informative Council this day:-Members Legislative munication, more or less secret, with the death of Her Majesty the Queen, and desire tion was at once sent to quarters in com- Council have heard with profound sorrow leaders in the Transvaal; and so by degrees humbly to express most heartfelt, loyal and the Press correspondent became from a respectful sympathy with Their Majesties nuisance a danger. In China, affairs were and the Royal Family in their bereavement. not so bad, still the Press correspondent did Chinese community humbly express pro- once or twice in a measure give himself found grief and most respectful and sincere away. tend to diminish the jealousies between the masons send profound and reverent sym- At all events his presence did not sympathy. Entire body of Hongkong Free- Powers, and may from indiscreet remarks pathy." increase them. have even had a tendency momentarily to When we remember the magnificent services, however, done for humanity in general by correspondents like RUSSELL or SIMPSON, it seems a matter of great and national loss that the present position should have come about. The mys- tery that has been raised about the hos- pital staff in South Africa is one of those things that could scarcely have occurred had the correspondent been in a better position. Was there really any evidence of mismanagement? To ascertain this simple fact, it has been found necessary to go through all the formality of a Parliamen tary Commission of Enquiry.
A scene unique in the history of the colony It is not of Hongkong was witnessed on the Cricket too much to say that if a correspondent Ground in Queen's Road on Tuesday afternoon, like the late Dr. RUSSELL had been the 29th ult., when His Excellency the Gover- on the spot, we should at all events nor (Sir Henry Blake, & C.M.G.) proclaimed have been spared the preliminaries of this Edward VII. King of Great Britain and enquiry. So in China we believe a high- Ireland and Emperor of India. Though the class correspondent could have been of in- in their black raiment, the uniforms of the
European civilian population estimable utility in the beginning. Although different regiments on parade and the gorgeous the great act of vandalism which marked the dresses of the naval and military officers and attack on the Legations, the burning of the the foreign Consuls produced a mest brilliant Hanlin Library, is not this time to be laid spectacle, and one which will live in the memory on the shoulders of the foreigner, there is of all who attended it. The effect, however, was abundance of common talk to show that the marred somewhat by the fact that the space usages of some at least of the foreign bat- was too small to allow of the troops being ad- talions engaged in the fight were not as
equately spread out, they having to be crushed entirely in accordance with civilised pre- the centre of the field.
together in order to preserve a good square in cedents as might have been desired. Here was a case where a correspondent, himself performance of the ceremony. Long before that Four o'clock was the time fixed upon for the above suspicion, could have rendered in-hour everything was in readiness for the coming estimable service to the general cause. We of His Excellency, the troops and blue-jackets do not concur in the suppression of all in- being arranged in three sides of a hollow formation from the fighting line which has square with H. E. Major-General Gascoigne, marked the conduct of operations in the CMG and his staff in the centre. North; it is one thing to give information Royal Welsh Fusiliers cecupied a conspicucus about policy or intentions, it is quite an-
position along the Queen's Road side of the other to record events which have actually erected for the occasion, and very smart they ground, facing the platform which had teen occurred, and which of necessity are known locked in their scarlet tunics and white helmets. to the enemy. well aware of what our, and the other, horns encased in crape, and the colours were The Chinese are perfectly The regimental goat was in front with its troops have done, and it is from a military also draped with black. Behind them were point of view a matter of perfect indifference the Hongkong Royal Artillery, the Royal drawn up detachments of the Royal Artillery, that they should be published. Not so, Engineers, who were flanked on the east by the however, from the political side. The uncon- Royal Marine Artillery and Light Infantry, sidered mystery in which our authorities and on the west by men of the Army Medical have veiled these proceedings is already be- Corps, Ordnance Store Department, Army ing taken advantage of by the reactionists Service Corps, and Pay Department, all bran to give a false colouring to the whole con- ches being represented. On the Murray Road the advantage goes to the side of disorder, duct of the affair; a colouring in which all side were drawn up a long solid line of Blue- jackets, four deep and about 1,200 in number. On the western sido of the ground were ranged detachments representing all companies of the Hongkong Volunteers, under command of Captain Macdonald, and the Hongkong Regi- ment, the rd Madras Light Infantry, the 22nd Bombay Light Infantry, and the 5th Hyderabad Regiment, in the order named. We received last week from H. E. the The route leading from Chater Road to Governor copies of the following four tele- the platform was carpeted with crimson grams for publication :-
cloth and lined with Bengal Lancers with Governor, Hongkong, to Secretary of the Hongkong Club and the other adjoin- their pennon-tipped lances. The windows at State, London, dated 23rd January, ing buildings were crowded with sight-seers. The varandahs and roof of the City Hall "I have received with deep sorrow an- were also lined with spectators. The nouncement of the death of Her Majesty area at the sides and behind the platform the Queen.”
was set apart for the general public, with Secretary of State, London, to Governor, the exception of a small roped-in portion,
Hongkong, dated 24th January, 1901. for the foreign
the enclosure to naval officers, of whom
the right being reserved "His Majesty the King thanks you for good number attended, and that to the left your sympathetic message.'
for the foreign Consuls. A space in front of the
Atle beginning of the South African War, without any intention of dis- closing any information likely to be useful to the enemy, there did arise some difference of opinion between the correspondents and the General. The Boers proved themselves masters in the arts of intelligence, and quickly made use of every source of informa- tion available. The introduction of some sys- tem of censorship became a necessity. The correspondent chafed under the restric- tion, which he imagined was aimed against him, and did his best to escape its require ments, so that by degrees a state almost of hostility arose. The telegraph made mat-
HONGKONG'S SORROW FOR THE QUEEN'S DEATH.
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1901.
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The