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The Annual Register of World Events (1901)
The Annual Register of World Events - 1901 Author:Edmund Burke Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER HI. Troubles in West Africa—The Spion Kop Despatches—Speeches of the Recess— The Australian Commonwealth Bill—The Uganda Railway Debate—The Spion Kop ... more »Despatches—Lord Salisbury at the Albert Hall — Foreign Opinion of England—Rifle Clubs—Mr Chamberlain at Birmingham—Lord Salisbury and the Temperance Question—Housing of the Working Classes— Australian Commonwealth Bill—The Appeal Clause—Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister Vote—War Office Proposals Discussed by the Lords—The Charity Commissioners and the Birmingham Schools Bill—Relief of Mafeking— Reception of the News—Bye-Elections—Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Balfour. The pause in the advance of the British troops in South Africa which followed upon the relief of Kimberley and Ladysmith revived the feeling that the War Office had failed again in anticipating the requirements of the campaign, or that the resources of the department in supplies and remounts had been exhausted. But if the Intelligence Department of the War Office was at fault with regard to the Boers' power of resistance, an even greater recklessness and ignorance had been displayed in other departments. At the Colonial Office, where, at least since the dispute with France over the Niger Territory, it might have been supposed that West African affairs had been studied with intelligent interest, a feeling of strong resentment against British rule had been excited by an attempt on the part of the Governor of the Gold Coast to obtain possession of the gold stool of royalty, a sort of fetish in the eyes of the Coomassi and Ashauti tribes. On the occupation of their capital the stool had been carried away, and all efforts to discover it had remained fruitless. So long, however, as it remained concealed its danger as a rallying standard to the disaffected tribes wa...« less