Page:Punch Vol 148.djvu/219

Mr. M'Neill (not Swift), Sir C. Kinloch-Cooke and Lord Charles Beresford go for Mr. Tennant.

House of Commons, Monday, 22nd February.―Napoleon, if he were still with us, would be interested and corrected by discovering how thoroughly "a nation of shopkeepers," dragged into a great war, becomes imbued with the military spirit. Striking example occurred this afternoon. Announcement officially made that Colonel Seely, one of the earliest volunteers for the Front, had been appointed, with temporary rank of Brigadier-General, to command of brigade largely composed of Canadian troops.

A time of political truce, party prejudice and animosities happily laid aside. But, really, this appointment of what M'Neill (not Swift but another) scornfully calls "an ex-Yeomanry officer" to important command is going a little too far, don't you think? M'Neill does, and so does Charlie Beresford, and they find valuable support in my colleague in the representation of Barks, Kinloch-Cooke in whose modest person few recognise H.M. Counsel for Mint in Berkshire.

Understand from friend who, though undistinguishable in mufti, is a section-commander in the Inns of Court Reserve Corps, that one of the most elementary manœuvres in squad-drill is to Form Fours. Obviously that impossible in this particular assault. The gallant trio do the next best thing possible to their number. They Form Three and attack Under-Secretary of War with fusillade of questions.

Completeness of design shown in circumstance that this is a combined naval and military attack, something after the fashion of the bombardment of the Belgian coast. Kinloch-Cooke, inadequately appreciated in military circles, knows enough, inter alia, to have written a book settling crucial question of Australian Defences and New Guinea. Long before the hand-grenade became a recognised weapon in the trenches in Flanders, M'Neill distinguished himself by flinging one across the Table of House of Commons, administering to First Lord of the Admiralty what is colloquially known as "one in the eye." Fact that the projectile was bound copy of Rules Preserving Order in Debate flashed over the incident a gleam of humour that greatly pleased the House.

As for Charlie Beresford, his renown is world-wide. Coming down this afternoon ready to take his part in combined attack on War Office he observed that attention to detail which long experience has taught him is, though comparatively trivial, essential to full success. Instead of driving across Palace Yard, he arrived at Westminster Stairs in trim-built wherry, with the name Condor painted in large letters on its bow, lest he should be suspected of concealing himself under guise of anonymous neutrality.

Attack effected without a hitch. H.M.'s Counsel for Mint in Berkshire led off with enquiry whether report of Seely's appointment was well-founded? M'Neill made brilliant flank attack by demand to know whether such promotion of an ex-Yeomanry officer implied dearth of competent officers in Regular Army? Then the gallant little Condor ran in and raked batteries of Treasury Bench by wanting to know whether affair had not only led to revolt on part of Canadian contingent but had spread