Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/113

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HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR.—His Excellency the Governor of Hongkong, Colonel Sir Frederick Dealtry Lugard, K.C.M.G., C.H., D.S.O., has spent thirty eventful years in the service of his country, and his career as a soldier and administrator has been one unbroken series of successes.

The son of the Rev. K. G. Lugard, and nephew of the Right Hon. Sir Edward Lugard, P.C, G.C.H., he was born on January 22, 1858. From Rossall he proceeded to Sandhurst, and in May, 1878, obtained his first commission as a second-lieutenant in the 9th Foot, or Norfolk Regiment. He received his baptism of fire in the "affair at Saidabad" during the Afghan War of 1879-80, and for this campaign received his first medal. On January 1, 1881, he was promoted lieutenant, and in August, 1885, was given his company. In the same year he was employed with the Indian contingent in the Soudan Campaign. He was present at "Tofrek," better known as "McNeill's Zareeba," and was "mentioned in despatches." For his services he was awarded the medal with two clasps and the Khedive's star.

He was again on active service in Burmah in the following year, where he acquitted himself with such distinction that he was thrice mentioned in despatches, and, in addition to receiving another medal with two clasps, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, then newly instituted. From Burmah he returned to England, shattered in health, and obtained temporary half-pay leave on medical certificate. Receiving permission to travel, he visited the advance camp of the Italians at Saati and offered his services lo them in their campaign against the Abyssinians. Negotiations were, however, being conducted by a mission under Mr. (afterwards Sir Gerald) Portal, and, since there was no prospect of active service, Captain Lugard left for Zanzibar. Thence he proceeded to Lake Nyasa, where he heard that the small British trading station of Karonga, at the north end of the lake, was invested by slave-raiders, who had devastated the whole surrounding district. A relief expedition was being formed, and he was unanimously requested by the British residents and by Her Majesty's Consul to take command of it (May, 1888). It was during this expedition that he received his most serious wound — a gunshot wound in both arms and chest — of which he gives an account in his book, "Our East African Empire." The trading company (African Lakes) who had organised the defence of Karonga, were now in straitened circumstances, and declared their inability to continue the struggle unless they received pecuniary assistance. Difficulties had also arisen with regard to the import of the necessary munitions through Portuguese territory. In these circumstances, Captain Lugard returned to England to make known the critical situation, for he was convinced that the slave-traders had no less a scheme in view than to join hands across the lake and to oust the British, and establish their supremacy in Mid-Africa. Mr. Cecil Rhodes was anxious to adopt the scheme drawn up by Captain Lugard for patrolling the lake by steamers, and was desirous that Captain Lugard should himself return and take charge of it, which he was quite willing and eager to do, but meantime Her Majesty's Government had intervened, with the final result that Nyasaland was declared a British Protectorate and added to the Empire.

Towards the close of the year (1889), therefore, Captain Lugard was free to accept service with the newly-formed British East African Company, and, after some months of exploration and survey work on their behalf, he accepted the difficult mission of trying to forestall the Germans, and of concluding a treaty with Uganda. It was not without great difficulty and some danger that this treaty was obtained, for the country was divided with factions who called themselves British, French, and Mahomedan, and all were armed with rifles. With the aid of the two Christian factions, Captain Lugard defeated the Mahomedans, whom he repatriated later in Uganda on friendly terms. He then proceeded through the unexplored and hostile country of Unyoro, whose army he defeated, and reached the distant Albert Lake by way of Ruwenzori (the Mountains of the Moon). His object was to engage in his service the troops of Emin Pasha, who had left the Equatorial Province after many battles with the Madhi and were now on their own account devastating the region in which they had settled. With much difficulty he succeeded in this task, and brought them with him to the number of over eight thousand (men, women, and children). Most of these he established in South Unyoro for the protection of the district of Toro, whose king he had reinstated; and, proceeding with comparatively few fighting men, he reached Uganda early in 1892. In his absence the hostility between the French (or Roman Catholic) party and the British (or Protestant) had reached a climax, and very soon afterwards broke out in open war. The "French" included Captain Lugard with the British and he had, therefore, unwillingly to fight. The French party were defeated, and thereupon he made a re-settlement of the country, repatriating both the French and the Mahomedans. As before at Nyasa, so now again in Uganda, at the critical moment the Company in whose behalf he was acting declared themselves unable to bear any further expense, and ordered Captain Lugard to evacuate Uganda. This he declined to do, but, leaving the country in peace under his second officer, Captain Williams, he returned to England to prosecute a more difficult campaign for the "Retention of Uganda." Though little used to public speaking, he found himself compelled to address audiences throughout England and Scotland, and though the Cabinet had decided to abandon the country, the feeling became so strong that the decision was reversed, and Uganda was included in the Empire.

Later, Mwanga, the king of Uganda, who had originally been very hostile, wrote to Queen Victoria: "I want you to send this same Captain Lugard back again to Uganda that he may finish his work of arranging the country, for he is a man of very great ability, and all the Waganda (natives) like him very much; he is gentle, his judgments are just and true, and so I want you to send him back to Uganda."

However, the country was now under the British Government, and the Foreign Office, for political reasons, considered it better that Captain Lugard should not return. In 1894, the Royal Niger Company, who had concluded treaties with the kings of Borgu and Gurma, learned that the French were about to make overtures to the king of Nikki whom they regarded as the rightful king of Borgu. The Company decided to protect themselves doubly by securing a treaty before France could do so. France, however, got the start. Captain Decoeur, leaving for Dahomey on July 24, 1894. Four days later Captain Lugard left England, determined to reach the king of Nikki first. On November 10th, he saw the king of Nikki, and had the treaty signed five days before Captain Decoeur arrived. It was a signal victory, and assured the position of the Royal Niger Company. Just alter this Captain Lugard received his C.B. In April, 1895, he returned to England having been wounded by an arrow.

In 1896 he led an expedition across the Kalahari Desert for the British West Charter Land Company, who had engaged his assistance because of the difficulties — considered by many to be insuperable — of crossing the desert without oxen, the oxen having died of rinderpest. He concluded a treaty with Sekomi, the chief, and established the Company's agents there. He was recalled thence by a letter from Mr. Chamberlain.

There was a "crisis" in West Africa between ourselves and the French, which seemed likely at any moment to develop into war. Major Lugard accepted the post of Commissioner and Commandant in the Hinterland of Lagos, and took command of the troops there. He proceeded to raise the West African Frontier Force (eventually some three thousand strong), and upon the organisation of this force the whole of the troops of the various colonies in West Africa have since been modelled. The crisis with France was fortunately brought to an end by the Convention of June 14, 1898, but not before the hostile forces on the spot had been on the very verge of hostilities.

He now became a Lieut.-Colonel on half-pay, and received the medal and clasp awarded for these operations. He returned to England to assist the Colonial Office in the negotiations with the Royal Niger Company, which resulted in the transfer of Nigeria to the imperial administration on January 1, 1900. Then he returned as first High Commissioner (with the rank of Brigadier-General), with the task of creating an administration.

When the vast area known as Northern Nigeria (about 300,000 square miles), was taken over by the Imperial Government from the Royal Niger Company, it was for the most part wholly independent of British