An eye-witness who writes to the Daily Chronicle of Thursday
last gives a most thrilling account of the bombard- ment of Zanzibar. He mentions, among other curious facts, that the St. George,' the flagship, with the Admiral's wife, son, and governess on board, only arrived by accident in time to take part in the action. The Admiral steamed nineteen miles an hour to catch the post at Zanzibar, and by a piece of good luck came in for the fight. It is pleasant to find the writer in the Daily Chronicle giving a most favourable account of the conduct of the marines and bluejackets. Scarcely any of them had been under fire before, yet they were both keen and well in hand, and there was no drunkenness or misconduct of any kind. " They were cheery ; worked like niggers ; and after the firing was over, it was good to see them pulling the wounded out of the debris. Women could not have been more gentle in their handling of the suffering Askaris." The writer goes on to note the talk about the degeneration of the British sailor. "The behaviour of the bluejackets and marines at Zanzibar is a telling comment on the falsity of any such statement, and also furnishes valuable evidence as to the splendid morale prevailing in the Navy." It is good to read this when Nelson's victory is in every one's mind.
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