We go to press without being able to do more
than merely record the arrival in London of Sir Alfred Milner. But the -preparations, official and otherwise, which have been made to welcome him ought to be a sufficient answer to the sensational rumour that his return was the prelude to his supersession. Sir Alfred Milner is coming home, first and foremost, to take a brief and well-earned rest; apart from that, it cannot but be regarded as a great convenience that the Government should at the present juncture enjoy the advantage of personal con- sultation with one who is naturally and properly destined to play so large and important a part in the work of recon- struction. Quidnunc& who must at all hazards discover alarmist possibilities in the simplest situations may thiuk otherwise. To n.s it is quite incredible that the Government should ever have even contemplated the abandonment of a public servant who in circumstances of great difficulty aud j isolation has borne himself with unflinching courage, dignity, and consistency.
