The world has this week lost two generals of mark.
One was in our own service, Field-Marshal Sir Donald Stewart, who died on Monday at the age of seventy-six. He gained his reputation as a general by his splendid march from Kandahar to Cabal in 1880, but be was one of the officers whom their superiors love, who could be trusted with a province as well as a battle, and could help in organising as well as fight. One of his claims to respect was his power of exalting affection among his companions in arms, and the scene of his parting with General Roberts at a moment when both believed that the Afghans might be the victors would make a subject for a great picture. The other general is the Boer Commander-in-Chief, General Joubert, who died in Pretoria on Tuesday at the age of sixty-six. A Huguenot by descent, and for a Boer unusually well educated, he rose to the command of the Boer forces, and at Laing's Nek and Majuba displayed considerable ability. He became in con- sequence the opposition candidate to Kruger, but the leading men distrusted him, partly because he was too gentlemanly for them, and partly, we fear, because he never hated the English as they did. He gradually lost influence, and of late years became only an instrument in the hand of Kruger, who, it is said, intends to succeed him in the direct command. As a soldier, his great merit was to perceive that the strength of his peasant soldiers lay in their capacity to pour out an over- whelming fire from behind battlements of rock or earth, and his great defect an utter distrust of the capacity of his men in the open, which twice at least led to his missing most favourable opportunities.
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