On Friday came the excellent news that the Indian troops
had actually landed at Marseilles. The Times correspondent in an undated letter or telegram describes the historic event in stirring terms:—
" The haze that betokened s hot September day had just begun to lift from the bay, when suddenly an interminable line of steam- ships crept along by the romantic Chateau d'If and adjacent islands. The telescope showed that all were riding high in the water, and awakening Marseilles knew that the long-expected ships with the Indian troops aboard had arrived. With a precision and expedition that made every observer marvel, the armada of transports swung into harbour and moored alongside the appointed quays. A French officer was lost in admiration. Afterwards he confided to me with delightful frankness that the British Army and Naval authorities were the finest organizers in the world, and that Great Britain alone of all the nations was capable of carrying out a project of the kind with such success."
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