RETURN OF THE AUSTRALIAN CONTINGENT. 259 "Although I was conducting operations in a distant part of the Soudan, I felt great pride in the thought that I had under my command a contingent of colonial troops, and my pride was the greater that they represented such a vast portion of the British Empire as Australia. I also feel that Australia, putting such a fine body of troops in the field, is a warning to any quarrelsome nation that they will have to fight not only Great Britain and Ireland, but also England's most distant colonies." Two days afterward, on May 17th, the contingent re-embarked on board the troopship Arab, on which, at the imperial expense, they were conveyed back to Sydney.

Lord Wolseley's farewell despatch, which reached the troops before their departure, contained the following passage:—"I thank the gallant soldiers of the New South Wales contingent, not only for the services they have rendered, but for the sympathy which prompted them to come so far to take part in a war undertaken by the empire to which we all belong. They will carry home with them the thanks of our sovereign and the best wishes of those with whom they fought side by side. They have borne themselves well in action and camp, and I trust that should any serious war be forced on our empire in the future we may again find ourselves shoulder to shoulder with Australian troops facing a common enemy. The deeds of the forces in the Soudan have added one more chapter to the glorious records of national prowess, and all of you who have belonged to it—soldiers or sailors, British, Indian, or Australian—may feel with pride the high reputation the army and navy has gained has not suffered at your hands."

A farewell message from her Majesty the Queen was also received, as follows :— " The queen commands to be conveyed to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the New South Wales contingent her thanks for their services during the recent campaign, and expresses her great satisfaction that her colonial forces have served side by side with British troops in the field. Her Majesty wishes them a prosperous voyage home."

When the Australian contingent re-entered Sydney on the 19th of June they had lost six of their number by death. The reception accorded to them by their fellow-countrymen and the people of Sydney was most enthusiastic, and their arrival was celebrated by a ceremonial reception by the governor, the ministry, and representatives of the sister colonies. After this there were congratulatory meetings, and, to crown the whole, a banquet in honour of the contingent by the citizens of Sydney.

There is no need to follow the successive withdrawals of troops as different regiments or battalions were recalled during the months that ensued. Returning to the policy of assisting the Egyptian government to