ally English, Admiral Hill had a good deal of irish blood in being the great-grandson of the éth Marquess of Downshire Jand the grandson of Archbishop rench of Dublin, The new R.A.Y. who came to the command of the British flotitia on the Yangtze in 1931 was no stranger to China, He had lately been in command of the Naval Establish. ments in Hongkong and, at the with the Government at Nanking, with the Chinese Navy and with the other foreign Navies, the task wax smoothly" performed. It demanded, naturally, diplomatic gifts as well as naval experience, Admiral Hill had been able to develop those gifts under the late Admiral" Sir "John de Robeck, whose fine sailorly qualities were enhanced by. a Secretary-General, Mr.
Carter: "eae als of the Institute recede thods of the Institute refashion themselves, in our very" hands. age of seventeen—he was born in 1880—he was a Midshipman Centurion when she appeared at Weihaiwei on the first occasion of that port's use notable grasp of the diplomatic technique, as was shown specially at Constantinople during the critical period of 1919 to 1921, when Sir Joh Commander-in "the very quersions vary, the very To-day Admiral heme of the conference, [48 a base for the Royal Navy. terranean Fleet, Hill sails on the High was eyllabun that onused explosions {Rawalpindi for England—and it during and. after. the Great carrived, has been found by many [further -hn many national groups as they Jwill be confidently. expected, War, Admiral Hill served under distinction in his pro-admiral de Robeck. Wis inti: of those same members, to have Hfession—after a highly suecess- mates know how great a store offered the framework, for the/ful tenure of command, He|the retiring RAA.Y sets by that analysis not of the other man's lurrived' in the civil state of Association, problems but of our own. the census Thirty Years ayo Admiral Hill The will"o-thewisp simile may'|reports say. Despite the fact{Won the Somaliland: medal sor not be entirely uni tified: that his occupation often took tthe first sentence quoted, for Si im away from the haunts of Robert Falconer succinctly sets social delight he made no effort out". what the conference oh achieved: with edge condition about elaborate precautions so personally confdent_we shall be When ste go to our homes Tam his going will be the subject of Fegret among both sexes of the infronted by orities. They will v various outport communities to kus "What was the meaning of wise Ee das been a charming Ail this conferring which you hav been doing for foreign? Was [td aneHduous host. He has, passed through the his services us" Sub-lieutenant landed from a Red Sea gunboat to take part in the operations of 1903. It_was a. comparatively quiet prelude to the experiences eleven years later but it serv-led to bring out the qualities which have been xo effective in maintaining the fine traditions lof the Yangtze command. As there anything you did?", And.-we can fortify ourselves hoise meet those who ertcise by saying, "Yes, we have been ite een enn Yo dif consulting, quietly, reasonably, we
our thoughts, on the grea questions which to-day are exer-ceiling the world."
It is a great thing to realise that 187 members to the conference have succeeded in endeavouring to clarify their thoughts on the subjects indicated, but the question can be asked: Could not means be found to galvanised the successors to this conference with some current of vigorous ordeal scatheless: he leaves as arrived—unmarried.
So hint of jealousy will mar feminine memory of his parties.
But the life of a Rear-Admiral on the Yangtze is no picnic. When Admiral: Hill arri dhe must have received from his cheery and imperturbable predecesser a lively account of the game which is 3 Majesty's gunate were having with the bandits or reds on the Yangtze's banks. The jab of Keepi ping of the al river clear for the shi waterway was complicated nations on squadron navigator in the Fifth ch (Commander) Hil had. the mine Battle Squadron, Admiral (th fortune to be in H.N.S. Edward th, VII when that battleship mined. "Later he served in the the a First Battle Squadron the Grand Fleet. It was not likely, therefore, that he would be unduly "perturbed by the gloomy, if exciting, state of the Middle Yi; when he hoisted his fla, Bee, faithful veteran she, The programme for dealing ith the frequent firing on ing ships. by bandit marksmen was steadily maintained. In January inspiration to eventual action? The mere record of unfulfilled aspirations cannot in itself be a justification for a very creditable demonstration of - international
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.