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Telegraph, a venerable old man of eighty, but still retaining some- thing of the fire and the fervour of early life, and Lord Rosebery, the greatest of living English orators, welcomed us in suitable speeches at a great banquet given in honour of the Press delegates. I sat at table with Mr. Nevinson and Mr. Gardiner of the Daily News, and altogether it was a most enjoyable function.

Our deliberations commenced almost immediately. The first meeting of the Conference was held on June 7, and the subject discussed was the reduction of cable rates. A resolution declaring that facilities for telegraphic communication should be cheapened and improved was adopted, and a committee was appointed. Dr. (now Sir) Stanley Reed proposed the committee, and it was unani- mously carried. I supported the resolution, on the ground that accurate news regarding the situation in India, especially in view of the developments that were then taking place, should be readily available to the British public, and cheap cable rates would ma- terially promote that object.

At the second day's sitting the subject discussed was the Press and the Empire. Mr. McKenna, First Lord of the Admiralty, presided. The debate turned mainly upon the question of naval defence. I made up my mind to leave the Conference, as I had a meeting of the British Committee of the Congress to attend, when quite unexpectedly and without any occasion for it, Lord Cromer threw out a challenge, addressed almost personally to me, asking whether the anarchical developments which had then taken place were not helped by the irresponsible utterances of a certain section of the Indian Press. I heard the challenge with regret and astonish- ment. It seemed to be so utterly irrelevant; but for me there was no escape. The invitation was almost of a personal kind, for I was the only representative of the Indian section of the Press; and to keep quiet and say nothing would be to acquiesce in the insinuation. I made up my mind to reply; I collected my thoughts and sent up my name to the Chairman as one who intended to speak. I was called to the table at once. It was a short speech and I give the full text of it:

'I am sorry to interpose with any remarks which may appear to be some what irrelevant to the considerations which are now before the Con- ference, but Lord Cromer has extended to us as invitation—I will not call it a challenge—that we should say whether in our opinion the anarchical developments which have recently taken place in Bengal are due to the

irresponsible utterances of a certain section of the Indian Press. To this