It was his strong opinion that the Liberal policy of the time was to prove disastrous to the best interests of his country which made him so keen an opponent of Mr. Gladstone. Against that great statesman he had not the slightest personal feeling. Speaking to a friend afterwards who was congratulating him upon his having so nearly been returned to Parliament, he said, 'I never expected to win the seat, _but I wanted to hash their batteries_!' Before long it became apparent, however, that it would be a needless waste of energy to continue the struggle; and, besides this, other duties supervened, and Colonel Wauchope saw fit to withdraw altogether from politics for a season.
THE 73RD REGIMENT AT MARYHILL BARRACKS--INCIDENTS OF HOME LIFE--MILITARY LIFE AT YORK--APPOINTMENT TO SOUDAN CAMPAIGN.
In the autumn of 1892 Colonel Wauchope's residence in Limerick came to a close on his appointment to the command of the 73rd Perthshire Regiment, or the 2nd Battalion of the Black Watch, then stationed at Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow. This well-earned promotion to a position he had long aspired to occupy enabled him to be more frequently at Niddrie than formerly. During the twenty-seven years he had been connected with the Black Watch, he had risen slowly but steadily from the rank of subaltern through the various intermediate stages to the first position, by dint of persevering effort and close application to his military duties. He was by no means a dilettante officer. He loved his profession, and he made it his life work, while the enthusiasm with which he was inspired he imparted to those around him. We find this exemplified in a speech made at a large gathering of the old members of the 42nd held in the Trades Hall, Glasgow, on the 17th September, where he presided. Many of those present had been with him through the Ashanti and Soudan campaigns, as well as in Cyprus, Malta, and Gibraltar, and in referring to former times he { 132} recalled their relationship with no little satisfaction. He felt, he said, as if he was back at Aldershot under his dear old colonel, now Sir John M'Leod, and once more an ensign, and the adjutant of the 42nd. But let them not forget their comrades of the 73rd regiment. Almost since the beginning of the century, the 73rd had been part and parcel of the 42nd, having been indeed the second battalion of the regiment. That alliance had been a happy one. Personally he had now served the second battalion for eighteen months, and it had been to him a period of great pleasure in his duties. That which bound them together and gave them so much in common was the glorious traditions of the 42nd. Their hearts warmed to each other and the old regiment as they thought of Waterloo and Quatre Bras. But it was not only traditions they had. He saw men before him who had fought in a European theatre of war, and who had taken part in the great battle of the Alma, of which they were now celebrating the anniversary. He had spent twenty-seven years in the old regiment, and the longer he was in it the better he loved it. In concluding an eloquent address, he said: 'The 42nd stood high in the esteem of the Scottish people, for there was no regiment that Scotland loved more than the "Auld Forty-twa," and well they might. By sea and by land, at home and abroad, the 42nd had fought and always deserved well of its country. Our old regiment has become renowned chiefly, I believe, because of the strict and stern yet good discipline exercised by such commanders as Sir Daniel Cameron, Sir John M'Leod, and others. These men had always stood up for discipline, and it was discipline that brought the soldier comfort, whilst it was the reverse that brought disorder and crime, and everything that was disagreeable.'