The Fifth Contingent

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5058, 8 March 1900, Page 3

The Fifth Contingent

Dnked Press Association—By Eleotric Telegraph

Auckland, March 7 Five hundred application*!, principally from the country districts, have been received for the fifth contingent. Chkistchukch, March 7j§ There are now 133 men in the fifth oontSpgeot camp. At (he afternoon parade Lieutenant Colonel Slater read out the altered conditions of service, which were unanimously accepted by the men. The marching w*e good and the progress made is very satisfactory. Major Wright has joined the oamp.

Received Wakapuaka Marchß, 9.10a.m This Office 9.40 a.m. London, March 7 Though supplies are how plentiful at Osfontein, the British army lived three days on fresh meat, and porridge Eoadfl from horses' bran, after the recent capfcare of the British convoy at Riet rirer.

The Boers still occupy the hills south Of the Orange river, A patrol consisting of the Inniskillings and Vie torians had a sharp brush with a hundred Boers near Norval's Point.

The rebel Dutch in Griqualand west, annexed Frieska and Kenhardt to the Orange Free State and imprisoned the magistrate and many of the residents. At Kenhardt, three thousand rebels threaten^ the town of Carnarvon in Oape Colony, Ladysmith has been temporarily abandoned owing to its insanitary condition. (Received Wakapuaka March 8, 9.15 a.m, This Office 10 22 a m, Capetown, March 7 The Dutch Church at Cape Colony is strongly urging for peace, and for the preservation of the independence of the Republics. The Ameer of Afghanistan, at a recent durbar, expressed his willingness to send fifty thousand soiditrs to assist Britain in South Africa. Received Wakapuaka March 8, 940 a.m This office 10 39 a m) Sydney, March 8

The Herald's special correspondent-, writing from the Orange Kiver, on February 2nd says a trooppr of the Household Cavalry was wounded of at Rensburg and a New Zealand doctor vent out with a rtd cross flag to lo k for him. He went within & quarter of a mile of the Boers, who made no sign, but when the troops came up within a thousand yards of the hill it suddenly bristled with Boers, who began to shoot over the doctor's bead at the troops beyond. This made things exciting for the medico, but he was not touched, and found the wounded man all right. The doctor who has several times shown great coolness under fire, gives a gloomy description of the mortality acongst the horses.