THE TRANSVAAL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XLIX, Issue 2454, 20 March 1900, Page 2

THE TRANSVAAL.

THE FALL OF BLOEMFONTEIN,

Lord Roberts, heading a cavalcadea mile long, entered Bloemfontein in state, the starf and military attaches accompanying him. He ordered the Kaffirs to restore the loot, thus heightening the enthusiasm, which almost equalled that at Kimberley when the garrison there was relieved. Ihe Tranevaalers protested against the surrender of the city, and threatened to bombard it. Many of the inhabitants decLre thtt if President Steyn's intention to flee had been known beforehand he would have been shot. On Monday the Guards marched twenty' two hours continuously, and then had two and a half hours' sleep. Forty thousand men were moved and fed like clockwork, and 18,000 horses were a tended to. Mr. Patterson, the- Sydney " Morning Herald" war corresiondeut was the very first to enter Bloemfontein. He guided Mr Fraser to Lord Roberts. Steyn'd brother entertained Lord Roberts, and desciibed the fugitive as a nonenity. The Union Jack is everywhere displayed in Bloemfontein, .j#»» The "Daily Telegraph " cabled the news of the capitulation oi Bloemfontein to its correspondents at the European capital*. The news created an immense impression, and the Boars are being recommended ttx conclude peace ou the best terms obtainable! Lord Roberts' entry into Bloemfouleia provoked great rejoicings at ♦SapetoWn^ 1 Bells pealed, and a crowd formed t a proces. sion in the streets. Mtny arms marked " Transvaal," eight engines, and much rolling stock, were captured at Bloemfontein. The burghers' wives are anxious for their husbands to relurnjfn.m flighting. Mr Done.hue, the correspondent of the " Daily Chronicle," wa, the first to enter Bloemfontein. He reports that General French on Monday threatened to bombard the town unless it surrendered in the morning. The white flag was heiated in the morning, and Mr Fraser met Lord Roderts at the entrance to the city at toon. The citizens gave Lord Roberts au ovation as hevisited the public buildings, and a frenzied crowd followed him, waving th ; British flag, and cheering aud siuging " God Save the Queen. The Queen was overjoyed ou the receipt of the news of the cuiitulistion of Bloemfontein. The Queen ordered the news of. the capitulation of Bh.emfontein forthwith to be puhli-hed at Windsor. Lord Roberts wired on March 13:—"By the help ot God and the bravery of her Majesty's soldiers, I h*ve taken possession of Bloemfontein, and the British fl*g has been hoisted ov<r the Presidency, vacated by President Steyn. Mr Fraser, a member of the late executive, the Mayor and other officials, met me two miles from the town and presented me with the keys of the public effices. The enemy has withdrawn from, the .neighbourhood, and all seems quiet. The inhabitants gave the troops a cordial welcome. - ' General Hector Macdonald ordered the' pipers to play when approaching Bloemfontein, which was done for the last sixteen mile-i of the road. Generul Pretty man has been appointed Governor of Bloemfontein. He has issued a proclamation. He has just issued a proclamation, directing the burgher* within a radius of ten miles to disarm, on pain of. forfeiture of tneir property The extraordinary cordiality of the Free Staters' reception to Lord Roberts is attri* bnte d to a feeling of relief at being freed from the Transvaalers' violence. Prior to the flight of President Steyn, a.' mass meeting of burghers accused him of

-OwaKltc'd and ef selling tl c c itiutry. They decided to discontinue-the war. When the Union Jack waa hoisted at the Presidency at Bloemfontein, crowds sang * God t-ave the Queen/ "Tommy Atkins,' and ' Soldiers of the Queen." Severity British wounded were found at Bloemfontein. Four Britishers were imprisoned for refusing to 6ght, but were released. Lord Roberts, addressing the Guards, said that he regretted that a mistake prevented him leading them into Bloemfontein after their arduous march. He promised to lead tbe Guards into Pretoria. The popularity of Lord Roberts with the troops is ever increasing. All are willing to work until they drop from exhaustion. The markets and banks have resumed business at Bloemfontein. The railway is vow open from Capetown to Bloemfontein. THE PEACE PROPOSALS. The general verdiot on the President's despatch is that.it is canting, hypocritical and insolent, while Lord Salisbury's reply is regarded a<s clear, dignified and sober. There is widespread sati-faotion in B'itain and the colonies, especially in Natal. At Pretoria there is bitter disappointment. Mr Reilz stated that tbe war would be lought out to the bitter end. President Kruger telegraphed to a New York paper on March 13 that the burghers would fight till the death. They were retiring in good order on their first line of defence on their own soil. The British would never reach Pretoria. In bis telegram to a New York paper, President Kruger said, "The campaign in Natal was longer in our favour than we expected. Steyn, Joubert, myself and the burghers are united. God help us !" In the House of Commons Mr Balfour said America, in response to requests from Presidents Steyn aud Kruger, had offered Great Britain her friendly aid in the interest of peace. Lord Salisbury, while thanking America for her friendship, intimated that England had no intention of accepting intervention from any Power. This statement was received with prolonged Ministerial cheers. M. Delcasae, speaking in the Senate, aaid Lord Salispury'a reply to the Presidents' overtures, precluded intervention. His speech at the Guidhall declined beforehand either arbitration or conciliation. WRECKING THE MINES. A persistent statement is circulating from Delagoa Bay that great preparations are now being rmde to dynamite the Transvaal mines and batteries and destroy Johannesburg. Mr Chamberlain, having regard to the threats to wreck the mines at Johanuesburg, stated that President Kruger had been warned at the outset that he would be held responsible for any uncivilised acts. MAFEKING. The engineers at Mafeking have constructed a dynamite gun, which has a range of 1800 yards. Sergeant-Major Looney, of the commisaariar, has been publicly degraded and sentenced to five years imprisonment at Mafekiog for stealing rations. Mafeki"g was sife on March 9 The defenders had seized the Boers' advanced trench. Lady Sarah Wilson presente \ the troops at Mateking with fligs, worked by the ladies of the town. THK BRITISH ADVANCE M j ii- C uer*l G-tacres with 4000 troops, ■at Bu.lndia expelled the Boers who are retreating northwards Major General Pole-Carew, with 2000 Guards and two guvs mounted, entrained at Bloemfo item, passed Bethany unc;iposeeflf He joinß General Gatacre and Major-General Clements, the latter with 8000 men, and Major General Brabint with 3000 In connection with General Gatacre's advance on Bnthulie, British officers faced the enemy dar and removed the connecting wires, rendering the mines placed under the Bethulie waggon bridge abortive. Captain Grant, of the Engineers, ex traded the exp) ;sives from the holes in Bethulie bridge. Major Shaw, Lieut. Popham, and some heroes removing the wires. The New South Wales ambulauce meanwhile showed great gallantry during the shelling. Mojor Hunter Western, with ten engineers, traversed the Boer lines during the night, and cut the telgraph line and c xploded the railway north of Bloemfontein, thus •frustrating the arrival of Joubert with three thousand reinforcements. Joubert is now atßrandfort. Twenty-eight gmm are bombarding the Boers across the Orange River, near Nor. v.il'.s Point. Ge- er_l Clemenls's patrols have joined hands with thoss of Genral Gataere at Burghersdorp. The Boers are strong'y entrenched at the junction of tbe Biggarsberg and Drakensburg mountains. General Clements secretly constructed a minusa lined road through the gorge leading to the river below Nerval's Point, and ■on Thu aday threw a pontoon bridge, two hundred yards long, across the river. The luniakillings, Artillery, Austaliane, Cape Forces and Bedfords crossed, and bivouacked and found the enemy had gone. Norvdl's railwiy bridge is being repaired, and soon will be open for traffic. Lord Roberts reports that hundreds of the eaemy are disarming and submitting, including eight hundred Bloemfontein Boers Many from Aliwal North have arrived at the Basutoland border prepared to surrender declining President Steyn's summons t > Kroodstad. The Delagoa Bay correspondent of ihe "Daily News" sties that tho Transvaal admits that its cause is hopeless. Commandant Lucas Meyer refuses to fight, and has gone home, and Commandant Schalf Burger and hundreds of others have done likewise.

PLUCK. Major Hook, two civilians and seven Mounted Police, entered Barkly East. It is supposed that the loyalists gave them an enthusiastic reception, and the officials handed ever the keys. After the flight from Lady Grey the loyalists pretended that the British were advancing, and made the gaoler don a British uniform, and order the rebels to surrender, whioh they did, and saluted the flag. MISCELLANEOUS. General Gourko, the Russian military attache with the Boer forces, has cabled to the Czar that he was perfectly amazed at the energy in action and the endurance of the British infantry. Lord Methuen, at Boshof, seized a number of guns and seventy thousand rounds of ammunition. The Boer prisoners at Simonstown were the recipients of watermelons, containing messages showing how the plotting for their «Bcape waa being carried out. Five transports have been selected to convey the prisoners to St. Helena. H.M. S \ Niobe is escorting them. Two hundred and sixty rebels at Dordsecht have surrendered. The breaoh between the Free Staters and the Transvaalers is widening.