THE SIXTH CONTINGENT

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 20, 24 January 1901, Page 4

THE SIXTH CONTINGENT

I ALL DEMONSTRATIONS CANCELLED. - In consequence of the death of Her .Majesty the Queen, the Commander of ithe Forces has issued instructions to jthe effect that the Sixth Contingent jcannot .participate in any festivities jon the occasion of their departure jjfroni Auckland for South Africa. {Telegrams to that effect was received jfrom Colonel Penton last evening by |the _Mayor (Mr D. Goldie), and by Lieut.-Col. White, Officer-Commanding the Auckland District. Consequently the Auckland division of the Contingent . will march straight from the camp to the whar. on the 29th, and embark without any ceremony. Presumably the arrangements for bringing country volunteers to town for the day will also be cancelled. Lieut.-Col. White has also received instructions from headquarters that the whole of the officers of the garrison shall wear a band of crape on the left arm above the elbow, until further orders are issued by the Defence Department. \ Mr J. H. Witheford, Chairman of the! Harbour. Board, received the following! telegram from the Acting-Premier! last evening:—"ln consequence of the] Queen's death, demonstration in con-| nection with contingent impossible.* The only thing that can be done is fori the troops to be marched quietlyi aboard. The same course will be fol-j lowed in Wellington. I deeply regret it, but circumstances render no other course possible." Owing to the death of the Queen, the Officer-Commanding- the Contingent has been oblig-ed to cancel their acceptance of invitations to the Opera House and City H|ll this week. Lieutenant F. B. Syke arrived from the South by the Mapourika yesterday, and went into camp at the Domain, having been appointed a subaltern in the Auckland division of the Contingent. Lieut. Syke, who hails from phristchurch, was formerly a sergeant in the Second Contingent,

gaud was invalided back from South JjAfriea some time ago. I 'Lieut.-Colohel White telegraphed "to to-day for instructions iwith regard to country volunteers Rcoming to Auckland to attend the departure of the Contingent. »i The Whangarei. Garrison Band have I -offered their sen-ices for thr deraon'istration on the day of the contingent's I depart ii ir. The -Mayor ha_ replied | thanking the band, but stating that lowing to the Queen's death the aril's ngement.- have been trps.t and that J therefore the band's services will not ''Ibe required. 3 ■—