AN AUDACIOUS BOER PLAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 22 June 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

AN AUDACIOUS BOER PLAN.

HOW IT WAS FOILED BY

KITCHENEE

A long despatch from Lord Kitchener has been published in the "London Gazette." The despatch deals With the operations in South .Africa from the date of Lord Kitchener's assumption of the command of the forces, and covers a period of a little over three months. The greater part of it deals with the pursuit of General Christian de Wet and the elusive and will-of-the-wisp-Hke movements of that commander. It describes De Wet's descent on Dewetsdorp in November, his abortive attempt to invade Cape Colony, and his disastrous flight to the north before General Charles Knox. The second descent of De Wet on the Orange Eiver is described as part of a bold Boer scheme.

"From information received, and since confirmed," says Lord Kitchener, "it has transpired that the enemy's general plans at the end of 1900 were that Hertzog should proceed to Lambart's Bay, as, indeed, he did, and there meet a ship which, the burghers were told, was bringing mercenaries, guns and ammunition from Europe, while De Wet was to preceed south by De Aar and join hands with Hei'tzog in a combined attack upon Capetown. When Commandant-Ge ieral Botha had heard that this concentration had been successfully effected, he was to enter Natal with a picked force of 5000 mounted men, and make for Durban. In conformity with this plan, a considerable concentration of Boers under Command-ant-General Louis Botha and Generals T. Smuts, G. Spruyt and P. Botha, has taken place in Ermelo, Carolina, and Bethel, which districts constituted large depots of supply for the enemy's forces.

"I therefore deemed it most necessary to sweep the country between the Delagoa Bay and the Natal railway lines. I entrusted the general execution of the movement to Lieu-tenant-General French. His column marched eastward on the 28th January, and on the following day he forced Beyers from strong positions covering the approach to the valley of the Wilge Eiver. On February 6th General French, having cleared the country through which he passed, entered Ermelo. Here he received the report of General Smith-Dorrien's severe losses at Lake Chrissie, already published. Owing to supply requirements, General French could not resume his forward movement till February 11th, since which date his troops have driven the enemy in large numbers into the corner southeast of Piet Retief, and his columns now holding Amsterdam, Piet Retief and Luneberg."

"My constant endeavour throughout," he concludes, "has been to improve the fortifications and works on the long lines of' communication we are obliged to protect, so as to relieve as many men as possible from the duty of guarding the railways; also by evacuating where possible unnecessary garrisons remote from the railway I have been able to concentrate the forces and obviate the constant escort duty to convoys necessary for the maintenance of these garrisons. I some time ago took measures for the establishment of properly organised camps at certain -selected sites on the lines of railways at which surrendered bxirghers are permitted to live with their families Tinder our effective protection. The families of all burghers still under arms are, as far as possible, brought in from the adjacent districts and similarly lodged in these camps, the administration of which has recently been wholly taken over by the civil authorities." Since commandeering was instituted in Cnpe Colony in December last 25.000 horses have been obtained, and during the same period 6000 mules have been purchased.