The Traaavaal War

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 3140, 9 February 1900, Page 7

The Traaavaal War

;-..,;>:•-;:■ . "•■ Tuesday. Colonel Thorneyorof t reports that when Splon Kop was surprised a native twhoAwa* warning the Boert picket to wa|etf::WM bayoneted. :";. ■ -„>: ,- : ; ; : ; '■j'lf-l < Trenqhes have been dog- on the roads leading to Ladysmith aloag the iflnttof She British advanoe. „.-•■ A heliograph message from Ladysmith stated that: the inhabitants were elajfied en Saturday at hearing General Bailers guns actively booming. ' Th« enemy 'were maasing near jflw "town and brj^ging gnni^on. to Surprise Hill, but the^^ere quite ready if attaoked. € ~ Two inhabitants who escaped from Ladysmith have arrived at Pietermaritzbnrg. They reported that there are snffioient provisions In the town for a considerable time. Fresh mesiis supplied. . Definite statements are made at Durban that General Bailer has crossed the Tngela River. Some allege that he has gone in the direotion of Acton Homes, others east of Zwartakop. The 'Times' declares that these statements are premature; while the War Offioe 1b silent with regard, to General Bailer's movements. Mr Winston Ohurohill declares that all will be staked on the coming battle. The New Zealanders with Remington guideß and a squadron of the Life Guards, swept the hills on General French's extreme right flank and occupied Beveral positions. The New Zealanders rushed the kopje expelling the enemy. General .. French's troops enoloae 700 D Boers in the hills around Oolesberg. His lack of naval guns is severely felt. The Australian mounted troops at Modder River are described as likely to be invaluable for reoonnoitring. There are 20,000 Boers between the Modder River and Kimberley. A fire at WUllamtown wharf, auapeoted to be the work of a Boer sympathiser, destroyed six tracks of compressed hay for South Africa and a shed containing 500 tons of hay. The damage is estimated at £5000. Lord Koberts wrote to General Joubert preferring to release Commandant Pre. torioue, who was wounded and oaptnred at Elandßlaagte, and bad hiß leg tmbee. quentlv amputated. Lord Roberts described him as a biave Boldier. Tne wife of Commandant Pretorions wrote thanking Lord Koberts, and aßked that her husb&nd be sent to Mageref ontein. Wednesday. The Boers from Vryheid have oaptnred the magistrate at Ngtu (Znluland), eleven white and thirty-fonr oolored police, 340 rifleß, and & quantity of ammunition. General French has despatched an overwhelming force to seize Norval's Point, and thus cut off the retreat Into the Orange Free State of the seven thousand Boers his forces enclose in the hills around Colenberg. Reinforoements will rapidly support the movement. A body of oavalry and the New Zealanders cleared the way for the advance to Norval's Point. The New South Wales "A" Battery has arrived at Capetown. The Britten Government have placed orders at Birmiogham for the production of 1200 Lae-Enfield rifles weekly. Mr Alger, American ex-Seoretary for War, in the coarse of a speeoh, recalled Britain's friendship for America in connection with the Spanish war. The ' Sydney Morning Herald's ' speoial, writing from Rendsbarg, says that our troops and the " Tommies " do not fraternise much, nor do they seem to take to each other. The general ory ie : ** We want more colonials for Boouting " The work of the New Zealanders and the New South Waleß Lancers is recognised as invaluable in its special line. Thursday The Boera have burned all the grass northwards of both the Tagela and Modder Rivers, in order to enable them to obtain a black background for the khaki uniform* of the advanoing forces. General Frenoh has been shelling the Boers with lyddite from a strong position between Slingersfontsin and Coleßberg. Colonel Brabant assured the colonial division on the eve of their starting for the front that Lord Roberts was likely to afford the greatest glutton enough fighting. The 'Standard ' states that General Hector Maodontud's brigade, with a field battery and the 9ch Lancers, occupied a number of kopjes and a dam noith-west of Spyfontein. a position commanding the roads to Kimberley, Hopetown, and Douglas, and prevented the janotlon of two large Boer commandos. The insolent description of British troops as " white brigands who are iadulging in a general devastation against the no ages of war," contained in the latjeat manifesto of Presidents Kruger and Sceyn, has caused indignation throughout the Cape. Lord Roberts baa cabled that he ia pleased at the patriotiem of the colony which sent such useful troops aB the A Battery. Five Boer prisoners at Simonstown seized firearms, wounded the warder, and escaped, but were recaptured after two had been wounded,