NOTES ON THE WAR

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10633, 18 April 1900, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR

(By ax -X-M-U-xr or th_ Int__u__kc_

Branch, Sooth Africa.)

The cables confirm our opinion that the Third New Zealand Contingent is to be a part of the force that is being hurried to the relief, of Colonel Dalgety at Wepener, as it is stated that Major Jowsey's command left East London on the 9th inst. for the north. This would account for their presence at Aliwal North on the 11 th inst., and it may be expected that before this is written the Rough Riders have received their baptism of fir©, in giving relief to the %allant Cape cohual forces at Wepenfir. We are of opinion that the Third New Zealanders are the equal to any, if not the best, of the five contingents that this colony has sent to South Africa.

From the messages received we gather that Lord Metbuen's column still holds its entrenchments to tbe south of Warrenton, in the vicinity of the Vaal River bridge, aa on Friday last the e___ty is said to have shelled his position at that place, without doing any damage. This cable flatly contradicts the message received some days ago wherein it was stated that there were indications that Meth_e_'_ column had passed through Vryburg, the principal town on the railway to the north of Fourteen Streams, on the road to M-f-king. The movement of a flying col__m of Meth_e_ _ command to Swart_kopjesfo_tein, to the north-east of Bosbof, ia the direction

of Hoopstad, was evidently undertaken because of the presence of a Boer force in that district. The column appears to have outflanked the enemy who retired, leaving the British masters of the district.

According to tho Capetown correspondentof die "Daily News," there have been sensational indications of rebellion at Caledon and.Swellendam, in Cape Colony. Caledon is about ten miles from the coast,arid about sixty miles east-south-east of Capeown. Swellendam lies some fifty miles east by north of Caledon. It is connected by rail with the main trunk lines at Worcester, aoout seventy miles west-north-west, where connection is made for Capetown on the south, or for the north by way of De Aar. Caledon is connected by rail* direct frqru Capetown via Kraal Junction to Sir Lowry Pass, where the railway and thence by waggon road for a distance of about eighteen miles. The country is very rough through that part- of the'colonv, and the soil is very sandy. The inhabitants are Dutch to a man, outside of the few merchants who are found in both villages.

The signs of" insurrection in such close proximity to Capetown explains the recall' of a part- of the eighth division from PortElizabeth (where this division was ordered to debark) to Capetown, and we shall probably hear that a garrison has been sent to oeeupv each of these districts and to arrest the leaders of the rebels. We were somewhat surprised when we were first informed that the eighth division had been ordered to land at Port Elizabeth, as there are no facilities there, for discharging troops at that 'place. The port is an open roadstead, and vessels must lie off at hast one mile from the shore and discbarge into barges all passengers and freight that have to be landed there. The writer has had some little experience of a not too pleasant kind of the discomforts of landing from a troopship, and also from a regular passenger steamer, at Port Elizabetb, and in consequence would not be inclined to think that troops would be ordered to debark there, unless they could not be landed elsewhere. We are, therefore, of opinion that the reason the troops of the eighth division were not landed at Capetown in the first place was on account of the danger of the trains on the western system being derailed, as the whole of the western province of the Capo is in a more or less state of active rebellion.

We are of opinion that "The Times" is quite right in stating that the reason Lord Roberts has not advanced to the north of Bloemfontein is on account of the danger of risings amongst the rebels in his rear. There is no doubt about it, as there is ample proof to be found for believing that the Republican armies hoped to lead Lord Roberts pn to the north •• before he was fully provided with horses and stores, and to then turn round and cut his lines of communication and compel him to surrender or fight his way to the sea coast.

When we last heard of General White he was present at a reception tendered him at Capetown, where he was supposed to have gone on his way to take up the command of troops forming the central column which-were then operating in the country south of the Orange River under. General. Clements, Gat-acre' and 'Brabant. We are consequenJiy somewhat surprised to hear that General White has landed in England. It now turns out that General Brabant was not at Wepener with his division at the time it was surrounded, although the cable messages stated plainly that be was at that place. We are now informed that his division started from Aliwal North on Saturday for Wepener, via Rouxville. The distance he will have to march to reach Wepener is, about 60 miles, and as his troops are nearly all mounted, his vanguard ought now to be in close touch with the enemy..

We regret to have to state that the latest reports from Colonel Dalgety at Wepener are not of an encouraging character, as after four days' continuous fighting tho enemy had disabled several of tho short range Britishguns, and had placed 150 men of the small garrison hors de combat. Unfortunately, this. was; not all, for the report states that the besieged! troops were fatigued and despondent, fearing that. they would be surrounded. Tlie advance of Brabant's force from Aliwal Nortb, and the, co-operation of a column sent, by General Chermside from the west (probably via Reddersburg), may relieve "the pressure on Dalgety's troops before it is too late. Probably Brabant win make the pace warm in covering the distance- from the Orange river to the relief of his subordinate at Wepener, and we have every reason, to believe that the Boer column, which apparently is master of the situation on ,the Caledon river, may find that they have been a little too long in completing the reduction of Dalgety's colonials, and that they, instead of the British, will be compelled to surrender. The advance of a coluhrni from Red. dersburg would certainly place the Boers around Wepener in a bad- position, and compel them to fall back to the north at once or surrender. We consider that tho posi-; tion of the Boer commandos in the south.eastern part of the Free State to be hazardous in, the extreme, and if the. British cavalry were properly mounted we would hear of some more Boer prisoners being sent to Capetown. .Unfortunately, we dp not find much encouragement in the condition of the British r_dujited forces,' as we look upon the number' of remounts that are reported to be on the way as altogether inadequate, being hardly eno_gh to replace losses already reported, and as the worn-out horses of the troops that aro how mounted drop from exhaustion or other causes there will be none to replace them. ■