BOER GUNS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11110, 31 October 1901, Page 5

BOER GUNS.

(SPECIAL TO "THE FB2SS.") .. WELLINGTON, October 30. The two Boer guns in front of the main entrance to Parliamentary House are a source of much interest to visitors to the capital.. A historic account of how they came into the possession of the New Zealand Government •was to-day presented to Parliament. Lieu-

CABLE NEWS.

tenant-Colonel Davies, C.8., commanding the Fourth New Zealand Regiment, states that towards the end of last February, while the regiment was under General Babington's command, it was camped for some time on a hill called Naauwpoort, neaar the Mag&liee-, berg ranges, Western Transvaal, about 25' miles west of Krugersdorp. Information was received that two quits, a> Krupp and a Vickers-Maxim or pom-pom, , 'were buried on a farm belonging to John De la Rev, a brother of General De la Rey, and the NewZealand Regiment covered the party that dug the guns up and brought them back to camp. On the 34th March last, the Fourth New Zealand Regiment, under General Babington, together with the New South Wales Imperial Bushmen, were mainly instrumental ia capturing nine guns from General De la Rey— viz., sis MnYJing, two Krupps, and one pompom. Again, in the. beginning of May, dming the combined movement against the enemy at Harfcebeestfontein, near Klerksdiorp, a Krupp gun was unearthed. Just* b&fore leaving Capetown, , Lieutenant-Colonel Davies was informed that a Krupp and a pompom had been given to the Fourth and Fifth New Kealaod Regiments to take back to New Zealand as trophies of the war, in recognition of the good service rendered by them. Colonel'Davies states that he is practically certain the pom-pom is the one taken in February, and the Krupp the one taken in May. The gift of the guns appears to have been obtained through the good offices of General Babington. Trooper C. E. Cross, of Canterbury-, is among the troopers who left in the Orizaba, which has iusb sailed from Capetown.