Clearing the Transvaal.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9298, 27 July 1901, Page 3

Clearing the Transvaal.

The Work Left Half Done The complete demoralisation of the Boer forces and their fixed determination to avoid further fighting as far aa possible were never more clearly shown (says the special correspondent of Th* limes, writing from Middelburg, under date May 6) than duting the recent operations that have been carried out under General Sir Bindon Blood in the Eastern Transvaal, north of the Delagoa Bay railway line. It is now a matter of common knowledge that by some means or other the Boers invariably become acquainted with all our military plans some time before they are put into execution. In spite of their previous information, however, and of the suitability of this part of the country for a final aland, the Boers have made no attempt to hold their own, but, with the exception of those who at once resolved to surrender, have vied with one another in putting as much space between themselves and the British troops as pcsaible. In their hurry to escape even their favorite tactics of sniping from a sate distance have been abandoned, while narrow passes, which, if held by a few determined men, would have imposed considerable delay on the largest columns, have been evacuated almost as soon as our forces have appeared in sight. The single attempt at recognised resistance was made at Goedehoep, east of Dullstroom, where the Boers made a stand against the combined operations of the columns under Colonels. Douglas and Benßon, until the 1 latter succeeded in turning their position. The one commando of any proportion?, that under Ben ViJjoen, "after hurrying from pillar to post only to find the cordon round it being gradually drawn tighter, abandoned all its wagtrons, redoubled its steps, and, destroying its guns—including the 4.7 gun taken at Helvetia- escaped in confusion by niglil with what provisions and srr.all-iirms ammunition could be carried by the men, or on a few spare mules. Accordingly,-the task devolving ou our troops employed ifl these operations has been mainly police work— accepting surrenders, rounding up farms, collecting stock, and hunting out BYurs who had hoped to escape notice in the bidden kloofs-that abound in this hilly country. The correspondent goes on to describe the operations of the various columns in detail. It was on one of these expeditions rh.at the interesting and important discover/ of Boer archives and Government notes, ' was made. At a rough calculation the face value of the latter was about £50,000; the notes, however, had not been issued, and were unsigned. They were for various amounts from £1 to £100, printed on white paper at Pieteraburg, and belonging to Kruger's issue of 1900. The archives comprised recent correspondence between the Boer Government, represented by Schalk Burger and Reitz, and the leaders in the field, correnpondvnee with the Dutch Consul at Delagoa Bay, a let'er from De Wet to Louis tfotha, giving an account of his abortive attempts to invade the colony in December, lists of burghers still on commando, and a detailed scheme for conveying ammunition and provisions from Lorenzo Marquez to Koos Senekal by three different routes. The latter was devised and sigued by Schroeder, who a few days later was taken prisoners by Pltuuer's cojumn. The archives will doubtless repay a thoroughinvestigatior. Thy list of burghers on commando wi 1 be usuful for subsequent reference. In the case of the British military telegiams also found among the archives,, unless they are known to have been taken from wrecked trains, an attempt might be made to trace the channel by which they came into the possession of the Boers.

Referring to the withdrawal of the column*, the correspondent says : —" Unfortunately at this juncture was repeated the mistake, very common in the latter part of the war, of diverting the troops to fresh operations before what was in hand was done thoroughly. The men who were being taken prisoners, or, who were surrendering were, no doubt, of less importance than the more numerous commandos south of the line. But to Jeave a district half cleared practically annuals ihe work already done. A commando returning to the neighborhood secures recruits and obtains a new lease of life."