THE TRANSVAAL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2000, 21 December 1900, Page 7

THE TRANSVAAL.

LONDON, December 13. In the House of Commons the denunciations of Sir Alfred Milner by Sir Robert Reid (member for Dumfries Burghs) and Mr James Bryce (member for Aberdeen South) provoked a stormy scene. Mr Brodrick declared that the speeches Avere calculated to encourage the Queen's enemies. He complained that Mr Chamberlain's speech had already been distorted in South Africa into a confession of Aveakness, and an admission that Great Britain Avas Aveary of thx' '■ ■•■■' i ready to concede an\-thing, whereas the speech was strictly in conformity witi, tin spirit of Lord Roberts's proclamatiu . In the House of Commons Sir M. HicksBeach reiterated the hope that a considerable portion of the cost of the .itansvaal war would be borne by the Transvaal. It was intended to send Sir David Miller Barbour, the well-known financial authority, to report on the assets of the Transvaal Government. Russia has„ requested Mr Kruger to refrain from visiting St. Petersburg. Dr Beaufort has told.Mr Kruger that the initiative for arbitration belonged to the Great PoAvers. The War Office has removed from the volunteers three officers, including the colonel of the First Warwickshire Artillery, for horse-play at Parkgate Camp. Other officers threaten to resign .unless they are reinstated. A commando of 300 Boers, with two guns, destroyed five miles of railway between Alkmaar and Nelspruit. Communication with Barberton is cut. General Knox is engaged in a running fight with De Wet near Helvetia. The f y enemy are moving towards Reddersburg, ' Avhere a British force is waiting. The Orient, with another batch of Aus- * troops, has left Cape ToAvn. Gerffipy nas stopped the delivery to England o/tniL guns m ? nufactured by tfle Elir_ hardt Orchv! mce Company under contract tr > the Sout'k African Ch|g||d Co«py, oit -,])£ , rrf und that their w iflSP °e inconsistent* Avith strict neirSMfr. The Bcv^ rs have releasee^ ty British who wersS captured at j^ "if is believed that De ~|B»s altered his course, and that he is "^advancing towards the mountains in the Ladybrand district. Advices from pro-Boer sources in Brussels state that Russia has urged Kruger to terminate the needless bloodshed and accept Great Britain's conditions. It is semi-officially stated that 1 Germany, England, and Portugal will improve Delagoa Bay, and-that England Avill have the controlling of the railway. BERLIN, December 13. **S Count Von Bulow has stated in the Reichstag that Kruger was warned while in Paris that the Kaiser would not receive him. He nevertheless persisted m his visit. Germany was not accustomed to be thus taken by storm. Germany's attitude was designed vto promote her interests and to facilitate the maintenance of peace. He added that the celebrated telegram that the Emperor had despatched to Kruger on' the occasion of the Jameson Raid had proved that in the event of a conflict with England Germany must rely solely upon her own strength. MELBOURNE, December 14. The Defence Department has advised the Victorian Bushmen to remain in South Africa until the end of the Avar. BRISBANE, December 14. Regarding Lord Kitchener's request that the Imperial Bushmen Avho Avere invalided return to South Africa the Premier states that there Avould be no difficulty in raising in Queensland another force of three or four hundred men. Plenty would be glad to go on the same terms as the last Imperial contingents. SYDNEY, December 14. Eight hundred and fifty army remounts have been shipped to South Africa. Another steamer takes a quarter of a San pounds of corned mutton for the LEASURES OF CAMPAIGNING, e following is from one. of " Our Boys," r date Buifeishoek, October 29: ia\-e got another horse —a remount — vou Avould not be riding through the street with him. We left about ten o'clock, and rode to Low's farm, where Ave camped all night. We are only alloAved one _ blanket and an oil sheet. There Avere two Victorians killed the same night. We. left next night, and Avere scouting all the time on the flank until we reachei Ottoshoop the following day. We were put on outpost duty, being posted on one hill, AAdiile the Boers were Avatching us on another. Whenever -e saw a Boer pop his head up we fired at it, the enemy returning the compliment We were called at tAVO o'clock in the morning two days later, and Avere ordered to fix bayonets - and charge a kopje on which the Boers Avere posted. We rode - vbo miles, walked tAvo miles more, and then charged the hill. The Boers ran Avhen tiiev saw us coming, and Ave had each fired about twenty rounds of ammunition, AA'hen we heard the big guns going at the enemy at about I,oooyds off. On the hill Ave had our breakfast, which consisted of tAvo biscuits and water. From there Ave proceeded on the. road to Zeerust. We had not T'one far Avhen Ave Avere fired on, and had to take cover for a Avhile. Our company was then put on scouting duty. The bullets were coming about us pretty fast, but they ahvays fell between you and the next man. We started on the road again, and secured two prisoners at a place called Wollombogo, Avhere there was an orange plantation. We took plenty. Two of us also went to a farmhouse and got four loaves of bread from an old DutchAvaman. We arrived at Zeerust all right, and saAV General Douglas, Avho had some of the Fourth and Fifth New Zealanders. We left shortly after, and ■ Buffelshoek we of cattle. It it starts it does g all the time, tt morning, and it and all, and f clothing. Our it 900 horsemen y infantry. We en the Mausers ated men had to ying to outflank und, and drove Then our big rith the Maxims rk merrily. The st like thunder, -poms resembles rig and a man hitting a i he can. It is The guns kept bile we charged

the hill, where we left a few dead Boers, and found three up a tree. These we took prisoners. That over, we had our dinner — bully beef, biscuits, and water. Then we started to march again, looting all the farmhouses as we went past. The result of the march was that Ave brought into Douglas's camp twenty-three prisoners and 2,000 cattle. We heard that they had had a big fight, killing seven Boers with one shell, and blowing one man's head clean off. Leaving there Ave went to a place called Straightfontein, but left there the same night for here. We have been at Buffelshoek for three days now, and as it has been raining every night Ave get soaked through, and are dried by the sun during the day. I have not had my boots, spurs, or anything else off for the last three Aveeks. Our pants are all out at the back and knees, the elboAvs out of our sleeves, and Ave are clean Avorn out. I started to Avrite this letter on the veldt Avhile looking after the horses, and am noAV Avriting under a Avaggon. Orders have just been received jthat Ave are to go as a bodyguard to Lord Errol —a very honorable position. When you get a position like that you are supposed to be the pick of the croAvd. I Avas very bad a month ago Avith enteric fever in Kimberley, but I am all right now and am as Avell as ever. I Avas for seven days on brandy, with nothing to eat, I Avas a little "ratty" then, but I am Avhat you call "salted" now, and won't get bad again. I am about "full up" of living on the veldt, not having slept under canvas for four months excepting the time Avhen I was in the hospital. I Avas thinking of joining Baden-Powell's Police, but the money is not enough for this country, Avhere everything is so dear. Another man of our company got shot through the leg at Lydenburg, and has gone to Pretoria to be put under the X rays, as they could not find the bullet Avhen he Avas hurt. E. Lear and J. Taylor are all right again. They were in mv section Avhen they were shot. Lear jumped clean out of the saddle Avhen hit, I think Ave will be here for the twelve months uoav, because it will take a Avhile yet to shift the Boers. ■ ! -' A QUEEN'S SCARF HERO. In the course of his chat with the Committee who Avelcomed him -—"--:-.,- ercs-i-.r, Corporal Coutts said that Avhen a detachment of the NeAV Zealanders got into trouble and Avere extricated by the coolness and bravery of Colonel Robin, the order given to Colonel Robin Avas : Robin, you had better fetch your men out" The Colonel, hoAvever, Avent himself, and that Avas the first time he Avas under actual fire. The horses Avere pretty Avell a mile away from where thev Avere at the time. The men Avere about eighty yards from the Boer position, biit for the time Avere protected. For about 1,100 yards of the retirement they had shelter, but they then had to cross an open space of about 150 yards, and across this they all managed to run, one at a time, Avithout casualty. Referring to NeAv Zealand Hill, Corpora'l Coutts said that Captain Madocks Avas really responsible for saving the hill. The Yorks had actually commenced their retirement, and the Boers Avere aoross the trenches Avhen Captain Madocks effected the rally and drove the enemy out. He cannot understand Avhy Madocks has not been decorated with the D.S.O. ; four men have got the V.C. for less than Avhat happened on that hill. When the hill Avas regained a number of unarmed Kaffirs AA'ere found •among the Boer dead, and it Avas evident that the Boers had put the unarmed Kaffirs in the front of the assault to act as a sort of buffer. Sergeant Gourley, avlio .Avas killed in the charge, had three bullets in him. Speaking about Surgeon Burns, Coutts gave several instances of that officer's coolness and readiness for business at all times, and under all circumstances. He must have been a good man, he said, otherwise the Imperial authorities Avould not haA r e given him sole charge of the hospital at Johannesburg, or of -e hospital camp at Middelburg. At the latter post Dr Burns took ill, and that Avas the reason AA'hy he Avas coming back. Needless to say, Corporal Coutts did not hav T e much to say about his OAvn deed of gallantry Avhich won for him the distinction of being'aAvarded the Queen's scarf. The in-' cident took place during the retirement at Koorn Spruit. Coutts Avas one of the sections covering the retirement, each section having to fire, mount, ride 400 yards back, dismount, and fire again. In one of these stages he noticed a trooper on the ground, and saAv that he Avas alive. He at once dismounted, and Avhilst bending over the man Sergeant Bartlett rode up and asked if he (Coutts) Avas hurt. Coutts explained what was the matter, and Bartlett helped him to get the wounded man up in front of him on his horse. Coutts had a ride of nine miles in front of him Avith his burden, and the first four miles Avere under heavy fire. As Coutts says : "We had a regular sing-song for an hour," but they got safely through Avithout a scratch. It Avas reported that this man who had been so pluckily saved had died, but this is not so, for he got quite well again. Corporal Coutts's explanation of his deed is characteristic of the British soldier : " I saAV the man Avas Avounded and alive, and I just got down to pick him up. I ne\ r er thought anything about it!" A Canterbury troQper Avith the Fifth Contingent, Avriting from. Zeerust at the end of October, narrates one incident of Boer treachery Avhich happened at Ottoshoop. While some of the New Zealanders Avere scouting there they met a Boer doctor carrying a white flag, avlio told them he avus looking for his dead, and assured them that there Avere no Boers within miles. The NeAV Zealanders had not got three hundred yards away from the doctor before they were fired on; they retired to shelter, and only one man Avas wounded. " The doctor, ' says the writer, " cut for his life." We Avent after him and cut him off. Our fellows Avould have pulled him to pieces had it not been for the officers." Trooper O'Callaghan, in a letter from Pretoria dated October 28, says: " Lord Roberts the other dav presented Sergeant Cassidy, of the Second, with the Royal Humane Society's medal. Captain CrawshaAv (since Avounded) is a great success, and is trusted by all; he is a plucky fellow, and is one of our best officers. I would like you to see some of us when Ave come off the veldt after a few days' march—grimy is not the Avord ; but it's a fine life." Referring to voung Oppenheim, Avho Avas killed at Reitfontein, the ' Ellesmere Guardian' says that the young man was Mr Oppenheim's second son, and Avas nearing his twentieth birthday. Although under age, the fighting instinct Avas so strong in his nature that he got his father to Avrite to the Premier stating his willingness to accept all responsibility in the event of Trooper Oppenheim's death, and as Mr Oppenheim himself Avas fighting at the age of twenty, and the son made that a reason Avhy he should not be refused, Mr Oppenheim A\-as thus in honor bound to back up Ins son's desire. Trooper Oppenheim, when transferred to the NeAv Zealand Mounted Infantry, Avas selected as Captain Banks's orderly, and Avas 'conspicuous on several occasions for exceptional clash and gallantry. The savings of the enlisted men in the British Army amounts to nearly £400,000. The bicentenary of the poet Thomson, author of ' The Seasons,' has been celebrated at Southdean, Jedburgh, Avhere the first fifteen years of his life were spent. A boy named William Doyle Avas returning from school at Invermay, near Launceston, when a flash of lightning struck a gate post he was near. Doyle was lifted off his feet, thrown to the ground, and rendered insensible. The gate post was shattered. The boy quickly recovered.