SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR.

Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 113, 9 November 1899, Page 2

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR.

TROOPS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND EN ROUIE. A correspondent of the Otago Daily Times has compiled the following particulars from reliable papers:— IN NATAL. Cavalry.— sth Lancers, sth Dragoon Guards, 9th Lancers, 18th and 19th Hussars. Artillery.— l3th, 67th, 69th, 21st, 42nd, and 53rd Batteries (field), and No. 10 Mountain Battery. Engineers.— 7th (field), Bth (rail), 23rd (field), and detachment 29th (fortress) Companies. Infantry.— lst Liverpool (Bth), Ist Leicester (17th), Ist and 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps (60th), 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers (103 rd), Ist Manchester (63rd), Ist Royal Irish Fusiliers (87th), 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade, Ist Devons (11th), Ist Gloucester (28th)), 2na Gordons (92nd). Detachments.— Army Medical Corps, Army Service Corps, and Army Ordnance Corps. Total.— s Cavalry Regiments, 6 Field and Mountain Batteries, 3"£ Companies Royal Engineers, and 11 Battalions Infantry. IN CAPE COLONY. Artillery.— l4th and 23rd Companies Garrison} 18th, 62nd, and 75th Batteries Field. Engineers.— Detachment 29th (fortress) Company. Infantry.— lst North Lancashire (47th), 2nd Berks (66th), 4 companies King's Qwn Yorkshire Light Infantry (105 th), Ist Royal Munster Fusiliers (101 st), Ist Northumberland Fusiliers (stb), and Ist Border Regiment (34tb). Total. — 2 companies Garrison Artillery and 3 Field Batteries, i company Engineers and 5£ battalions Infantry. PROPOSED ARMY CORPS NOW EN ROUTE. Cavalry. Ist Brigade — Ist Royals, 2nd Scots Greys, 6th Inniskillen Dragoons — forming the Union Brigade. 2nd Brigade— 6th Dragoon Guards (Carbineers), 18th Hussars, with 12th Lancers. - Infantry. Guards' Brigade— lst and 3rd Grenadiers, Ist Coldsbreams, and Ist Scots Guards. lst> (English) Brigade— 2nd Queen's (2nd), 2nd East Surrey (70th), Devons (11th), 2nd West York (14th). 2nd (Highland) Brigade— 2nd Black Watch (73rd), Ist (Highland) Light Infantry (71st), 2nd Seaforths (78th), Ist Argyle Sutherland (9,lst). 3rd (Irish) Brigade — Ist Royal Inniskillen Fusiliers (27th), Ist Connaught Rangers, Ist Royal Dublin Fusiliers (102 nd), and Ist Royal Irish (18th). 4th (Fusilier) Brigade— 2nd Royal Fusiliers (7th), 2nd Scots Fusiliers (21st), Ist Welsh Fusiliers (23rd), 2nd Irish Fusiliers (89thi). . I 6th (Light Infantry) Brigade— 2nd Soottish Rifles (90th), 3rd King's Royal Rifle Corps (60th), Ist Durham Light Infantry (68th), and Ist Rifle Brigade. 6th Brigade (on lines of communications) —2nd Somerset Light Infantry (13th), Ist Welsh Regiment (41st), 2nd Northampton* (58th), 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry (85th). 7th Brigade— lst Royal Scots (Ist), 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers (sth), 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (46th), and Ist Gordons (75th). In all, 8 brigades of 4 battalions each, making 32 battalions of Infantry, of which 20 were reported a <day or two ago as having sailed. f Further cablegrams advise the following additions to the Infantry: — viz., Ist SuiFolks (12th), Ist Essex (44th), and Ist Derbys (45th). Probably another battalion will be added, making up a brigade. Another message advises a further regiment of cavalry made up trom the Life Gunrds and blues, in addition to the 13th Hussars, detailed for service on lines of communication. Of Artillery Batteries, O. and R. Royal Horse and us. 4, 38, 78 Field, and 37, 61, and 65 Howitzer Batteries aro specified, but many otheis must be going, Army Service and other corps' troops have also been despatched to the number 'according to cablegram some time since, of 1600. Besides these troops, there are the crews of the Cape squadron to draw from for a naval brigade. The Powerful, from China, due at Colombo 2ord September, and The Terrible, {or China, sailed 19th September, calling at Capo, «hould be there now. These two oruisera could fur*

nish 1000 men for a naval brigade. The first-class cruisers Diadem and Niobe (11,000 tons each), and with complements of 700 (about) each, 'are on the way out from Home, and should shortly reach the Cape. Besides all these, there are the Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand contingents on the way, making in all a very large foree — the largest British force sent to battle for many years. A somewhat anomalous course has been taken in sending both battalions of the following ' regiments: — Northumberland Fusiliers, Devons, Gordons, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Three of the four battalions of the King's Royal Rifles and two of the four of the Rifle Brigade are also ordered on service. ' Troops Cuptuyed.— The 10th Mountain Battery is the only one in Africa. There is another in Englund for instruction purposes 5 the rest are in India. The Ist Gloucesters (28th) are part of Indian contingent. They have a famous record. Their nickname is " Right Abouts, ' and they wear their number on back and front of their helmets. This is an honour of Alexandria, where they were surrounded by the French, and fought front and iear, driving them" off. They are also the subjecLs of Miss Thompson's (now Mrs Butller) famous picture "Qualre Bras." The Ist Royal Irish Fusiliers (87th) have also the name of famous fighters handed down from Peninsular days. They are the " Faugh-a-Ballagh " boys, from their warcry. They wear as a badge an eagle and laurel wreath over the figure 8, in honour of Barossa, where they captured the eagle of the Bth French Regiment of Light Infantry. ANGLO-DUTCH DISAFFECTION. The Capetown correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald writes; — I am inclined to say that there are no limits to Dutch disaffection. Do you remember that splendid sarcasm of Sir Alfred Milner's in his famous' Graaf Reimet speech: "Gentlemen, of cours© you are Joyal, it would be monstrous if you were not?" In the recent general election at the Cape somebody made Mr. Hofmeyr very angry by saying, "Gentlemen, of course you are monstrous, you would be loyal if you were not." There is pnly ome man in the present Cape Ministry whose loyalty cannot be called in question, and that is Sir Richard Solomon, the Attorney- General, and since he joined the Bond Cabinet he has been so bitterly taken to task by his former friends that he is also embittered, and I am afraid that, having made his bed, ho may be weak enough to lie on it. He was one of the Reform prisoners' counsel, and his acceptance of office was a deep grief to hundreds of Englishmen who , trusted him. Them is no going behind tacts, and we oan only say that when Mr. .Schreiner allowed arms a/nd ammunition to pass through Port Elizabeth to the Free State he was doing wrong, as he .was doing wrong when he rushed inito print and approved the seven years' franchise scheme. He was doing wrong wfaen he 'telegraphed to Mr. Smuts, the Transvaal State Attorney, not -,o make any moie concessions. In April &ir Alfred Milner went to Swellendam to open the new railway. Mr. Schreiner was present at the banquet. Sir Alfred delivered a very interesting address on his dual functions. If that address meant anything, it meant that Sir Alfied Milner, the Governor of Cape Colony, would always follow the advice of his Constitutional Ministers in matters concerning the internal welfare of Cape Colony, but that Sir Alfred Milner, the High Commissioner, was Her Majesty's servant, and in matters which concerned South Africa as a whole he could not bind himself to be guided .by the advice of gentlemen whose authority, did not extend beyond the boundaries of Cape Colony. It was a very clever speecjh indeed, and it followed a battle royal with the Cabinet, in whioh Sir Alfied Milner had plainly stated that, though he was always prepared to receive suggestions properly proffered, he could not undertake to be guided solely by the Colonial Ministry on matters of general South African importance. I noticed at the time that though Mr. Schreiner is an exceedingly talkative man, and made a very long speech, he did not refer to Sir Allred's remarks. ?ut he has not ceased to interfere privately im, Transvaal affairs. Only the other day the Bond members of both Capetown Houses passed a resolution of sympathy with the Transvaal, and opened a fund for the pdulo-post-future widows and orphans oi burghers who may be killed in the war, distinclUhr stating that uhey followed the precedent set— .mot by members of Parliament, but by the Bond— in 1881. The Bond is a wonderful machine, and every districts-bestuur," or looaj branch, is today an organisation working actively for the independence of the Transvaal and the ideal of a "great Afrikander nation." Igo further. The members of the Bond have their own scheme of action cut and dried. The only limit to thedr disloyalty will be the limit defined by the proclamation on the subject of treason and rebellion, which Sir Alfred Milne* will issue in the event of war. THE ARMOURED TRAINS. An interesting account of an armoured train is given by the Capetown correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. He says : — "The long - promised and much-talked-of armoured train, built to patro/ the northern railway, has at last made its appearance. Last night (Tuesday, 26th September),, it was pulled out of the works at Salt River for a trial trip to Durban-road and back. A crowd of people who had heard of the intention to run the train assembled on the platform, and when the strange-looking ar> rangement drew up they inspected it with much curiosity. The train consisted of two carriages of the ordinary eiza sheeted over and covered with fin boiler iron. Some feet from the floors were loopholes, for machine guns, and running around the carriages about a foot from the top were 2iu slots for rifle fire. The engine -was between the two carriages, the cab well covered in, the boiler surrounded with armour, and the domo hidden in a square box of iron, x^e entire train was painted in "Government grey," the ordinary colour used for service waggons and gun carriages. Each of the vehicles avos about 30 feet long, and canable of holding 60 soldiers, who would be able to fire from the front, rear, and sides. The carriages were each mounted on four pairs of wheels. It would be idle to suppose for a moment that the armoured train would be capable of standing artillery firo, and military minds are doubtful as to whether the armour 'is thick enough to prevent penetration of bullets fired from sucb high velocity weapons as the Mauser or LeeMetford rifles even at long range ; uut, all the same, the man-of-war on wheels is well arranged, and is about as perfect in conception and workmanship as it could be, all things being considered. It is a distinct improvement on its forerunners, used during the Egyptian campaign. Several military officers in mufti boarded the train at the Salt River Station, and four soldiers with their rifles were brought out to test the arrangement of loopholes. The train ran very Miioothly, and the military authorities expressed themselves well satisfied with the "machine." This train is to do the work of patrolling between Do Aar and Mafoking. The Natal train left Durban for Ludyemith on Monday night. The train consisted of a powerful engine, three 20-ton iron trucks, a water-tank, and van. The sides of the (.rucks have been raised six foot higher than the ordinary level, with liulf-inok boiler plates, and the lidos loop-

holed with horizontal slits, so that the men inside can use their rifles or Maxims with safety. Each vehicle is calculated to hold fifty or mxty men. The train is painted in kharki colour, and the armouring of the engine has greatly increased its bulk, but care has been taken to make it impregnable. Both the driver and the fireman are covered from View, and instructions can be conveyed by bellsignal. The engine is fitted in front with a Merry weather's patent pump hose of sufficient length to ..enable water to be taken in from the rivers. With a view to allowing the troops freer scope for'action, the trucks will be marshalled in the front and rear of the engine and tender. The latter is a capacious vehicle carrying a large stock of coal. It will be worked by the Royal ii/ngineers' drivers. WHAT "COMMANDEERING" MEANS For the past three days (writes a Johannesburg correspondent under date Ist October) that peculiar Boer method known as "commandeering" has been in full swing in Johannesburg and district. Whatever else may be urged against the system, its simplicity and effectiveness to provide for one's wonts cannot be called into question. «A party of burghers with a police official rides up to a soft goods warehouse, and orders the proprietor to deliver his stock, of blankets, it may be, at the field cornet's office. The process is repeated at the saddler's, the forage merchant's, and, indeed, upon anyone who possesses such articles as the Government requires. Some of the livery stables were cleared out to/the last horse. Cabs, trollies, business or pleasure vehicles, were stopped in the streets, and in some cases the horses taken there and then, leaving the owners to take the vehicle home as best they could. In other cases names were taken, ard oredrs given that the animals should be delivered in an hour or two. Yesterday I saw them stop a trolly with four mules, and take away the bar and swingles to which the leaders were attached, and then allow the driver to proceed qn his way with two of his animals tied to the back of his trolly. This of itself has caused some firms to close down for lack of means to deliver their orders. There is hardly a cab on the streets ; the tramcars have curtailed their service, and the inconvenience caused thereby can be imagined, though that is probably the last thing likely to give any concern to those who are for the time being our rulers.