LETTER FROM LIEUT-COLONEL NEWALL.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 116, 13 November 1900, Page 5

LETTER FROM LIEUT-COLONEL NEWALL.

Lieutenant-Colonel isewall has sent an unofficial letter to the Premier, dated Leeuwpan, 25th September, in which he describes the opera uons during tho march from Oltoshoop. On the day the contingent left Ofctoshoop the following members of the Fiith Contingent .were slightly wounded: — 16^, Trooper E. Lear, Dunedin; 1631, Trooper -a. T. Francis, Clinton ; lbbO, Trooper J. M. Taylor, Aparima. Later in the day the following members of the Fc-urfc Contingent were Wounded:— l42l3, Trooper M. Canavan, Auckland ; 1072, Trooper J. Dungey, Queenstown ; 1075, Trooper A. J. Roberts, Oumaru. All the wounded were sent back to Otfcoahoop immediately, and made good progress towards iccovery. On the 11th September Veterinary-Sur-geon A. R. Young (fourth Contingent), while out for an early walk, was fired on and slightiy wounded in the back of tho hand. "At 9 a.m., continues Colonel Newall, "we moved on and hud a rather sharp engagement on the right, whither General Douglas had sent me with Abbott's company to turn about 100 Boers out oi a stony kopje by getting to the westward of them. This was not so easy as it appeared from the general standpoint on the road, lor after going about two miles to the west I found that the kopje was commanded by a higher one still further -\yest, and found myself under fire from both. I hid the horses in a fold of the ground some distance to the rear, and advanced in extended order. After exchanging a rather hot fire for nearly an hour, the enemy brought a pom-pom gun to bear upon my < extended line, and after standing this while they sent about thirty shells at me, I doubled my line back behind the crest which hid the horses. We were not under cover more than a few seconds till tho pom pom shells fell between us and the hbrses, smothering the poor animals in dust, but fortunately , wounding i none of them. No. 22$y, Trooper H.,

J. 11. Look (of Marlon), wa*s wounded in the cheek and had hU right eye blackened, he also received ;t iiesh wound in the arm. Trooper J. Glass (Kohatahi, Westland) received a builet griizo on the left forearm, but nothing serious Botlj men are still Avith us, and fit for duty. We halted for this night at a place called' Klipkuil. Wednesday, 12th.—- At about 8.6U a.m., wo reached a cultivated plateau of about six miles by four with farm houses-— name of place Manana. Here we captured a number of cattle and sheep. Lieutenant White and one man" of the Australian Imperial Bushmen galloped after a Boer ' convoy, and called upon thorn to surrender. ' The field cornet in charge, seeing ' that his assailants wero far from support, shob them odbJi. Lieutenant While was brother-in-law to Colonel Mackay, who commands the Australians, and he informs mo that a gold watch and 70 sovereigns were left on the body untouchedj the arms only being taken by the Boers." Tho New Zealanders reached Barber's Pan on the 18th, after nine days' marching, and when Colonel Newall wrote were returning to Lichtenburg, and expecting to join Lord Methuen'a column, en rouWs to Rustenburg.