The Transvaal

Evening Star, Issue 11267, 14 June 1900, Page 4

The Transvaal

WITH BULLER IN NATAL. LAING'S NEK AND MAJUBA ABANDONED. HUNTER DEFEATS FREE STATERS. THE CAPE PARLIAMENT. TREASON-MONGERS AND LOYALISTS. Press Awoclatlon—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, Jnne 13. It is officially announced that the Boers have evacuated Laing'd Nek. General Buller is four miles north of Volkarust. A Press message states that Laing's Nek and Majuba Hill were evacuated on Monday night. General Buller, lacking water, encamped on Joubert's farm. General Hildyard forced Almond's Nek, the last defile in tbe Drakensbergs, opeuiDg on to the Cbavlestowii flits, and imperilling the Boer retreat from Laing's Nek. The second battalion of the Dorset Regiment carried the position at the point of the bayonet, assisted by tbe 3rd Cavalry Brigade. The British casualties numbered 100. An official report states tint a column operating southward defeated the Free State Boers and reoccupied Honning Spruit, eighteen miles north of Kroonstad. The 'Daily Mail' credits General Hunter with a rapid march and the victory at Honning Spruit. Sixty Johannesburg police, with a Maxim gun, surrendered to General Hunter. Fifteen of tiiem, swearing allegiance, will be employed as police. Mr Steyn is at Rete, a town between Vrede and Lindley. MR SCHREINER'S TASK. CAPE TOWN, June 13. Mr Schreiner's appeal to the Afrikander Bond to second his loyal endeavors to fulfil their duty to the Grown failed, only ten members of the Bond Cape Parliament s ipporting him. He is reconstructing his Cabinet, Messrs Merritaan, S;<uer, and 'JV Water having resigoed, owing to Mr Sidireiner's intention to appoint an Imperial Commission to try rebels and punish the rirgleariers with imprisonment and perputual disfranchisement. A majority of the Afrikander Bond members insisted that the rebels be tried by the ordinary Court, and granted an amnesty at the end of the war. The entire Opposition party in the Cape Parliament support the Premier. Mr Rose Innes, .in the course cf an interview, said that a coalition bad been arranged to defeat the aims of the Afrikander extremists. Ho thought that the -<peeial tribunal suggested by Mr Schreiner . ought to have the fullest discretion to decide cases of rebellion. The work would be simplified owing to the thousands who are accepting tickets enabling them to retain their farms. The leaders ought to be severely punished, and a majority of the rebels temporarily disfranchised, in order to avoid needlessly keeping open the sore. AN ABANDONED VENTURE. LONDON, June 13. Tbe cruiser Doris conveyed some whaleboats to Kosi Bay, Topgaland, intending to land a British force, but the Swaziland Boers having been forewarned and left the country the expedition was abandoned. THE INVALIDED SOLDIERS. HONORING THE PAPAROA'S CONTINGENT. [Special to thb Star.] WELLINGTON, June 14. In spite of the surprise caused by the unexpected arrival of the Paparoa with Captain Hayhurst, Sergeant Bond, and Corporal Symes, invalids of the New Zealand Contingents, as passengers, the Hon. J. G. Ward, Acting-Premier, who is always to be counted upon to do the right thing at the right moment, contrived to make the welcome to the returned warriors a graceful one. In this he was ably assisted by Colonel Pole Penton (Commandant of the Forces), Sir 'Arthur Douglas, R.N. (Secretary, of Defences), Captain Owen, and other officials of the department. At three o'clock tlicie was a large assemblage of Ministers, m 'inbers of Parliament, heads of departments, and leading citizens in the Premier's room at Government Buildings, and many toasts were proposed in felicitous terms, and warmly responded to. The Acting-Premier was peculiarly felicitous jn his remarks in his welcome to the guests, expressing a strong hope that they would continue to be members of the volunteer forces of the colony. Captain Hayhurst, in acknowledging the toast, referred to the services rendered by »'ie New Zealand Contingents—the severe Hardships due to traversing barren and waterless districts, as well as localities where the. wells had been poisoned by the enemy, and where the horses especially suffered. He also described the sufferings of the troops through enteric and dysentery ; and the overcrowded condition "of the hospitals. In one of these, which was supposed to afford accommodation for 500 patients, as many as 1,700 were crowded, and other hospitals along the line were quite as full. Pew men who had been sent back to New Zealand would be permitted to see farther service abroad, for tbe medical authorities would not allow any man to go on active service who had suffered from enteric fever. In his own ease he was suffering from too much exercise. He had been, he said, offered a passage to England and a commission, which he had not seen his way to accept. As to the Army Medical Corps, though they rendered good service, he did not think they devoted as much attention to the men as was necessary. Some of the Contingent remained for a "day or two without any attention whatever, "probablv this was due to overwork. The Hon. W. C. Walker delivered quite an eloquent little speech in proposing " The Press," to which Mr W. H. Atack (manager of the Press Association) responded. In the course of his remarks he complimented the Government on their enterprise in obtaining reliable war eables often in advance of the news agencies, .and he scouted the idea of Mr Reeves, the colony's Agent-General, being influenced by pro-Boer proclivities. Mr Ward also proposed " Sailors on the Sea," 1 coupled with the names of Captain East (marine superintendent of the Tyser line) and Captain Clifford (of the Rakaia). Both gentlemen responded, the former strongly advocating the establishment of 'a training ship in New Zealand, which, he felt confident, would soon result in the creation of a valuable naval reserve in this colony. The Hon. Mr Hall-Jones proposed the toast of " The New Zealand Confmgents." coupled with the name of Colonel Pole Penton. and eulogised the very valuable work performed by the Commandant of the Forces and his assistants. Colonel Penton, in responding, reminded the Ministers that it was in that, very room that they had decided against his going to South Africa, in command of the Contingent. He said that in all letters he received from brother-officers on service and other sources the steadiness and courage of the New Zealanders were highly praised. The ActingPremier here remarked that it was only fair to explain that the only reason why Ministers had declined to permit the Commandant to go to the front was that he could not be

spared-from, the arduous task of organising the first contingents that had ever left the shores of New Zealand—a work which the colonel and his subordinates had performed with perfect satisfaction and credit to the colony. Mr Beauchamp proposed " The Ministry," coupled with the name of the Hon. J. G.'Ward, 1 ; which toast was enthusiastically received. Mr Ward replied in his happiest vein, and this ended the formal welcome ; but those present formed groups listening -with much interest to the reminiscences of the men, and kept them going with a running fire of questions. The function, though not marked by a profuse display of flags, cheering crowds, the thunder of guns, the blare of trumpets, or martial music of bands, was perhaps even more appropriate and gratifying to the guests. The Medical Board yesterday considered the cases of those of the invalided soldiers who returned by the Westralia. Except in one instance, all the men are fairly well, and likely to be quite recovered -within a reasonable time. The Board recommend that they receive assistance from the colony or from the patriotic funds until they are better. Those who arrived by the Paparoa have yet to be examined. THE MONOWAI'S CONTINGENT. The Monowai, from Beira via Newcastle, which had been lying quarantined in the stream at Lyttelton, went alongside, the wharf yesterday forenoon. Troopers G. M. Bowers, of the Fourth, and W. E. Marsh and J. Irwin, of the Fifth Contingents, who are returning invalided, landed, arid were driven to the Permanent Artillery barracks. They were visited by Lieutenant-colonel Gordon, Captain M'lntyre, of N Batten-, and Mr W. G. Laureiison, M.H.K., who read a telegram from the Acting-Premier welcoming the men on their return tn New Zealand. The troopers were medically examined in the afternoon, and will be forwarded to their homes by the officer in charge of the Permanent Artillery.