SOUTH AFRICAN DESPATCHES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 April 1901, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICAN DESPATCHES.

(Continued from last issue.)

Incidcntly Lord Boberts refi rs to tho organization under his auspices of that v tluable force, General Brabant's. Colonial Division. To quote his own word-: - "A sulj'ct which from the first attracted my attention was the devclopeme; t and OiginiztUon rf the Colonial fore.s, of which I was inclined to thuk 'ha', snfiicic:;t usa had not been mntl ." " hat evening Lord 11-.-borU 1.-fi for tho front. The ti" xi disp <!ch. on'y ten day:- !ii!or, is da'(d fro-u Jacol»da.s ! . Kimberl y hrd been roli-vcd and Cr.nje wat fleeing t - wards Bloeuifoniein with Lord Kitchcnct' in hot pn.-su'*. Lr-rd Bnbtrts begin* by referring ro :he risks mcurrul by denuding Cape Oniony of troops, ri.-ks which Sir A. Milncr had lukrn ca-.c to impress upon him, but which he determined to disregard. The position in Cape Colony was serious. It was no; less serious in Natal. On the 6th February I received a telepram from Sir P.edvers Bullcr reporting that he had pierced the enemy's line, and could the hill which divided their position but that to drive back tho enemy on either flank, and thus givo his own Artillery access to the Ladysmith plain, 10 miles from Sir George White's position, would cost him from 20Q0 to 8000 men, and success was doubtful. Geneml Duller inquired if I thought that the chance of relieving Ladysmith was worth such a risk. On the same day I replied that Ladysmith must be relieved even at the cost anticipated. I urged Sir liodvers Buller to vresevers, and desired him to point out to his troops that the honor of tho Empire was in their hands, and to assure them that I had no doubt whatever of their being successful.

On the 9th February General Buller reported that ho found himself not strong enough to relievo Ladysmitb without reinforcements, and that with tho force at his disposal he regarded the operation upon which he was engaged as impracticable.

As Sir Charles AVarrcn confirms the views of fcitr Ksdvers Bailer I have informed the latter that, though I have no wish to interfere wish the dispositions, or to stop his harassing the Boers as much possible, my original instructions must hold good. But Lord Bobc-rts know thai the only way to ea--e the strain elsewhere was to strike a signal blow himself. The despatch goes on to give tho details of the great flank march which relieved Kimbarley and ended in the capture of The fight and siege of Paardebcrg arc thus described :

On the 17th and 13th February my headquarters remained at Jacobsdal with the 7th Division. On the former date the pursuing troops came into contact with the enemy under Cronje below Paardeberg Drift. Throughout the day a series of rearguard actions took place, the enemy skillfully seizing one defensible position after another and delaying our advance. The Boers continued their, retreat, and on the morning of tho 181 h were found to be holding a position in the bed and on the north bank of the Modder, three miles above Paardeberg Drift, where the river makes a curve to the north. In this position they had begun to entrench themselves during the previous night. As soon as our troops came up, the Gth Division occupied the ground to the south of the stream opposits the Boer laager, with mounted infantry in its front to the cast. The Highland Brigade was also on the south side of the Modder, while the 19th Brigade of the same division, under MajorGeneral Smith-Dorricn, advanced along the north side, on which also two brigades of cavalry, under Licut-Generol French, were converging from the direction of Kimbcrley. Early in the afternoon it seemed likely that the laager would be captured, but the Boers held their ground so obstinately, and it was so difficult to force a passage through the trees and undergrowth fringing the river on both banks, that the troops had to be drawn off. Heavy loss was inflicted on tho enemy, while our own loss was hardly loss serious, tho casualties being as follows. ...

Leaving Jacobsdaal at 4 a.m on the 19cb, I reached Paardeberg at 10 a.m. When I arrived on tho scene I learnt .hat an armistice of 24 hours had been granted to General Cronje, who had asked for it on tho plea that ho desired to bury his dead. This armistice I immediately rcvokod, and ordered a vigorous bombardment of tho enemy's position. General Cronje know, as we knew, that considerable reinforcements were hastening to his assistance from Natal and from tho south and his request wa3 obviously only an expedient to gain timo.

T found tho troops in camp were much exhausted by their previous inarching and fighting , and I therefore, decided not to make a second as-ault on the !aager, the capture of which by a " coup-do main " would have entailed a further loss of life, which did not appear fci'mi to be warranted by the military exigencies of tho situation. After his force had been surrounded, Cronjo contrived to open holiographic communication with Bloemfontein, and doubtless asked for assistance, as reinforcements began to come up in scattered pardos of varying strength from tho cast and south-east. Each commando was composed of men belonging to different districts, some of them having been withdrawn from Ladysmith and others from tho northern fromierof Cape Colony. On tho morning of the 23rd February the Ist Bn. Yorkshire Regiment engaged one of these parties, about '2,000 strong, at the eastern end of the position south of the river, and drove off tho enemy with heavy losing themselves threo officers and 17 men wounded. Later in the day the 2nd Bn. of the Buff-s, which had come up in support of the Yorkshire Regiment captured 80 Boer prisoners. Similar parties of the enemy appeared in other directions, but were beaten back without difficulty by our troops. After being repulsed the Bo';rs sc m in most cases to have dispersed, whether to the : r homes or to join other commandoes it is impossible to say.

At 3 a.m. on the 27th the Royal Canadian Regiment, and No 7 Company RoyrJ Engineers, commanded respectively by Kineaid, supported by the Jst Bn. Gordon Highlanders, advanced under a heavy riilo fire to within 80 yards of the oaemy's defences and succeeded in entrenching themselves, with the of two olliccrs wounded, seven men lulled, and 27 wounded, A gallant deed, creditable to all who took fart in it.

At G a.m. I received a letter from General P, A. Cronjo, making an unconditional surrender, and throwing himself and his troops on her Majesty's clemency. The despatch ends with a brief request for reinforcements and winter coats—the last very typical of Lord Robert's care for his soldier;.