THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIV, Issue 12323, 13 October 1900, Page 7

THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

AFTER THE WAR. MR RHODES’S ADVICE. THE PURSUIT OF DE WET. THE BOER LEADER’S FICTIONS COLONIAL INVALIDS IH . ' LONDON. UNABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR 1 PAL RELIEF PROVIDED BY THE - LORD MAYOR. . , A RAILWAY DISASTER. United, Press Association—By Eleotria ’ Telegraph—Copyright (Received Odfc. 13, 11 p.m.) * 1 CAPE TOWN, Ocfb. ,11. ; Mr Cecil Rhodes bias advised the Sewithi African League to adopt a programme whicJi will recognise the supremacy of the British flag and ask for equal rights, to show that. Dutch that there is no ill-feeling. ■ •' LONDON, 0ct..13; ~ Five hundred prisoners taken at LydyW/ ' burg have been despatched to Cape Tow®; Lord Roberts reports that De Wet -ha# been driven motth of the Vaal, • neat' Vcbteiv stroom. The Boer leader ha® persistently deluded bis followers by declaring- that Europe will stop the Avit. - 1 ■ • 1 * ‘ The .City Volunteers are returning, td London. On Oct. 27,, a short thanksgiving service will be held ait St Paul’s, and the men will (there 'immediately disband.. ‘ COLONIAL SOLDIERS IN * BRITAIN. UNABLE TO OBTAIN THEIR RAT. • RELIEF PROVIDED BY THE LORD : MAYOR OF LONDON. ! . (Received Oct. 12, 11.30 p.m.) . 1 ■ . LONDON, Oct. 13. ; A hundred and seventy invalided colonial soldiers are in England. Many are dfi financial difficulties through from £25 to ‘.£113 of their pay due being in arrears. The Lord Mayor has arranged 1 for weeldy loans frOuf ‘ the Discretionary Fund, which include many Australian subscriptions. Lord Car* ■ rington' is eecretary of the committee., RECENT FIGHTING. LONDON, Oct. 12. . A Souith African patrol of forty, with 3 . Maxim gun, surprised and engaged four hundred Boers in a running fight jn 'the direction of Sabie River. The Boers escaped;* leaving a number of rifles., A fight occurred between .the B».erf| .and outposts at Bethulie. The enemy wounded four and captured twelve British militia-' men. The Boers -took their uniforms, bed , then released the prisoners., - - i' A TRAIN DISASTER. THE RETURN TO THE RAND. * - ; BRITISH SUBJECTS LIABLE TO SERVICE. ' (Received Oot. 13, 1.25 \a.m-.) ' * LONDON, Oct. 12. A train ait Kaapmuiden w'aa upset at i diversion over the Kaap River. Three artillerymen were killed and fifteen injured.' > Lieutenant Hayka had a. leg broken. An engine and trucks conveyed engineer officers,? Captain Paget, of the Rifle Brigade, and eighteen men of the Vlaktonfontoin ganjrisoh to ascatta'in the nature of the damage along the line. The Boers, who- laid in wait, fired.; Captain Stewart, of the Rifle Brigade, hearing the -attack, hastened with forty men tor support Captain Paget., Captain Stewart . w'as killed and Captain Paget dangerously wounded. Six cithers were wounded' and eleven captured. • All able-bodied- British subjects on-the Rand will be liable tq service. . Sir Alfred ; Milner advises refugees who are ndb'willing •. to give service in' the town guard to postpone their- return. ‘ THE' PRESENT POSITION. ’ ; ■ NOTES. ' ■ Daspoo-rt, where Lord Roberts thanked the colonials for their behaviour at Elands River, is on the railway lino a few mile# north -of Pretoria. - What the colonials are doing there- it is not easy to say, as- tie cables have given no news from this quarter for some time. - The following extract -from the “Cape Times ” gives a very good idea of the cool effrontery of the oath-breakers in the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. The incident occurred at Krugersdorp: “ Yesterday Commandant Van Zyl sent in under the white flag protesting; against the burning of farmhouses and the' bringing of women' and) children her© as being contrary to the rules of civilised Warfare. Van Zyl being one of the men who took the oath of neutrality, and all the ferns burnt those of men who after being neutralised have rejoined a commando, no answer was sent to' the impudent message, the two men who brought the flag being informed that General Barton declined to consider communications of this sort from an- outlaw afid a man who had-broken his oath-.’’ • The complaints regarding colonial officer# do not appear to be confined to New Zealand. A Reuter’s message from ■■'Montrealpublished in the “Daily Chronicle” eaye that the Canadian soldiers invalided home from South Africa 'have made strong com- .

■: pliut*- in tie Preea against several of the- '> Canadian officers. They assert that they . were treated, in a harsh and overbearing ' manner, and that the officers were incompetent and careless of their men’s interests. There is -an allegation of the selection of ' officers having been partially governed, by, political considerations. LETTERS EROM GENERAL RADENf ' ' POWELL. [Per Press Association.] ' * AUCKLAND, Oct. 12. To-day. Mr J. W. Sh-akelford, Honorary ■ Secretary to the Baden-Powell Testimonial Fund,’ received ;the following .letter from ’ the'hgallant" General:—“ Viljoens---. ; l)rlft K Transvaal, Sept. 2 ; 1900.—Dear Sir,-—I have only mow received your very-; land letter of Jane 25. .1 ant most deejilylgratei ■ ful; and highly* flattered ' at' the generous •• maimer in which -the people ol Auckland 1 propose 'jbo shcpv their, appreciation of the manner’-, in’ which-we in Mafeking tried to do our duty. I feel most unworthy myself ' of being singled out to be the recipient of to handsome a present, when I was only one of a band' of men with whom I am- ■ very proud to have been associated. Therefore* in accepting these marks of your ap- , proval, Idoso as the- figure-head of the garrison and in their behalf. I desire to .tender to ycm and to. the generous contri- . tutors in Auckland our heartiest-gratitude for your goodwill and your very handsome way, of showing’ it. I I cannot tell yon w.th what interest and pleasure I look forward 'tp'receiving' the .escritoire and casket, not only on account df their intrinsic beauty, hut also on account of-the local interest attaching to them, and of the generous feeling’which has prompted their • despatch. I shall always regard-thein'as a tie between MafeMng, our. distant cousins across the and myself, .1 only hope my good for-, tUloeinay some day bring me to your dbuntjyv and.enable me to express in person the Sfittitude J cannot, adequately put. on paper.—Yours very truly, R. S. S-Baden-IPowdl.” : '■ -. Tbm , following., .letter, - addressed-to ? the editor of the “ NewZeabpd Herald,” was also received to-day :—“Warm Baths, ■: Tr»n*vaal, August, 1900.—Dear Sir,—l leg to thank you for your kind thought in wotting me the very interesting number of yiuj x- paper, ' which" describes the ' kindly jympathy expressed; by your' country at the >D««r« of - out, relief in Mafeking. I have also received a very large number of letters and cables from - well-wishers in the colony w]iich I am trying to answer, but as many mails for me as well as (from me have been iaiptuwd by the enemy, I fear that a number, of kind sympathisers will have thought me wanting in courtesy, and gratitude in not .writing .to.,them. . I trust that you may be" inclined, therefore, to help me to make known to them the reason of my apparent •jgegkct, as I ,have ; been most anxious, to express'my heartfelt gratitude, and that of the garrison of Mafeking, for all the geher.good feeling displayed toward! us.— I remain, yours very truly,-R. S. S. BadenRowell,". Major-General.”

News has been received' of the death of Mr Ernest John Mathias, second son of Mr f,- Wr Mathias, of Flaxton. The deceased, with three'other Canterbury boys, went to Boiith Africa about four years ago and tied the British South African Police, finals, i...companions. all died of fever. , himself was in Mafeking during the je,' and came successfully through that terrible time, -but at the engagement at Elands River on August 4 he_ was shot through the lungs* and died in the hospital.