TRANSVAAL WAR.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 856, 21 February 1901, Page 6

TRANSVAAL WAR.

London, Feb. 18. Details of the recent encounter wiih De Wet show tbat Colonel Humor's force of Australian and New Zealand Bushmen followed sections of De Wet's commando frum Phil pstown to Huutkraal, until diirkncss stopped both friends and foes. Both \\e:e exhausted, and the horses were knee-deep in mud. Oe eral Kitchener witnessed the action which took place north-west of Hou'knuil. De Wet and Steyn, with between 200 > a d 3C;0) men, crossed the railway between Houtkraal and Potfontein before daybreak 0:1 the 15: h. Colon"l Crabbe left Houtkraal in pur. suit at daybreak, using two 15-pounders, the shells frequently scattering the enemy. De Wet did not attempt to use his guns. He was surpiiscd by an armorel train, whi h ariived from the north, opening with two nnuil 12-pounders. This facilitated the capture of practically the whole of Do V.M'n convoy, including an ambulance wng.'i n laden with ammunition, 19 othor wagiTons, GOO shells, and half a million cartridges! Fft.y Biers weie captured, mostly raggrd and boi tlr-ss, and 100 horses. 1 e Wet lost 65 killed and wounded. The Boers brol e into soc'ion; and fle l, sniping occasionally, towards Bjistown. Ci.lon.ils Plumer and Crabbe are pur-uing. Generals Knox, Bruce Hamilton, and Colonel White have joined in tho chase. General Bruce Hamilton, by nig - z •• marches, followed De Wet for throe weeks. De Wet, at the moment of invading Cape Colony, forbade his followers looting. The C:ipe Dutch received him u willingly declaring he only came to ruin them. "Many followers have since dsserted De Wet, whose horses are badly fed. His force is mainly armed with Lee-Metfords, and is now greatly harassed.

Kruiizinger's, Herlssog's and other commandos are being prevente t from junctioning with Do Wet. General French is still driving all Bo ha's force before him, excepting the Carolina commando, which broke through westwards, and has since become disorganised. Lord Kitchener, in view of the heavy expenditure in South Africa, has asked for financial assistance. Mr Brodrick is sending Mr Fleetwood Wilson, Assistant Under-Secre-tary to the War Department, temporarily as Lord Kitchener's financial adviser.

General De Lisle has occupied Carnarvon. Beuter's correspondent states that when Hertzog's commando at Calvinia heard of the death of the Queen the men trampled upon her portraits, and at the game time gave utterance to ribald and filthy remarks. Wolmarans, one of the old peace envoys, who is visiting Holland, says that the Boers will accept nothing short of independence. The proposals put forward by Sir Edward Clarke, one of the British pro-Boer leaders, would not be acceptable if they contained a vestige of British control over the Boers. Several Australian Bushmen were wounded in the fighting at Grasfontein, including the Queenslanders Sergeant Strong (fatally) and Lieutenant Killaway (severely). At Bichwartz Kopje, Corporal Bucbana* was severely wounded, and Privates Hawson, Wilson, and Holmes were captured. All these were Queensland Bushmen. Feb. 19. The Zands Drift is the only drift across the Orange Biver were mines are not laid. De Wet was purposely drawn thither, the country having been denuded of horses. The mobility of the British exceeds that of the enemy. The ' Daily Mail' states that De Wet has been headed off between Strydenburg (40 miles north-west of Houtkraal) and Hopetown. Half of the force in De Wet's camp met and protested against indiscriminate flogging, chiefly of laggards. It was lesolved to light independently. Mr W. li. Creincr, the member for the aoggerston division of Shoreditch, speaking at Peterborough, declared that Mr Chamberlain had grossly deceived the Queen respecting the war, and that his action had caused her death. Mr Chamberlain asserts that there is not a word of truth in the statement. Dr Loyds complains of the theft of his handbag of Brussels, the said bug containing important diplomatic documents. Kecent captures by the British included Commandant Boswan, who led the Boshof commando.

Lord Kitchener, who has returned to Pretoria, reports that De Wet on the 18th was seventy miles west of Hopetown, apparently making for l'ritska, where commandos from Western Cape Colony were also retiring. De Wet threatens to shoot all Dutch cjl mists refusing to fight. Schal Kburger, who took a prominent part in the fighting early in the campaign, is still in Northern Transvaal, doing his utmost to induce the Boers to agree to a general surrender. The ' Daily Mail' states that an extensive expedition is being organised at Pretoria to expel the Boers from Pietersburg and Northern Transvaal. A burgher named Nademan declares that the Boers shot Nademan's brother dead in the presenco of his aged mother for refusing to break his oath of neutrality. Feb. 20. The Boers derailed a train between Vereenijingand Johanesburg, but were repulsed before they were able to plunder it. All stores at Komatipoort have been closed owing to the discovery that they were supply, ing fighting Boers. The 'Standard' stales that Malcolm Clark a well-known identity of the Transvaal with large mining interests, accomplished a daring cross country journey from Leydsdorp to Pretoria. He captured six Boer officials and brought them with important papers, to Pretoria.

On the Address-in-Heply Mr Chamberlain, replying to attacks on the conduct of the war, reiterated his previos statement that Britain's policy hai not varied from the outset. He challenged the Opposition to produce an alternative policy. He recalled the fate that had befallen the Boer Peace envoys.