Letter from Captain Bhale.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7353, 22 July 1902, Page 4

Letter from Captain Bhale.

■ « .. In a private letter to a friend Captain Brace Beale, of the Ninth Contingent, writing from Verooioging, S.A., May 30th, says :— " A peaeo conference is ac present sitting within two inilos of us, But wo know no moro of their doings than if we were at the South Pole. Wo are in camp on the banks of the Yaal near the junction of the Slip and Vaal rivers. After leaving Durban we wero served out with rifles and bandoliers at Maritzburg. Everywhere (near Coleneo) for miles along the line are graves of British soldiers. At Tugelo bridge we saw the remains of the old bridge blown 1 up by the Boers. On our right, whore tho Boer riflemon lay concoiled, grow acres of scrub, and beyond this the Tugela Heights. On both Bides of iho line are hundreds upon hundreds of little sangara formed of three rocks, one across two others, used by the Boer riflenion. Chains of trenches run along the different kopjes right ilowd to the railway line. Here, again, are the graves of hundreds u^>on hundreds of bravo British Tommies. Several pl&cea are pointed out where they charged across the opeu, nnd by the numbers of grnves (each bearing a small \vhit« iron oroß3 inscribed " Pio l'utria ") one c<vii judge what their losses umst havo been In othor places monuments are raised to the memory of regiuioiua which were almost emiroly wipidout. At Johannesburg—or Jo'bnrg we joined tho South Island Regiment and met the Seventb, who were mobilising prior to leaving for home. The city seemed rather doserted, many chops closed. Tho outskirts are very pretty and aro of an oriental atylo. Here, as with all the towns I have seen all the public buildings and most ol tho private residences, as also all public works, are of a very substantial nature. Everything is up to-date and of the latest design. I am enjoying splendid health! aa la fact is the whole regiment, as we are cow designated, the whole brigade being known as the 2nd New Zealand Brigade. Only one thing I regret, and that is that I did not take this on long ago. As regards business, Now Zealand is fair, but this country cannot be beaten. I have'seen Pretoria, and am very much taken with it. This country undoubtedly has a future bofor> it such as no oou.itry can beat. Evoi. for farming it cannot be improved upon. As regards olinwte, I hope I never live in a v.'Orao one.