CAPE BORDER BOERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11230, 27 November 1899, Page 6

CAPE BORDER BOERS.

ARRESTED FOR TREASON. SEDITIOUS LITERATURE. Coleshkrg, October 22.—A Dutchman flamed Rotbman has just been arrested for treason. The flags hoisted at the camp to celebrate the victories annoyed him, and ho threatened to pull them down, and used highly treasonable language. Rothman has been released on £5 bail. After his arrest he cursed the Queen, and said he would not be in gaol long, but would soon lie released by the Boers. News of the British victories at Talani and Elands Laagte have been received here by the Dutch with incredulity. Persistent rumours are being spread by men who have received passes to the Free State and back that Mafekin? has fallen without a shot being fired, and that Kimberley is surrounded by 10,000 Boers, and the water supply cut off. A bundle of seditious pamphlets has been discovered under a stone on the main road close to a gate. It is rumoured that at a large meeting of Boers in the Transvaal the old burghers counselled peace, as they could not stand against England's might, but that the young men were in the majority and were in favour of war. Bnwni:RSDor.r, October 21.The news of the Gleneoe victory 'has had a quietening effect upon the Boers here. Some, however, profess to totally disbelieve the news, but the arrogant talk of the market and the shops has been silenced. Railway communication with Aliwal and Stormberg was resumed to-day, the train carrying the traffic manager and staff and a large number of refugees. Reports from the district show that the farmers are going about their usual work quietly. This is an excellent sign. 'J'o-day large numbers of Dutch are ill 'Bur diersdorp in connection with the Nachtmaal and a bazaar in aid of the erection of a monument to the late Rev. Mr. Midler, of the Dutch Reformed Church. News of the Jiiitish victory at Gleivoe has had a depressing effect on them. GERMAN MILITARY OPINION. In a recent article in the Militar Wochenblatt, the official German Army Gazette, there is an article on "England and the Transvaal.'' The writer begins by stating that as the political aim of England is the destruction of the Dutch Afrikander element, and the substitution for it of AngloSaxon domination, the campaign will, therefore. in its military aspect, " bear the character of a war of races and peoples, in which the object will not be the defeat of a hostile army, but the political annihilation of a whole race." He then proceeds to deal with the number of combatants that will be engaged in a war which he thinks will be influenced both by the nature (if the "racial" contest and by the vast exent of the field of operations. He notes that the Boer States alone cover an expanse of territory equal to the German Empire. excluding the provinces of East and West Prussia and of Silesia. Turning to his military history books, our industrious critic unearths what historical parallels he can find for the South African war. Napoleon I. had to send hundreds of thousands of troops with the object of quelling a Spain that was struggling to retain the control ot her own destinies, and for the purpose of defeating her guerilla bands. Indeed. the losses sustained in the Spanish campaigns may be said to have given the first blow to the military supremacy of the Napoleonic Empire, in quite recent times, in 1878. Austria operating against 80.000 insurgents in Bosnia had ultimately to mobolise 14 divisions, or 262.000 men, 110.000 horses, and 30 guns, besides 5000 beasts of burden for the Army Service Corps, in order j to quell the insurrection. In a war against a national rising, "all die disadvantages are on the side, of the attacking force with its regular military formations." The war ha., a tendency to become sporadic audi endless, especiallv in a case where such excellent shots and horsemen as the Boers are ranged against an army "whose requirements in respect of comfort are usually exhibited in the form of long commissariat- columns, and whose rearward communications are there- I fore particularly sensitive to attack." The German critic next sums tin the forces against which the l!riii>ii troops will have to operate as follows : —Transvaal, 35.000 men : Orange Free State, 20.000 ; volunteers from J Cape Colonv. 5000 : volunteers from Natal. 500 ; volunteer* of other nationalities. 3500: or, in all, 64.000 men. But he considers that in consequence of disnlfei tinn in South Africa it will ultimately be necessary for the British War Office authorities to oppose to these combined enemies a force of at least 150.000 men. With his bookish knowledge of British methods and of geographical conditions, ho says that all we can attempt is " to send into the field, without any system or plan, drib- j lets of such troops as are ready to hand at J one point or another " of our dominions, "and j to send such reinforcements from various I garrisons as can he most easily spared." All ] stories about our official scheme of mobilisa- I tion he dismisses with loftv incredulity, and | he concludes the present instalment of his j contribution to the question of the day by the | following graceful compliment to the ability and the influence of English newspaper correspondents "The dissemination of the opinion that England will not require to weaken her military position in anv part of the world is onlv a fresh proof of the incomparable skill with which English influences and' English pre-s organisation oil the Con- | tinent are aide to maintain the specious appearance of English might in the eyes of the general public." DUTCH AND ENGLISH IX NORTHERN CAPE COLONY. Mr. Sirevens, the London Daily Mail's war correspondent, writing from Aliwal North Oil October 14, says:—The last mail brought a copv of the Bloemfcntein Express, with an appeal to the colonial Boers concluding with the words: " We shall continue the war to the bloody (lid. You will assist us. Our God. who has so often helped us, will not. forsake lis." What effect this may have is yet doubtful, but it is certain that any rising of the colonial Dutch would send the colonial British into the field in full strength. Buighersdorp, through which I passed yesterday, is a village of 2000 inhabitants. the centre of the most disaffected district in the colony, the birthplace of the Afrikander Bond, and now generally called "rebel Burghersdorp." If there be any I'utcb rising in sympathy with the Free Stale it will begin litre. The loyal inhabitants are boiling with indignation, declaring themselves sacrificed, as usual, by the dilatoriness of the Government. Besides the Poet' force near here, there is another, icported to he 450 strong, at Great heads Drift, 40 miles up the river. Tilt Boers at Betliuiie. in the Free State, are believed to oe pulling up the railway on tlieii side of the frontier, and to be marching to Nerval's Pont, which is the ferry over the Orange River, on the win to Colcsherg, with the intention of attacking Ne.auwpoort Junction, on the C'apetown-Kimberley line; but as there r.re 110 trains now running to Bethulie it is difficult tc verify these reports, and, indeed, all reports nitisi be received with caution. The feeling litre between the English and Dutch extends to a commercial and social boycott, and is, therefore, far mor- bitter ihan elsewhere. Several burghers here tiave sent their sons over the border, and promise that the loyal inhabitants will be "sjambokked" (beaten with whips of rhinoceros Lide) when the Boer force passes through So far things are quiet. The broad, sunny, dusty streets, fringed with small trees and lined with single-storeyed houses, are dotted with strolling inhabitants, both Dutch and natives, engrossed in their ordinary pursuits. 'the whole thing looks more like Arcady than revolution. The only sign of movement is that eight young Boers, theological students of the Dop'per or strict Lutheran college here, left last night foi the Free State for active service. The Boers across the Orange River so fai make no sign of raiding. Many have sent their wives and famil.es here into Aliwal North, on our side of the border, in imitation, perhaps, of President Steyn, whose wife at this moment is staying with her sister at Kill" William's Town, in the Cape Colony. Many British farmers, of whom there are a couple of hundred in this district, refuse to believe that the Free State will take th. offensive on this horde!, considering that such aggression would be impious, and that the Free Stat will restrict itself to defending its own frontier, or liie Transvaal, it invaded, in fulfilment of the terms of the offensive and defensive alliance. Nevertheless there is, of course, very acute tension between the Dutch and English here. No Beers are to be seen talking to Englishmen. The Boers are veryclose as to their feelings and intentions, which those who know them interpret as a

bad sign, because, as t rule, they' are inclined to itiwpensible garrulity. A point in which Dutch feeling here tells is that every Dutch man, woman, or child is more or less of a Boer secret service agent, re- ! vealing our movements and concealing those . of the Boers. If there be any rising it may i be expected by. November 9, when the Boers , hold their " wappenschouwing," or rifle con- [ test —the local Bisley, in fact— every man for miles around attends armed. Also, ; the Afrikander Bond Congress is to be lisld next month; but probably the leaders wiil ! do their best to keep the people together. The Transvaal agents are naturally doing [ their utmost to provoke rebellion. A lieu- . tenant of their police is known to be hiding . hereabouts, and a wan-ant is out for his ar- ' rest. All depends, say the experts, on the ! result of the first few weeks of fighting. : GENERAL JOUBERT AND THE TIMES' CORRESPONDENT. The London Times says: —Our special corresponds, whose interview with President Kruger a few days bclore the despatch of the Boer ultimatum our readers will doubtless 1 remember, telegraphed to us shortly afterwords that he had received General Jou-bc-rt's permission to remain as our correspondent with the Boer forces during tho hostilities, and he proceeded to pay a visit to the Boer camp in company with the General. Whilst fully appreciating this mark of confidence on General Jcubert's part, we felt that there were obvious objections to the presence of an Englishman as correspondent ol an English newspaper with forces engaged in war against a British army, and we therefore Telegraphed instructions to our special correspondsnt to return to Capetown, liefore this telegram reached him he had, however, sent us a further message from Yolksrust to the effe;t that he was going back to Pretoria, as General Joubert had withdrawn his invitation, in deference to the remonstrances of some of his Boer followers. Our special correspondent received our telegram on his return to Pretoria, and we have every reason to believe that he is now on his way back to Capetown, in accordance with his instructions. -AIR. SCHREINER'S POSITION. The Capetown correspondent of the London Times writes, under date October 13: — There is much discussion of Mr. Schreiner's position. On tbe one hand he is severely blamed for not having provided colonial forces to guard the exposed western border; on the other hand, it is felt that his attitude makes him a most important hostage for the good behaviour of the colonial Afrikanders. There is an increasing belief in the honesty of his intentions, but his policy lands him in questionable places. So far as ordinary co-operation with the Imperial authorities goes, there is little question that troops, for example, have been forwarded over the colonial system of railways with all despatch. VEHICLES FOR. THE ARMY CORPS. The guns and other wheeled carriages to be employed by the Army Corps as a whole in the campaign make a very large total, and will fill a considerable portion of the transports taken up. For the six great divisions of the Army (cavalry division, three infantry divisions, corps troops, and lines of communication), it is calculated that the vehicles number in thoi, several classes: —Guns and spare carriages, 122; artillery ammunition waggons, lb6; other artillery waggons, 181; machine guns, 47 ; Maltese carts for various pumnc-c 8; water-carts, 137; small arm ammunition carls and cable carts, 185; Scotch carts. 132 American buck waggons, 1310 ; small arm ammunition waggons, 38; double tool carts and other engineer waggons, 60; pontoon waggons, 28; ambulance waggons, WO; and for tents, 79 Scotch carts and 111 waggons, drawn by ox teams. Of oxen no Home calculation has been made; but the number of horses for all purposes is reckoned at nearly 11,000, and of mules at more than 14,000. THE OLD FLAG. Sir Redvers Buller, according to a special correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, on I board the Dunottar Castle, is taking out I with him the same flag that he carried to J the Transvaal in 1881 lor the purpose of I hoisting over Pretoria, hut which for I various reisons was not utilised. He proi poses that it shall float over Pretoria on this occasion. MAIL ITEMS. The fort at Mafeking is furnished with a searchlight. Major Rcade has been appointed press censor at Capetown. Commandos are patrolling the whole Free , State I'.isuto border. i \ A direct telegraphic line connects Presii dent Steyn and President Kruger. I It is icported that 800 colonial Boers from I Griquatown and Bechuanaland have joined I the Transvaal forces. ! If the war lasts more than a few months I the Rand and the Boer forces will be reduced I to terrible straits for food. The official strength of the South African field force, as distinct from the Natal field force, was given out on October 16 as 18.000. The whole of the Transvaal was mobilised on October 11 by the Government telegraphI ing to every station the single word, " Oorlog." At Simons Town it has been intimated that all persons approaching Her Majesty's ships in shore boats after dark are liable to bo fired upon. Most of the Kimberley garrison occupy the brigade ground, while the detachment of regulars and the Kimberley regiments are stationed at the sanatorium. The loyalty of the Basuto chief Lerothodi is regarded as beyond question, and his people are well in hand. The chief's brothers and sons remain at Maseru. It is stated that President Kruger strongly 1 opposed the delivery of the Boer ultimatum ; to Great Britain, but was finally outvoted at the secret session of the Executive. The Boer forces at New Scotland, on the Eastern border, are content for the present to watch the Swazis. who remain, so far, neutral. All British subjects have left Swaziland. Lieutenant-Colonel B. Gougli, of the 9th Lancers, which are now in South Africa, has been granted an extension of three months from December 15 in his period of command of the regiment. Mr. Ewert Broblcr, who has been elected commandant-general of the Orange Free ] State forces, is well educated. He acted as delegate .or the Orange Free State at the Chicago World's Fair. The St. John Ambulance Association has had placed at its disposal by Messrs. R. Ellis and Son, of Ruthin, North Wales, 10,000 bottles of table waters for the use of the troops in South Africa. Rumours emanating from Free State officials are reacning the Basutos, causing excitement in the native mind, which is increased in consequence of reports made by Free State officials to native chiefs. The bulk of the Portuguese press is now more or less neutral. The Jornal do Commercio alone is actively hostile. The Government organ, Novidades, and Correio da Noitre, are in favour of the British The Rev. Arthur Robins, chaplain to the Queen and to the Household troops at Windsor, in a sermon recently, described President Kruger as a semi-savage who had "spat on us between his curses and his prayer." Major-General Sir F. W. Forestier-' has issued a general order regarding the admission of civilians to the various camps in Cape Colony, strict injunctions being given that no one shall be allowed to enter them without special permits. The Pester Lloyd says the war in the Transvaal will only assume European importance in the improbable event of England's suffering reverses and being threatened with the outbreak of a widespread hostile movement in the Dark Continent. Great activity prevails in naval circles at Simons Town. The Admiral commanding the station has proclaimed a state of wai. Landing parties have been selected on all the warships, and have been fully equipped lor service at a moment's notice. Mr. Conyngham Greene, the British Resident in the Transvaal, was shown every civility on his journey from Pretoria. Six men of President Kruger's bodyguard accompanied him as far as the Transvaal border. The Free State authorities were equally courteous. t.

I A corps composed of experienced Con-1 I tinental ex-officers of Engineers left Pre- | toria on October 12, for the south-western | I borders with a covering commando of picked i ; Boer shots. The corps was said to be on I special service, the object of which was pro- j bably to conduct large dynamiting opera- i tions. The Paris Figaro declares that France will have to take some action for the protection j of French capital invested in Transvaal j mines. Germany will probably join her in any movement of this kind. But neither; Power, the paper adds, has the slightest • desire to infringe the laws of neutrality or call' in question the suzerainty of the British. A Cape correspondent writing on October 15 says :The Boers are buoyed up by belief in a general rising among the Cape Dutch. Otherwise it is a question whether they would have rushed into war. It is stated in official circles in the Transvaal that definite assurances of active support were received ; from the Bond leaders. This is not believed in Capetown. Jan Vandeenoor, a wealthy Dutch coffeegrower and ardent sympathiser with the Boers, has just returned to Paris after the failure of e remarkable attempt to wage private war against England. Some time ago Yandeenoor, when British troops were beginning to be sent to Africa, fitted a swift vessel to ram unattended troopships. Numerous accidents to her machinery and mutinous dissatisfaction of the crew compelled him to put back to Antwerp after 12 days at sea, during which time not a single transport was sighted.