BRAVERY OF THE SOLDIERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11347, 16 April 1900, Page 5

BRAVERY OF THE SOLDIERS

TRIBUTE BY GENERAL BULLER. ; SUPERHUMAN ENDURANCE. BRILLIANT MARKSMANSHIP. London, April 13. General Buller in a private letter has described the superhuman endurance and bravery of the soldiers and refers to their cheerfulness during the later assaults on the Boers I north of the Tugela. They were broiled under a fierce hot sun during the day and drenched with rain during the night, yet they faced their enemy at a distance of three hundred yards, and were able to hit if pnljr a linger were ahowingv ,

the peace PROPOSALS. WILLING TO DISMANTLE FORTIFICATIONS. . London, April 13.Dr. Leyds met the peace delegates! of the Transvaal and Free State at Milan, where ■ they opened their sealed instructions. " . German journals assert thib Mr* Fischer has been directed to propose to the Powers that America guars tee the neutrality of the Republics conditionally, on fortifications being dismantled and artillery surrendered. • : . REBELS SENTENCED. : ' London, April 15. At a court-martial at Naauwpoort, two colonial Afrikanders . were sen-, tenced respectively to ten and five 1 years' imprisonment as rebels. Lo»d Roberts had previously approved of the sentences. . DEATH OF DUTCH ATTACHE,/ ■ , London, April 13, : Captain Nix, the - Dutch military attache with the Boer troops, was wounded and* captured during the fighting which took place at '«he Bloemfontein waterworks. He has since died during an operation in the Bloemfontein Hospital He was buried with military honours. •• •

AN AUSTRALIAN KILLED. . ■' London, April 13. William Bonnor, of the Australian Horse, was killed at Glen siding, near Bloemfontein, on March 28. DEATH OF A NEW ZEALANDER, - ' London, April 15. Robert Morris, of the New Zealand Rough Riders, died of enteris fever at East London. His Excellency the Governor has received the following telegram from Sir Alfred Mil-, ner, Capetown, dated the 14th inst.':—"l', regret to report that No. 668, Trooper Itobfc.i William Morris. N.Z. Rough Eiders, died of enteric fever, on April 11, at East Lon-. don." Trooper Morris, we understand, was a member, of the Third Contingent, and hailed from. Canterbury..

FOOD FROM AUSTRALASIA. London, April 13. ' Exporters of American foodstuffs are now complaining that shipments received from other parts x■ of the world in" South Africa have reduced • the size of their orders, t Great Britain having been quick to discover that Australian corned; meats are cheaper and obtained much • more expeditiously than the Ameri» can article. ; , i LORD ROBERTS TO VISIT AUSTRALIA, Melbourne, April 15. ; There is a probability of Lord Robert*,. after the -war, accompanying his wife on & visit to her three sisters, residing in Victoria, . THE GYMERIC. Albany, April 14. Tlio Gymeric, transport, from New Zea> land, has arrived. - .

His Worship the Mayor (Mr. D. Goldio) on Saturday received the two following telegrams from the Premier:—"Received following from Major Somerville, aboard the s.s. Gymeric:—'Arrived Albany nine o'clock last night. Contingent in good health. Experienced heavy gales from 3rd to 9th. Lost 11 horses from strangles. Following also received, same source 'Thanks for your telegram. Officers and men in excellent health. ■ Struck two gales. ■ lost 11 horses. Ship too light. Good sea boat.'— J. Sf.ddon."

CHEAP CABLEGRAMS. [by telegraph.—press association.] Wellington, Saturday. . The Postmaster-General, London, has suggested that cable messages sent to and by members of the colonial contingents in South Africa, be transmitted at the rate of 2s per word, plus payments to other Administrations, and " conditional on free charges over the land lines of the colonies. Capetown has agreed, and. Mr. Ward has also agreed, conditionally on the other colonies adopting the proposal. . THE THIRD CONTINGENT. : • [by telegraph.—press association*.] Wellington, Sunday. The Commander of the Forces lias received a cablegram from the commandant at Last London that the Third New Zealand Contingent, under Major Jowsey, was entrained ■ on April 9 for the North.

WITH THE SECOND NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENT. \ A . TROOPER'S LETTERS. Writing to his parents from the camp a) Maitland. under date March 3, a membei of the Second New Zealand Volunteer Contingent in South Africa says:—"Just a few lines to inform you of some interests " e * a before I leave for the front. mjtfiDragoon Guards have just arrived from Horn., having lost nine men and six horses in voyage, which was a very rough,o le. rimes are very exciting just now, as Cronj ' are waving duly, all caged lip in I ?j: trucks— arrived last night. • • ; went out to the uia WW $rrn m I?0 °™

both .of my corps, and am pleased to say both are doing well. [Poor Jenks as since died.Ed.l. ' •' :■:•'Monday,.March 6.-At present .we are in the train on our way to the.front,and ' expect to arrive at our camp (Victoria West) ; to-night, when we will proceed direct to intercept the rebels, who are in force, and are advancing . round , Kimberley. ._ . . Yesterday wo passed tw", trainloads of mm on their way to the Cape, all guarded SSI who stand all over the tain, with loaded rifles. I also saw a Red Cross - train full of wounded, both Boers and English —it was a terrible sight, v. The Boer pri- . soners looked a hard lot, and shook their fists at- and jeered at us; but our men only retaliated with a cheer for Old , England. ' . Just as we (left Beaufort West, where we stopped for tiffin and to feed the horses, thousands of refugees were to l e . seen standing round. The little boys and girls ran along with the train quite a distance, begging for food, and when we threw them a lot of i biscuits they fought for the food-an awful sight to watch. . . The Imperial men have been treating us handsomely, because we are New Zeaknders, and I must that our men look very well, and are considered riders. Our mission is to stop the rebels from raiding at Carnarvon, where they are in force, and are doing great damage. At four o'clock this morning we «aw the guns belonging to Cronje's force which were being sent on to Capetown. . The wheels were all broken by shell fire, but the guns were good. . . . The general idea here is that the .war will soon be over, but the military say 'we will not get hoflie till after Christmas. All the Dutch along the line would rise in a minute, and the bridges and small towns are well guarded. . . . . As I conclude, we are within half, an-hour's journey of our camp, from whence we march overland to meet the rebels."

LADIES' OFFER OF WORK. We have received the following letter for publication:—"The Vicarage, Waiuku. The . Editor of the Herald. Sir,— Dorcas Society here will be glad to do any work required for our brave soldiers in Africa, such as making sleeping , suits for hospital wear. The. ladies belonging to the society have already given in money what they can afford, for the war fur.d, and will now gladly give their labour, if there is any fund for supplying the material. —Yours truly, Makv Webster, President Waiuku Dorcas Society."