LATEST NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1440, 5 October 1899, Page 25

LATEST NEWS.

I THETRANSVMIIC 1 v TRANSPORT OF TROOPS | - } BQIR/ACt}ViJT r ' FSE W KAILWAY FACILITIES. . GERMAN HOSTILITY: TOi BBIXA& f; a^^in^^sl^^ AGIJoN oFraESlD^SskE^Gj': » ' lo ; osan : :-;;;T o-^'-rrr 1 - ft .>■:"' :y-iCoo.a: e;t ' E VAT# ?&' AMEfBIpAZ^ rs c;j lov v 3:.' r g" r "<i .c-f??.?ff:>:i --> ~ '"..■" bfer ci- L; ; i <PRETOBIA >i Sunday.; ■ Se4en "hundred' Germans; " BrMria'f of under Transvaal are: eMmptl hundred atVolksrust, near Lamg s Nek. i-> -: « LONDON; Sunday. Tfhe Duke of Devonshire, Lord President of -thecCouircil in the Salisbury >lmtdelivered, ,a speech at New Mills, in Derbyshire, in the course of which he dealt with' the Transvaal situation. : £Lis Grace said that President Kruger's groundless distrust of the British Government was. the main obstacle to peace anC good government in the Transvaal. Great Britain was, he added, now compelled to formulate her requirements, which, .in reality, were of a moderate These might be the basis of negotiations if .the ; spirit manifested in the*.fejection of the 'simpler suggestions could be said to.justify any hope. . i: A.patriotic:outburst took place at a icoueert held in the Queen's Hall, London. ' ' - • . xi, !■:.. The audience, numbering two thousand, rose and sang "Rule Britannia' and-" God Save the Queen," and also gave deafening cheers for Mr Chamberlain, Secretary of State for the Colonies. Sir J. F. Leese, Q.C., Liberal member of the House , of Commons for the Accrington Division, of Lancashire, has addressed a letter to his constituents m which he warmly supports the policy of the"-Government in regard to the Transvaal ■ question on the grounds of humanity? international law, and the parainountcy of Great Britain in South Afri'ca. " *'"'' " '■" '"'"' "" ' ' "' " * ' ■"' ' ■'''■ - -;) . i - - The 'mining companies at Johannesburg are paying wages to outlander miners who remain at the mines at the .fat© of £3 a; day, exclusive of food al'loW3.l2.CG *® '■ i. ■'■:'BLOEMFONTEIN, Monday. The Orange Free State authorities are drawing recruits from Griqualand West, across" the Western border. - ■Cattle destined for Cape Colony are being impounded. Menaces are being used towards Britash'subjects employed on the railways. At Rouxville, in a sheep-farming dis- '< :trict, close to the Basutolarid border, are being commandeered. ; . CAPETOWN, Monday. • ■ The loyalists here are indignant at the persistent- apathy of the Premier (Mr Schreiner) in regard to the crisis. . '. i : : . ' . : PRETORIA, Monday. Mr Meyer (Chairman of the First Volksraad), Commandant Cronje and Messrs Weilback and Schalk Burgher will be the chief Boer leaders. GenJoubert, Commander-General, is not expected to remain at the front. , Commandant Pronsloo will command the Orange Free State forces. Ail the residents of Johannesburg, including the British, have been commandeered (called upon for military service) by the Transvaal Government. % I president Kruger has decided to continue working the Crown Reef, Robinson, Bonanza and Ferreira mines. The Transvaal Government is assuming, control of the lines of the Netherlands Railway Company. All the trains are actively employed in-the transport of Boer troops, and especiallyin' conveying them towards the Natal frontier. : , '' Tt "is feared that the Boer troops will get beyond the control of the authorities. . The jurisdiction of the civil Courts -in -the Transvaal has been suspended. President Kruger declares that his troops will act strictly on the defensive. The Boers at Volksrust have sent back incoming passengers by the railway from Natal over the" border to Charlestbwh. The Johannesburg; -down mail train has also been stopped., : DURBAN, Monday. Chiarlestown, the terminus of the Natstl- .;G<>vernmenti 'railways on the , Transvaal jbordeiyhas been deserted. T%eiity-thousand • Boers are now vehcanljtted ;along the Natalborder.: They boast ■fabtcflb*;::,tSj3a^ ; ''-T'^Pl-'^Tyi'^^Ps"^^^?. into the sea. Commandant Cronje has tried to m-

i cite Baralonga, a Bechuana chief, to fight tjie British- - r -■: -- J .n:-r Colonel Sir' W:"P. Symbns. commands eight, thousand regulars and 2300,.volrunteers, stationed chiefly at Dundee and Ladysmith.- ! 'lt is believed that he will be able to act on the defensive ■, until the Indian contingent arrives. ■i CAPETOWN, Monday. Tl?.e European and Cape mails now go to Natal by sea instead of overland from Capetown. 11 '-i- ■ ''■■■-- -„•'■:-- LONDON;^ Mondayr; - Reports from Capetown state that Joiliua Joubert", a son of the. Boer: Comhas ibe'en .placed •in command of the. troops-' at -Laing's; Nek, and ' Commandant Cronje _ coiumands ;2000 J meh near Malrnanij. on Bechuanaland.border; .:■•_ ? .-. . .-...-.■-•.;• ■ If. an army corps-is sent from: Engas now contemplated, the British forees in -South - Africa c >will number. \6B^o~menvr-- J s-7 "'q-.tYl : A-~i-Z?~i A-- ; "'" '' * Dr Leydsy \ the. idiplomatic representativej Of ' tlfia Transvaal ; in : 'Europe-- : pre- ' dictl that; the Transvaal c Executive will - " <r£-~ 'f T '. "fj The telegraph line between Nat.al and : is f interrupted; ■: 'I The "Daily Chronicle" says that Pres--ident Krugfer intends to'appeal to the 1 Queen and Lord Salisbury for peace. In the opinion of the same paper false Lpride ought not Boers from renewing the offer of "the seven, years' franchise,"iimi; of the-appointment of a joint Commission of Inquiry.. The German newspapers have adopted a tone hostile to Great Britain. This, is partly ; attributed-to the loss by German firms of orders for guns for the Transvaal, and partly to a ~ desireto extort concessions in Samoa. The Rev Hugh r Price; .Hughes, the well-known Wesleyan. minister, refused to sign Mr W. T. Stead's peace-mani-festo, stating that he was convinced that President Kruger had been plotting' for years! ',■"..'" . : MELBOURNE, .Tuesday. : G^pjQlerjenc^^ojL^-^^-jn^litary^ mandahti j-of dthe^. Australian'. colonies' r't 6] make'■ -• arrangementsir f .' s ending , a fed • I era! 'cdia^^ been unable to arrive at any definite" scheme. * : " • ""..'' •',; '■'"'' •'■ "'"" ; : It*\ is ?."?that- the jrepre-: sentatives of the vai*ious r colonies dnler" in regard to 'details. . Sir George Turner, Premier of "Vic toria, is to ask Mr Chamberlain, Secretary of .State for the Colonies, whether. Great Britain will accept Australian assistance/ and, if so, in what form it should be rendered. ;: The question in abeyance is whether the offer should be a joint one or whether each colony should make a separate offer. v BLENHEIM, Tuesday. ..;, Eighteen members of the Mounted Rifles have volunteered for service in South Africa, and several horses have been presented by Blenheim residents. DURBAN, Tuesday. Trains from Johannesburg arrived at Newcastle a day late. The passengers were exhausted . from want of food on the journey. Six hundred Orange Free State burghers in tne vicinity of Harrismith, on the:Drak*ensburg mountain range, are proceeding nearer to the Natal border. Other burghers are occupying passes in the Drakensburg mountains. - CAPETOWN, Tuesday. The . Premier of Cape Colony (Mr Schreiner) is being blamed for granting mnnerqus' gun; license's to J Dutch Afrikanders on,the' borders, and also fpr al-. lowing .much railway . rolling stock be.-r" longing to Cape Colony to be retained in the Orange Free State; . ■ LONDON, Tuesday. The Marquis of Salisbury, replying to a correspondent, said the British Government would make an effort to avert war, and ".had .no desire to annex ;the r Transvaal if a settlement of the present difficulty could be obtained peacefully. The Johannesburg correspondent of the "Times" says that a remarkable feature, in .connection with, the mpbili-, satibn of the Boers is the number of guiis 'of large calibre'in taeir possession]. ; It is believed, that the Transvaal vernment has arranged to act 'in conjvmation with the Orange Free State ■ Government inf a" scheme of aggressive/ action;;'. . ... , .. V/ ■';'•■• • .->;; •/:• • . ,;; Consols, are quoted at £lO4 15s, or 7s 6d higher than the previously-cabled quotation. WASHINGTON, Tuesday. It has transpired that President Steyn, of the Orange Free State, made an tinsuccessful appeal to the United States Government, asking it to endeavour,, with other-Powers, to bring about arbitration on the Transvaal difficulty. In the event of war between Great Britain and the Ti;ansyaal and Orange Free State, Admiral Schley will proceed in - a "United > States "Warsnip to,; Delagoa Bay, for - the-protection; of :Amefrican_; subjects residing in the'two Republics. , SYDNEY, Tuesday. : "-' The New South Wales "Lancers; M

present in Erigland have volunteered for service in South iAfrican ' » , , MELBOURNE, Monday. Produce shipments' for the Gape eon-"-' : tinue on a heavy scale. , Arrangements are'also being made for a considerable trial, shipment of cajole and sheep. JLtL Life. fi. CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. h Twelve meiribefsL.of : Mounted Rifles .have volunteered for service in ■ ■'"--•;• '^^'.tiksl , . AUCKLAND, Monday. - f i ,eial returnis of cAiick-I * land Volunteers for active service in the Transvaal have not yet been completed, the said?,tb-\B^%r.ea^ly,jin : excess 5 .-aotf mentis while appljiCations; for enrolment contimie,' ioj coiiie,: in 7fr.bm Ml,parts of'thV a province. r ■ Members" of"' mounted" 6drps" have.■ and i tMallptted.j quota, it is understood t - could be got from them alone. Members* or "mfantry companies in both town..and country have offered. Many good marksmen and rwhomi Bssi ■Valiinteers.'-^e^ndeavo^uringf^;gainj { p K clirsioi-i in- contingent. : ■:. The:;excess. ; i, in numbers will necessitate-the,making:o£cr a selection. I - AUCKLAND, Tuesday.- J a Fifte'eh:' "members' of the Auckland < Mounted Rifles, Captain Holgate, have volunteered for South Africa. Some horses have .also..been.presented by various persons. " '_"?"■".

r THE QUESTIPN QF QUESTIONS

What forces have the.-British no.w got at : their disposal in South Africa? Well, changes are- being,quickly made ; but the following particulars are very nearly absolutely correct. Away westward on the Rhodesia and ; Bechunanaland ' borders, -Colonel. Baden - Powell: has' -a brigade:, of Frontier Horse.;; ; 'numbering about IOOQ men, who are; said to be" all seasoned South African fighters".' The Frontier Horse is divided'into two regiments—the Protectorate and the : Rha-_ desia Regiment.- Colonel Pluirier has command of the Rhbdesians, who were last heard of at Buluwayb,-and with him „were Lord "Salisbury's fourth ■'• son,. M„aLord Edwaru Cecil' Guards), Dr Jameson, Sir Chas. Met-, calfe, ;and : "•'fighting" ; _ Captain ■ Wilson. The. Protectorates, have just -b'een ordered into Mafening, 480 .miles "south .of BuluwayOj from their camp at Ramathlabamay some 17' miles distant. They are commanded by C. O. Hore (South Staffordshire Regiment). Major A. J. Godley (Royal Dublin' Fusiliers') 'is 1 "acting as adjutant; Lore! C/Cavendish Bentinck (9th' Lancers) has a troop, and Major F."D. Bailey (Westmoreland and Cumberland Yeomanry, late 4th Hussars) has been appointed galloper to Lieutenant-colonel Hove. It is stated that there are in all twelve- Imperial and six colonial officers attached or hi charge of the brigade. Colonel Baden-Powell is, of course, in thief command; but it is anticipated that Major-General Six- ArchiMlf] HVr?ter. will be given charge of the border as soon as hostilities commence. In Kimberley 1000 volunteers have been enrolled, and we learn by cable that 2000 additional troops have hurried into the town within-the past couple, of days, the British Suddenly awakening to the fact that Kimberley if unprotected would .probably,, be the scene "of the very, first Bber*'attack. ..Judging from the" jast mail, which left South Africa' -on August 29th, there are at the Cape:—-■' Nos. 14 'and; 23 Companies,: Western . Division Royal Garrison artillery; 29th, Fortress Company, Royal Engineers ;" Ist North Lancashires, 2nd Royal Berkshires, four detachments of the Army Service Corps, four companies of ~the V 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, -Ist Royal Munster F.usiliers.i and detachments of. the Royal Medical and Ordnance. Corps. In addition, there are the Cape Colonial 'Volunteers, about 7QOO strong; Cape Mounted," Rifles, 1000;*' and. the Capb. Mounted' ing;, there are 4000 regulars, 3000 colonial regulars, and .'9OOO .'< Cape - Colonial- , Volunteers in; -CapeColony, under the command of Lieuten-ant-General Sir Frederick Fores ":>crWalker. . The bulk of the regular troops are, however, at present under Sir W. Penn Symonds' command in Natal.

WHERE THE HOSTS ARE GATHERING.

While the wily diplomatists are struggling with despatches r .-'great events are on the gale, and each hour brings a varying. tale"; to; Boer homesteads and.-Bri- ; "tish soldier camps. The cable recently informed us that a force of 14. Boer guns— quick-firing mountain guns of some sort—had taken up a position at Laing's Nek, and the other morning we learned that a battalion of British infantry l? a 4 been sent to guard the a-ailway-tdnnel at,the same place- As a matter of fact,' the afnied Boers cannot be at Laing's Nek, since that point is five miles inside the Natal-Transvaal and, therefore, in British territory.- Theyfare laagered at Volksrust, a small town about six miles from the frontier, and at Utrecht, a larger centre, about "35 Vmiles south-east of the Nek,i and near Ithe Buffalo River border. of Natal. - High up among the mountains at Wakkerstroom >over 6000 feet above sea-level) there, is also a Boer force, which could easily get to the Nek in the Boer side corresponds to Ladysmith .on the British side,-and the Nek— or -low mountain-ridge connecting two ,*,highe'# r ; in Bfitish r t^mtpXyrj '/LadysMtK 5 .ever, 'closed' upbn 'IOO : - miles x frbhv the

border. The Transvaal - Natal road leads over the Nek, but the railway tunnel runs through from side to side. The railway journey * from "Durban," the Natal port-, to Laing's Nek,'and thence through the Transvaal to JoEannesburg v ' has been frequently and : few^_A. rail journeys so lend themselves to the- T genius of a- • descriptive writer. . . -Approximately, from- Durban -4o liaingV--A Nek Tunnel-the-distance is 220I'.miles, 1 '.miles, and the railway - rises -by sharp curves. ■E[ over terrace after-terrace of magnificent f£ agricultural and grazing-lands, ointil it is •*■» 5600 feet above -sea-level. Once across- t O the Nek the line, runs over the greatest -» of-<all terraces —the vast, central J plateaur kn qi '- South Africa,. L, The.., Natal. ..reJJlway j r - . terminus is.at. a place....called. Chaflesi.town, quite close .to. the famous 'inbiiii'*tain pass, 5386 feet above sea-level, and ; overshadowed' by the .'histbric ''Majhba / Mountain, .where' ill-fated : Colley • : met ,> his disgraceful, though" gallant, death, • ; ';;;., .THE GJU£RJ£QNCIN NATAIT" ~. ;^ m The regular garrison" in Natal now 'r ■iComprises two regiments of '■ L i?th Lancers (Royal Irish) and 18th Hus- : ""' the 13tJb, 67th,-and 69th Batteries" ißoyal Field' Artillery and No. 10 Battery Mountain ' Artillery; 7th FieK' . Company, and 29th Fortress Company, Royal Engineers ;" and Ist Liverpool's *- (King's), Ist Leicestershire, Ist King's : Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Royal Dublin ;.; ••'Fusileers, and Ist* Monchers. In addi- 1 dition, there are several detachments of' the Army Service Corps, Boy al Array Medical Corps, and the Army Ordnance ' Corps. In' all,' mere are about 8000 men of all arms of the service now actually in Natal. The new Commander-in-Chief, Major-General Sir George Ste- ■ .wart White, V.C., is due to "arrive on October 4th with over -1000 men of the -■' Northumberland Fusiliers/ and 'there are three cava-lxy. regiments now'en • / route from India. The Natal Volunteer' I force' is. about 1500 strong, and under " the command of one of the most experienced of South African fighters,: in: the r; person of Colonel J; D. Dartnell,:-once "• of the Central India but who served in the Zulu war of 1879, and was *' : at the battle of Laing's Nek in the - Transvaal campaign of 1881: Summarising, we will arrive at something like the following result: —There are 1000 men. on the western border, 17,000in the Cape, and 9500 in Natal; and between 12,000 and 13,000 men either under immediate, orders or en route to the scene of possible action. • ; BUTCHER » BLLLER. It has been stated that General Right Hon Sir Redvers H. Buller, V.C., has been given the supreme command, and certainly that is a'most likely contingency, since he is persona grata with the 'War Office chiefs. In' South ; Africa generally, his soubriquet of "Butcher" Bulley, earned/in the where Be "first "sprung lntb""pf"Gjninenee, would be. likely to .mijitate against the neiVS oi liiS .appojiiLjnen.o tifciiig very '&Oi'dially welcomed. . Generals Sir" -Frederick Carrington or Sir Chas. Warren would have been names to conjure with- - in South Africa" when raising either native or Afrikander troops. , ;