THE OPPOSING GENERALS. BULLER AND JOUBERT.

New Zealand Mail, 15 February 1900, Page 19

THE OPPOSING GENERALS. BULLER AND JOUBERT.

, , fEN WHO ARE FIGHTING TBE FOR LADYSMITH.

I , , th e supreme command of the Tbo , f r!es in South Africa no longer (British for* c . gir Redvers Buller, rests with ariny . under his charge fit 1S U P°,“ t the eyes of all Englishmen fin Natal tha g^ ce the relief of Sir bare been fi f(jrces at Ladysmith be--1 George f pressing urgency, came * rlntral Buller has, up to the \**g S 6 shown those high quali--1 P. resent L general in the campaign which I t,es anabtedlv possesses, but that has Ibe undcmbt tQ the i ac k 0 f apparent! force at his command. been recognised as one J,f,b«t soldiers in the British B of ‘ daring and resolute, and one in ar . a -' ti,p officers and men alike have H i? fort - v .> w lias been one of conspicuous

merit and devotion to hi: country. In addition to being a Y.C, man, he has

When the premature announcement was ms *e at the beginning of the war •

that Genral Joubert had been killed in action before .Ladysmith, the news

of his death was greeted in England with expressions of regret. For the rugged soldier wno has in this and previous campaigns directed the Boer army with such conspicuous ability has at all times been a magnanimous enemy, and one tor whom our generals have always bail considerable personal respect. Then among Englishmen there has ever been this in lus favour—that Joubert was at all times the advocate of racial union in South Africa, and strove more than any other man in the Transvaal to avert hostilities with England. But being compelled to take the field, the Commandant-General has acquitted himself as a brave soldier and an honourable man. Joubert is of Huguenot descent and a native of Natal, being now about seventy years of age.

The British Government keeps eleven vessels at work sounding and charting the ocean beds to find out where dangers lurk. Last year 10,000 square miles were carefully charted in different parts of the world—Asia, Africa and South Pacific. There are certain lucky creatures which never feel the pangs of thirst, for they are so constituted that drink is unnecessary to them, and they never swallow a drop of water in their lives. Among these animals are certain gazelles of the Far East and the llamas of Patagonia.