THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 12

THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

The Rev. E. J. Hardy, writing - in “Chambers’s, 'ffoumal,” says : —lf ; ‘ we would appreciate the businesslike way “ in which the army corps was despatched to South Africa,, we should by way of contrast think how the French had to get English ships to transport their ?, troops to Madagascar, and of how even the acute Americans muddled their'expedition to Cuba. The arrangements , for this last were so bad that the cavalry horses had to be left behind. The different units were separated from their ? stores, horses,; and baggage; Sanitary " considerations 1 were disregarded, • ana the army had not enough even of “em--balmed beef/’- No one knew where to find medical comforts, and thousands were annihilated by disease. The transports had been so carelessly loaded that neither tents, baggage, camp-kettles, nor extra clothing, arrived at the froht pn-.

til some days after the surrender ; while the heavy guns of the siege-train lying at the bottom of the nold, under tons of material, were never disembarked at all.

Many mistakes were made in the South African campaign; but at least the Avay our army was transported to the seat of Avar deserves great praiseOn the 20th October the first transport sailed. On thef others troops Avere embarked at the rate of 3,500 per diem, and by the 17th November 48,500 men, 132 field-pieces, 47 machine guns, 942 vehicles and 4,644 animals were sent off. Within six Aveeks of the day the Reserves reached London the brigade of Guards was storming a position seven thousand five hundred miles distant from Chelsea Barracks. One of our foreign military critics, avlio animadverts adversely on things in pur army, says on this point: “The difficulties of the country, the almost impossibility or obtaining supplies, the terrors of the climate, the water question, the thousands of horses, mules, and cattle which had to be fed without the possibility of getting a blade of grass or any pasture from the soil—whoever can understand and realise all this will know hoAv hard it is to carry on a Avar at a. distance of six thousand miles from home.” “Such a war,” said the American general Turr, ‘'never A\'as Avaged before, since equal distances have never had to be traversed, nor ha\ r e such difficulties of ground, climate and supply eA r er had f o be surmounted; the nearest approach being the Bosnian’ insurrection, in Avhich the natives also turned soldiers at one moment and innocent farmers the next. The- Bosnian natives Avere also excellent shots, and past-masters in the art of taking cover and using every natural advantage just like the Boers. The distance to Bosnia was, hoAvever, very small, Avhile the area of the insurrection Avas not to be compared Avith that in South Africa from the sea-base up to Mafeking or Pretoria., Abo\'e all, the poor Bosnians had no Creusots and no Mausers, and smokeless powder Avas not yet invented.