TRANSVAAL WAR

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 45

TRANSVAAL WAR

recent heavy fighting. LONDON, January. l3. _ i Wind’s column captured ,K 1 u5.,""..0rt!,-«e s t of Ermelo, forty-t" 0 " Transvaal, including i» I he Wohnarans, Captain Wolmarans s°Li^s w. s *“* s Bvug has captured several Poors and a Krnpp gun minus a breechblock liear Reitz ’ 1,1 the uorth -' vest of j °T states that during • Christian Botha’s fight with Maj or Volforce at Amersprmt, in the hast- j 6t Trvnv-.al. forty-two Boers were ' ESod™:j wtent, .rounded , Times” coiTospoudont it fr p.nlo savs the latest successes she* that krid right marches and surprises arc . The onlv means of catching tne scareu . Boers and enclins the v.ai. LONDON, January 14. Cc’onel Wing intercepted a letter. f-oVGeneral Piet Viljoen, announcing t }, a t Commandant Opperman, leader of the south-eastern commandoes had been killed in an engagement with Colonel Plunier's force. Colonel Wing found a grave over which was a cross bearing the commandant's initials. . Sir Gordon Sprigs, Premier, of ..ace Colony, in tho course of a speech, said Great Britain must accept no terms — only unconditional surrender. She should then give the Boers just and generous treatment. prisoners is being formed at Antigua, in the West Indies , . . r „ , General Do Wet’s chief oiacors. by five against three, decided to fight two months longer. ■v m? i named Lieber.berg lias been executed at Aliwr.l North for murdering Lieutenant Nenmeyer, who was captur-f.-i unarmed and shot by two Boers m November, 1900. The other murderer j, a( | been previously executed. LONDON, January 15.

Major-Genera! Bruce Hamilton wires: ““Was marching wiien Colonel \ving reported a large concentration on the very spot he had encamped the previous night. “I retraced my steps, but unfortunately the Boers had quitttod the place, the inmates of a roadside farm having given the alarm. • •‘On reaching Knnpdaar, saw the enemy trekking three miles distant, Botha’s Cape cart being a little beyond. They were chased for seven miles, when the British hcrs:es became exhausted. Saw four hundred Boevs. “British casualties were slight. Thirty-three Boers were captured.” Captain Muller, a German, commands Bo Wet’s guns. Do Wet. by doubling, has eluded pursuit near Vrede. A portion of his followers were driven to- the hills south of Heilbron. Lord Kitchener's weekly'report shows that 20 Boers have been killed, 9'wounded and 203 captured, while 93 have surrendered.

The British. Government has purchased 80.000 morgen of land in the Ficksburg district, 45.000 at Tliabanclm, and more elsewhere in Orange River Colony, and is already allotting the farms. ' LONDON, January 10. Twenty-five of Brand’s commando ran the gauntlet of heavy fire from blockhouses from Thabanchu in the direction of Dewetsdorp. Christian Do Wot is reported to he north-east of Lhidley, in Orange River Colony. Batches cf Boers aggregating a considerable number are being captured dailv.

Lord Kitchener has accumulated a vast number of remounts at Bloemfontein in readiness for the arrival of reinforcements. He is preparing a big effort. to end tbc war. The “ St. James’s Gazette ” directs

attention to the fact that this is the X *irst time federal troops have been sent to South Africa. j A “Daily News” correspondent who accompanied Major Yallentin’s expedition near Amcrspoort, about the 11th “'stv which ended so seriously for tho British column, gives a vivid description of the fighting. Major Vallentin, with 230 men, was sent to hustle tho Boers northwards from Major-General Plunier’s column. Colonel Pulteney’s column acted in support, while Colonel Colvin’s New Zealanders were held in reserve. Major Toll’s Queenslanders made a brilliant charge upon the highest emincnco - The enemy fled, and tho march vas resumed. Shortly afterwards the Hampshire men, forming part of Major Vallcntm’s command, rested for dinner at the corner of ail evacuated plateau. . Suddenly a swarm of Boers sprang up in front and on both flanks, and taking advantage of good cover poured vole.vs upon tho British troops, disabling men right and left. Lieutenant Wilson, W!° had charge of a pompom, the Hampl/™ 5 ’ a ' ld t* l ? mounted Queenslanders ne« ZTT ° ac i ? tlier in tho stubbornness of their resistance, but they were no covc r ,Cred 3y thrCG t 0 one ’ al * d had Bri tish right retreated under 1 a mmlv t U , S fir ?’ Ca Pt a in Johnstone, forfeit mo b rH°u £ing to 1 Strathcona’s Horse, nIG m Ily wound ®d, vainly trying t 6 whi-e t blS - mol \ Ma j°r Vallentin fell executecl H-° rd f f’ "W Ca P tain ToB injunction wasr? mu st stand, Toll, to tho last » eighty yards of sar6edto$ ar 6 edto Within - 'V yards of the British,, lieutenant

Wilson’s pompom with its last shells ' mowed down five cf the enemy, and then, limbering up, the gun was galloped back to shelter, where the scat- ' tered remnants of the force were reor- | ganised. Meanwhile the gallant Queens- j landers and Hampshires were over- ! whelmed. j Major Pulteney at this stage arriving with guns, clrecked the advance against < Lieutenant Wilson, whom sonic mount- . ed infantry on a kopje supported. j A Boer detachment attacking Pul- I teney’s left, found itself confronted by two companies of Victorians, who seiz- ! ed the kopje, and the New Zealanders i also appearing, caused the enemy to re- J tire. | The “Daily' Telegraph” correspondent mentions that General Oppermaim was ! , killed by a shell during the engage- I ! ment. His death is expected to lead to j tho desertion and surrender of many j ' Boers. I Lieutenant-Colonel Viall’s West Australians greatly distinguished themselves during the engagement, seizing a number of positions and replying to the 1 enc-my from all points. j LONDON. January 17. ! Commandants Kemp and Belliers have raided a thousand cattle from the Mafeking district. 1 Ivir Kruger’s latest advices are to the effect that Afrikander recruits for the Boer.cause are rapidly dwindling. Other advices state that Commandant Kemp’s and General Do la Key’s men are clamouring for surrender. The recently-seized papers cf General Smuts shove that tlie S.tazis had sup- ’ plied tiie Boers with information, provisions and munitions cf war. A Colonial (Juice Blue-book contains an intercepted letter from General Shall; Burger tc Mr Sceyn, ex-'Pre.sident of the Grange Free State, slating that the condition cf affairs was daily becoming more serious. He writes:—“The Boers have lately suffered and lost much. If we are convinced that cur resources are exhausted and our last strength broken, . we must bow down and surrender, no matter how bitter.” General Burger’s letter is dated 21st Marsh last. Mr Slooter, lately a Transvaal predikant, lias created a sensation in : America. Ho asserted that the Boers • aimed at the expulsion of the British from South Africa, and that Mr Kruger ; was divinely commanded to declare war. , LONDON, January 17. > : Slooter’s statements were contained t in a pamphlet published in America.

BACK FROM THE FRONT. AUCKLAND, January 17. Tbc fcllov. ing are the names cf service men who have returned by tho Aotea: Regimental - Quartermaster Parkinson, Sixth Contingent : SergeantMajor E. Lockett, Seventh Contingent; Sergeant-Major T. Porter, Seventh Contingent; Sergeant A. Atkins, Fifth Artillery; Sergeant G. B. Bougen, Seventh Contingent; Sergeant F. Hawkesby, Fifth Contingent; Sergeant H. McDonald, Seventh Contingent; Sergeant J. McDonald, Seventh Contingent ; Sergeant T. Wolford, Seventh Contingent; Sergeant W. C. Searle, Fourth Contingent; Sergeant W. N. Melville. Thorneyerofr.s Mounted Rifles; Corporal J. S. Allen, Kaffrarian Mounted Rifles; Privates J. M. Butler, H. Houchen and E. P. Philpot, Seventh Contingent; Private R. F. Wullan, Imperial Light Hourse’; W. J. Volt-on, Thorneycroft’s; J. Cameron, Thorneycroft’s; W. Kidd, Imperial Mounted Rifles; H. J. Horner. Kaffrarian Rifles; J. Sloan, Imperial Light Horse; and T. J. Skinner, Seventh Contingent.

It will be remembered that over twelve months ago, Lieutenant R. W. Collins, of the Fourth Contingent, son cf Lieutenant-Colonel Collins, was granted an Imperial commission, and posted to the Oxfordshire Light Infantry. Owing to the result of a severe wound received by him in action at Ottoshoop in August, 1900, he was unable to join bis regiment, and therefore had to relinquish his commission. The Commander-in-Chief (Lord Roberts) has, however, notified that Lieutenant Collins is to be appointed to the “ Reserve of Officers,” bis commission dating from the lltli December, 1901.