THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4291, 26 February 1901, Page 7

THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

CABLE NEWS.

UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. —BY ELKCTBIO TEI/EMtAFH. COPTEIGHX.

+ l>E AVET IX DISTRESS. A DESPERATE 'POSITION. (Received February '2o, 10.40 p.m.) LONDON', February '2o. A 'Renter's message states that it is reported at Cape-town that after the engagement at Disoiifontcin General Do Wet* crossed the Orange River in n T)'oa.t, fleeing with a handful of followers. ("Received February 26, 0.20 a.m.) LONDON. February 2">. Major-Uejierul Tlumer reports that Colonel Owen, with, detachments of l.ho King'.- Dragoon Guards, the Victorian Imperial Bushmen and the Imperial Light- 'llmw, on Saturday eaptnrod Do Wet' 1 : fifteen-pounder and pom-poms. Tho Roei'si are in lull retreat, and ara dispersing. They are being vigorously pursued. I<'ifty prisoners and some carts and ammunition, were captured. There were no British casualties. Other reports stare that De Wet on Friday thrice failed in attempts to cross '.he Brak and Or:.ne/e rii'i"s. Major-General Plumer on Saturday chased De Wet from Kameldrift to. wards ITopetown. Fancying that the British were exhausted, Do Wet laagerrJ in the evening. Colonel Owtu then enarged and captured the enemy's artillery. The Boers fled, leaving their horses j Middled and their cooking pots full. Mr Bennett, Burleigh states that Colonel Owen also captured a Maxim gun. The Boers are scattered in small bodies, De Wet's party beinj reduced to three- hundred Mr Steyn told the Boers, many of whom wer« dismo\mted and shoeless, to .shift as best they could and return to the. Orange River Colony. Mr Steyn and Do Wet took 300 of tho host horses and crossed tho railroad at Krankiul, sixty miles north of De Aar, early on Suuday morning, going east-

ivyrcl. . . Colonel Thonieyci’oft and others, wit:i fresh horses, nrc closely pursuing the fugitives-

RETORT I' 1 ROM- GENERAL FRENCH

RETREAT OF THE ENEMY,

(Received February 25, 10.40 p.ui.) LONDON, February 25. General French reports that on Friday bo occupied Piet Relief, near the Swaziland frontier.

Tho troops :ire now guarding the fvontier-

Five thousand Boors are retreating in scattered disorganised parties. Tlio pursuit is much hampered by continuous heavy rains. General T®fcnch gives the following list of losses inflicted to the 16th inst:—2B2 Boors known to be killed and wounded in action ; 56 taken prisoner ; 183 surrendered ; one fifteen-pounder, 462 rifles, 160,000 rounds of small ammunition, 3500 horses, 74 mules, 3530 trek oxen, 18,700 cattle, 155.100 sheep and 1070 wagons and carts captured.

The British had five officers and 41 men killed, and four officers and 108 men wounded.

FIGHTING AT CLOSE RANGE. STUBBORN DEFENCE BY BOERS. LONDON, February 25. The Boers stubbornly defended for six hours a strongly fortified position, extending a distance of ten miles, at Hartheestefontem. There was much fighting at dose range, and the "Boers only retired wheni both their flanks were turned. All their cattle were captured. TNVASION OF CAPE COLONY. A COMPLETE" FAILURE. LONDON, February 23. Lord Kitchener states that General Do Wet's invasion of Cape Colony ha.? completely failed. CAPTURE OF LIVE STOCK. LONDON, February 25. Lord Methuen captured at Brakpan 1300 cattle and 1000 sheep. BOER POST~SURPRISED. LONDON, February 25. A party of Imperial Yeomanry surprised and captured a Boer post at Bethlehem, bayoneting five of the enemy.

WOUNDED COLONIALS

LONDON, February 24. The following further casualties in recent engagements are reported: Severely wounded—Lieutenant ' Mann, Sergeant Ross, Privates Carbide, Davis, Siddlo and Stevens, Victorian Bushmen ; Privates Strickland and Bolitso, Westralian. Bushmen ; Privates- Bourko and Onns, New Soutli Wales Bushmen; Corporal Mnyne, Queensland- Mounted Rifles.

STRATIICONA'S HOR&E,

OFFICERS ENTERTAINED.

SPEECH BY MR CHAMBERLAIN,

(Received February 26, 0 37 a.m.) LONDON, February 25

Baron Strathcona entertained officers of Strathcona’s Horse who arc returning to Canada. Earl Roberts, General Bullcr, Lord Lansdowne and Mr Chamberlain were present. Mr Chamberlain, in the course of a speech, said that the action of the colonists in volunteering for active service had had an enormously far-reaching result. It was difficult to limit tno numbers of colonists who were willing to servo. While the Empire had such noble sons she could defy the four comers of the earth.

AUSTRAIJAN CYCLISTS. (Received February 25, 11.18 p.m.) BRISBANE, February 25. A cable has been received from Cape-! town accepting the offer of fifty cyclists to go with the Fifth Contingent. It is- expected the contingent will get away on Saturday.

MISCELLANEOUS

LONDON, February 24

Ut 13 estimated that the Boers lost a thousand killed, wounded and prisoners during January, over two hundred dead being actually counted. Their' losses for 'February up to the. .present are estimated at 800. The Imperial Government supports the proclamation issued by Lord Kii>

ehcner prohibiting the circulation of newspapers ami books calculated to encourage the Boers in continuing their resistance.

A military tribunal at Johannesburg lias sentenced two burghers who were captured while attempting tc enter that town to be shot for espionage.

An explosion on the trade stopped the mail train from Natal to Johannesburg near Heidcborg on the 20th. Three hundred Boers who were in hiding fired on. the train and wounded five passengers. British troops arrived and repulsed the enemy. Lieutenant Morrison, of the Canadian Artillery, declares that the “Now York “tin” garbled his letters from the front. The pro-Boer journals in England copied the gabled accounts, and the Conciliation Committee founded by the Right lion Leonard Courtney reproduced them. The “Daily Chronido" exposure has led to the withdrawal of the pro-Boer pamphlet and- a promise to publish Lieutenant Morrison's letters in extenso.

I SEVENTH CONTINGENT. NAPIER, February 2">. I Trooper Peterson one of the returned members of the Fourth Contingent, and who was injured by the British lifter escaping from tho Boers a! Nooitgedaeht, has been accepted for the Seventh Contingent. Tho ten men chosen, here for the Seventh Contingent left for "Wellington this morning. Nearly 100 applications were received for enrolment. ESTVERCAHGILL, February 25. Southland's twenty-two for t'>e Seventh Contingent have been selected, and will loavo to-morrow for Wellington. There are six men among them from local volunteer corps, but the majority are from rural districts, and are, if anything, a bettor stamp of man physically than those who went before.

GISBORNE, February 2.3. The Gisbomo section of the Seventh Contingent, numbering twelve, with two emergency men, was despatched to Wellington by the To Anau la«fc night, in charge of Sergsant-Major Finn. The men were given a great send-off, the City Band playing them to the steamer. _ WANGANUI, February 2.3. The Wanganui seotion (ten men) of the Seventh Contingent were entertained, at luncheon to-day by the Mayor, and left by express train for Wellington, receiving a hearty send-off. From the six hundred odd applications for the thirty vacancies in the Seventh Contingent which comprise the Wellington headquarters quota, thirty have been selected, subject to the usual tests and final acceptance. Tlmy are reel nested by advertisement to report themselves to the officer commanding the Newtown camp to-day. The Premier ' yesterday received a cable Captain O. C. Hales, of the steamship Chicago, at Albany, as follows:—" "Regret have to report death from pneumonia 2716 Trooper ,j. Farrell, Feb. 21st. Buried at sea." Trooper Fan-ell was a son of Mrs Ki'liikihi, Auckland. The Premier yesterday received a cablegram, from the officer commanding at Capetown, dated 23rd February, stating; that. 304 Sergeant E. Fitzgerald (Second Contingent), son of Sirs Fitzgerald, Wellington, raid 618 Trooper F. C. Dora. (Third Contingent), son of Mr C. J. Dorn, Oxford, are progressing favourably at No. 2 Hospital, Pretoria.