THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4300, 8 March 1901, Page 7

THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

CABLE NEWS.

L'NITW) PEES 3 ASSOCIATION. BY ELECTEIC TELECIiIAPH.—COPT EIGHT.

MOVE.MENTS |,jr W i;T. now 'nix orange river was CROSSED. BIDTLSIf COLUMNS OUTFACED, (Received Alaveh 8. 0.20 a.in.) LONDON, March 7. General D<! Wet's o-cape ~t. Lilliefm:Inin wa ; due In miscalculating, resulting i!i a column under Colonel flic Don J. )i. lie -i.g. which v. - :is operating in that m'igbbonrhood. being temporarily blit |;creni|iU>rilv ordered to procoeii lo I laiuili'ontein. Tin-, was tlio psychological moment. of Uic whole pursuit, and Do Wot, instantly f-eizing the opportunity, crossed 'die nvnr in Colonel Byng’s absence. it is felt. Ihafc greater initiative ought (o be allowed, to the British commanders (in Die spot, inasmuch as it is impossible to wire orders. General Do Wet usually outpaces Die be-v column by live, .miles a, day, and indi" s Dio I’rilisb commander shakes Id ; rearguard immediately it is uupo;-.-fdble I n jcainl ain contact. Giai.eral Do W> t lost four thousand hordes during tl,n inva-ion of Cape O o |. i"iy. but (.Vimrnandanl 1 lertzog, when Ini; joined Idm, brought a splendid, supply of; (I! 'ceivo'd March 7, 11.7,7 n.m.l LONDON. .March 7. General De Wei; is scattering Ids fol. leaver', into groups. Six British eohnr.ns o.ro in pursuit. LIGHTING IN CAPE COLONY. (Received .March 7, 11.77 p.m.) LONDON, Alarch 7. 'l’li rue hundred Boers on the nth in.st. attacked Aberdeen, thirty miles south- J east' of Graaf Roiue.t, in Cape Colony, ’ and were repulsed tTter four hours’ light- I ing. There wore no British casualties. "Ml! ktatkmknt'to MAKE.” ■ LONDON, March (5. 1 In the Mouse of Commons, the Right Mon \V. St. J. Tlrodriek, .Secretary for ’ V. r ar, replying to questions with refe- , reuse to the peace negotiations with. . General .Botha, said:—-“I have no state- ‘ j ik’tit to make on tho subject.'’ ; FEELING IN SOUTH AFRICA. 1 LONDON, Alarch 6. j Lord Kitchener and Sir Alfred Milner are at Pretoria. • An optimistic feeling prevails at Cape11iv.'ii. and Pretoria that there will bo an early ending of the war. Commandant Stecnkamp, at Philippolis, declares the contest hopeless, and be mid his commando arc returning to • their homos. SEVENTH CONTINGENT. The district office has been besieged, during I he past few day;; with men anxious to be enlisted in the Seventh Con- I tangent. The announcement that the, I cout ingnit was In bo increased to alolal strength, of 500 evidently gave rise I to tin; idea, that the extra number would: 1 ■bo raised locally, and. that the only 4 thing necessary for men. wishing to cm- 1 list was to come to Wellington City. As a. matter of fact, the- extra quota to ‘ which Wellington City became entitled ‘ by the decision to increase the strength 1 to 500 was only live. The total extra f allotment for the Wellington district i was forty, but the volunteer district isa most comprehensive- one. There were 1 already twenty over the full number of 1 Wellington, men in camp when the in- J crease was decided upon; so that only i a score of actual vacancies were made f by the decision. These have been filled 1 . up for some time now, and it would c therefore be wiser for those thinking c of coming to Wellington for enlistment' t to stay at homo and assist in sowing 3 next year’s grain 'crop. .« The appointments or non-commission,- 1 cd officers which have boon made at the Newtown camp arc only of a temporary - nature. It i is anticipated that the per- i niarmit appointments will not ho made 1 for a week or more. J

Lieutenants D. • Stewart, 11. W. Wilkinson, J. Drury, J. A. Collcdgc mid W. ]H, Wilson arc recent appointments to the contingent. Air Wilson was a sergeant in the Second New Zealand Contingent. The men of the contingent are still being drilled in squads, the drill duties comprising setting-up work, marching, wheeling evolutions, signalling, etc. The practice is all supervised by Staff-Ser-geant-Major Macdonald. Yesterday afternoon three sections were taken out to Miramar and exorcised in riding. An improvement was shown in the horsemanship as a, whole. Between five and six o’clock .a contingent man gave an exhibition of rough-riding to a. crowd of onlookers numbering several hundreds. Ho sat his mount in a manner that aroused hearty plaudits from the crowd.

Tho parade state- of the camp last night was as follows:—Wellington district, five officers anil 100 men; Canterbury district, five officers and 90 men ; Auckland district, three officers and 91 men; Otago district, four officers and .75 men.

There are yet a little over 100 men to come into camp to make up the full, complement of 500. It will be seen from the above state that none of the second Otago detachment.has ret arrived. Wellington district is the nearest to fid! muster, but it has yet a. few men to come 111.

Lieutenants Emerson (Napier)'. Solw.vn .lo.vco .(Lyttelton) and Richardson iM ellington) joined tho Newtown eamp yesterday, having been granted commissions in the Seventh. Contingent. Lieuh'"r H r U i-i '* oyc ’° is 11 sou of tho late ,-..tl.ic. lor Lyttelton, and Lieutenant Richardson -is a sou of Air Richardson , ot the. Lauds and’ Survey Department, Wellington.

Surgeon-Captain De Renzi has telegraphed to tho Premier that tho invalid troopers who have arrived in Sydney by tho Ranee are doing satisfactorily Ho and they will leave for AVellmotoii hy tho Alonowai to-morrow. °