THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4318, 29 March 1901, Page 7

THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

COMPLETE POUT OF THE ENEMY. NEW ZEALANDEiiS IN ACTION. (Received March 29, 0.8 a.m.) LONDON, March 28. Lord Kitchener reports with reference to the defeat of General Do la Key by Colonel Babington near Ventcrsdorp, in the Western Transvaal, that the British casualties were two killed and seven wounded. Twrnty.two dead and thirty wounded Boers have already been found on the hold. Owing to tiio rapidity of tho pursuit there wore probably many more Boer casualties. Saturday’s operations resulted in Colonel Babington driving the enemy north from KaffirskraaJ, twenty-six miles north of Veutorsdorp. The mounted troops only continued the pursuit . On .Sunday a combined movement on both flanks drove in the Boer rearguard. The convoy was then sighted at Leeuwfontoin. The Scots Greys, New Zealanders and Australian Bushmen pushed on, the Greys riding down all opposition, amt frustrating the enemy’s attempt to take no a, position. Shortly afterwards, when the New Zealanders, front th 0 east, and the Aus. Indian Bushmen, from tho west, rode into the convoy, tho retirement became a rout. Tho fleeing Boers were pursued until tho pursuers’ horses were exhausted. DEATH OF A NnW ZEALANDER. (Received March 29, 0.16 a.m.) LONDON. March 28. _ Gunner Book, of tho Now Zealand Artillery, died of wounds at Lichtcnburg. TRENCH’S - SUCCESSES IN THE EAST. LONDON, March 27. Lieutenant-General r reach and Major. General Dartnoll have arrived at V ryheid, in tho south-eastern portion of the Transvaal. Since General French commenced his sweeping movement in tho Eastern Transvaal, 1200 cccrs have been killed, wounded and captured ; and seven guns, 1000 rifles, 226,000 horses, cattle anti sheep and 1800 waggons have been captured. AN EFFECTIVE AMBUSH. LONDON. March 27. About 100 of Commandant, My lan’s Boers, on tho 21st instant, ambushed I,‘iO colonial troopers in a rocky defile near Richmond. The colonials surrendered after losing thirteen of their number. They were stripped of their arms and accoutrements and then liberated. THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. LONDON, March 27. Sir Edward Clarke, who last year resigned his seat in tho House of Commons for Plymouth, owing to his constituents censuring him for pro-Boer utterances, has now stated that tho Boers’ rejection of tho generous terms offered them has altered tho circumstances. Ho hopes tho war will he carried to a complete and early termination. • |

MISCELLANEOUS. I LONDONS March 27. Lieutenants H. Banka and H. Collett, of Now Zealand,' and Lieutenant J. C. Campbell, of Western Australia, have accepted commissions in the Royal Artillery. HOBART, March 28. The Tasmanian portion of the Imperial Draft Contingent sailed for South Africa in the troopship Chicago, and had a great send-off. The vessel also took four additional medical officers asked l for by the Imperial authorities. SEVENTH CONTINGENT ENCAMPMENT. THE WORK AT*TRENTHAM. i The Seventh Contingent has now tsettlcd down in its new camp at Trentham, and the daily scene is one of bustle and vigour. The camp is pitched at the south-western corner of the rifle range, and the superiority of this situation to that of Newtown Park has already been found. The camp barber and the “'soft tack 1 ' man have each “followed the flag” to Trentham, where they continue to do good business. The rifle range, which had fallen into a state of desuetude since Trentham was abandoned in the middle nineties as the meeting place of the New Zealand Rifle Association, is fast being put in order. Twenty-five • targets are now set up, and at each hundred yards (up to 700; shallow trenches have bofen dug and pegs put in—in a lino with each target—bearing the number of that ono which it is opposite to. Two small sheds have been erected contiguous to the marker’s trench, in which may bo stored the targets, numbers, discs, and other articles likely to be prejudicially affected by exposure to. the weather. The lack of such facilities'for storage of targets, etc., at the conclusion of the last colonial championship shooting match held at Trentham was responsible for the destruction of nearly a hundred pounds’ worth of property by wear of weather. A Nelson member of the contingent had a serious accident occur to him yesterday afternoon. As he was’riding along the Hutt road near Wallacovillo Ills her so got beyond control, and galloped furiously along the' highway. The trooper became alarmed at the unwonted pace at which his steed was travelling, and jumped from its hack, with disastrous results. When the man was picked up ho was found to bo insensible, and 1 the ambulance was sum--mowed from the camp. An examination showed that ho had suffered concussion of the brain, in addition to \ breaking several ribs. When our representative left for town a consultation was being held as to whether the patient would be taken back to camp or sent to the Wellington. Hospital. His name had not then been ascertained. A sham light, on an extensive scale came off at the camp yesterday. A start was made early. in the morning, and the last party did not return to camp until nearly 3 p.m. A largo amount of ground iris gone over during the movements, some of it being of a , difficult nature. A . front of so vend miles was covered by the manoeuvres, extending' from Trentham to tlio Upper Hutt.. . Some of the-steep hills at tho back of the Upper’Hutt were Vakcn on a face,by tho'.companies operating in that vicinity. ‘ The weather was hot, and the men had consequently a trying time, but they bore up bravely until they found they would be late for dinner- : 1 During skirmishing operations on Wednesday last, -a. former*' member of the

Wellington Guards (Sergeant Love; was shot in the thumb of the right hand by an excitable comrade-in-arms, who was stalking him round a corrugated iron hut. The wound is a painful one, but inasmuch as the powder is only akin deep, no serious consequences are likely to ensue. One of the bearers of the Ambulance Corps attached to the Seventh Contingent is'said to Te a duly qualified M.D. Tho discovery was not made until after ho had been sworn in. A few troopers came into town by last night’s train-’ Very little leave, however, is being granted from the Trenham camp, as it is recognised that all time is now required for drill and other duties A trooper of tho Fifth Contingent who was tentatively appointed to a lieutenancy in the Seventh, this week, failed to pass the medical examination. He has therefore tendered his resignation of the office- • Dissatisfaction exists among the 'men of the Seventh because they are being compelled to. .do- their shooting with Martini-Henry rifles, instead of being given an-opportunity of familiarising themselves with the .803- arm, -Which they will have to use in actual warfare. That this should be the case is not creditable to the Defence Department. It may he that there arc not sufficient .303 rifles in. store to enable tho author!, ties to .equip tho men with them, but if that be so, tin re -still remains the fact that the Volunteers could be levied upon for the -.303 rifles with which they are armed. It is.doubtless an excellent thing not to wantonly interfere with the arms of Volunteers once they arc issued—but in such, a; case as the presonc it would be better a thousand times that there should: be .a little dissatifcfac. tion in Volunteer ranks rather than that the men who are to be sent to the front should'bo .set down there without a thorough practical knowledge of th ( > intricacies and peculiarities of the weapon with which' they are to do their deadly work.'’ Whatever may be the actual reason of the existence of such a state of affairs as that which causes the grievance before referred to, the fact remains that. something approaching a scandal exists, and it would be advisable that even so late in tho day as this some steps should be taken to correct it. The Premier has been advised that Private Best, of Nelson, a member of the Fourth Contingent, is dangerouly ill of ontoric fever at Potchefstroom. A cablegram received by the Premier and dated Johannesburg, the 27th instant, states that five officers and seventeen man of the Fourth Contingent have volunteered for service in the Seventh Contingent. Tho Premier received a cable yesterday from Hobart stating that Sergeant A. H. Challis, of tho Fourth Contingent (Invercargill) has sufficiently recovered to leave for New Zealand by the Monowai on Saturday.