"AS OTHERS SEE US."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11684, 17 March 1900, Page 4

"AS OTHERS SEE US."

FRENCH FRIENDLINESS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, February 2,

It is always well to "see ourselves as others see us," and I feel sure that a few friendly comments which I have culled from the French papers of the last day or two will be reaci with interest in New Zealand.

"Everything seems," says the Gaulois, "to indicate that the British are marching to the disaster that will definitely, close the campaign ivi Natal." The Journal dcs Dobals thinks that "England's humble attitude to Germany is a lesson to other Powers who may be in an even better position than Gevmany to speak loudly to her." And the Figaro declares that, " After what has passed the Powers have lost .much of their belief-in the British supposed naval superiority, and the efficacy of the navy to protect the British Isles from attack."

Biito these are mere compliments. Read what La Depeche says:—"And now it is finished. The whole world considers England a fallen nation, and may dare to stand, up to her. Even Portugal doe? as the others. What a fall, and what shame for proud Albion!" And La Patrie: "England is noiv silent, almost respectful. "Why? Because she is beaten in the Transvaal. Yesterday she was insolent, arrogant, menacing. A year ago-— let us not forget it—England was preparing to attack France." La Patrie omits to add that directly England.showed her teeth France gave in!

"Until we have further and decisive proofs," observes the Libre Parole, pleasantly, "we must admit that the first part of General Buller's operations have so far ended in failure, while we wait for the second to. culminate, it is to^ be hoped, in a disaster." " The Engj lish," says La Patrie, " have no more men to put under arms for South Africa. A proof of this fact is that at the port of Roehefort-sur-Me» there are at present four British j merchantmen, the crews of xrhicli are eu- ! tirely composed of Spaniards. The only Eng- ! lish on board are the captains and mates." Tliis. of course, is absolutely eonelirsive. "We must attach ourselves to England's flanks like a vulture to its prey," says the Estafette. "We must give pacific assurances to Germany: we must understand one another, we two. Nothing is easier at the present time: for Germany desires nothing more than to extend the hand of friendship to Russia and ourselves." "England," remarks the Figaro, ' is liko a man getting on in years, ; who suddenly finds, after he has been used to eating anything and -everything, that hisdigestion is not what it was: that, in fact, he I T, 1'1 nt»ve to bo careful and diet himself a little. England finds it annoying, but will do it. The requisite change will he made. But I she is gluttonous, so gluttonous!" "Alas! the aged Bri+ish Sovereign! " sighs La Franca j with hypocritical sorro-.v. "Had she then need to redden with deeper hue her Imperial mantle? There has been so much blood shed . I smco her arrival to power that a new heea- ) I tomb would seem unnecessary. But it is the ! 1 same with the crime of war as with other ; crimes—when one has once spilled blood one loves to Dpi!', more." M. Henri Roebeforfc agreeably BUfccicsts that the Boars should lynch their British p,-jso tiers. This is how he puts it: "The dum, ' clum bullet' has been proscribed by the nations who signed the Geneva Convention In ' win:; this bullet England is violating the laws of warfare. To-morrow she will be' usinp- explosive bullets. Why draw the line at dumdum? Wo hope the Boers will apply the Jaw of retaliation. There are hostages at Pretoria, and lynch law is n.n Anglo-Saxon institution. , "Death to the English!" shrieks La Cocarde. These words must he our railyintr cry, as they were at the commencement of the_ fifteenth century. Of course, we do not > desire the drath of nvPrv ) uiman heiacc „,,,„ i l.yes between t'-e English Channel and the Scottish firths. 8,,t what we wish and what j we call for with all our strength is the -ruin ! j the annihilation. s. n d the death of the E;i~j iisli nation." And La France takes up the ' ! strain:'"At the present hour EngMnd is at the mercy of the world, and a great mistake ! will be made in not profiting by her embar- ' rassment to ruin her completely. The V.wr- ; lish bogey is merely a bogey because we have chosen to make it one, ancl there is not at ; I present a single country in Europe that does ! I no, believe itself quite capable of <rettin<* even with ti.is false s i ant , whose menaces and bluster noed not havo been taken seriously" j At .the- risk of putting a spoke in the ' wheel of tlm General movement or^niwd at ' l\ice by Britith .-isents." remarks !'A.iito-i!c ' I will say plainly tliat Frenchmen, whether ;- hotelkeepers or others, who have had tr-» r-n ' hanpy coi-rntre to announce their sympathy with the English nre bad citizens, and that ! no true natriot will darken their clnnrs 1 ' know well that the SP H W3 of sowp at Nic»". at xuu. wherever,.in fn.ot. tho En^lisl, have been I in the habit of sleopine themselves sobP- ! have but one thought, which is to keep up j this noisome but lucrative clientele. Only ; we are those to box their ears as worthless : retches, ancl to s«it our contempt in their I faces. Let the British go ancl nurse them- ' selves somewhere else, instead of in our conn-' try! If they need sunshine for their convalescents, lot them go to Fashocla ! " ; Is it not "all that there is of the most charminir"— courteous, graceful friendV and kind? . We-Wv- our French pres, now. But exposition days are coming, and then!

S^Eg^ra-sagsi^gggngsa^

I A LADY'S EXPERIENCES A 1 MODDER

J MVEK, i (Cape Times, Bth February.) !• ..A Graham^ Town lady has placed at the ! disposal of the press a letter she has just t received from her sister at Modder River, , and from which we make the following ex"tracts :— ■ ■ ■": ---•'-■ . -

', Just a few lines to let you-know that we are still in the laud of the living, although I myself am very much shaken indeed.by what I have gone, through for over -.even weeks, with the Boers comhig' and going, and'you may.be sure that I .had a .very hard time of it with them. Moreover, affn'i 'the iirst v.-eck we had no food, ar/1 could riot buy any, because the Boers bought it all up, and would not1 sell me' any, although they gave it by the bagful to Mrs B. and Mrs L. But then; I was British, and that was why they would not give or sell me anything. Tlk consequence was that we were starving foi weeks. 1 sent to ask someone to sell me 2s worth of meal, and they sent word back to the effect that they would see me lie rotting first, Thus for .12 days I had only one egg a day, and the children had to go out and get " ainkjes " —you know what they are. And when the Transvaalers came m matters were worse still, for. unlike the Free Staters, they were more like savages than civilised men. Finally, when our troops arrived, if was simply awful. lor 13 hours they.did not stop.fighting for five minutes, and the Free Staters fell like peas. I am quite sure that 3000 were-killed, and lots of them thrown into the river. Otherr, 'were buried, but some were not quite dead , at the time, for bur men subsequently found them with their arms and lege sticking uv> , as if they, had tried to get out upon regain- [ rag consciousness. It is awful to think I of bpin;; buried alive ! The Boors put dynamite c'.OoO to my house with the object of blowing it up. They also laid some all round the station and- by the bridge, but the British were too quickly upon them, thank God, and I was there to warn them. You cannot conceive what we wont through, and God forbid that I fhould experience anything of the kind again. ■ Now we are safe; the Boers are around us, but they cannot gel to the line. I am confident that they cannot hold out much longer, for the only food they have is meat, and it will not. be long before our troops' have thenr surrounded. On the day of the battle I . thought I would have died, the explosion of ■ the shells over our heads was awful, as were . likewise the showers of bullets around us. At . about 12.30 300 Boers, with two cannon, came j down from Fourteen Streams, and they had j only just got into the drift when ,a shell fell , amongst them, killing pome and wounding j2O others. The latter rame to me to bind up | their wounds, which I did. Just then one got shot in the knee, and no one would go out to help him, so I had to go and do my best for him. Then, right up to 12 o'clock at night, , the wounded kept coming in, and the first thing in the morning I went out under fire three limes to attend to others and look after them until our troops ramc over, when I handed thorn all—some 45 in number—to Lord Blackwood, who took them prisoners, and sent them to Capetown in charge of four doctors.