THE BOER WAR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2389, 14 December 1899, Page 11

THE BOER WAR.

A LETTER FROM CAPE-

TOWN.

LADYSMITH BELEAGUERED.

DISGRACEFUL BOER TREACHERY.

ARRIVAL OF PRISONERS.

(Faoit Oub Special Cokhespokdknt.)

CAPETOWN, November 7.

The best news that has reached Capetown for some days now was that published on Sunday, when, despite the restrictions of the Sunday Trading Act, special editions were issued by the Cape Times conveying the news of a conspicuous success on the part of the British arms in Natal. Since the news of the surrender of tho detached British force under Colonel Carleton, to which I referred in my previous letter [delayed on the Nineveh], there has been a certain gloom resting on the town, whilst the Transvaal supporters have been going about jubilant, shaking hands with each other gleefully over the reverse which had unfortunately overtaken our troops. The Transvaal cause has many sympathisers in this city — Afrikanders, most of them — who do not scruple to display their feelings, and they havd been encouraged in their insolent" attitude by the extreme forbearance of the Imperial authorities, who, in the opinion of tho vast majority of loyal colonists, have carried leniency infinitely too far in dealing with these gentr}' and the treasonable talk in which they openly indulge.

THE FIGHTING AT LADYSMIIH.

Ladysmith, the military depot in Natal, has for some days past been the pla^o to whioh all eyes in South Africa have lieen turned. Communication by telegraph ceased come days ago, and considerable anxiety was felt for the safety of the British forors, vlio, in the faee'of an enormous force of Beors, had fallen back on the camp. Sunday's., nens is as yet unconfirmed, but it was telegraphed down from Estcourt, a town close to Ladysmith, that thero had been a big engagement, and that not only had the Boers lost heavily, but 2000 of them had been taken prisoners. This is, it is to be feared, an exaggeration, for official confirmation of the statement has not come to hand. At any rate, it is clear that the British troops have achieved a series of victories in the recent engagements which have daily bsen taking place at Ladysmith. The principal engagement was fought between a large Boer commando and a forco of artillery and cavalry. The Boers were discovered by' the British troops in a strong position, north-west of Colenso, and the artillery at once opened a heavy fire upon them. Additional artillery came out from Ladyemith, aHd-the enemy. were briskly shelled, eventually abandoning their position. Thereupon the cavalry, consisting of a regiment of Dragoons, a regiment of Lancevs, and the Imperial Light Horse, succeeded in coming up with them in open country, and fairly cut the commando to pieces. In addition to the cavalry, the infantry eventually came up. and, getting amongst the Boers with fixed bayonets, did tremendous execution. The exasperation of our troops on this occasion appears to have been only natural. When the Boers were caught on the open ground, they raised several white flags, and the British advanced without firing to accept their surrender. When the troops were at close range, however, the enemy euddenly poured a volley into them. This^action is quite in accordance with the prance pursued by the Boer 3 throughout the /war.

BULLER' S ADVANCE.

Meanwhile preparations for pressing on with the campaign go on here apace. Sir Redvers Buller, who last Sunday attended service at the Cathedral, is still in Capetown, and it is estimated that he is ecaroely likely, to begin his advance before next month. During the next fortnight some 40 transports are expected to reach colonial ports with troops and stores, and when once the troops are landed little time will be lost, owing to the forward state to which transport arrangeinonte and other details out here have been brought during the last" week or two, in making a start for Pretoria or Bloemfontein. The question might be, and indeed, is, asked, Why are tho Boors eueh fools as to oppose the advance of an army against which they have no chance whatever? Their general, JouL*rt, is a shrewd man ; he is known by the sobriquet of " Slim Piet," and must know what he is likely to bo called upon to oppose, and that his ultimate defeat is certain. So he does in all probability; but t-ho Transvaal have not been pouring arms into their magazines during the last three 3'ears for nothing. They have in the Transvaal, -as i 3 well known, about five rifles for every burgher ; and they relied on an enormous percentage from the Dutch population of this colony joining their forces the instant that war was declared. The mala point which tho Boers have failed to grasp, and which has led them lo enter upon a war which will cost them their country, however, its this : that the Government in Downing street to-day is very^different from that which held the reins of office in' 1881, at the time of tho retrocession.

WHAT THE BOERS RELIED ON

Their plan of campaign is fairly obvious. They hoped to overrun Natal, achieve two or three successes before the bulk of the troops had reached these shores, and trust to making terms with the Home Government as they did with Mr Gladstone in 1881. What they have Hot realised, however, is that now the nation is behind the Government in its war policy. Oversea they mean business this time. Buller is a business man, and he has a free hand to go on and plant the British flag in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The Government of England backs him, an dthe nation stands behind the Government, and this is precisely what the Boers do not believe. Doubtless, they will be better informed by the new year. Of course, there is this ppint also, that the Boer Government has been, misled to a great extent by the utterances of papers like the Daily Chronicle and the Manchester Guardian, and of men like Harcourt and Morlcy. It has been urged upon them that such men and such organs of public opinion have- reHeeled the opinion of the nation, and, believing that, they have gone the desperate length which they have, and are iiow in the position of having to buy their experience. It will coEt them dear when they have bought it.

MARTIAL LAW

Two or three days ago a proclamation was issued by the Governor proclaiming martial law in certain districts of this colony which are at present occupied by British troops and

the eircui.istances attending the issue of- the proclamation throw a. curious sidelight. on thepoHition of affairs.- The proclamation Jvria, of course, countersigned by Mr Schreinor, tho Primo • Minister,— who, however, felt called upon to take the extraordinary step of issuing^ a sort of apology for the proclamation, which was generally circulated throughout tho colony by the agency of field-cornets. It is impossible to avoid contrasting this state of things in the Cape Colony with that which prevails in Natal. The Governor of Natal proclaimed martial law throughout that colony weeks ago, but no Minister of the Crown felt it his business to issue an apology for such a course. Here, however, there setms to be some such, necessity, and the Prime Minister is ready immediately with a pacifying and assuring message. As the leading daily paper of the metropolis of the colony remarked, if one contrasts this timorous halting policy on the part of the Cape with the hearty vigour displayed by Natal in the as ; sistance rendered to Ihe Imperial cause, it is enough to make one almost blush to bo a citizen of the same .colony as those whose loyalty demands these apologies and explanations from the Prime Minister of the day.

THE TRANSVAAL PRISONERS.

Much interest ha 3 been shown, locally, of course, in the arrival •of the first • batch of Transvaal prisoners, are .now detained on the Penelope,- at Simon's Town, the-head-quarters of her Majesty's fleet in these waters, situated at the other end of the Cape Peninsula, 20 miles from Capetowu. The prisoners were captured at the fight at Elandslaagte, and wore brought down from Natal on board a transport convoyed by a gunboat. Many of them are the regular sons of the soil from the back-veld,' as it is called here, who had never in' their lives set eyes on the sea. " As it happened, they had an exceedingly rough passage down from Durban, for the weather on this coast, like that often encountered on the New Zealand coa-sfr, can, at times, be extremely bad, and the prisoners were desperately ill. The Penelope is an old ironclad now used merely as a hulk, and eha lies close under the guns of H.M.S. Monarch, the 'port guardship, so that the prisoners are doubtless 6afo enough. They have also been made as comfort-able as the circumstances permit, and their friends are even allowed to visit them, under a permit from the commander of the guardship, daily. The British prisoners of war have been sent straight away to Pretoria, where they are said to- be weil treated also.

TREACHERY OF THE BOERS,

The greatest indignation is naturally felt here at the barbarous methods employed by the Boer 3 during the war, and especially at the treacherous use which they have made on all possible occasions of the white flag. In almost every account of an engagement which has come down the same 6tory has had to be told; the white flag is consistently employed for two purposes, either to draw our men into fire— -when, the Boers at once open fire on the unsuspecting troops — or to cover their retreat. Every time the Boers are forced to retreat they' 'hoist "the white flag, and our soldiers naturally stop ' firing ; thereupon the Boers seize the opportunity to" make off. Another act of treachery' which they have constantly had recourse to is firing on the'lßed Cross and on the ambulance. Stretcher parties attempting to bring iq the wounded have been constantly fired on whilstthe Red Cross* flag itself is no deterrent to them. Not content with these acts of barbarity, their agencies in the colony are now circulating infamous reports as to alleged cruelty on the part of the British troops towards their prisoners, notwithstanding the fact that throughout the campaign no distinction whatever has been made in the treatment extended by our doctors and medical staff to either British or Boor wounded. Only last week, in fact, an association was formed, consisting of many of the leading people in the town, having for its express object the succouring of the wounded and sick absolutely without regard to nationality. It is needless to say that\his conduct on tho part of the Boers and their sympathisers in this colony, of 'whom there are a great number, has aroused the deepest indignation, and it is contended' by many that tho allegations now being circulated by the Boer agencies in this colony might well be dealt with under tho recent treason proclamation.

AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEERS

The New South Wales Lancers, who arrived here by the Nineveh last week, had a magnifioent reception at the hands of the townsfolk. They have, of course, been undergoing lately a course of training at Aldershot, alongside the Imperial troops, and are a smart and serviceable body of men. Enormous crowds gathered at the docks to sec the men disembark, and the mayor and corporation of the city went down on board the steamer for the express purpose of formally', bidding them welcome. They represent the first batch of colonial forces which have volunteered to assist the old country in the .contest upon which she has now entered. This is a feature of the position which has naturally - stirred the blood of all subjects of her Majesty, this offer of their services from volunteer regiments from all parts' of the Empire, and succeeding colonial detachments are sure of tho most hearty welcome from loyal colonists out here. The local volunteer corps here were called out some weeks ago, though it is believed that the Ministry would not have even taken that step but for the piessuro of public opinion. As it is, however, many of them are likely to get a taste of ac-' tual service on the field of battle before long, for the Imperial authorities, under whowj orders they have now been placed, are gradually sending them up to the front in batches, and tr is, it goes without saying, has created the liveliest satisfaction amongfit them. Volunteering in this country has, of course, very frequently involved active service in the many native ware and in which the colony has from time to time been involved, and the fact that the calling out of the force by tho Government was left till such a lato ptage naturally created no small dissatisfaction, as tho men were not only willing, but actually burning, to go to the front and aid the regular troops at the present juncture.

A LADY'S LETTER EltOil MARITZBURG.

INTERESTING DETAILS.

The following interesting letter has been received from -Miss Edith Button, of Melbourne, who is at present at Martizburg, in Natal: —

Maritzburg, October 21

The war has started fast and furious, aifd we at Pietermaritzburg, the garrison town, are in the midst of it. '

Martial law was proclaimed here j'esterday, and everybody must be home" by 11 o'clock. Wo have the town guard out, and are always passing patrol and scouting parties. Everything is handed over to the military, and the

excitement is intense. - I can~Teally hardly write. We expect to see some of;it ourselvei -J&t, as Maritzburg,is expeoted-to' v be attacked 'before long. Mr Dicketts, of the Telegraph, department, had the telephone laid on to ono of the camps, and could hear the" shells bursting. The major in charge ,of the telegrkph' office was very excited ; co was the Governor, Sir W. TP. Hely-Hutchison, who was there the whole night during the fight at Talana Hill. During the time the telephone was laid on, the operator at the other end, in Dundee-, said, "Hold on a minute, a beastly shell has just burst at my feet." Then he.said, "Go ahead,' it's not charged."" Out of the s firsts hundred shells the Dutch fired hardly one had any effect, but later on they managed them better; but they say themselves the artillery will be a drag to them, as they don r t quite understand the art of using it. A line man of the Telegraph department, just lately out from England, has been shot on the Market square at Ladysmith.as a spy. It is supposed he was largely in the pay of the Dutch. On Sunday, the 22nd, it was rumoured that some of^the prisoners were to be brought down, and thousands of people turned out to see the train arrive.- They walked miles from the station, and caw the train coming over the hills in the distance; but the disappointment was great when it arrived with closed shutters, and was shunted straight into tho gaol, with the Natal Mounted Police "keeping g\iard and keeping" the" people" a safe distance off.' The same thing happened" cv 'Monday night, when the rumour got abroad that the wounded from Elandslaagte were coming down to the -.hospital. ,The Natal Mounted Police cleared the platform and station. The train was expected at 8 o'clock, but did not arrive till 11 o'clook. After all the waiting we didn't see much. They_wero awfully careful of the poor "fellows, had 60 stretchers waiting, and put them into the ami bulance -waggons, drawn by 16 mules. Ono poor fellow, had a wound on the cheek and bullet wounds in tho arm and leg, and another had his upper lip shot off.

We were talking to some of the little Tommys the other day (the regulars) — drummer boys — and we said, "But, Tommy, ar&n'tyou too small to go up to the front? " and he said,. ''' That's , just what our colonel said> sir; but wo said, ' Never mind, sir ; we can stop a bullet, and though we are small we've got big hearts.' " , One of the poor little chaps has stopped a bullet, and he won't go any further — he left the next day with the Lancers, and his chum, who tossed with him who should go, as only one was wanted, is brokenhearted. The Dutch are terribly hard and menn to the Kaffirs, and -even if it is no business ol theirs, will etop a Kaffir and say, " Oopee lo pass?" (Where is your pass?) All .Kaffirs • are numbered, and have passes, and if he happens to bo without one, he will make him work a couple of days on his farm, then take all his money from him. They atao have been known lo tear up the Kaffirs' passes, then ill-treat them.- So --that when the Dutch wounded were being carried in with the British (and, by-the-way, they were treated^ as .well' as the BritifeTi) to' tho camp hospital some Kaffirs who were standing by grinned at them attcl yelled^ out " Oopee lo pass, baas?'" Another little "incident was a- conversation overheard between two youngsters, one Dutch arid the other English. "We're going, to, win," said the infant Dopper. "How's; tfiat? "/ said young .Britain, ," Oh; we've jptTGbd on*' outside,' replied one. of Pom Raid's ,'iiepKews. "Oh," reßponded v his opponent, "hive yot't commandeered Hinrf too? " - '• -' \}- » Some spies have been caught amongst the Light Horse, and already two ftave been shot. The British losses are pretty he^yy,'. a lojfc of officers .being, as usual, picked: off ,- but tKe Dutch losses • are treble. Ammunition , ran short at Dundee, and now Newcastle, Dundee, and Glencoe have been evacuated, and tho Dutch wero cowardly enough to fire on the Red Cross hospital. All the British troops are now massed at Ladysmith, a few miles from Maritzburg, and we hear the Dutch- at Greytown aro rising, and that there are BOine between here and Ladysmith. When somo of tho Dutch wounded were being carried into the British camp hospital they wore quite frightened that they would be -ill-treated, and wore surprised at being treated with kindness. The Boers have absolutely no honour, or any idea of it, and you can believe thoy will do exactly opposite to what they cay. They fired on the white flag, the wounded, and the Red Cross, but yet there is something to say in their favour, at least, to exonerate them. They are not so well disciplined ; in fact, not at all, and don't always" know whon to stop firing, etc., like is tho case in the British army, when word is given by the officer and almost immediately passed from man to man.

The Cromwell Argus reports: — '"'On Sat. urday morning a Chinaman named -Ah Mun was charged before Messrs D. A. Jolly-, and P. J. Dunne, J.P.s, with trying to defraud the Bank of New Zealand, Cromwell, by selling brass filings in a small parcel of gold. The amount of filings in a parcel wprth a little ' over. £2 was valued at 5s Bd. The appearance of the gold roused the suspicions of Mr Hannah, who was cleaning it, and he called in Mr Stephenson. The gold was tested with, acid, and the presence of brass was at once apparent. Accused was found guilty, and fined 10s and costs. .