MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2397, 8 February 1900, Page 29

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

The New Zealand Express Company will send another consignment of parcels free for members of the New Zealand Transvaal contingent by the troopship on March 3. Parcels will be received at their office up till Wednesday, 28th inst.

W. 'M. 8., in a letter to the Daily Times of the Ist inst., does not at all agree with certain of the opinions expressed by our military contributor, and, as far as the position in South Africa is concerned, he considers the position

distinctly cuccuraf;ing. "'Jo hear people talk one would think the .Boors ivere qr.ite a happy little family. The leverse ivjll be foiujd to bo the case. They have for months jiast been trying to drive the English nilo the sea, and at present we have some 25,000 jammed in a hole with Joubert, and another 20,1)90 or 30,000 enyaged in keeping that unpleasant Methnen quiet. Thcj- have not even taken Mafekmg or Kiniberley. and tho desperate assault on Laciyanu'th, vrnh an immensely &unerior icice, resulted mobt disastrously tor them. The great Vrtnch and German ofucers they have with thorn have, to my mind, done Jittie indeed. They have been there ail the lime, and with .superior forces to direct, with all the advantages of a thorough knowledge oi the couutry, and able to choo.=c their own jjositiou, and they find the present Biitish forces slowly destroying their powers of defence, and cooping them ivo to nllow others to get into the heart of their country. Meantime it will be quite time enough to talk of more men than arc now being arranged for being required lor South Aiiica when Lord Roberts asks for them.

The Boer nickname for Sir Bedvers Buller is " Rooi*vers," or " Red Heifer." The Boers use French powder sold only to them and to Russia. It looks like cardboard, and is a great deal more powerful than black powder.

The object of the Boer deputation to Delagoa Bay (of which we had news by cable) was not peace, but the organisation of a weekly mail service for the Transvaal between Delagoa Bay and Europe by German steamers. Mrs "Wauchope first heard the news of her husband's death while driving with Ker sister in Edinburgh, through the cries of the newsboys, but she doubted the accuracy of it, and drove to the Scotsman office, where the sad event was too surely confirmed.

It was not from Australasia and Canada only that offers of contingents weie sent. The Malay States offered 300 Guide?, Lagos 300 Hausas, and Hong Kong 50 men and four Maxims; but all these were regretfully declined.