THE BOER WAR.

Otago Witness, Volume 26, Issue 2419, 26 July 1900, Page 27

THE BOER WAR.

DISLODGING 'I HE ENEMY.— BOER -3 SHORT OF FOOD.— RELEASE OF BRITISH PRISONERS.

THE CORDON BROKEN.—EIGHTING AT BETHLEHEM. — A BOER ATTACK REPULSED.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS ENGAGED.—two LIEUTENANTS MISSING. — NEW ZEALANDERS . OUTFLANKED.—I 6 TAKEN PRISONERS-

LORD ROBERTS TAKES EX- .

TREME MEASURES.

AN- ENGAGEMENT WITH DE WET.— DETERMINED ATTACK NEAR HEIDELBERG.— The BOERS BEATEN OFF.— A TRAIN WITH INVALIDS WRECKED

CASUALTIES TO NEW ZEA-

LANDBES.

IN THE TRANSVAAL.

CAPETOWN, July 17.

A patrol of Australian Bushmen encountered" a party of Boers on the 13th inst. (Friday).

LONDON, July 17.

Lord Roberts despatched a force of troops to dislodge the Boers from the positions they held in the kopjes to the north and north-west of Pretoria. i

The enemy, however, did not wait for their arrival, but evacuated the positions they held without firing a shot.

The Boers are so short of food that they could not keep their prisoners, but allowed most of the Lincolns and ' Scots Greys captured by them at Nitral's Nek on the 11th inst. to escape. July 18. President Kruger is greatly discouraged, over the surrender of Rustenburg. Commandant Botha is discontented because the President is retaining all the big guns in the neighbourhood of ' Machadodorp. The : cavalry, and mounted infantry columns commanded by Generals lan Hamilton, French, and Hickman are forcing the Boers, under Botha, eastward from the vicinity of Pretoria towards Middleburg. General Buller is meanwhile advancing northwards from Standerton. July 19. The Royal Irish Rifles, West Australians (Vaughan's), and New Zealanders on Monday gallantly repulsed repeated and determined attacks on General Pole-Carew's position near Pretoria. The Boers lost 15 killed and 50 wounded, while four were captured. Seven were killed during General PoleCarew's engagement, including Lieutenant Borden, son of ( a Canadian Minister. He was twice mentioned in despatches for his intrepidity. Lieutenant Findlay, of New Zealand, was severely wounded. Captain L. Bourne and Lieutenant J. Cameron (New Zealanders) are missing. Twenty Irish Rifles and others are missing; 26 were wounded. [Lieutenant John Findlay was a member of the second contingent, and came from Temuka. Captain. H. L. Bowin was in command of No. 1 Company of the third contingent, his address being -Timaru. Lieutenant J. Cameron was also a member of the third contingent, and came from Wanganui.] General Hamilton is at Haman's Kraal. Generals Methuen and Dorrien are clearing the country between Krugersdorp acid Rustenburg. ' July 20. General Mctlmen occupied Heckpoort unopposed.

[ Genei'als Hamilton and Mahon's forcet are marching north of the Delagoa railway. Fifteen burghers at Zeerust have been banished to Ceylon, and their property confiscated, for again taking up arms after surrendering. One burgher for firing at a wounded officer has been sentenced to two' years' imprisonment in Ceylon. General Pole-Carew fought a stiff action at Eiet Vlei. The Boers used Creusot guns and pom-poms. - , ' . The Boers outflanked a party of New Zealanders on the right, capturing Sergeant" Macdonald, Corporals Puchardson "and Da,vis, Privates Anderson, Coke, Cross,' Lloyd. Hughes,- v Kennington, M'Lelland,' MacCulloch, Mackenzie," Peterson, R>. A. Smith, Whitson, and Wright: July 22. . Colonel M. 0. Little met and fought JD« Wet-s commando near Lindley. > " The Boers, were repulsed and broken into : two' sections: ( ■ *■ - - ' - - • ' ■ (Received July 23, at 10 a.m-.) - Colonel Little's action was. ■ with D© •Wet's 1500 Boers, who had traversed "the "" .British cordon. The' British casualties - were slight. The Boers, with four guns', surrounded and determinedly attacked the railhead near Heidelberg .on Saturday.' Detachments of the Dublin Fusiliers, Engineers, and Im- 1 . perial Yeomanry repulsed them before the", reinforcements despatched by -General -Hart arrived. - -.-"■-■ In the engagement at Haman's Kraal Sergeant Maxwell was killed and Private Gardiner severely wounded. Both men belonged to the Queensland contingent),