GENERAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Volume 02, Issue 2420, 2 August 1900, Page 29

GENERAL NOTES.

Major-general Baden-Powell has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-general, ancl has been appointed to the staff of Lord Roberts.

Mrs E. Williamson, of the Kaikorai, has received a cable message from her son, who is a member of the volunteer corps serving at Shanghai, reporting his personal safety, and that "that city was " all safe." The message was despatched from Shanghai at 9.30 a.m. on Monday, and received here at 5 p.m. the same clay.

Trooper R. E. Smith, son of Mr J. Smith, blacksmith, of Timaru, writes to his brother in Timaru, from Potchefstroom prison, as follows: — "I am writing these few lines to let you know that I am alive and well. Just now lam a prisoner. I was taken last evening by two of the Free Staters. It happened this way: About 5 o' clack in the morning we had just started to march, when I was sent back with a message about two miles, and I never caught sight of 'the troop again. But I have been very kindly treated — could not be better ; plenty to eat and drink. To-morrow I shall bo sent to Pretoria. I shall be very pleased when the war is over." Trooper Smith concludes by wishing to be remembered to all, and adds a postscript : " Don't let mother know where I am ; just tell her I'm all right." — Morning Post. (

The Ashburton Mail learns that Mr T. A. Gates has just received a letter from his brother in South Africa stating that his nephew. Sergeant W. Loyd Gates, had been killed during the relief of Mafeking. He was in the Rhodesian corps. The Southland News states that the sum of £100 was forwarded' on Monday by the secretary of the Invercargill patriotic fund, through the Premier, to Mr Pilcher, South Africa, to provide for the wants of invalided Southlanders.

Referring to the death of Trooper Freeman, of Waimate, which was recorded in yesterday's issue, the Waimate Times states that he was the youngest son of Mr George Freeman, who arrived in Waimate in 186*5-. He was born in November, 1877, ancl after leaving" school- worked for Messrs Reid and Maxwell, saddlers, of Dunedin. He went to South Africa with the second contingent as orderly tcr Major Cradock. - Only by Monday_'s mail two letters jvere received by his

relatives from Trooper Freeman. In one of these, dated May 31, he stated that he had been bad with enteric fever for a month, but was quite well again and would be going to the front in a couple of days. In another letter, dated June 22, he stated that he had lost 151b in weight.