AUSTRALIAN CONTINGENTS AND AUSTRALIAN ENTHUSIASM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9662, 3 November 1899, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN CONTINGENTS AND AUSTRALIAN ENTHUSIASM.

(Electric Telegraph— Copyright-United Pro6B Association.) Sydney, Nov. 2. The Commandant has volunteered for the Transvaal, and offers to pay his own expenses. Cabinet refused him the necessary leave, considering that it could ill spare Major-General French's services ; also, that if by any chance Great Britain became involved with an European power it would be awkward not to have a military adviser in the colony, Captain Lindsay has resigned his position of aide-de-camp to the Governor, and „ sails by the Aberdeen for the Cape to join the Scots Greys, in which he holds a lieutenancy. Preparations are well forward for the departure of the Aberdeen's contingent to-morrow. A monster demonstration took place in the Town Hnlj, the Mayor presiding, with the dual object of establishing a patriotio fund to assist the wounded and relatives of those killed in the Transvaal or any future campaign, and bidding God speed to the balance of the contingent. The latter, with a band, paraded the streets. Leading residents occupied seats on the platform. Patriotic speeobes were made by Messrs Lyne, Reid, and Barton. Mr Lyne said if the necessity arose New South Wales would not hesitate to send a much larger force. There was fervid enthusiasm. To the accompaniment of the great organ (the largest in the world), the troops and audience joined in singing patriotio airs and the National Anthem. Resolutions initiating a fund and appointing an influential coinmittoe were carried. A silver bugle was presented by the High School girls to each contingent. (Received Nov. 3, 9.35 a.m.) Oct. 3' — In the Legislative Assembly Ihe Military Contingent Bill, for th« discipline of the troops proceeding to South Africa, passed, Mr Lyne, in reply to a question in regard to the rumor that more volunteers were to be asked to go to t he Transvaal, said if necessary an Australian contingent of 10,000 men could be sent. In view of Canadian action in doubling its contingent Australia should very seriously consider the doubling of her contingent. The steamer Langton Grange, in addition to the balance of horses for the New South Wales troops, takes between 600 and 700 horses for the Imperial Government. Brisbane. Nov. 2. The Cornwall sa'led at midday. She calls at Sydney, where the contingent will be entertained. Albany, Nov. 2. The Waiwera sailed this morning. (Received Nov. 3, 9.50 a.m.) Perth, Nov. 3. Captain Haig, the Governor's Aide-da-camp, sails by the Medic to join the Sixth Dragoons in South Africa, whorein he holds a lieutenancy. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, This dav. Corporal Foster, of the New Zealand contingent, has cabled to a friend here that the corps has been ordered to Durban direct for the front. A doubt, however, is ex. pressed as to the accuracy of the message, as the military authorities have received no advice of the change in the vessel's destination.

WHERE TUB HOTTKST KIOHTISC! WILL HE When tho Boers retire northwards, a: they must do, the fighting that took placi at Liing's Nek in 18S1 will be renewed oi a more formidable scale, writes a Smitl African military expert in the Sydney Telegraph, as, according to the last accounts, the Boers were busy fortifying the pass through the mountains. It should not be forgotten, however,' that « hen the next battle of Lainga Nek is fought our men will have to face artillery, which tliej did not have to do in the 1881 campaign. In my opinion it is there that the most disastrous opposition will be made to the British advance; and lying, n» Uing « Nek does, under the shadow of Majuha Hill I have no doubt that the disaster which occurred there-always in the minds of the men— will impel them in the coming _ fight to carry all before them, and so wipe "" out the stigma which has ever since rested on the British arms. THE TRANSVAAL OUSS. According to recent statements large numbers of field guns have been shipped to the Transvaal from German establishments, especially the Krupps. The Krupp batteries are said to excel anything of the kind 1 ever before supplied for foreign service. They consist of light guns of 295 in calibre, which, with an angle of elevation of 20 degrees, have a range of GOOO yards. The projaetile weighs 9-48 pounds. In the shrapnel shell there are ISO balls, and in the case shot 55 balls. The Boera have also obtained several mountain batteries of gum of 2 92in calibre, and a large quantity of Mauser rifles, at.d are thus apparently well prepared for hostilities. CONCENTRATION OF FIRE. So far as the Boer cumpaign has gone the British artillery have in every instance silenced the Boer artillery, which, however, seems to have been well and cour ageously served. Questioned as to the probable reason of this, a prominent artillery officer said that it lay in the concentration of fire by the British artillery. In the case of a field battery entering into an engagement the fire of ihe whole of the •guns would be concentrated upon one object (one gun of an opposing battery . probably), and the fire would be continued until it proved effective. The Boer gunners, however, act independently, and much less effectively. It was concentration of fire, said the officer, that enabled the French at Gravelotte, in the Franco-German war, to slaughter 6000 in 10 minutes. A GALLANT OFFICER. Colonel Yule, who succeeded MajorGeneral Symous, and has been promoted to the rank of Major-General, has distinguished himself chiefly in Indian wars. ' He is in command of the Devonshire Regiment, which he joined as ensign in 1865. He purchased his lieutenancy in , 1868, and ten years later he got his company. It was in 1879 that ho had his first opportunity of gaining 'distinction, when he served with his regiment in the Afghan war, and received the medal. He reached his majority in 1885, and it was in that rank that he served with the Burmese expedition in 1891-92, in command of the Irrawaddy column, including the operations in the Chin Hills. For his services here he was rewarded with the brevet of lieutenant-colonel, and the medal with clasp. Colonel Yule next served with a battalion of his regiment in the campaign on the north-west frontier of India, under Sir William Lockhart, 1897-98, with the Tirah expeditionary force. Here he was mentioned in despatches for services at the capture of the Sampagha and Arhanga Paßses, and was rewarded with the brevet of colonel. THE BRITISH BAYONET. At Elandslaagte, the British bayonet routed the Boers and completed the victory. This was only to be expected. Never yet has a British bayonet charge failed, and to the Boera it was a new experience. A well-known infantry officer, who served in the last expedition against tho Boers, told a Sydney interviewer that it was only within the last few months that the Boers had been armed with bayonets, and they evidently feared them. Only once before the Elandslaagte affair was the bayonet used against them, and then only in an isolated case. "It was at Laing's Nek," he said, "a treacherous Boer was about to Bhoot a wounded private of the 58th Regiment, when a comrade ran him through. At the close of the fight it was the only bayonet stained with Boer blood." The Boers, he said, could be depended upon to run every time that the troops got to close quarters with them. The bayonet now in use is really a dagger, much lighter than that with which troops were armed a few years back. The blade is exaolly a foot in length, and about fin. wide, and attached to the Lee-Metford rifle it makes a formidable weapon. A DISTINGUISHED SURGEON. ■ Sir William MacCormac, Bart., who has joined Sir Redvera Bullor's stuff, is president of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Surgeon-in Ordinary to thePrinceof Wales. At the time of the Franco-Prussian war lie was surgeon to the Anglo-American ambu lance, and in that capacity was present at the battle of Sedan. In the Turco-Servian •war he ahso served with great distinction as an ambulauce surgeon. Ho published an account of his experiences in the former campaign in a book entitled " Notes and Recolleotions of an Ambulance Surgeon." Thiß work has been translated into nearly overy European language, and also into Japanese. Sir William is now in hia 63rd year. AN ARMORED TRAIN. The long-promised and much-talked-of armored train, built to patrol the northern railway, baa at last made its appearance. Last night, Tuesday, September 26th, it was pulled out of tho works at Salt River for a trial trip to Durban Road and back. A large crowd of people who had heard of the intention to run the train aesembled on the platform, and when the strnnge-looking arrangement dre.w up they inspected it with much curiosity. The train consisted of two carriages of the ordinary pizo sheeted over and covered in with Jinch boiler iron. Some feet from the floors were loopholes for machiue guns, and running around the carriages about a foot from the top were 2in shots for rifle fire The engine was between the two carnages, the cab well covered in, the boiler surrounded with armor, and the dome hidden in a square box of iron. Tho entire train waa painted in " Government grey," the ' ordinary color used for service waggons and gun carriages. Each of the vehicles was about 30ft long, and capable of holding 50 soldiers, who would be ablo to fire from the front, rear, and side. Tho carriages were eaoh mounted on four pairs of wheels. BRITISH TAOTICS. k Mr Bennett Burleigh, the special correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, writes to his journal as follows : — Every arrangement calculated to facilitate the equipment and supply of a large army in the field is now being pushed forward. Vast quantities of stores continue to be forwarded both from home and abroad. Whilst all sides will be made as secure as possible from rading bands or an invading army of Boers, it is understood that our counterBtroke will be delivered by way of Natal. From all accounts that appears to be the best route for a march upon Johannesburg or Pretoria. Once beyond the Natal borders, by a slight detour open and relatively easily passable country is reached. There the enemy would have little cover, for the tracks are mostly across the veldt, and their favorite methods of hush-whacking would be at » discount, One hears now that a largo mounted force will bo emploj'ed, probably including nearly 1000 mounted infantry. There seems reason to believe that after all the 1 Royals ' will go out. In that event the Ist Dragoons would be mounted upon their own horses which would be sent out to South Africa. Three, if not four batteries of the new 501 b howitzers, firing lyddite shells, will be included with the seventeen or nineteen batteries accompanying the w army corps which takes the field. As the army will require nearly 150 tons of supplies a day, the railway lino will be guarded, repaired, and utilised to the fullest possible extent. Special traction plant will also be made use of, euch as motors and road-engines, tho object being to dispense with long trains of army mules. A big force of Royal Engineers, field, telegraph, and balloon departments will also bo requisitioned. fKOISAIILK VSK OF THE NEW ZEALAND Cd.NTINOEXT. On arrival of tho contingent at Algna Bay (says a writer in the Chrislehureh Press), if the weather will permit the landing of the horses they will be shipped into barges, anil men and horses will go into camp for ten days at Port Elizabeth. If the sea if too rough to allow the horses to be landed by the barges, then Easl London will probably bo picked on as the. place to disembark. After ten days the horses will be considered hufliuicntly icstcd to begin work, and the two companies will be ordered to join a battalion of mounted infantry, and will probably go by tr.iin up to King Williamstown, and there join the force, to which they will be pmiuucmlv attached for the campaign. A full battalion of mounted infuntty consists of fmn companies, with two machine-gun sections, and when on a war footing consists uf o'l'. ofiicers and men, and G'2o horses, with twi machine guns. The mounted infantry bat talion is attached to a cavalry brigade, underlhe commandofan officer of one of tin cavalry regiments of the brigade to whicl

it is attached, and it marches with and supports the cavalry and Royal Horse Artillery lutlprirs, just, as the infantry supports the field artillery batteries. When in touch with the enemy mounted infantry always move ns skirmishers, covering the main columns forming the attack, or on the Hanks, to prevent the enemy from gaining positions there, or in the rear of the batteries or columns they are protecting. Consequently, mounted infantry have a fair chance of seeing a good deal of active work, as they are able to move rapidly, and when once in touch with the enemy must always keep him in sight, as this is the main use for which they are mounted. They aro the assistant eyes of the modern British army, just as cavalry are, and always have been, the eyes and ears of armies. By the use, therefore of our mounted infantry, we possess additional power of watching the manoeuvres of the enemy, and at the same time we are provided' with a rapidly moving force with the full range of fire that the infantry possess. It must not be supposed that this force is intended for charges like a cavalry force, but it does much of the work formerly done by cavalry and by reason of its great range of fire it is superior to cavalry for rapid skirmishing work against infantry, or for making rapid attacks on artillery in position, as, owing to the longer ranga of the rifle over the cavalry carbine, it can be of far greater service in making it warm for the gunners. New Zealand may consequently expect, her boys to be in for a full share of the task of bringing the Boers to a reasonable frame of mind, and no one that has seen them has any doubt about their willingness for tho work ahead of them.