NOTES (W THE WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8664, 6 November 1899, Page 3

NOTES (W THE WAR.

The withdrawal of the troops from Colenso (a town named after the famous Anglicau Bishop) implies that the British are unable to hold the bridge over the Tugela river at that place. This, it was pointed out some days ago, would be a strong Boer objective, for if the important and costly structure spanning the river here were destroyed, it would considerably hamper the despatch of reinforcements from STaritzburg to Ladysmith. The approach of a strong Boer force must have necessitated the retirement of the Tenth and Thirteenth Hussars, who were stationed at Colenso for the purpose of guarding the bridge. Ladysmith has now doubtless been completely isolated by the enemy, but Sir George White is reported to have ample supplies, he is strongly entrenched, and the War Office says there is no cause for anxiety as to bis ability to hold the town. The fall of Ladysmith at this juncture, would, as a writer ia the Sydney Daily Telegraph puts it, be the greatest misfortune that ever befell a British army. But it is a very unlikely contingency. It has been estimated that there are 20,000 men assailing the town, and that at least 12,000 are guarding it. The numbers have probably been reduced by the destructive artillery fire of the last few days, and on this head, whilst the total of the British losses is freely stated, it is, of course, impossible to arrive at the casualties on the other side, i The fighting has so far been conducted , at the long reach of 6500 yards (nearly , four miles), and there has been do opportunity for learning the full extent of the "•Boer dead and wounded, though without doubt it has been considerable, for British marksmanship and Lyddite shells were bound to create great slaughter. The British casualties in the campaign so far total 1770 of rank and file ; the Boer losses we may safely put at double that amount. The British have ample reserves to draw upon ; the Boers have probably every adult male fit for active now in the. th« field. The town of Ladysmith iB about 190 miles from Durban. It is situated on the Klip river, and may be considered to rank third in the colony. The town lies in a Bemi-circle of hifls, and ha 3 a pleasant, home-like appearance. It was established as a. township in 1851, but up to 1881 slight progress was made. After that .period it began to forge ahead, and a Local Board was formed. The assesed value of the town property in 1894 waß (£89,870, but these figures do not represent the actual property value of the place. There are thirteen well-laid out streetß in the township. Amongst its public buildingß may be mentioned the Town Hall, built at a cost of something like £4000 ; market office, courthouse, prison and fort, Government school, post-office, public library and reading-room, and several ohurches. The railway anthorities have large repairing and other workshops there. A waterworks scheme, costing £26,000, 1 was recently completed. The population ia 1370 Europeans, 1300 ludiaue, and about 2000 natives. " THB POSITION AT COLESBUUG. Golesburg, near the northern boundary of Cape Colony, which has been occupied by the Boers, who have now invaded our Southern possession, is described as the chief town of an extensive pastoral district in the eastern portion of the colony, close to the' Free Btate border and Norval's Toint, where the Boers lately destroyed the bridge over the Orange River. The olimate is dry, the elevation being about 4600 ft. The town is on a short branch line of the Port- Elizabeth-Johannesburg railway,- and is 307 miles from Port Elizabeth, and 607 miles from Capetown. Its population is about 1800, and that of the district- about 8200. Grain of fine quality is grown by- the aid of irrigation, and woolgrowing is extensively carried on, but the particular branch of farming for which the district is noted is horse-breeding, the "Hantam horses" from Colesburg being famous all over South Africa. Commenting Upon the danger from the presence of Boers in this viciuity, " an exmember of the Intelligence Branch, South Africa," writing in the Christchurch Press, says that Colesburg is about 65 miles from De Aar Junction, an important point in the Cape railway system, and it is evident this oommando has for its objective the seizure of Do Aar, aud the flanking of such British force as may be in the vicinity of Hopetown. The value of De Aar at this stage of the war to the Boera can hardly be over-estimated, for it would hamper the manoeuvres of any force sent to relieve Eimberley. THE BRITISH CASUALTIES. Regarding the heavy casualties amongst the British officers in the operations againßt the Boers, au old Imperial officer Who has seen service in South Africa, writes as follows to a contemporary:— "The proportion of officers killed and wounded in the recent engagements, in proportion to the rank and file placed horn de combat, is very great, and to my mind proves that the Boer has not deteriorated in his shooting, even under the influence of our peouliar civilisation. Well, the fact is that the officers, unfortunately for themselves, cannot take shelter during an advance. The man who leads with drawn sword can hardly give orderr to his men, if lizard-like, he crawls along on his stomaoh. Neither nan he expect anything but skulking from Mb command if he squats in some couvenient hollow or beside some sheltering rock. The probabilities are that the Boers have strict orders to make a special study of the exact difference between the uniform of au officer, as distinguishing him from his men, and the mere glint of hiß sword would, therefore, be enough to cause a dozen or more rifles to be levelled in his direction. This intense desire on the part of the Boers to destroy the efficiency of a battalion by the destruction of its leaders may react against themselves, insonkcb as by concentrating their fire on a few men they will spare the majority for the final rush, instead of decimatipg them during the advance." THE COUNTRY ROtfND LADYSMITK. ■ Ladysmith is situate 15)0 milca inland .from Durbau by rail, and is the point of junction of a railway branch line from Harrismith, in the Orange Free Slate, 59 J " miles distant. The country is hilly, and is I some 3285 ft above sea level. It rises rapidly uutil at Brakwal, 28 miles due west, it reaeheß a height of 4639 ft, and at Van Reenan's Pass, some 10 miles further west, 5520 ft of elevation is recorded at the top of the pass. On the main line, directly north, 40 miles distant, is the town of Glencoo, 4304 ft above sea level, and some, 12 miles away is the coal mining town of Dundee, at 4100 ft. The hills are covered with grass that grows very rank amidst the large rocke and boulders of ironstone. It is a moßt difficult country for troops forming an attacking force, and many of the positions can ue easily defended. Harrismith, in the Orange Free State, is on the edge of a great flat plain nr table- , land 5322 ft above sea level. Taking Ladysmitb, where Sir George White's forces now lie, as a centre, and go\Dg in a northerly direction, there are some two or three miles of bad country to be traversed before good country is reached. After crossing the Sunday river, some four miles from Elandslaagte, there is a small coal-mining town, with a population of about 600, consisting mostly of coolies and Kaffirs, who are employed in the mines. Between Elandstaagte and Wuschbank there are some kopjes, or small rocky hills, but the country generally is flat. Waschbank, 16 mile* from Elandslaagte, is also a mining-town, of about the same siz<*. The country round this town is said by experts to be suitable for cavalry and artillery purposes. To the north-west of Waschbank is the Slatikulu Range, a very rugged mountain, running east and west of the railway Hue. The main road from Ladyemith to Newcastle is at the foot of this range, and a very rough road it is, too, there being a lot ot " dongas," some 17ft or 18ft wide and 10ft to 12ft deep, at about every 100 yds. To the right is a line of hills running up to the Indumei Peak, one of the highest points in Natal. GENERAL WHITE'S CAVALRY. General White has now five cavalry regiments under him. These aro the sth Lancers, the 18th Hussars, the sth Drasoon Guards, the 9th Lancers, and the 19th Hussars, the three last-named regiments having formed part of the Indian contingent. A description of these three

Indian regiments was recently given by a military correspondent of The Times. Of the .sth Dragoons, ho writes I hat they are a line specimen of a medium cavalry regiment, the Innces in the front rank of which may, in the event of a native rising, be found as useful as were those of tho 17th Lancers at Uiunrii. The Oth Lancers, writes the same authority, have a great reputation as a fighting corps, and wer conspicuous in Afghanistan for hard efficiency and the soldierly capacity of their They left Alrlershot 550 strong, and, as the regiment is a popular one, it is probably well up to the strength Of the 19th Hussars, it is stated that thoy won great distinction in Egypt from 1882 to 1885, and that they won signal honor in the difsert march from Korti to Gubat. The sth Lancers and the 18Ui Hussars are both crack regiments, do that with some 2500 sabre stands Sir George White must surely be able to teach the Boers a lesson. LIEUTEN'AST-COLON'EL YULE'S FEAT. Marvellous to relate (writes a military correspondent in the Otago Daily Times), Colonel Yule has been able to retire from his exposed position at Glencoe, and during the black and stormy African night he made one of the most difficult retreats on record, and succeeded in evading the forces of Jotiberfc by a march through a most difficult and narrow pass. Persons not acquainted with the African night and its dense blackness will be sure to fail to realise the difficulty of carrying out such a manoiuvre, but to those that have experienced such a night, it seems wonderful that it could be accomplished, and all will wonder lion it happened that Joubert's forces did not guurd the only route open to Yule's forces, when it must have been plain to all that he only wanted a chance to make his escape from a position that he could not hold with the smail force at his disposal. We can only express our feelings of surprise at the stupidness of the Boers by using the old adatje : " Whom the godß would destroy they first made mad," for it must he madness on the part of a military officer to let his enemy slip out of his hands in the manner Colonel Yule manoeuvred out of Glencoe. Van Linden's Puss is on the line of the railway close to Elauds Laagte, and for at least two miles it is a regular trap. It ia curious that the Boers did not occupy this place at night, as their main camp is not over three miles to the west, and it muat have been very apparent to them that | Yule would have to go through there if he attempted to retreat on Ladysmith. Yule is to be congratulated on his great feat, and we may expect to hear of his promotion ; but the march made by the men under such terrible conditions is. as truly wonderful as the plans of their commander, and is another proof of the endurauce of British troops.