THE BOER WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8699, 19 December 1899, Page 2

THE BOER WAR.

STRENGTHENING THE BRITISH FORCE. FIFTY THOUSAND MEN TO BE SENT OUT. LORD ROBERTS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. KITCHENER CHIEF OF BTAiPP. . •■""'•, Eleotrlo Telegraph— Copyright -United Press -dgi Assooiation. . _ **£7g (Received Deo. 18, 9.28 a.m.) >■;*; * London, Deo. 18, -■ .- The Defence Committee of the Imperial , ; Cabinet met to-day to consider the situa- ■ , tion in South Africa, as affected by the • ■ recent reverses to British arms. " -vj. The Committee, considering that the ' '-■'■. campaign in Natal requires Sir Redvers -. :y '- Buller's undivided attention, have ap- J pointed Lord Roberts, of Kandahar and, ; .'■':' Waterford, to be Comma nder-in-Chief in. '■'.;- South Africa, with Lord Kitchener, of .-' ■' Khartoum, as Chief of Staff. V '■"• [Lord Boberis of Kandahar and Water-- '--'• ford is the son of Sir Abraham Roberts, : . > G.C.B. He was born in 1832, and edu- . . cated at Eton and Addiscombe. He was . appointed lieutenant in the Bengal Artillery'sl ; captain '6o j served with distino- >; tion in the Indian Mutiny, and received the Viotoria Cross. Took part in the . . - Abyssinian war {'68) as Assistant Quarter- - . * ; Master-General, and obtained the brevet .:& rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In ' 72 he was -*J made C.B. for his services in the Looshai ■ Expeditionary Force. He became Quarter- . :•• ' master-General in India in '75, with the local rank of Major-General ; and in the ' Afghan, war of '78 commanded the. column sent to operate through the Kuram Valley , ' and, surmounting the difficulties of the - Peiwar Pass, gained a brilliant victory atCharasiah aud entered Cabul. Oh the investiture of Candahar by Ayoub Khan, . •■--• after the disaster at M&iwand, he rapidly - performed the march from Cabul "to Candahar, one of the moßt brilliant milllary feats of modern times, which' has earned him .undying fame, and utterly -~~ji defeated the Pretender. He was created a '• V : baronet in '81, and given the diatinotions ' ' -^ of G.C.B. andC.LE. In 'Bl he was' dw-. V> patched to take command of the forces' ? '■' against the Boers in South Africa, but was . , recalled in consequence of- peace .being; *;". made. He succeeded Sir Donald Stewart ..- ■ : '. '.. in command of the Indian army '86, arid ' 1 was created, a Peer in January '92. 'In "V" April '93 he left India for England, having *''■'-.:■ resigned bis command.. He was given a '■-. " brilliant farewell and an equally brilliant reception inEngland. Cambridge i Univer- ■ sity made him anhon. L,L D. in June, and be was made a G.8.C.1. in May '93 } D.L. ! .. Edinburgh '93; appointed Field Marshal : ;~ and Commander-in-Chief of Forces in -Ire- ' ' ' '"' land in '95 ; P.O. '95. His heir, the Hon^f V Frederick Roberto, aged 27, lieutenant in- " "' the King's Royal Rifles, was killed to r . '- : .. action at Tugela river on Friday last.] : ~"i ' '• [Lord Kitchener, of Khartoum, is-the.^V.-V eldest son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel -i'tv-; H. H. Kitchener, and was born, in' lß6O.' ? .-i^i Educated at the Royal- Military Academy,. -;-~i Woolwich, he joined the Royal Engineers, / \ and was employed for nome time in and .;.,-. after 1874 on the. Palestine, and: Gypr;us;^ ■;.''; surveys. He served, having volunteered, '-?■??' as a major of cavalry, in the Egyptian Rrmy : :"<Ss in 1882, witk the.Nifee^pdition-^lSS.i,^. and became Governor, of ;Saakim, inJ L lßßa.fe i fei For his .bravery in; the : field of ;actipn ih'^S:! 1888, when he led the Egyptian against Osrhan Digna, he wasiraade A;D,p.%y| ; to the QueeD, and in the"Bn^i^uept'fjgfit-'-" I '>'''''> 1 ing he was mentioned* in' the despatches - and made a C.B. From 1888 to 1892 he . held the rank of adjutant-general- in the Egyptian army, and in the latter year was appointed Sirdar. After the taking of - Dongok in 1896, he was made K.C-8., and subsequently organised the .. final '- irresistable advance against the Khalifa, --':' which resulted in hia utter defeat at '-.;V Omdurman in September, 1898. For this ."!? he was" awarded a peerage, as Baron-c\% Kitchener of Khartoum and of Aspall,U£'.|.V: the county of SufTolk, On hisretnrnto-'. i ; England he was -given an enthusiastib" . ,i reception, and. he was presented with tho.-rVS freedom of the City of London l'and aY.^ sword of honor.]- '' •"• ' ':•!■ '- : -^S%i The Defence Committee also summoned '>|^ thei remainder of the reserves. ■<'._ ..' .i "V^sp? The despatch of the Seventh; Division^'i;^: forthwith haa been ordered. • ..^v'Vr. I '-^-. Cavalry and artillery ■ reinforwments;- ■?§ will be prepared forthwith, including^ a-f^ Howitzer brigade. , . . ' . „ A^^% They further authorise Sir Reivers '.'-^.t Buller to raise local, mounted corps, ahd^'vr I will allow twelve militia ", battalions.; to ;:^| volunteer for service ouuide the kingdom,*- ;; and embody equivalent militia for Home'••'?;service. . - - ' .-. -i /;'\";',v'i A strong force of yeomanry volunteer ;?.' service will be called. ... .^ ; '.>.:f,;';; The .Committee has deoided.to Bccept ' the colonies' offers, especially of. mounted}': .-': contingents. ; . . '•'. „'■';- \"\ '■>' - '," Altogether they have made provision for., an additional fif,iy thousand men. .. ■" T^ '■■■■. '-,'■ The press warmly .applaud, the aotion, : .'"-•-. and consider the meanß adopted adequate . " ■:-: to cope with the' situation, ■•.■';. . • ; ; S . .LoraoN.Deo. 18. I^^*> The Times implies that Sir . Obarle> \%^ Warren replaces Eofi! MethuebV arid that> : •:.;■; Major-Geoeral Charles Tuoker suoeeedß Biir . * William Gatadre. ■:■ • .'; v • ■.' (Received Deo. 19, 9-36 a.ni.) ; _ :.£; ■} . . . Loknoir, Deo. 18.V . A second battalion of the Warjvjpkshire ; Regiment and a thousand mci- of the. Yorkshire Regiment, arrived at CTpetoTm , ; ' on Sunday. ■ ..' . „•[■;"-■,„ * Five thousand troops of the Sixth Divirv Bion left Southampton on Saturday/-- v". '?-'■'■■ The Queen remains .at Windsor over \ • Christmas, being reluctant to leave London at the present junoture. '" '. :.."f;^ ■•*.' TOTAL BRITISH CASUALTIES TO | DATti^K (Received Dee. 19, 8.35 a.m. ) ; . >. • ; : . = LpNDOH, ! De ; o. 18. ,c 1 -: The official report of 'the total British; :■;--'- --losses in the war to date is as follows t— ■' Killed ... ... ;.. 728m'en : . ;: Wounded 2784 „ :K\. Prisoners ... .' 2265 *$ ■£? T J-".\ Total 6777 men ""}! -v