WAR NEWS THE MAIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8702, 22 December 1899, Page 2

WAR NEWS THE MAIL.

(Per Alameda at Auckland.) • . General Methuen's deapateh to the ',■'■ Queen, after the battle of Modder tiver, eaya : "The battle was the bloodiest of : the century. The British Bhelled the ?_„ enemy out of the trenches,' and' then ,; oharged. The result, was terrible.'' '■■ - Reports from South Africa, flattering as >/.;'■ they are to British bravery and resolution/-. if, ; . still does not clear the atmosphere iD the ;:. views of London authorities. The successes , V lately gained by Lord Methuen and General ' : - Jlildyard were so dearly .purchased as to i'/{. -. cause grave uneasiness as to what is still before the relieving army. ■ -:'',' Despite the brighter outlook, the Times, - \ in its review of tho situation, voices the : anxiety felt, and says : "The activity the . . \.~] Boera display at points separated by hundreds of miles, their ability to invest .; towns, their readiness to offer battle" at Belmont and again at Grass Fan, their : : widespread operations south of the Orange river, and the bold and offensive aotion in >/,- Natal, seem to indicate that their nnmbars ■ are far iv excess of our estimates. It is' clear the military requirements were at ' : first greatly under-estimated, ■ and the ■ ■ Sixth Division ought Immediately to be \ prepared for embarkation." . -■'■. '■'.' ■.-■ This, coming from the hitherto optimistio > Times, is a significant fact. Id the Grass - Pau action one British battery fired 600 .;'■ ' rounds, which proves the desperate nature : '■' of the fight, and there is little doubt that ; \ the. casualties were heavy. It is now ■ known that no guns were captured in the' ',' . Belmont engagement. ■ The Deuteche Zeitung publishes a letter : " ' purporting to come from General Joubert, and dated at Ladysmith, Ootober 27th, in which the writer says : — " Even if we do • --: not succeed in preventing the ooncentration of General fuller's troops, the British ■ ':■• ; army will be weakened from- natural . • causes to snch an extent that not more '■■'■' than 35,000 effective troops, or 40,000 at. .# the outside, can take the field. The others '"i must be' employed to proteot the lines of communication. It is to be borne in mind C '-.. . that not only Natal, but Cape Colony, '.;:'.'> with a base of operations.- covering 436/-^.. ■•* miles, must be considered. Our bases of V\ : supplies are at home and organised op the'V'^relay system in three directions. To pro- •':-.. tect these does not require 100 men.; If ■ one base should be seriously threatened '. the supplies will be destroyed. A war of . ' ■ defence, of which we nped not think for a] : considerable time, would present far greater advantages than an offensive war. . We are at home in the highlands of the Transvaal < and the Orange Free State. The British ..:• will have to contest every step under great, - difficulties, and must be prepared at every ■ -' moment tp'fight dntwo or three points. Then will' begin a guerilla war, which the British will not be able to endure.. Already we have 50,000 men in the field.'so we do : . ■' not need to calculate upon a rising of the . Boera in Cap© Colony or Natal. Never- .-'-.-'- --theless, if the British stir up the natives and employ them to fight us, a rising of Afrikanderdom will take place." ' \ London, Nov, 27. :.. Yesterday afternoon the . War '.Office posted the following dispalchj dated Cape .~{ Town, 12.25 p.m., from General ForestierWalker :— " Lord Mothuen reporta he '•■& moved yesterday (Satnrday), at 3.30 a.m., with the Ninth Brigade, Mounted Corps, ' Naval Brigade, and two batteries, the guard . following with baggage, hear . : Grass Fan (about ten miles north of Belmont, on the railway line to Kiniberley) 2500 Boers with bix guns and ; two machine guns opposed him. The aotion began at 6 a.m. Our batteries . fired shrapnel vety accurately until the -" heights seemed clear. Then the" naval brigade and infantry advanced to assault. Firing was desperate until 10 a.m., when the heights were carried. The Boers retreated on the line where the 9th Lancers - were placed to intercept them. Theresnlt was not known at the time of telegraphing. . . Ihe artillery took immediate advantage of the enemy's retirement Early in the iction 500 Boers attaoked our rear guard. Fhe naval brigade met this, and also proiected the flankß. The naval brigade acted with the greatest gallantry, and suffered leavily, but no particulars are yet known.' rhe enemy showed the greatest stubbornless,*'and must have suffered heavily, twenty were buried. It is known that 31 fere killed and 48 wounded. More than iO horses were found dead in one place. )oe battery fired 500 roundß. Our force ' nust halt one day at Grass Fan to rest, md replenish ammunition. The force rorked splendidly, and it is prepared to ivercorae many difficulties. The Naval brigade, Royal Marines, Light lufantry, md First Battalion of North Lancashire , Regiment specially distinguished them- \ elves. Regarding Thursday's fight, Bo Joers killed are accounted for. Sixty-four; raggons were burned. A large quantity : . ; f powder, 50,000 .rounds of ammunition,

and 760 shells were blown up. Cowman dant Albrecht, of the Orange Free Stat Artillery, commanded the Boer artillery General Roeway was io chief command. The Admiralty is in receipt of the foi lowing despatch from Rear Admiral Harris dated Capetown, November 26th i :- deeply rearet to report the followmi casualties in action at Grass Pan yester day:-Killed: Commander Ethelston, o the Powerful ; Major Plumbe, of th< -■ Doris ; Captain Guy, senior, of the Koya . Marines, of the Monarch. Wounded Blag Captain Prothero, of the Dons severely ; Lieutenant Jones, of the Dons The other casualties are not yet known Commander Dehorsey, Captain Morgan _ and Lieutenant Wilson, all of the Mon ?i - ' arch, have proceeded to join the Nava v Brigade with Lord Methuen. :■'-■'■ The Commander-in-Chief at tbe Cap has Bent the Admiralty an additional lis :- :• of casualties among the British Nava '. Brigade engaged at the Battle of Gras ;■ Pat las follows : -" Midshipman Huddart • ' of the cruiser Doris, and ten sailors am marines were killed, and 13 petty officer i- m& seamen, and 76 non-commissionet ly officer* .' and" men of the marines wen V wounded. Total casualties, 105. ?■ -The outlook in Cape Colony is dark foi & theßritißh. That General Gatacre has n< -?'." easy task is proved by the latest despatchei 5 from Qaeenatown and elsewhere, showinj ■•■■"■' that the majority of the population on th. £'- frontier have openly deolared themselvei , v on the Bide of the Boerß, Bandß of Boen - are doing immense damage over a wid< ■■ J area, Tand they have now app*ared Boutl of Stormberg. General Gatacre, however, '-""•■" moves to tbe front to-day, soitishopec V: by the British that the invasion will soot y£. be stemmed. S&K The War Office has received the follow- !""• inn despatch from General Buller, dated &r-: Pietermaritzborg, Snnday, November 26: «£'"• : ' "Hildyard from Estcourt made a successftfol attack 6n November 23 with three if '-battalions, one field battery, a naval gun, M? and -700 mounted troopers on theenemv fe oocnpyiogth*eHillßeacon,whiohdorainated Wk Willow. Grange and interrupted his com sfe; munication. As a result of the operations 35. -""• the enemy is retiring and the railway and p^telegrapta lines have been restored between P « Efitcnurt and Wsston. Our loss was about IN. 14 killed and 60 wouuded. Hildyard has Ifc advanced to i- position near Frere, as he m?> hopes. to cut off the enemy, who is beXfc ljeyed to be retiring, on J3olenßo via , BartoD, from Weaton, has adftTirvaDced. to Eatcourt. As soon as comsili'mttbiiattibn is restored I will telegraph P%p^rti6ttl».rß. So far asTl can make out, iprtiS efoperatiqii .isrPne. for which Hildyard If^Rh.d the troops deserve ranoh oredit. lne P^/wilw»y"iß now. open to Frere. " 'v:.,".t . .v-. „ London, Nov. 28. has been received here from §ff; ! General Boiler, giving a list of casualties fgiVftinoiM the troops engaged in the battle of i&^GH&UPaVbuI; now officially designated as the " Battle of loßtin." It proves, as p£>ai/tibjpated; that the British success was iß^he"avify,bought., .The losses announced todayi addedto the Naval Brigade casualties pHprevjioußly^noted, make a grand total of !§3 :> -*i9B M the cost of General Methuen's second pf battle.'.; The Yorkshires apparently bore Pt ? With-,the Naval Brigade the brunt of the |S-fßan'ting, as there were in addition to three #Vi:'pffibetß,4B of the.rank and, file killed, and missing. The fact that the contains casualties of the 9th Lanoers ||:i ; T.?eemS" to" dispose of the fears that the gfJ-V givalrj and. captured,' |^/- i eßpeoially ac none.of the Lancers ara in jjyS^he reported missing. - iSStp-QWneral Butler's list of casualties shows is^'am'obg the wounded of the Second Sork-©i^hiife-.Light Infantry were Captain C. A. § :i "i Yatesr Lieutenant H. C. Fernynaugh, and #^Llentenai.t.'Oi : -'H. Ackroyd. The casnalte ties among the non commissioned officers ®JWd'jnen« the -various regiments engaged ||pi^re;a> Mows :— Killed 10, wounded 71. Hi Office has received >he followfrom General Buller, dated Natal, November 28th : from Ladysmitl), Novem;weiV': An^old mesM§^9pM& ■■■November 19th, just arrived. firing on one (Red : pi*vipwly' • reported. 1 V -Have "; '.as gatisfaotory. i^lmM^Utn'^dfe- Pf tha- Rifle. Bri- '. wqundß.' . Others of the doing well. The tlie troops is' good.- Six wounded ) : lcaptured,on the armored •ot CoSenso, were scut ; here rSilK^feTiie'doaßaalties io the reconhaWarico on Friday, November IffiMi«lfitoil»Wß :-KiUed, Lieutenant ireirfM^iii, '. Bombay "Maatry, and one jyaM^midedf one. In the reebnVisante of Sunday, November 26th, of the Sx£^b|rßtiiire 'were wounded LieubKit4FG;lßterlrag and one trooper.; the British casualties V'G^asllSHh^ihoWß; that Fiag-Captain igißaa-O. -PRflhero, of the Doris, and tipfSm^ol-ldiitiaM Walter T. Jones, j^-.^fV^i". DoriiK preyioußly reported )aii3ea,:fereMilied. Additional casualaJialegraphed by General Boiler appear Mth? first idttmatiotjof. the aotionß of „ jiethuen's forces which have not S^yet'l^en-repbittea.' Ab the Ninth Lanoers §|& partfcip>^a in the reoonnaiesauce on Snnpfesay :ttoft wait have,eafely, returned from s the.purßulti of the Boers after the battle of pp;^:^: : i-- „ Dobbah, Nov. 27. latest reports of General Hildyard's It losses at the Beacon Hill engageineut show m"en~were killed and 72 wounded. The suffered heavily. -Several men ire missing. " Despatches from. ?fPrendeufc : .Urnger v and General Joubert *oh a Boer prißoner, said the Boer J !: ldB8ei-atBelra6ntwere 10 men killed and >fs'swbunded. It was added that in ordei $*to : Vea«sure the burghers it had been deemed "Tnewwary to fall baok on Warrentoo. ?''• ; ; A pigeon message from Colonels Hamuton and Duff, at Ladyamith, undated, reSports all well; Another Daval contingent v from the British oriiiser Terrible, with Hwo 4-2 in guns, Btarted for the front last s@V- Bight* ' •■ •Pr-t -■••' "-" - ■ *