SOUTH AFRICA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9400, 9 April 1902, Page 3

SOUTH AFRICA.

Electrics Telegraph- Copyright—Unites Press Association. ' LONDON, April 8. Of 2937 officers and 68,311 men invalided home, 7478 died and 5262 men have been discharged as unfit for duty. The total deaths in South Africa have been:—Killed in action, 502 officers and 5114 men; wounded, 176 officers and 1774 men; in captivity, 5 officers and 97 men. Disease killed 313 officers and 12,40* men. Accidental deaths were 24 officers and 543 men.

As a result of the conflict at Boshbult, recruiting in Canada has been stimulated. Lord Kitchener's weekly report shows: Boers killed 17, wounded 6, prisoners taken 107, surrendered 31.

Colonel Pilcher's column on Thursday, near Boshoff, killed Commandant Erasmus.

Kruitzinger's trial has concluded. He was acquitted, and consequently will be treated as an ordinary prisoner of war. A Liverpool man, formerly of the Bushveldt Carbineers, declares that Morant shot and killed Vanduren on the open veldt, while speaking to him about the murders. Then he reported that he was gallantly killed in action. The officers and men of the Carbineers represented every nationality. The missionary Hesse, who started to report about the eight Speloken murders, was shot. The. murders totalled thirty and forty. In some instances the motive was robbery. Others were committed in sheer recklessness through drink. Neither officers nor men were short of whisky. A Mansion House Fund has been opened at Sir A. Milner's and Mr Chamberlain's instance to provide a thousand Johannesburg loyalists, refugee families, with £50 worth of household goods prior to their return, to replace the things looted.

The Government are publishing all despatches relating to the Spionkop affair.

Lord Roberts has cabled to Lord Minto expressing high appreciation of the Canadians, and regret at the losses at Boschbult. -

(Received April 9, 9.24 a.m.) LONDON, April 8. i -A returned Imperial Yeoman declares that Dutchmen chiefly constituted the mounteds who deserted Lord Methuen. A minimum estimate sets down the Boer loss on the 31st as 30 killed and 80 wounded. These were not included in Lord Kitchener's weekly return to that date. The War Office has applied to Mr Copeland, Agent-General for New South Wales, for one hundred tons of . New South Wales plum, apricot, and gooseberry jam. Dr Leyds has recommenced his slanders on the British troops. Delatvy sent a letter in January, in which* cruelties are alleged against the British at Rocitie. (Received April 9, 9.24 a.m.) ADELAIDE, April 9. A member of the Bush Velt Carbineers at the time of the shooting states that the conditions of enrolment were that they should be hardy men, as they were required in a fever-stricken part of the country, and therefore the corps were a fine body. It was a gross libel to say they were scallywags. Captain Hunt was killed in a fair fight, being shot through the heart, but was afterwards fearfully mutilated. The Boers were shot by Morant and Hancock, and other officers were equally blameable, but Picton and Witton were innocent. He denied that loot was the object. The cause was drink. The quantity the officers consumed was marvellous, and they had carousals night after night. Many of the officers ■were always more or less mad with drink. WELLINGTON, this day. Major Pilcher cables from Capetown that Lieutenant Taylor, Privates Quinn, Mitchell, and McKelvie are doing well. Private Howard is dangerously ill of enteric at Wynberg.