THE TRANSVAAL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2953, 27 November 1900, Page 2

THE TRANSVAAL.

United Press Association —Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. SIR ALFRED MILNER’S HEALTH. GENERAL BADEN-POWELL’S POLICE. DISAPPOINTMENT OF KRUGER. THE HARLECH CASTLE AT ALBANY. Received 9.31 a.m., November 26th. LONDON, November 25. Sir Alfred Milner is overworked, and will shortly recuperate on board the warship Doris. Trooper Gey, of New South Wales, died of enteric fever. Eleven thousand applied in London for the , 1000 vacancies in General BadenPowell’s police. PARIS, November 25. Mr Leyds attended a diplomatic dinner which was given by M. Delcasse in honour of Prince George of Greece. Mr Kruger seems tired since his arrival in Paris, and is apparently -disappointed at the hysteria displayed and the unreality of the demonstrations. He retired early yesterday and remained ladoor ail to-day. The members of the municipality of Paris are chagrined at the postponement of the reply to their invitations until tomorrow. ADELAIDE, November 25. Lord Roberts has cabled that he hasbeen instructed to despatch to Adelaide as soon as possible 1500 Martini-Henry rifles which were captured from the Boers.

MELBOURNE, November 26.

Private McCause, who was wounded ai Rensburg early in the war, has been pul under the X rays. The bullet was lo cated in his liver, after passing througl: his right lung.

ALBANY, November 26,

The steamer Harlech Castle had a great reception on arrival here, the crew of H.M.S. Royal Arthur participating in it. The officers landed, and were officially entertained at luncheon. There was great disappointment at Colonel Tom Price not allowing the men to land. A SHOCKING MURDER. Received .0.40 a.m., November 27th. LONDON, November 26. Two Boers captured Lieutenant Neumeyer, commanding the Orange Police at Smithfield, while driving unarmed towards Aliwal North. They handcuffed him, shot him in the back and head, robbed and threw the body into a spruit. Two natives witnessed the murder. The affair has caused intense indignation. KRUGER’S RELATIONS—HARD WORK FOR THE LITTLE BOER. Received 1.32 a.m., November 27th. ‘ PARIS, November 26. In order to evoke enthusiasm Mr Kruger’s suite display his grand-daughters in Baris and keep his great-grand-child at a window for hours together waving a Boer flag. CAPTURE OF BOERS AND STOCK. Received 11.30 p.m., November 26th. LONDON, November 26. General Settle’s column captured in the south-western district of the Orange Colony 12 prisoners, 200 horses, and 10,000 sheep.

A Boer attack on Dewetsdorp has been repulsed.

AN OFFICER AND THREE AIEN KILLED.

Received 0.40 a.m., November 27th. LONDON, November 26.

Lieutenant Paxton and four men, misaking the road from Thabanchu to Ladybrand, rode straight into a. Boer position. Lieutenant Paxton and three men were killed. The other man, was wounded.

The European press, commenting on Air Kruger’s visit, says that it is hopeless for him to expect anything beyond sympathy. The British press admits M. Rosseau’s scrupulous correctness of the procedure of Air Kruger’s visit, the abstention of the crowds from any exhibition of unfriendliness towards Great Britain, and the moderation of the French press.

Received 1 a.m., November 27th. SYDNEY, November 26. Trooper Ellis, of the New South Wales Lancers, died on the Harlech Castle. Extract) from letter from Trooper F. C. Knubley, Second New Zealand Contingentßarberton, 27th September, 1900. —On Thursday morning, September 13th, at 3 o’clock, 32 rank and file (I one of them), having good horses, were roused, and had breakfast, and were served out with three days’ provisions, and left camp at 5 there were also 25 of the First and 25 of the Third Contingents. We had

to lead the horses up the pass, and a good sweat it was—the load was mode out of the rock, and unlike New Zealand ones, with plenty of zigzagging, went straight over the hill. The guns began to go up at 1 a.m., and the pompoms were just starting up as we went —16 horses in the 12-pounders and 12 in the pompoms, and plenty of spurs. Waggons and all kinds of transpoi'ts had to double-bank. When we arrived at the top—a climb of 1500 feet—we had a good view of the country behind and before —before nothing but ranges of kopjes. We were to form part of a flying column of 800 men under General French to march on Barberton, 28 miles away. We passed camps at different stages belonging to French, and after another steep climb—but a great deal shorter than the pass—and a decline we halted for half an hour and killed some sheep. Presently the whistle goes. . “ Prepare to mount and mount ” is the order, and the flying column is off. A crowd of cavalry in front and a crowd behind, with New Zealanders and London Rough Riders in the centre. A narrow but steep spruit delays us for some time, but we get across in time. We do not bake the road, but go to the right and halt near a rugged kopje while the officers have a look round. Off again, and down a deep gully, down which, we

have to lead our horses, and up the other side, only to go down a rougher and longer one, and up a very Stony and steep kopje to a saddle, during which time we pass some ferns and shrubs which remind us of New Zealand. The heavy work is telling ■on the cavalry horses, which carry a heavier swag than ours. The guns did

not follow us, but kept to the road. We get huddled together on a narrow saddle, with some still coming up the steep climb,

and the rear in the distance. Cavalry men and New Zealanders mixed up and speaking as they knew one another before, and the word goes along us, “ There’s Barberton ; we have saved 18 miles coming this way.” I get up on a rock, and, like colonial cheek, get among officers to have a look at the great gold-mining town. Yes, there it is; but a good distance off. under a range of kopjes, but open on one side. Soon we file down the other side of the saddle, aoid very slow it is. French and his staff sitting on rocks, spyglasses going, and gesticulating with hands. Away down the valley a long thin line of horsemen could be seen, some more anxious than others are making a track more to the left. It took'one and a half hours for one to get to the bottom, and a rough way it was—no beaten track, but one of French’s little plans. 7.30 p.m.—The fellows are very happy, having plenty to eat. Yours truly has just had tea; curried stew, tinned herrings, tea with condensed milk and sugar, and plenty of flapjacks. When I arrived at the bottom of the kopje and looked back u few were yet coming over the saddle. One can always tell New Zealanders—there they are, twos and threes boiling mess cans of tea all over the place—not like regulars, all together' and horses in a line. From the bottom of the kopje to Barberton would be a dozen miles, with olenty of deep sharp gullies intervening, which was hard on the horses. The men had to lead the horses the best part of the way. About seven miles out wc came by Moody’s electric plant, which drives all the gold batteries round Barberton, of which there are a great number. The names of the kopjes we came, ■iver are called the “Devil’s Knuckles.” We could see a heliograph flashing close by the town, and those not in the know took it for a Boer one, but it was not. French’s advance guard was a specie’ squadron of Scots Guards, and they had made a wide detour to the left of the "own, captured 34 waggons going into the town, two Cape carts containing gold, cut the railway line, and took the town without opposition, the Boers getting away as quickly as possible. Nearly 40 locomotives and a quantity of rolling stock wartaken at the station —not a bad haul. A few miles out we passed an Englishman’s house, and some of us were lucky enough to get some bananas. We camped at dusk about two miles out of town, part of the column camped close to the town. The guns came by the road, as the way wf came was too rough; we could see them a few miles out as we were going in. I an; very glad I was one of the 2nd New Zealanders as I had heard such a deal ot French and hid ways. He is a great general, and has plenty of dash. Two cor respondents came with us and took some snap-shots which will make splendid photographs, I shall try to get some. The English people were subjected to a good deal of insolence prior to our entry,' bathe laugh is on the other side now. The weather is very hot now, we. go about as lightly clothed as possible.