MELBOURNE ARGUS CORRESPONDENT'S LETTER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11789, 5 February 1900, Page 2

MELBOURNE ARGUS CORRESPONDENT'S LETTER.

CiriteJ Pi'i S3 Association. — By Electric Telogr iph. — Copyright. Received Febuiary 5, 9.50 am. Mr.uminsxr., February 5. — The Argus spcci.il correspondent, describing tho fighting no-ir Coloshorg, when four companies of tho Suft'olk Regimunt c.ime (o grief, sirs they h:ul ba\onots fixed and v. ore marching steadily towards tho Roers' position, when they found the Bock ready for them. They hail a row of lanterns with which they flashed a light in the faces of tho attaekeis and a murderous firo was at once poured iv by tho Boers. The cry of " Botire " was raised, some say by tho Boers, and the* i two rear companies of our troops fled : down the hill, throwing their rifles away. '■ It was a terrible retreat. Out of 400 1 British 160 were missing, killed, or i wounded. All the oflicers Vi ere taken or ] killed exceplgone, and he was wounded 1 sarly and came back with a bullet through < nis leg and another through his shoulder, c rhe oxaot renson of tho defeat is hard to j jot at, There is no doubt tho men got to ]

the Boer trenches, but came away again. They say the}- were received with a iire against which it was impossible to stand. Others say a pinic set in. The Boers, did I not lose any men so far :xs we know, as our troops did not fire at all. The correspondent mentions that the New Zealand troops are earning great praise in all quarters. The Wellington More Men Fund now totals over £1800. A feature of the offers in Otagofor tho fourth contingent will be horses provided by the various trades and employees of firms. The following is an example : — The cricketers and tho Rugby Union will give a horse : the Organising Committee will give a horse ; the Daily Times (2). Robert Campbell (2). John London, W. Turnbull, Jas. Smith, junr., give one horse each. An Australian visitor, who has nlreadj- contributed to the fund in New South Wales and Victoria, will give three horses. Mr and Mrs Jas. Mills give one between them. Massey, Harris & Co., Thomas (London), Otago Rowing Club. Pirates Football Club, Donaghy & Co.'s employees, and W. P. Watson, and a friend give a horse each. Each borough or township is expected to give on° horse or more. Colonel Pole-Penton arrived at Wanganui to make a final selection of 50 men from those in camp there. His choice is expected to be made to-day (Monday), and tho men leave for Wellington on Friday. Colonel Hoad, the Victorian officer, about whose appointment to the com inand of the combined Ausirali'm troops some friction was said lo exist, ib a nativeborn Victoi'ian, and was formerly a State school teacher. Hi^ fir.iL cxpu'i^nce of volunteering was with his «-.ch'^>! cadets. Aftcrv.\u*db ho went ITq 112 10 complete his military training, and in distinguishing liiirs II fit ib Tilitary College. U'jiss-iid !•> bj ;> ih'iroughly efficient oitioer. The wrr correspondcr' of the Otago I Daily Time 0 ., writing 10 i'.i.ii p-ipci, mentions a clever vh--j which the New Zealanders have adopted with considerable success. It is well known that tlfe Boers never show themselves or fire until the enemy are drawn into an ambuscade, when such a contingency is possible. Consequently their whereabouts is seldom ascertained until a death-dealing fire is poured into the British from behind the shelter of the kopjes. The New Zealanders, recognising that strategy must be met with strategy, extend in open order along the veldt, and gradually work up io within 1000 yds or so of where they suspect the enemy to be entrenched or in hiding. They pretend to examine the kopjes closely through their, glasses, and at a given signal -suddenly wheel round and gallop back for a s distance of 1000 yds. This pretended discovery of the enemy, though perhaps noj; a single trace of the Boers can be distinguished, seldom fails to draw them. The Boers, imagining that their whereabouts has been discovered, open fire, and thus indicate their positionto the New Zealanders, who, if the attempt does not prove too dangerous, draw closer and endeavbur to dislodge the enemy from their position. Time after time these tactics have been adopted with distinct success. The colonials, fighting with their heads ?.s well as their rifles, have located the Boer position again and again, and thus prevented the main body from falling into one of those ambuscades that have proved so disastrous to the British in other engagements. 'The headquarter staff were highly pleased, and somewhat amused, at the adoption of these original taotics, and have borne testimony to their efficiency on more than one occasion. As to the effect of the new system of fighting on the Boers, reports from Colesberg are to the effect that the enemy arc somewhat nonplussed, and in consequence kept closer to the main camp than they have done for months past. According to the Bey. A. T. Wingman, senior chaplain of colonial forces on active service in Cape Colony, a portion of whose letter to Bishop CoTOwe published on Saturday, the Boers' campaign was planned for them by the ablest strategists in Europe, and they have in their arir'es at least 2000 trained officers, mostly Germans and.Hollanders, with a sprinkling of Russians, French, and Belgians. He estimates the total force of the enemy at 60,000, and thinks it will take 160.000 men and. twelve months' arduous fighting to finish the war and capture Frctoria. THE TRANSVAAL SELECTION. To-day (Monday) th • local committee — ths Mavt r, Dr McO'cbud, :,r? ]ov Ellis, Messrs Ba-rv, W. X- wn 1 m, IT. X, Mac* Diavmid, n>'d God -al— s <ledt.d the men to go to WY.jr^anui ■ Th '.: n unts are :—: — Messrs i^ul'O'i, Dugg'.'!, B. Murdock, J, Gljnej. "tt. Vealo, MeKiunon, Richardson, Maekuider. Wiggins, and Call i;,han. The final selection of six men will bo made at Wanganui. Tha men leave by ilio 7.55 irain tomorrow morning.