CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6717, 13 February 1900, Page 2

CURRENT TOPICS.

Those who are not well A British versed in military matters army corps, axe 8-mewhay confused sometimes by reference, to the different units in the British Army. An army corps has a very elastic interpretation with regard to numbers. Its strength and its proportion of cavalry, artillery, and infantry musfc depend on the nature of the campaign.' On paper, the army corps is about 36,000 strong, but it is often increased in numbers. To complete an army corps, ail units have to bo made up to tlieir war strength, and for this purpose a portion of the Army Reserve has to be mobilised. The total strength of the Arnry Reserve is 82,000. There is a good deal of misunderstanding as to the difference -between a regiment and a •battalion, and between line battalions and militia battalions. Every infantry regiment is divided into a certain number of battalions. With rare exceptions, the first two battalions are line "battalions,: or regulars, and every battalion after the second is militia. There are some exceptions to this rule, but they are comparatively few. No infantry regiment is ever moved or otherwise treated as a unit. A cavalry regiment is a complete unit. An infantry battalion consists of eight companies, besides two companies at the depot. The war strength of an infantry company is 116 of all ranks, and, therefore, in the field, a battalion, including tlhe staff, numbers 1010 men. The total peace strength of a battalion at. home is 881. Mounted infantry are a composite force, composed of a certain number of companies, each one formed of sections of specially selected officers and men from different infantry battalions. A company in the field consists of 142 officers and men, and every two companies have a- machine ,rgun attached. Mounted infantry are armed infantry, and, as a rule, fight dismounted. They, are mounted, chiefly, for the purpose of rapid movement. A service squadron consists of four troops, numbering 192 men and horses in all ; and a reserve squadron of two troops has 102 officers and men. The total regiment en what is called the higher scale comprises 696 officers and men. The Royal Regiment of Artillery is composed of the Horse Artillery, which is generally known as the R.H.A., the Field Artillery, the Garrison Artillery, and the Mountain batteries. The fi'rfit act mostly with cavalry, the secoud-' together with mountain batteries, with infantry, and the third are used in the field for siege purposes with heavy guns, or for defending a camp or a permanent position, such as'that at Ladysmith. ■.•..•■-.•■:•...■ ,<, ■ The "Times" recently pijb- ,[ delagoa bay. lished an "important article : dealing with the place of De- ; agoa Bay in the South African war. The ]

writer,, discusses in detail Britain's position " with "l-egarfl^to the bay and the effect of tbfe right of search which she- exercises on all vessels destined for Lorenzo Marquez. Beyond this right of search, at sea, Britain is , reduced to the exercise of friendly and vigi- [• lant pressure upon the Portuguese «uthori-< ties at home and upon officials in Lorenzo Marquez and at other points on Portuguese territory whence goods or contraband of war can be conveyed to the Transvaal and Orange Free State. She has every rightf to demand from Portugal the strictest fulfilment of her duties as a neutral Power., | Portugal, it is pointed out, has been our most ancient ally. Over and over again we havo under treaty defended the integrity of her dominions. The boundaries of British and Portuguese territories in South Africa have, been amicably delimited, and ) only the other day Great Britain and Portugal were co-opera'fcing hi a joint, expedition against; . hostile natives. 'Portugal alsd, it. may be remarked;,, has -not issued. -any formal declaration of neutrality; and British ships have been able to enter her ports, can coal in those ports ,and cati use them as a baS* for the exercise of the right to search. Aa for the assertions that large quantities of contraband of war are allowed . to pas* through Portugese territory to the Transvaal, and that streams of mercenaries have reached Pretoria by the same route, it is very difficult to obtain definite proof. An£ if the volunteers come as peaceful travellers^ the Portuguese officials can hardly interfere. "At the same time," concludes the writer^ " should it be shown that thai Portuguese authorities at Loren& Marquez wittingly or unwittingly tolerate a state of things calculated materials Jy- to prolong or to affect the ■ultimate resuits of the campaign, , Gyjsat BHtfti^coulcl not sit. dowa-and lose Sonth -Africa aimply; because the Portuguese" Government wfts top weak or supine to fulfil its duties, qr,,fecaui» a few Portuguese o*" aliens residing in and seeking Delagoa Bay;wT»Usd to take advantage of the difficulties of Portugese administration in order to reap to our detriment a golden harvest from the benevolent consideration of the British Government for an old ally and from the peculiarities of Portuguese methods." Britain in such a Case has drastic remedies open to her, but very positive proof would have to be forthcoming before Bhe could venture to face the grave issues whioh those remedie* would involve. It wifl easily be understood, that stringent and extreme measures might' \ raise international complications far mor© serious and far more injurious to the Successful prosecution of the South African war, than the evils that are already supposed to exist. • The view taken in the Portugal " Times " article As probably axd that obtaining in official the boers. circles $ indeed, there are indications that it emanated from a person in high, authority. It is curi- 1 ous to reflect, as the " Saturday Review " observes, "what an enormous advantage it' would be to us at this hour if we. had allowed Mr Kruger to acquire Delagoa Bay! from the Portuguese, as he ardently desired to do. If Delagoa Bay were a Boer port, we could blockade it and stop not only munitions of war but food from going in." There is no dbubt, of course, that Delagoa Bay is being used as the "back door" to the Transvaal. A merchant of the district, interviewed in London, was positive on that point. .... "Portuguese officials, in, Delagoa Port, and I know them, well," he Boid, " are the most corrupt lot in. th« world. When,' the war commenced the Portuguese at Delagoa Bay, like everyone else in the world, considered victory to be a dead certainty for the English. Therefore they at first put a certain curb upon the Bosr importation of arms, 'recruits, and so on. But since the English reverses all that has changed. They : have turned round, and are entirely against us. Instead of helping the English in Delagoa Bay they have mode that port a base of Boer supplies." The warships cannot prevent the importations. They are compelled to make their search outside the three-mile limit, and the arms are concealed' beneath tons of general cargo. A proper inspection is absolutely impossible at sea. The recruits are carried) as sailors, waiters, and passengers. The Lisbon correspondent of the "Daily Mail " asserts that the Portuguese Government is well disposed towards Britain, and is doing its best to stop the passage of munitions of war through Delagoa Bay. Ita agents have received very drastic instructions on the point, but they may not be proof against Boer secret service money. The correspondent believes that the position would be eased if the British Government politely requested the Portuguese authorities to be more watchful. "As for the arrival of European volunteers at the Bay," says the correspondent, "it may be taken for certain Portugal will do nothing ; indeed, what can she do? Out rulers here live in a chronic state of terror of Boer aggression ; they even speak, with bated breath, of the possibilities of a Boer daub on the port. The Portuguese troops on the spot would hot seriously fight -the Boers, and despite all reports, no more men will be sent out to strengthen the defences of the colony." Delagoa Bay Jj at present the subject of arbitration proceedings, but the award has been delayed by the illness of the President of the tribunal. Meanwhile, it is rumoured in official circles that Germany and Britain have agreed to take over the administration of Portuguese East Affrica, and that the Bay will form part of . the British share. This referu to a secret financial understanding with Portugal.