THE WAR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 6432, 3 January 1900, Page 4

THE WAR.

HBITISII I'OItCUS IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Thorn iiiiikl ho over 80,000 troops distributed between Natal and tlio Capo Colony. Tliuro are also SO lialtalions of infantry, mill 1;") moiit.sof wivnli'y, bouillon thuartillory, engineers, and iiriny suryiuo corps. Tlio uiiiuboru will, tboreforo, npproxiitintoly bo: -

Artillury, U,;"it)0; engineers, 2,000; cavalry, JO,0U0; infantry, 00,000; iinny sorvico corps, H,000; total, 117,500. Tolliusoiiumliursmiisl, lietultlud: —

Auxiliary Iroop.s in Natal, 2000 ; Permanent mill auxiliary troops at llii) Cnpo, 8,000; Jluuhuunitliind forces, 1,500; Colonial contingents, 2,000; lolal, 11,000. Tlio total of the Imperial and auxiliary li-oojjh, according to tlio returns, at, present nndoi' Sir Redvors Hiillur'w siiprojtiu eommiind should bu tliontfore, between 81,000 and 82,000 moii. Tlio list of stations accounts for 50,000: tliuro aro about 10,000 nt hadysmith, 1500 altogether on tbo llochuunnluwl border, 8000 Capo Colony volunteers, anil .'IOOO ut Ivimbtirloy, which bring up tho total to 72,000, leaving about 10,000 still to bo accounted for. Thoro Imvo been something liko -1-000 casualties altogether, ami thero must boa largo number of man in hospital through ordiimry illnesses, It therefore becomes evident, (hat very nearly nil tho troops in South Africa available for sorvico aro in tbo liokl. Tbo distribution is us follows: Accounted for in tlio various commands, 50,000; at Ladysinith, 10,000; at Ivimborley,.'l,ooo; Ueeliunnalnnil fronl-ioi', 1,500; Capo vohtiiluors, oil!., 8,000; disunities, •1,000; total (17,500. Thus, out of a grand total of Hi,ooo troops of all arms, 73,5(J0 ciin bo accounted for. Until more lumps arriyo from Unhand, and until, through Ibo relief of hadysmith and Iviuiborley, 10,000 troops are liberated for active sorvico, it will bo impossiblo increase any of tlio existing commands. The Capo Colony volunteers, unlike tlio Natal auxiliary forces, have so far with tbo o:\coption of Ibo two regiments shut up in Kimberley, done litllo or no service. An army ofßo,oooseems atienormous strength, but tlio inannei' in which it lias been found necessary to divide tbo commands, shows that not one man 100 many has been sent out. In fad, tbo rcvorsu seems 'to bo the case, and tbo arrival of tbo divisions i of tbo Army Sorvico Corps iu South Africa will be very welcome,

OIiOXEL HADKN-I'OWELL OX SCOUTING.

A piquant illustration of Colonel linden-Powell's remarkable yersa-l tilily was furnished somo weeks ago when it was announced that lie had finished correcting tho proofs of a new book before Jlafeking became besieged. The work just published by Messrs (laic and Poldon, Aldershot, deals with the subject of " Scoutiug/'and makes its appearance at a period when the gallant colonel's military precepts are being effectually practised upon the lloers. It is racily written, and the literary characteristics which mado Colonel linden-Powell's woik on "Pigsticking" a classic, appeared to have suffered nothing from the extreme tension which preceded the outbreak of hostilities. This is what Colonel Baden-Powell says of the British scout;— '■ It is comparatively easy

for a man in Ibo beat and excitement of battle, where everyone is striving to be lirsl, to dash out and do some gallant deed; but it is another thing for a man to take his life in his hand lo carry out some extra dangerous bit of scouting on his own account, where there is no one by lo applaud, ami it, might, be just as easy for him lo go back ; that is a true bit of hero's work, and yet it is what a scout does continually as 'all in the day's work.' The Dritish scout has, too, to bo good beyond nil nationalities in every branch of the art, because be is called upon not only lo act against civilised enemies in civilised countries liko I'Vuuce and Germany, but. iie has also to take on tho crafty Afghan iu bis mountains, or the tierce Zulu in the open South African downs, the Burmese in his forests, tho Soudanese on the Egyptian desert, all requirim? different methods of working, but their elliciency depending in every case on the same factor, tho pluck ml übility of the scout himself. To be successful as a scout you must have plenty of what Americans call 'jump' and 'push,' 'jump' boinpr alertness, wide-awakeness, and readiness to seize your opportunity, ' push' being a iieyer-.say-die-feeling. When in doubt as to whether to go on or to go back, think of that and of the Zulu saying: If we go forward ivedie, if we go backward we die; better go forward and die," Scouting is like a game of football. Yon are selected as a forward player. Play the game; play that your side iimy win. Don't think of your own glorification or your own risks—your side aro backing yon up. Football is a good game, but better than it, better (ban any other game, is that of man-hunting, lint, like all other games, it, is no use your going in for it without previous training; and 1 hope that what, 1 Imvo said aboye may be of some use in helping you to take a distinguished part in the best sport iu the world, namoly scouting."

There is n line confused feeding iu horrors iu an account of tho overcrowding in Southwark published by the London Paihj News a few weeks ago. Iu one part of the district, three families have been found in one room, the recognised tenant having taken the others in as lodgers. Counting men, women, nnd children, (hero were from twelve to thirteen persons within the four walls. This is only less gruesome than tbo overcrowding case of anecdote in which, willi a family in each corner of tlio room, and another in the middle, it was said that they got on well enough until the party in the middle took in a lodger. Still more dreadful than even the true tale or the other, in lliecitsoof the, cobbler, who, after ejectment from a siiigle room, lived, with bis wife and four children, in bis cobbler's stall, hying down was out of tbo question-;' (liey slept sitting; and, so living, the wretched father went mad. A final touch of misery is not wanting. The still more wretched mother is now " oxpectiug " an addition to her family. Iter total count out and home being already six, It cannot last. Tbo greatness of England or the abominatious of this system will have to go, They must settle by order or precedence between them; but I'mglnnd is surely powerful enough to detennino the order of going, in Iter owu defence,