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Transvaal War
AN A MERICAN fRIBUTE TO BRITISH PLUCK AND STRATEGY. New York, February 19.—The
New York Journal from Capt. Wright pondent with Gen. French’s force :
Modder River, }eb. 18—For frst time the British completely outman:
French with c; Kimberley. Cron} position at Magersf tow
valry has
mtein, and is trek--
king eastward ird Bloemfontein,
with the British in hot but cautious nursult. . i i.
The Sixth division started from
Modder River to b: ward Jocobsdal cn
m., reaching Klip I before midnight, dong 26 miles in 24 hours. The same _ afternoon the General went aheal, again supported by three batteries of horse artillery, the Boers flying at his approach. This left the road clear to Kimberley, and Thursday night saw French within striking distance of the beleagured town.
Then the Boers began trekking from their Magersfontein position. When daylight brokea large trekking force was visible in the distance. British cavalry and artillery immediately started in fursuit, and both forces soon disap- peared over the veld:,
In the meantime Gen. Tucker, with the Eighth division had begun his advance on the right flank. Colonel
gin the march to- Thursday at 1. a. rift on the Modder
Heniy had been sent forward to Jacobsdal and finding the place vacated by the Boers, assured the inhabitants that their property
would be respected and their personal safety assured is they kept quiet. On his return to Wegdraal, Henry’s party was fired upon from |opjes 1,500 yards on his right flank. occured in the British force here, but
the party regained the main body prac- |
tically intack. The next day two bat- talions of infantry ana bat.cry of ar- tillery ofthe Ninth division occupied Jacobsdal. Herethe scouts brought in the intelligence that the Boers were in full flight towards Bloemfontein. Scores of Boers, sick ‘and wounded, were discovered in a \aagerthree miles west, with 150 wagons, large quantities of ammunition, stores and personal effects, all showing that the retreat had been pell-mell. ‘The Boer doctors at- tending the wounde:! say that this laager supplied the Boer entrench- ments. Amongthe supplies captured were several cases of rifles, ammunition, and boxes of biscuits marked ‘“‘via Delagoa Bay.”
On Thursday the naval brigade did good work, shelling the kopjes where the Boers were supposed to be lurking. After a few shots the kopje suddenly became alive with the fleeing enemy. Over one thousand were seen gallop- ing away at full speed. The Boer wounded bitterly revile Cronje for leaving them to fall into British hands. The British casualties were compar- atively insignificant in view of the im- mense gain of the past 48 hours.
French’s arrival at Kimberley was a velitable triumph for that dashing gen- eral. The inhabitants were already aware from the silence of the Boer guns that their long imprisonment had drawn to a close, and from every point of vantage, a look-out was kept forthe first arrival. Whenthe cavalrymen, in khaki, were espied ii the distance, word was passed to the anxious watch- ers, an a few minutes later every road and pass, lately blocked with a Boer cordon of fire, swarmed with the sorely tired citizens rushing to greet their de- iverers. Women and children, eager to taste the joy of long peferred free- dom, ran hand in hand, while Colonel Kekewich’s men formed an escort for the advancing cavalry.
The road to Kimber!cy is now oper, and repairs to the railway are being pushed, so as to allow food supp ies to enter, as well as for those desirivus to leave te
get away as quickly as possible. The ninth division with Generals Kitchener, Kelly-Kenny and Colville, meantime tock a yaralle! road eastward ir 1] purpose ¢ cutting off the By retreat, the prospects of hard fighting being more likely in this Ciection. T e Highland brigade un Cer General Macdonald was given a chance their commander’s request ‘Oretrieve the Magersfontein blunder, nd quick as the men could be pushed
continued that
‘head the merch was
has_ the following its special corres-
the Generals have euvred the Boers. entered ‘ has evacuated his
A few casualties {
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THE DAILY EXAMINER, CHARLOTTETOWN, FEBRUARY 24, 1900.
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Under other circumstances this out- burst of the elements would have forced the troops to shelter. The lightning struck all around the men, in many cases striking the gun barrels, and forcing the poor fellows to drop to the ground, but Scotchmen’s blood was up and they continued to plod _for- ward. One blinding flash struck a naval twelve pounder, while the men were hauling it up the hill. Three tars were struck down and to complete the diaaster one ofthe wheels of the gun carriage was split in two. Nothing daunted other blue jackets .rushed to the assistance of their disabled com- rades to remount the gun on its broken carriage. This was impossible, but the men were not to be baulked by a little thing like that shouldered the big weapon and carried it bodily ten miles and from an improvised plat- form on a kopje opened fire on the body of fleeing Boers. Gen. Kitchener witnessed the daring act, and praised the men’s skill and bravery. The British are still pursuing the Boers to the eastward. GIVES FRIENDLY WARNING. Lord Roberts has issued a proclama- tion to the burghers of the Orange Free State, saying that he feels it his dutv to make known to all the burgh- ers the cause of the coming of the British, as well as to do all in his power to terminate the devastation caused by the war, and that he issues the proclamation in order that if the burghers should continue fighting they may not do so ignorartly, but with a full knowledge of their responsibility before God for the lives lost in the
day.
form broke over
\t Kip Drift a terrib’e thunder- the si‘ent marchers
j
campaign. ‘The proclamation goes on
to say: ; “The British ‘Government believes
PREVIOUS TO DEPARTURE FOR SOUTH AFRICA.—Boston Globe.
i.
HYMN FOR ABSENT FRIENDS. ‘‘ The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.”
Holy Father in Thy mercy Hear our anxious prayer, Keep our loved ones, now far absent, "Neath Thy care.
Jesus, Saviour, let Thy presence Be their light and guide, Keep, ob, keep them, in their weakness At Thy Side.
When in sorrow, when in danger, When in loneliness, In Thy love look down and comfort Their distress.
May the joy of Thy salvation Be their strength and stay :
May they love and may they praise Thee Day by day.
Holy Spirit, let Thy teaching Sanctify their life ; Send Thy grace, that they may conquer In the strife Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God the One in Three, Bless them, guide them, save them, keep them Near to Thee. Amen,
that it bears them no ill-will, and that, so far as 1s compatible with the suc- cessful conduct ofthe war in the re- establishment of peace, itis anxious to preserve them from the evils brought
that the wanton and unjustifiable in- vasion of British territory was not committed with the general approval of the people of the Free State, with whom the British Government has lived in complete amity for so many years. It believes the responsibility to rest wholly with the Government of the Free State, acting not in the inter- ests of the country, but under mis- -chievous influence from without. “Great Britain, therefore, wishes the people of the Free State to understand
their Government.”
of hostility toward Her Majesty's
complaints.
upon them by the wrongful action of
In conclusion, Lord Roberts warns ! heretoforer, had only ranked all burghers to desist from further acts
A COMPANY OF THE ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ARTILLERY CO. ATTENDING CHURCH IN LONDON,
o
eneual
BOY BUGLER AND QUEEN.
The Queen’s personal interest in the men fighting her battles is being con- stantly iilustrated by her visits to Netley hospital and the private houses where lie officers and men wounded in South Africa. She stood godmotber a few days ago to the child of a major’s wife whose husband was killed at Elans- laagte, and she has now summoned to Osborne Bugler Dunn, aged fifteen, of the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who was the first to cross the Tugela River, though the men of the regiment tried to keep him back. While running with the soldiers, holding his bugle with his right hand, Dunn sounded the ‘‘Ad- vance.” <A bullet struck-his arm and the bugle fell. The boy immediately lifted it up and repeated the call. He was brought to Netley hospital, and was visited there by Princess Christian and Princess Henry of Battenberg, who asked the boy what he would like the Queen to do for him. He replied :— “IT hope Her Majesty will send me back to the front. I’m to have a medal and three bars, because I was in three engagements. My father has only two bars to his medal.” The lad’s father, a sergeant, returned to the front last week, having recovered from his wound. On his arrival at Portsmouth young Dunn was tenderly borne on the shoulders of the delighted populace.
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| WELL-EARNED PROMOITON. ! The Queen has promoted Genera | French to be major-general. French, as a with the local Lieut-Col.
; colonel in the army,
| rank of lieutenant-general.
Government and troops, and he gives Kekewich, has been promoted tolonel, directions regarding requisitions and | for services in the defence of Kimber-
ley.
BOERS FOOLED MACRUM.
SUCCESSFUL HOODWINKED THE UNITED STATES CONSUL AT PRETORIA,
Wilson D. Lyons, who visited the Transvaal shortly before the breaking cut of the war, has written a published letter, in which he says former United States Consul Macrum was hood- winked bythe Boers. Mr. Lyons says in part :—
“Mr. Marcrum was the first repre- sentative sent from the United States to Pretoria. Our interests were looked after by an agent, who hadhis own business to attend to. This being the first time a man had come direct from the United States Government, the Boer officials thought it their best pol- icy tomake him at home, and show up everything to him from their side,
so that he would report favourably to the United States Government. They worked the. game to perfection, as far as Macrum was concerned, and won him over to the pro-Boer side from the first.
“It was surprising that an American could have the wool pulled over his
eyes in sucha way, but Macrum mixed
with few English, andsaw few Amer-
icans, except on quick visits to Johan- nesburg. Well-informed people are
all surprised that a young man of Macrum’s intelligence should have been hoodwinked by the Boer Govern- ment, but they fool their own people, and are past-masters of the game.”
BOERS CONFIDENT OF ULTI- ic: MATE SUCCESS.
A private letter from Pretoria, dated Jan. 10, is remarkable tor the calm assumption that Europe will never permit England to rob the Transvaal and the Orange Free State of their in- dependence. Reading between the lines, in fact, it assumes that President Kruger received assurances that if the burghers only made a good fight powerful friends at the last moment will step in and say “Hands off!” to the victor. ‘The letter leaves no doubt of the confidence ofthe Boer leaders in their ability to keep the war going indefinately, ‘Twelve months hence is mentioned as the the earliest date for the capture of Pretoria, and two j ears for the final subjugation of the Trans. veal, while it is incidentally mentioned that all the leading foreign officers in the service of the two Republics have beenengaged for three years, with one yéar’s salary paid in advance.
The writer says that the republican forces have been reinforced since the war began by 10,coo Dutchmen and 2,000 Englishmen from Cape Colony and Natal, and 3,000 foreigners who have come via Delagoa Bay and paid their own expenses. It is Ceclared that there are 75,000 men in the fight-
| ing line, with reserves to the number
of about 30,000 more. The county is calm, the blacks working on -the farms and in the towns asin ronal times. There is not the s'ighrtest fear of a native rising, because every ‘Keffir was disarmed before the begin ving of the war. Finally the writer » timated that big events would hapjen about the beginning of March, when the cli- matic advantages wll al! be cn the Boer side, and Gen, Jouly. st will take the offensive.
FREE STATE WEARY OF WAR.
Judging from the conversation of the inhabitants the Free State is weary of the war. It isopenly stated that Piesident Steyn betrayed the pecple. When the latter became satis‘ied! : here was no truth in the stories of the !vot- ing proclivities of the British, the townspeople welcomed the troops as friends.
domucnnesmmennpenenlle
BOERS NONPLUSSED.
A correspondent with the British army talked with a number of the Boer wounded, and they all acknowledged that the British mouements had non- plussed the burgher commanders. Even now, it isadded, they are under the } capture Jacobsdal. When informed of the relief of Kimberley, they were at first incredulous and then astoned.
ALL QUIET IN JACOBSDAL.
’
A telegram of the :5th inst., reports that the British Military police patrol the street, but not a stick of furniture, noteven an apple from the trees has been taken. A sentry is placed before each store, and the soldiers are allowed to enter and purchase what they require. Everything is so peaceful that the in- habitants express the utmost surprise, as it hasbeen diligently reported that the British occupation meant instant looting.
impression that the sole object was to _
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