Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1899. The Position in South Africa.

Manawatu Herald, 26 September 1899, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1899. The Position in South Africa.

« The latest news points to war with the Transvaal unless the Boers climb down considerably. It will be remembered that the Boers agreed to Great Britain's proposal to grant the Uitlanders the suffrage after a residence of five years coupled, however, with the impossible condition of an acknowledgement of their independence — and this being refused led them to withdraw the proposed privileges to the Uitlanders, and the position is one in which the force will be used or the Boers must grant the rights to foreigners as demanded. The Transvaal is bounded by Natal, Portuguese territory, Rhodesia and the Orange Free State, and she has no coast line. The Orange Free State is bounded by the Cape Colony, Natal, British South Africa and the Transvaal and thus they have no seaboard. From Capetown a line of railway runs to Buluwayo, which touches Hopotown, Kimberley and Mafeking, all close to the borders of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. From Port Elizabeth to the south-east of Cape Colony many lines of railway run to the borders of the Orange Free State, and one direct line passes through that State to Kroonstad, Potchepstroom, Johannesburg and Pretoria, whilst from Durban, a seaport on the east coast in the Natal Colony, a railway runs to Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith, a town on the borders of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. In the Portuguese territory to the north a line of railway runs from Lorenzo Marques to Pretoria, and is the shortest cut from the sea to the capital of the Transvaal. The above being the geographical position of the possible seat of war it will be of interest to note the positions each side think advisable to occupy. The Boers are naturally strengthening their capital, Pretoria, having employed a thousand men excavating trenches and erecting earthworks. They have quite recently despatched a force to a small town called .Zeernst on the western border of their State, which happens to be almost opposite to the town of Mafeking, a town on the transcontinental railway, and thus close to the Boers' boundary. It is said that there are large stores for the British army at the latter town, which the Boers have their eyes on, but a British force has been hurried along for their protection, as well as a regiment of Bechunaland troops. At Kimberley, a town nearer the Cape a force of one thousand men is being enrolled for the protection of the town. If the Orange Free State remain neutral or else side with the Boers it is clear that the railway running through their territory cannot be used by Great Britain in any invasion of the Transvaal and it is thus that so much interest centres in Mafeking as being the point nearest, by rail trom the Cape, to Johannesburg and thence on to Pretoria. Kimberley is an important station if the Orange Free State is drawn into the war. On Thursday officers and men of the Dublin Fusileers were being hurried to Ladysmith, in Natal, which would be the military base for the protection of the railway running from Natal into the Transvaal, as the line after leaving Ladysmith tunnels through the mountains at a point on British territory called Laing's Nek. This move has been made to counteract the placing of fourteen guns by the Boers on their territory in close proximity to Laing's Nek. From the latast sources we find that

whilst the Transvaal Republic amounts to 119,200 square miles the population probably exceeds 750,000, of whom j only 150,000 are whites, which include 63.000 Transvaal Boetrst and 8?,ooo Uitlanders, 80 per cent of whom are probably British subjects. The Orange Free State covers an area ot 48,326 square miles and has a population of 207,603, of whom 77,716 are whites; The Transvaal is described as the highlands of South-East Afrida t and the Boers are mostly pastoralists. The Orange Free State lies principally on a plateau 3000 to 5000 feet above sea level. There is very little wood except along the watercourses* and it has undulating plains dotted with hills. Pastoral pursuits predominate. Laing's Nek is the tunnel between Natal and the Transvaal through the Drakenburg Mountains (in Dutch, the Dragon Mountains), the highest points of which are 10,360 ft, The range is crossed by the Van Reenen (5415 ft), and the De Beers (5625 ft) passes, and near here was the last fight of Majuba Hill.

The Mangaweka Settler has ceased publication. The new first-class battleship London was launched at Portsmouth dockyard on Friday. A British camp is being formed at Mount Prospect, whence General i Colley marched on Majuba Hill in , 1881. A most impudent robbery from a Masterton poultry yard took place the other day, when the perpetrator entered, secured nine hens chopped their heads off, and removed the bodies. A goose that was sitting on a number of eggs was decapitated also, the head of the bird being left on the eggs upon which she had been sitting. To-day and to-morrow Mr J. Pringle's horse " The Czar " will be at Mr Wanklyn's stables to give breeders an opportunity of examining him. If sufficient inducement is offered The Czar will attend Foxton three days in each week during the season. The Czar is a bright bay colt foaled in 1892 and stands 16 hands 1 inch high. He is by Young Highflyer out of Miss Williams ; Miss Williams by Leotard ; grand dam Jessie (imported). The Czar was the winner of many prizes in the South Island. Mr C. C. Kettle, S.M., inflicted a substantial penalty on Saturday morning on James Diggs, who was charged with assisting a prohibited person (J. H. Brooks), to drink liquor on 13th September. The evidence showed Brooks had a demijohn of beer in his cart, and was in a state of intoxication, Diggs holding up the demijohn to enable his friends to imbibe. The Magistrate said that prohibition orders were issued with a view of preventing drinking amongst those who wasted their estate by so doing. He was determined to punish severely any person who in any way procured drink for or assisted prohibited persons to get drink. The case against Diggs had been proved to his entire satisfaction, and he would be fined £10 and costs. — Herald. Daughter — " Yes, I've graduated, but now I must inform myself in psychology, philology, Bible — " Practical mother — " Stop right where you are. I have arranged for you a thorough course in roastology, boilology, stitchology, darnology, patch ology, and general domestic hnstleology. Now get on your working clothes. At Wellington on Saturday, Margaret Bassett, a widow, about 30 years of age, employed as a domestic servant, was before the Court charged with assaulting Dugald Eckoff. It appeared that the woman was under the influence of liquor and presented a rusty unloaded revolver at Eckoff, which she snapped twice. She then seized a bread knife and attempted to stab him. In the struggle to get the knife away, another man had his hand badly cut. Bassett said she only wanted to frighten the prosecutor. On her hand was found a diamond ring identified as being stolen from Zachariah's pawnshop. She said it was given to her by one Willoughby Richards, employed at Zachariah's, and Richards was consequently arrested. All parties were remanded till Monday. The Otago Daily Times says that the unusually keen frost which followed the snow in the beginning of August has left its mark in Central Otago by killing nearly all the bluegums and wattles. At Mount Stuart this is first noticeable, and all the way to Cromwell the same result prevails. Whether any of the trees will recover or not is questionable, but at present appearances are against it. The loss will be a serious one, as in many places the bluegums are the only trees the settlers haye t It is likely that the results of the tendering for the mail services will be known by the end of the month. In the Graniger Street Block, Wellington, claims for compensation for land wanted by the Harbour Board, has panned out wonderfully in favour of the Board, the Compensation Court having awarded £5350. The claims were £10,300 and the Board offered £s°97The following curious epitaph may now be seen in Denmore churchyard, Ireland : — " He lies the remains of John Hall, grocer. The world is not worth a fig, and I have good raisins in saying so." To-morrow an election will be held for the position of Councillor for the Borough, at the Public Library. Messrs Woollass, Stansell, and Aldridge are the candidates. The chief interest taken by many is the question of the by-law for compelling flax drays to have nine inch tires, but that has greatly faded as all the candidates are against such an extraordinary proposal being carried. Pototo growing has not been the most successful business this year, but those who sold early appear to have done better than those who held on, as the Canterbury quotations for Derwents are eight shillings to nine shillings off forks. Just a trifle over the cost of digging.

On Friday night some evil disposed person or persons broke in id the shed j on Mr Sp'eirs' farm by drawing the staple of tile fastening with a hammer, and removing therefrom nine sacks of chaff! Whose animal now looks plump ? The foresters will hold a Social next Tuesday evening. It is repotted here that the p.s. Nile was riot so' short of coal and water as to have " needed her calling in at Onehunga, and on that account the owner paid off all the crew, except the engineer, and was going to send her 1 round with another set of hands. A hole in his right heel enabled a negro workman in the diamond fields of S. Africa to secrete and steal gems to the value of over £50,000. These he sent in small parcels of iruit to a cousin in King William's Town, in the extreme south of Africa, from which place both recently departed for England. " This place is awfully full. The hotel I first went to could not take anyone in*" " Yoit should have tried ours. From what I 9ee, they take everyone in," For the position of headmaster of the Karori School, attached to which is a salary of £245 and residence, the Education Board has alread received no fewer than thirty-nine applications. Accountants and clergymen figure among the candidates. Sir Thomas Liplon's yacht Shamrock, the challenger in the coming races for the America Cup, has made another trial, with a view of testing the enormous mainsail which the vessel is to carry in the race. The sail proved a surprising success. As throwing some light oa the perpetual complaints about the rough state of the Wellington streets the city engineer informed the Council that metal cost us per yard as against 4s 3d in Christchurch and the latter was of better quality. He mentioned that every effort has been made to find good metal without success. He was now about to visit Nelson Motueka where he heard a good supply could be. procured; It was stated that stone could not be imported from Christchurch because freight is too high. The London butter market is very firm. Australian is quoted at 106s to 114s per cwt. and Danish at 126s to 130s. The Prohibitionists will not learn with any pleasure that the French vintage for the present season is abundant, and of splendid quality. S.\NDER and SONS EUCALPm EXTRACT. According to reports of a groat ntrnlvr of physicians of the hightest professioual standing, Vheve axe oSered Euca\pyti Ex 1 tracts which possess no curative qualities. '' In protection of th^ world wide fama of Sanders and Sons preparation we publish : a few abstracts fro.n thesa reports, which ; bsar fully out that no reliance caa ba i placed in o'her products: — Dr. VV. B Rush, Oakland F!a., writes It is sometimes I difficult to obtain the genuine article (Sander and Sons). I employed different other preparations; they ual no thera ■ oeutic value and no effects. Iv oue case i the eff?o l .s were eirailarto the oil camphora. the obj-ctionable action of which is well 1 known." Dr H. 15. Drake, Portland, Oi'cgou, 3a y S — "Sinau I bjoa'ne acquainted with '. thi ; preparation (Sander and Sons) I use :no o'her form of eucalvp''j?, as I think it is by fur th> best." "Dr L P. Preston, Lyuchburg, Va., writes— " I never uaad auy 1 preparation other than Simler ani as 1 found the others to be almost useless.'" Dr J. T. Oorm.'ll, Kansas City. Kans., says , « Care has to hi exercised not to be . supplied with spurious preparation*, as done by my supply drug^ia." Dc 11. H Hart, New York, says—" It goes witho it saying that bander and Sons 1 Eucalyp i Extract is th? best in the market." Dr James Reekie, Fairview, N. M.— " So wide is with nr; the rang-? fo app'ication3 of Sander and Sons Eucalypti Extract that I carry it with me wherever I go. I find it s mo3t ustful in diarrhoea, all throat troubLd bronchitis, etc." The famous Victory Sewing Machine i the latest and most perfect of Sowing Ma- : chines. It 13 adapted for household and workroom use, and is capable of performing the most artistic fancy-work. Thr prices vary from six guineas , and any ol r,ho machines cau be purchased on thp easiest of time payments from the New Zealand Ololhing Factory, the local agency. Fik Children's Blacking Coughs takWoods' Great P -ppermint Cur\ 1/0 and2/G. To The Deaf and thos:? troubled with Noise? in the Head or other Aural Troubles. Dr Nicholson, of London, the world famed Aui-al Specialist and inventor of Artificial Ear Drums, has jus issued the lOOili edition of hi.i illustrated and descriptive boo': on Deafness and Aural Troubles. This book may be had It.v.n Mr Colin Campbell, 160, Adelaide Road, Wellington, N.Z. Mr Campbell was cured of hi- deafness by Dr Nicholson's sy3tem, anl tak^s pleasure in spreading the news of the great specialist in New Zealand. A little book on ihe cure of Rheumatism Corpulence, Lumbago, and Indigestion by the same author may be had from Mr Campbell, also free.