CONDENSED CABLEGRAMS.

Manawatu Herald, 16 January 1900, Page 2

CONDENSED CABLEGRAMS.

1 » — The Transvaal. PARTICULAKS OF ATTACK ON LADYSMITH. The correspondent of the Standard at Frere, twenty-three miles south oi Ladysmith, has transmitted to his paper particulars which he has gathered concerning the assault madf by General Jouberfs army on the British position at Ladysmith. He states that prior to the attack President Kruger inquired of the headquarters staff why Ladysmith had not been attacked. He was told that it would involve the sacrifice of life, and replied, " Put the Free Staters in the fore front." During the battle the Free State troops stuck to their positions until bayoneted in the trenches. The Transvaalers, however, retired in the face of a counter attack, amid the jeers of the Free Staters. All the available Boers were, it is stated, brought to Ladysmith from the entrenchments fronting the Tugela river, and also some from the lines confronting General French in Northern Cape Colony. The Boers engaged numbered five to one of the Englishmen under arms. The steadfastness of the British soldiers proved the salvation of the garrison, as they did not allow the enemy to gain a real stronghold. The Imperial troops punished the enemy terribly with the bayonet, the battlefield being thickly strewn with the slain. The Daily Mail states that the losses suffered by Sir George White's troops during the enemy's attempt to storm the town were 14 officers killed and .34 wounded; 800 men killed and wounded. The Boers engaged in the attack are said to have numbered 20,000 Their casualties are estimated at 2500. BLOCKING DELAGOA BAY. The Portuguese Government has decided that nobody shall enter the Transvaal through Portuguese East Africa without a passport and a Consular guarantee that the traveller does not intend to fight. This will put a stop to the Boers receiving reinforcement through Delagoa Bay. LORD METHUEN. It transpires that when Lord Methuen was wounded at the battle of Modder river he was thrown from his charger and injured his spine. GENERAL GATACRE'S MOVEMENTS. In the course of the operations for the pushing back of the Boers in the north-east part of Cape Colony— whom Lieutenant-General Gatacre~some days ago compelled to retire beyond Molteno — a reconnaissance of the Boer lines has been made by LieutenantGeneral French's cavalry.

The enemy are found to hold a strongly-fortified position at Stonr/.crg, which is eleven miles north of Molteno, their front extending for a distance of two miles. Lieutenant' General Gatacre's headquarters are now established at Sterkstroom, twenty-one miles south of Molteno. In tha course of one of its expeditions the Cavalry regained possession of a quantity of flo--- which had been seized by the Boers at the Molteno mills ; and also removed a portion of the milling machinery. CONTRABAND OF WAR. The recent seizure of American and German steamers by the British naval authorities at Delagoa Bay has brought prominently forward the question of contraband law, which is admittedly vague. Great Britain, however, took the opportunity of establishing a sound precedent by seizing the suspected vessels. The American Government shows a friendly, patient spirit over the matter. Germany is tolerant at what was done, but the Geririan shippers are irritated. Great Britain has now determined that foodstuffs shall be regarded as neutral. Ships destined for neutral ports will not be liable to seizure unless , their manifests show that their cargoes are destined for the enemy. The American cargoes oi flour recently seized will therefore be released. NEAR LADVSMITH. News is to hand that ,, General Buller advanced in force on Thursday and occupied the village of Springfield, twenty miles west of Colenso. His troops lined the south bank of the Little Tugela, and seized Polgieter's drift (crossing), and a bridge in its neighbourhood. The river is in a state of flood. The Boers are strongly entrenched four miles north of General Buller's present position. Potgieter's drift, rJorth of the Zwartskop. bridge, is negotiated by a ferry boat worked by wire haulage. -Tbe country northwards from the drift is open, and suitable for military operations towards Ladysmith. In order to further assist the operations of the relieving army, a body of cavalry moved out of Ladysmith, and riding southwards amidst drenching rain, destroyed a bridge over the Tugela, thus isolating the Boer commandoes posted on Mount Inhlawe to the eastward ot Coienso. 1 The latest reports from Ladysmith 1 state that the bread and meat supply : of the town is still good and plentiful. 1 MISCELLANEOUS. The Channel squaidron has been . ordered to sail on the 31st inst. foi 1 Gibraltar, to relieve the Particular Service Squadron now stationed there. . On being relieved the Particular 1 Service Squadron will proceed to the Cape. Prior to their departure for the Cape , five hundred of the volunteers raised by the Lord Mayor of London were ' " accorded the Freedom of the City al the Guildhall. They attended a service at St. Paul's Cathedral and a Benchers' supper ai the Inner Temple. The men were carried shoulder high through the streets by crowds oi [■ people, and the Prince of Wales seni a message of God-Speed. The con tingent have sailed. I A telegraphist at De Aar writes thai £ the place has been strongly fortified 3 with sixteen forts and redoubts. " The fellows here." says he, " who went oul cycling were blindfolded before getting i out of the town, and brought back." 3 Canada wishes to bear the whole costs of her Transvaal contingents. : Lord Strathcona High Commissions 5 in London for Canada, has offered tc t equip and maintain 400 north-western territory rough-riders, at a cost ol £200,000. * The Hon Thomas Brassey, son oi > the Governor of Victoria, is raising a ) Yeomanry Corps for South Africa, and will accompany it. Lord Brassey has 1 cabled £1000 towards defraying the [ cost of the Yeomanry Corps now being organised in England by his son. , GENERAL FRENCH. > Major-Gen^. \tl French is strongly encamped on tbe enemy's Eastern flank. The invaders endeavoured tc oust the British from their position, ■ but the attempt vigorously resisted, proved unsuccessful. ! COURTMARTIALLING A MEMBER. Hoffmann, a member of tho Cape ' Legislative Assembly for De Aar, will probably be courtmartialled for acting on the medical staff of the Boer Army. ANXIETY AT HOME. The Spectator urges doubling the shifts of men employed in every arsenal and dockyard. Also placing contracts for warlike stores at Home and abroad It advocates strengthening the reserves of the engineers and officers and men of the Navy. It urges that these precautions are necessary with a view of averting the pressure of European intervention in the Transvaal a few months hence.