The Transvaal.

Manawatu Herald, 29 January 1900, Page 2

The Transvaal.

CAPTURE OF SPIONKOP. Some particulars of the capture of the Spionkop heights by Sir Charles Warren's Brigade on Tuesday night are to hand. The enemy seem to have been taken completely by surprise, They had left only a small garrison to hold the trenches for the night, and the burghers on duty fled at the approach of the British troops. General Buller informs the War Office that his troops are in spendid spirits, but that the position still occupied by the Boers is one of great strength and large extent. The British public showed great anxiety while the attack on the heights was impending, and have been greatly relieved by the news of the success of the operations. General Buller's despatch and yesterday's date referring to the capture of Spionkop and the continuation of fighting on Wednesday is interpreted to mean that the British won the position in the face of severe fighting and are now only awaiting, the completion of the work of hoisting artillery to the heights before making a further advance. ... The weakness of the garrison which held Spjonkop is attributed to the- the fact that the Boers deemed the posi- j tion inaccessible, and evidently expected a continuation of the attack on the strong position they still hold to the westward. Hence they largely reinforced the ridges round Tabunyama, on whose plateau Spionkop rises at the extreme easterly edge. The Boers are, it is thought likely ! to make a stand at Dewdrop or Arnothill, away to the north-east from Spionkop, near the Klip river, and within a few miles of Ladysmith. In discussing the position of affairs in Natal, Continental newspapers acknowledge that a British victory at Spionkop is the turning point in the conflict. CHARGES OF COWARDNESS. It is stated that President Kruger sent a message to President Steyn in December urging him to enforce firmness amongst the Free Staters. He said that the loss of the Republic's independence would only be due to cowardice, and added that he 1

would not surrender the Transvaal even if half the Boer army were sacrificed. President Steyn, in making an appeal to his men after this message, admitted their cowardice- and insubordination, especially at the battle of Modder river. ABANDONMENT OF SPIONKOP. It is officially reported that th 6 garrison which Lieut.-General Warren placed on Spionkop after having captured it abandoned the position during Wednesday night. The announcement has caused intense disappointment in England, and consols have declined by ten shillings. i Mr Winston Churchill, one of the war correspondents of the " Daily Mail," reports to his paper, that when General Warren captured the first line of the Spionkop trenches he found that two hundred Boers had been killed by the British artillery fire. The solitary despatch received from General Buller with reference to the abandonment of Spionkop—" Warren's garrison am very sorry to say I find this morning had in night abandoned Spionkop "—has raised scores of interpretations. Many people, among those whose opinions have been published, fear, that General Warren in occupying the position fell into a trap, or possibly that the garrison was driven out by enemy. Dr Leyds, the European Envoy of the Transvaal Government, who is present in Paris, describes Spionkop as a " succession of hills behind each other," Dr Leyds is of opinion that General Warren's brigade seized a subordinate ridge but found it untenable. The newspapers agree that the absence of maps descriptive of the j locality is a great drawback to forming a'correct estimate of the positions of affairs. LOSSES. The War Office notifies that the list of casualties suffered by General Lytfelton's brigade. Six officers were killed, including Lieut.-Colonel R. G. BuchananRiddel 1 ( of the King's Royal Rifles, who served in the Boer war of 1881. The casualties are stated to be :— Officers killed 6 Officers wounded 12 Men killed 18 Men wounded 142 Missing 31 Totaj 209 During the fighting on Sunday last 160 Boers were captured by the British troops. The enemy are receiving fresh guvs and entrenching Tabumyama heights. LADYSMITH. Heavy artillery fire was heard in the direction of Ladysmith on Monday last. It is supposed that LieutenantGeneral White, commander of the garrison, was making a diversion to assist the relief columns. The latest reports from the town state that the Boers are pressing the siege with greater determination than of late. They are said to be erecting more guns and strengthening their fortifications around the town. Six Boers camps are visible between Ladysmith aud Potgieter's Drift, the point where Major-General Lyttelton's column crossed the Tugela river. "A buoyant feeling exists among the troops at Ladysmith. It is considered that the town is now impregnable. The garrison has a sufficiency of wholesome food. TROOPER BOOTH KILLED. Trooper Harold Booth, of the New Zealand Mounted Infantry (formerly in the North Otago Mounted Rifles), was killed in action near Rensburg on Thursday. RELIEF OF MAFEKING. It is reported from a Transvaal source that Mafeking was relieved on the 23rd inst. NEWSPAPER COUNSEL " The Times " urges that Lord Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa should strain every nerve to reinforce General Buller's army in Natal. It says that the Government must prepare for the equipment and transport of reinforcements to the full extent of Lord Roberts demands. "The Morning Post" recommends that General Buller's forces should be strengthened by the addition of jzo,---000 men. REINFORCEMENTS. The first portion of the seventh Army Division, to be commanded by Major-General Tucker, has arrived at the Cape. MISCELLANEOUS. The patrols from the brigades under Generals French and Gatacre have junctioned at Steynsburg, a point midway on the railway connecting Middleburg and stormberg Junction. Field-Marshal Lord Roberts has engaged Bnrnham, who, as a leader, of scouts, distinguished himself in the last Matabela campaign.