CONDENSED CABLEGRAMS.

Manawatu Herald, 22 February 1900, Page 2

CONDENSED CABLEGRAMS.

The Transvaal. WITH LORD ROBERTS. Lord Roberts' movement for the combined invasion of the Free State and the relief of Kimberley is pronounced by military critics to be unsurpassed. The unwavering mobility of General French's column which reached Kimberley on Thursday was particularly noticeable, although the march i was through .overpowering heat and dust, with at times occasional storms of rain and lightning. The transport service and the splendid Marching of the infantry were conspicuous features of the march. The combination dovetailed marvellously, despite long marches across deep water-holes and sand. The troops throughout displayed the incarnation of faith in their commander. CRONJE. It how appears that the bulk of General Cronje's forces at Magersfontein crossed the Modder river after the general British movement and made towards Bloemfontein. The enemy in their retreat to the capital of the Free State are moving from kopje to kopje holding each as long as possible in order to enable Cronje's convoy to proceed. - The train of waggons moved slowly, tha oxen being dead beat when they reached Klipkaal Drift. The troops under General KellyKenny are harassing Cronje's rearguard, the bluejackets working their guns to advantage. After dispersing the enemy around Kimberley, General French returned southward with ten thousand men, and effected a junction with General Kelly-Kenny's division. The latter first attacked General Cronje's rearguard laager of a thousand waggons at Klipdrift and Drieput, where the Boers held the surrounding kopjes. The battle waged all day, the British casualties being few in number. After the battle a telegram signed by General Cronje was found it the place where the Boers laagered, but have since abandoned, in which he confessed that he had been completely surprised. The correspondent of The Times at Modder river cables that it was owing to a day's unavoidable transport delay that the British were prevented from surrounding the whole Boer force from Magersfontein, which was only evacuated on Thursday evening. The guns used by the Naval Brigade outranged the guns used by the Boers to jcover their retreat. The usual mobility of the enemy vanished \ owing to their oxen being overworked. GENERAL BULLER. News has been received that after bombarding Inhlawe mountain — a Boer stronghold to the south of the Tugela, a few miles east of Colenso— and inflicted severe havoc on the Boers, General Buller's troops captured Cingolo Hill, to the east of Inblawe. The British casualties were few. Another report has been received from Lady smith slating that there are indications that the Boers are abandoning their laagers. When Lieutenant-General Lord Methuen's division of troops took possession of Magersfontein after its evacuation by the Boers, there were many indications that the fortress had been abandoned in panic. Cooked dinners which had been prepared by the garrison were found untouched, and great quantities of stores were secured. The position proves to have been marvellously fortified, and in the opinion of experts would have been impregnable. The correspondent of the Daily News declares that the Boers did not remove their heavy guns. The state* ment, however, needs confirmation. i ANNIHILATION OF THE VICTORIANS. News has just been received of a distressing event in Northern Cape Colony. It appears that a troop of lanfckiU.

ing Dragoons and the Victorian Mounted Rifles while operating towards the district surrounding Colesberg defended a kopje to the west of Bastard's Nek. The enemy, who a few days ago had mounted a forty-pounder, opened fire with that weapon upon the British force, which then took up a fresh position at Hobkirk's farm. This new point was tenaciously defended against the enemy, the defenders being but hundreds against thousands of their opponents. Eventually the Inniskillings charged through five hundred of the enemy, aud managed to escape, after, they state, inflicting heavy loss upon the Boers. The correspondent of The Times at Arundel, in describing the event, says that the Victorians seeing a number of Boers on a kopje, charged them, but were entrapped. All were later on found dead on the field, with bayonets fixed and bloodstained by their sides. No official confirmation of the state* ment that all were killed has yet been received at the War Office. In commenting editorially upon thi.~ deplorable affair, The Times says that the devotion shown by the Victorians in fighting to the last and dying to a man will always elicit admiration, and will draw closer the ties of the Empire. [It might be noted that the Victorian contingent has been altogether severely handled of late. As recent ly as the xoth inst., the Victorians lost /Major G. A. Eddy and a number of men at Rensburg, where several were also taken prisoners.] RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY. The casualties to Lieutenant-Gene-ral French's column in its march to the relief of Kimberley numbered fifty. Her Majesty the Queen has sent a telegram of congratulation to Lord Roberts upon the success of his recent movements for the relief of Kimberley. The message also acknowledges the heroism displayed by the garrison of the town during the siege. The Right Hon. Cecil Rhodes has undertaken to bear the expense of con* veying the women' and children of Kimberley to the seaside to recuperate their energies after the trials of the last four months. ' PROCLAMATION BY LORD J ROBERTS. ! The residents of Jacobsdal were amazed at the fact that the British | troops instead of looting the town distributed army stores amongst its inhabitants Field-Marshal Lord Roberts has issued a proclamatfon declaring that President Steyn, and not the Free State burghers, is responsible for the , present invasion by the British forces. , Britain, he adds, retains no ill-will to the burghers. CAPTURE OF SMUGGLED AMMUNITION. Lieutenant-General Kelly- Kenny has now captured 150 Boer waggons, and secured an extensive collection of spoil, including thousands of head of stock. . Amongst the loot were biscuit boxes filled with ammunition the address upon which showed that they had reached Pretoria by the way of Delagoa Bay. Major-General C. E. Knox's brigade which forms part of the Kelly- Kenny Division, and was for this occasion under the command of LieutenantGeneral Lord Kitchener, especially distinguished itself in the fighting with General Cronje's rearguard at Drieput. IN CAPE COLONY. A detachment of the Sixth (Inniskilling) Dragoons, with four guns, the First (Royal) Dragoons, the Twelfth {Prince of Wale's Royal) Lancers anrf two companies oi the New Souti. Wales Mounted Infantry (under Captain J. G. Legge and Lieutenant W. Homes) make a reconnaissance on Saturday in the direction of Kuilfontein to the westward of Rensburg. The force was exposed to a terrible fire from two Vickers-Maxim guns, but escaped without loss. An official correction of. the list of casualties in the fighting that pre- i ceeded the British evacuation of Rensburg shows that Private McCane, of the Victorian contingent, was j wounded and captured, instead of being killed, as first reported. CAPTURE OF DORDRECHT, j The War Office is in receipt of information with regard to the capture of the town of Dordrecht, an imporiaatposition at the terminjj&«£tfae branch line of jcailway running east from Stormberg Junction. Leaving Penhoeck, near Sterkstroom a column under Brigadier-General Brabant crossed the trackless veldt* and bivouacked in the heart of the rebel country. On Friday the troops were engaged all day fighting ( the enemy, and succeeded during the engagement in silencing a fifteen-pounder which the Boers had mounted near Dordrecht. At midnight Captain R. N. A. Flanagan, of the Royal Irish Rifles, led an infantry charge and captured the Boer laager at the point of the bayonet securing a number of prisoners and much forage. On Sunday the British troops occupied the town and pursued the retreating enemy. The casualties suffered by the column were seven killed and eight wounded. GENERAL BULLER. Further information from Natal shows that the capture of Cingolo Hill to the eastward of Inhlawe Mountain took place on Sunday. After this operation General Buller's force drove the Boers from another strong position at Monte Christo, from which they fled across the Tugela river. It was a hard fight and the enemy had to leave in the hands of the British several camps with waggons, stores an ammunition. The casualties on the British side were not heavy.