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Manawatu Herald, 17 April 1900, Page 2

Owing to their attempts to escape and the attention of sympathisers, all the Boer prisoners now at Simonstown will be sent in batches to St. Helena. Both the Boer Republics have pro* tested against Portugal permitting the disembarkation of British troops at Beira, which, they say, is tantamount to a hostile action. It transpires that 914 out of the 2600 sheep which were in the trucks during the recent accident at Mungaroa came out of the experience alive. The animals were gathered in from the adjacent hillsides and trucked into Petone, where they will be slaughtered. We should like to draw the attention of the Borough authorities to the advantage it would be to the Main street and the triangle plantation if the trees in the old cemetery were topped and trimmed. Mr Richard Gray, who has some excellent specimens of trimmed trees, would be a capital man to employ. The Councillors will remember that the old cemetery is ia their care,

Yesterday a man named Samuel Cate was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment for vagrancy by Messrs Rhodes and Fraser J 's P. Mr W. Mackie, professional stepdancer announces that he is prepared to give lessons in various styles of dancing. It is understood that there is a probability of Field- Marshal Lord Roberts accompanying his wife, after the war, on a visit to her three sisters, who reside in Victoria. General Buller, in private letters, shows high appreciation of the sterling qualities of the troops who have fought under him in Natal. He describes their endurance as almost superhuman, and lays stress on their bravery and the cheerfulness shown by them under dispiriting circumstances in connection with the several attempts made to force the passage of the Tugela river. " Broiled under a fierce hot sun during the day," says the General, "and Jrenched with rain during the night, they faced their enemy at a distance of three hundred yards, ar.d were able to hit him if only a finger were showing." One of the charming traits in Lord Roberts' character (the Outlook tells us) is that he never forgets an old comrade. In the Afghan campaign of 1880 a brother officer was seized with paralysis and has since lived a com- j plete recluse in London. Lord Roberts always makes a point of going to cheer his solitude whenever he comes to town ; he read to him some of the proof-sheets of " Forty-one Years in India" before they were published. Amid the bustle of departure and his own bereavement, Lord Roberts did not forget to pay a hurried visit to clasp the hand of his lifelong chum. The Premier has been urging the city authorities in Wellington to cleanse their town. It is wonderful how much urging local authorities need to do anything. The Premier has reminded the Wellington people that if the plague breaks out there parliament will meet elsewhere, probably Christchurch. This may give the desired impetus to civic action. The building trade is brisk in town just now as there are five new buildings going up. Mr Andrew Jonson is building a cottage for Mr George Coley on the Main street ; Mr Spiers is building a good sized house for Mrs Furrie on the Avenue ; there is a house on Thynne street going up for Mr Wilson, and one on the Avenue for his son, lately married, and a house on the Norbiton road for Mr Collins. A Boer prisoner lying sick near my ! quarters has described to me (correspondent Cape Times) most vividly Cronje's night march, which commenced in panic. There was terrible confusion amongst the wagons in the narrow road waiting orders, and there were many desertions en route. He also gave me interesting- details regardingthe Boer commissariat. The ordinary ration was a pound and a half of fresh meat daily, and a pound and a half of coffee, three pounds of sugar, and five pounds of flour weekly per man.