The Transvaal.

Manawatu Herald, 19 May 1900, Page 2

The Transvaal.

IN NATAL.

General Buller has followed up the success gained in his advance to Helpmakaar — forty miles east of Ladysmith on the southern extension of the Biggarsberg range — with considerable vigour.

. His cavalry division, under Lord Dundonald and Colonel Bethune, of the Imperial and Natal force respectively, first outflanked the Boer position at Helpmakaar. The infantry and artillery, then pushed home the main attack, and by this means General Buller secured the whole of the plateau in the vicinity of the town, thus turning the Bper position on the northern portion of the Biggarsbergs.

The enemy's left wing, which had been displaced by these movements, fled along the road at the eastern side of the range, and was pursued by the British cavalry until within seven miles of Dundee, near which town the attack was make upon Major-General Penn-Symons at the very commencement of war in October last.

Major-General Hildyard's English Brigade has occupied Indobu Hill, an important strategical position. A later report states that General Buller's main force has reached and occupied Dundee. BOERS IN FULL RETREAT. General Buller has reported the occupation of Dundee by his troops. He describes the movements of the enemy as a hurried retreat, the Boers buning the grass on the veldt behind them.

Lofd Dundonald's cavalry pursued the commandoes all day on Monday, covering forty miles of waterless country, mostly through hot smoke. Majer-General Gough's column, by making a flanking movement, manoeuvered the enemy o^t of a strong position.

Two thousand five hundred Boers entrained at Glencoe with guns and stores, and proceeded thence to Dannhauser and De Jager's Driit. [Both places are a few miles north of Dundee, De Jager's Drift being a Buffalo river, crossing into the Transvaal.] Major-General Hilyard's brigade has seized Wessel's Nek, a pass through the Biggarsberg mountains, on the main line of railway south of Glencoe Junction.

Almost every house in Dundee was found to have been looted; The machinery had been destroyed.

The special correspondent ot the "Standard" states that the cavalry chased the Boer rearguard from ridge to ridge for seventeen miles. LORD ROBERTS. The latest news from the northern part of the Free State is indicative of a concentration of Boers, in the districts near the railway line from the outlaying country for the purpose of resistance to Lord Roberts's further advance. ;

Commandoes from the districts surrounding Vrede and Frankfort, towns in the extreme north-east, are being brought in to join the other burghers at Heilbron, torty-five miles northeast of Kroonstad, where the inairi column of the British troops is now recuperating. Another significant move is the sending of a commando from Harrismith, formerly the terminus of the railway from Natal through Van Reenen's Pass, along the newly-con-structed extension of the line, to Bethlehem, fifty miles further west, and only some twenty-five miles, south-east of Lindley, the new capital.

Reports received at Kroonstad state that the Bders are withdrawing from the Biggarsberg, range, in Natal, and also from the south-western border of the Transvaal, and are concentrating on the Vaal river to resist Lord Roberts's advance towards Pretoria. GENERAL DE WET. General De Wet is reported to be at Klerksdorp, just across the Transvaal border, about sixty miles northwest of Kroonstad, where he is reorganising his forces. HARRISMITH TO BE DEFENDED, It is reported that at a Boer Council-of-War held at Lindley, the new Free State capital, it was decided to hold the towD of Harrismith, towards the eastern border of the Free State, near^the Drakensberg mountains. MAFEKING. Advices from Pretoria state that an attack on Mafeking was begun on Saturday. The native quarter of the town has been burned.

There was heavy fighting at Mafeking on Saturday. The Boers claim to have seized the native quarters to the south- east of the town, and to have brought their guns to bear at close range on the town.

The British then surrounded them. The fighting was continued on Sunday.

The Boers admit a loss ot seven killed and seventeen wounded.

On the 7th inst. Colonel BadenPowell telegraphed to Lord Roberts that fever was decreasing in the town and that he had food to last until June 10th.

The Portuguese officials report that the Mafeking relieving force cut off a Boer party engaged in stormiDg the town, which was relieved.

There is, however, nothing official to hand.

THE RELIEF COLUMN IN ACTION.

The Boers report that the relief column fought at Kraaipan siding (forty miles south of the town) on Tuesday.

REPULSE OF AN ATTACK, Sunday's attack on Mafeking was crushingly repulsed.

THE GARRISON'S BILL OF

FARE.

The bill of fare at Mafeking includes horse-flesh sausages, curried locusts, roast mule, and brawn made from hides.

HUNTER'S RELIEF COLUMN.

Hints are given by the British press that Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Hunter's relief column started for Mafeking while Major-General Barton commander, of one of the brigades of his division (the Fusiliers) was engaged with the Boers at Rooidam, between Windsorton and- KHpdam. on the 7th inst.

SUCCESSES AROUND THABAN-

CHU.

Lieutenant-General Rundle, who, with Brigadier- General Brabant, was entrusted by Lord Roberts with the work of protecting the Thabanchu district from the renewed aggressiveness of the Boers in' the eastern part ot the Free State, has been completely successful in his operations.

His column. haa check-mated the attempt of the enemy to advance southward along the Basutoland border, and is now returning to its base ofThabanchu.

The enemy have evacuated the strong position which they held at Macquatting's Nek, and have also been cleared out of the Ladybrand district. Their line of retirement has been to the north-west, in the direction of Lindley, the new capital of the Free State. Many troublesome Free State settlers in the district were captured by the expedition, and others are surrendering. XHE RAND MINES. General Louis Botha, Commander-in-chief of the Boer forces, threatens to resign his post if the Transvaal Government makes any preparation for the destruction of the Johannesburg mines. STEYN IN TROUBLE. The Daily Telegraph states that while Lord Roberts's army was rapidly nearing Kroonstad a remnant of the Volksraad who were in the town decided to ask President Steyn to surrender himself to the British with a view to obtaining peace. President Steyn had in the meanwhile fled. A SPLENDID MARCH. ! The accounts received of the advance of Lord Roberts's army to Kroonstad state that Lieutenant-Gene-ral French's cavalry and Major-Gene-ral Hutton's colonial mounted infantry were opposed at the Zand river by three thousand of the enemy, whose position they turned by clever tactical movements, compelling them to continue their retreat northwards.

Amongst the force that was here driven back was a newly-formed Boer corps known as the Afrikander Horse, each member of which has two horses with him.

In its advance to the next river, the Vaalsch, the mounted troops accomplished the splendid march of forty miles in one day, ending the day's work by seizing a drift, or crossing, at the river. The column had so far outstripped its commissariat section that for two days the troops were without supplies other than those carried on the saddle. BOER TREACHERY. Another white flag outrage is repofted as having occurred near Kroonstad. As a patrol approached a farmhouse where the flag was displayed, shcteen Boers concealed in the vicinity opened fire. Two privates were killed, and officer wounded, and three others made prisoners.

The tenant of the house declares that the Boers threatened to shoot him when he protested against their treachery: TRANSVAAL TERRITORY INVADED. The correspondent of the Express states that Lieut.-General Sir Archibald Hunter, with a large force, including Major-General Barton's Fusilier Brigade, reached Wegdraai. The Boers who were in the neighbourhood retreated, and General Hunter proceeding entered Christiana, in Transvaal territory, about twenty-five miles north-east of Fourteen Streams. The Scots Fusiliers, as the last regiment to leave the Transvaal after the war of 1 88 1, were allowed the honour of hoisting the Union Jack on Republican soil. BULLER'S SUCCESS. " Genejal Buller has occupied the town of Glencoe, where Major-General Penn-Symons's column was stationed at the opening of the war. The departure of the Boer force that had occupied the town took place early on Tuesday morning. The number ot guns taken away in its retreat was eleven. The Transvaalers who had lately occupied the positions on the Biggarsberg mountains and so blocked the way between Ladysmith and Glencoe, have now retired. Four thousand Boers are now stated to have fled northward from Dundee | on Monday night. They took with them eighteen guns. FOREIGNERS DIRECT THE BOERS. The correspondent of the " Stan-

dard " at Kroonstad asserts that ho has ascertained that most of the foreign attaches with the Boer army took part in directing the operations' for the burning of stores and food prior to the withdrawal from the town. Amongst the goods destroyed were the contents of the convoy captured from Major-General Broadwood's column in the ambush at Kroonfcprnif on 31st March. The Russian attache is statfd to have been conspicuous in the work. The same correspondent describes th condition of the Boer forces in their retreat as that of a sullen and demoralised rabble.

DISLOYAL DUTCH, On taking possession of JKroonstad the British forces found among the record of the Free State Government lists containing the names of thirty thousand Dutch^ settlers in Cape Colony who were represented as having pledged themselved to rise in support of the Boer invasion.

In view of such numerous promises of support (remarks the correspondent who supplied the news) it is easy to understand how bitter must be the disillusionment of the Boers on finding how small, comparatively, was the number of settlers who joined their ranks.

RHODESIAN FORGE. The troopship Gymeric, which con-v. veyed parts of the fourth and fifth New v Zealand contingents to Beira, lost 22 horses on the voyage. There have been 3500 colonial troops landed at Bejra so far. PORTUGAL AND THE BOER.

It is affirmed at Lisbon that President Kruger has become so incensed at the Portuguese Government for allowing British : troops *to cross its territory idtb Rhodes^lß4t he has ordered the PbTtusfues* Cjjjpsul to xfuit Pretoria. ' ■ ■■*■•■*