The Transvaal.

Manawatu Herald, 5 June 1900, Page 2

The Transvaal.

♦ ■ -■ PRETORIA, Mr South is the only member of the Transvaal Executive Committee remaining at Pretoria. British officers have been given complete control of the prisoners A of war. KRUGfiR'S FLIGHT. Two members of the Transvaal Executive Council, both of whom are wounded, accompanied President Kruger in his flight. President Kruger is now at Middleburg, a town on the Delagoa Bay railway, ninety miles east of Pretoria. There are indicatioh that the telegraph wires running eastward from the capital have been cut. Middleburg, the town where President Kruger is now established, has been proclaimed the new capital of the Transvaal. " Fricky " Eloft, President Kruger's son-in-law, and Dr Heymann, the President's physician, arrived at Delagoa Bay by a goods train. It is reported that President Kruger | at the time of the outbreak of the war invested £140,000 in Rand mining stock at low prices. THE NEW STATE. Now that it has been formally

annexed as British territory, the late Orange Free State is officially designated the Orange River Colony. INVASION FROM NATAL. The various divisions under the command of General Buller continue to advance into south-east portion of the Transvaal. The Fourth Division, that of Lieut.General the Hon N. J. Lyttelton, is now marching upon Vryheid, on the. extreme left flank of the Boer position, about thirty miles east of Utrecht. The Boer force which was at Dornberg, on the frontier, has now withdrawn. There are twelve thousand Boers entrenched at Lang's Nek. « General Buller's army is slowly cutting off their.retreat to Lydenburg. Heidelburg, a town on the railway from Pretoria to Lang's Nek, some forty miles south-east of Pretoria, has been occupied by the British troops. DEALING WITH THE ENEMY. Lord Roberts has issued a proclamation granting immunity to non-com-batants. The privilege of returning to their farms is withheld from active promoters of the war and looters of property. Rigorous personal and pecuniary punishment is to be inflicted for the wanton damage, done in many instances. There is a growing indication that the Free Staters entertain bitter resentment against their allies for overrunning their country and capitulating the moment the Transvaal was invaded. This feeling will, it is thought, greatly facilitate Great Britain's task of bringing about a settlement. STATE ENTRY OF THE FIELDMARSHAL. Lord Roberts made a state entry into Johannesburg on Friday. On the previous day the various British divisions took up positions around the city. Lieutenant-General lan Hamilton's mounted infantry were stationed at Florida, just outside the town ; Lieut.General French was a few miles to the north-east with the cavalry and Gordon Highlanders; Major-General Tucker occupied the heights to the north with the 7th division ; and Major-General Pole-Carew, supported by heavy artillery, held the southern boundaries with the 3rd Division. Prior to Lord Roberts's entry Colonel Blake, Commander of the Boer Irish Brigade, had been ordered away, in pursuance of the instructions of the committee formed at Pretoria for maintaining order, the committee holding Commandant Kruse, the officer in charge at Johannesburg, responsible for any destruction of property. LORD ROBERTS'S ACTIVITY. After the despatch of his advice to the War Office from a suburb of Johannesburg on Tuesday evening announcing his intention to summon the commandants to enter the town with his troops at noon, Lord Roberts saw reason to alter his plans. Abandoning the idea of entering Johannesburg to receive its submission, he hastened on to Pretoria, with the result already known. The rapidity of Lord Roberts's triumphal march to the Transvaal capital and his series of recent strategic successes have created surprise and exultatoin in Great Britain. There is also a dawning satisfaction on the Continent. It is especially shown by the tone of the various Bourses, It is agreed by the English newspapers that the war is practically over. The future task of Great Britain in the republics, will, they consider, be confined mainly to the policing and pacification of the territories. The " New York Times " says that Lord Roberts, besides saving the campaign, saved the British Empire itself. Lord Roberts sent the follovying cable message to the War Office on Thursday morning : — " Lieut.-General French was opposed throughout his march on Monday and Tuesday. He drove the Boers from strong positions, and is now holding a place I' directed him to north of Johannesburg. "His casualties were two killed and twenty-nine wounded." An unsuccessful attempt was made by the Irish-American force amongst the Boer troops to destroy the railway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Boers who are retreating befor General French's force are in a demoralised and exhausted condition. They travelled through Pretoria going eastwards! being in the meantime joined by the mercenaries in looting the Government stores. A message from Lord Roberts dated Johannesburg, Thursday night, was transmitted on Friday. In this communication the Field- Marshal' describes his satisfactory reception on entering the city. Judge Koch was arrested at Johannesburg prior to the surrender of the town while attempting to explode the mines. Lord Roberts has informed the War Office that Major-General Wavell is maintaining order in Johannesburg. The remainder of the British force he states, is encamped on Pretoria road. This message was doubtless sent by hand to the Orange River Colony frontier. The Boers claim to have cut the telegraph lines north of the Vaal. PRETORIA. There is indirect confirmation of the report that the city .of Pretoria is ready to surrender, and some surprise is expressed at the official silence in the matter. Panic and confusion prevail at Pretoria. Crowds of refugees are leaving for the open country. CONSULAR COMMUNICATIONS. Mr Adalbert Hay, the United States Consul at Pretoria, has sent two cable messages to Mr Choate, the American Ambassador to Great Britain dealing with recent developments. The first message announced the liberation of Lord Cecil Manners, and the second the liberation of the Earl of Rosslyn.

No mention is made by Mr Hay of a Law and Order Committee (of which Chief Justice Gregorowski was said to be a member) having been established. The latest advices from Pretoria dated Thursday night, state that a Boer commando is attempting to harass Lord Roberts's re .r, while another force has gather*. J :r. . point six miles south of the city with the intention of resisting the British advance. GRIQULAND. A force under Colonel Adye, of Queensland, had an engagement with the Griqualand rebels at ;Khel, 120 miles west of Kimberley. ' The rebels were defeated, and their laager captured, the casualties on the British, side being five killed and twenty wounded. In the neighbourhood of. Douglas, on the Orange river, sixty miles southwest of Kimberley, the rebel settlers surprised a small British force. Colonel Spence and fmeen men were killed in the fighting. The scene of the fighting in which Colonel Spence met his death was at Faderspruit, where a thousand rebels surrendered to seven hundred of Sir Charles Warren's force. i The enemy were repulsed aftet a j fierce fight. The British loss was fitteeen killed and thirty wounded. THE QUEENSLANDERS. Later particulars show that Colone Adye caught the rebels at Khei between two fires, inflicting heavy loss upon theni. Many arms and flocks were captured besides twenty prisoners. -The chief British losses were through the treachery of the enemy in -firing on ambulance bearers^ // IMPERIAL BUSHMEN. Victoria's contingent ot the Imperial Bushm&n has arrived at Beira. GENERAL RUNDLE'S COLUMN.News has been received that Major-General Sir Hemy Rundle, after six hours' obstinate fighting defeated the enemy at Lindley, on the Valsch river, in Orange River Colony fifty miles east of Kroonstad. The loses ,to Major-General Rundle's column in occupying Lindley was forty killed and 120 wounded. The majority of the casualtiesf^re amongst the Grenadiers. The enpntfr's loss was considerably heavier. 4. MISCELLANEOUS. It is stated by the"" Daily Express " that President Kruger engaged rooms '— at Amsterdam for June 25th. The telegraph lines to the Transvaal are closed to the public at Delagoa