The Boer Prisoners at St. Helena.

Manawatu Herald, 31 July 1900, Page 3

The Boer Prisoners at St. Helena.

Sir Howard Vincent, M.P., who was recently in St. Helena, has received an interesting letter, dated May sth, from a French gentleman in St. Helena concerning the Boer prisoners. The writer says that 507 arrived on April 10th, 394 on April 2nd, and 1099 on May 1st — a total of 1990. The camp is upon Deadwood Plain, as between 1815 and 1821, during the detention of Napoleon the Great, and c^se to Longwood, the house occupied by the Emperor. The area is bounded by a deal fence, 6th high, of which 2it are underground. This is surrmounted by five rows of barbed wire. The camp is devided into two portions, each having cooking places and ablution and other conveniences for officers and men. The rations are exactly similar in quantity and quality to those for British troops. Fuel, as much for warming as for cooking, is issued daily. The health of the prisoners has been excellent as a whole. There were only four deaths between April 10 and May sth, from pneumonia and typhoid, and there are only 20 sick, including a few with enteric and measles. There is no public work upon which the prisoners wishing ior employment can be occupied, so they have nothing to do but eat, drink, sleep, and play at football, quoits and cricket. There is no doubt of their being far more comfortable at St Helena than they have been of late in the trenches. Their behaviour is lamb-like, and the only ones who seem dissatisfied are General Cronje and Colonel Shiel — although the latter is made rather to much of by some of the officers. Divine service is held every Sunday morning at eleven by a clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Chnrch, and on April 29 it was attended

by General and Mrs Cronje and their grandson. "My personal opinion," concludes Sir Howard Vincent's French correspondent, "is that the Boer prisoners here are extremely well looked after and almost petted. It ito be hoped that the British prisoners at Pretoria hnve been the objects c! like solicitude."