THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 46, 26 February 1900, Page 2

THE PATRIOTIC FUND.

Dunedin, February 25. Pollaitl's Company gave a performance in aid of the Patriotic Fund. The X result of the matinee and the money * thrown on the stage in the evening was £1 33 18s 2d, which is to be expended in the purchase of hones to be named " Djin Djin," " Geisha," " Belle of New York," and "Uncle Tom." Enthusiastic cheesi Wttft.givaa.for .the - Pollard's Companyand tne contingent. Palmjsbstom Noara, A gift atiction sale to-day realised £B3 12s 2d for the Transvaal Belief Fund. *.,. s~~~ BLOBMFONTSIN. Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State, is some 450 miles north from Capetown, four baa a population of about 5900 {BBoo* wCtet). Although it has been for many yean the capital of a the primitive habits of the,people have always prevented it from beooming mora than a quiet and pleasant village. It stands upon an elevated' plain WW fest above the sea fevef IndlT lmy rounded by low hills rising to an elevation of two or three hundred feet; on one of which'to the aoutttls a small fort erected by the British Government. Close to the fort is a fnnll monument erected In memory of those who fell fighting the Bontos in 1865-68. The town is regularly laid out; with* large market square, in' Uieotntteof which the principal streets abut The houses are often surrounded by luxurious gardens and shaded by willows and gum trees. Many of the inhabitants are English, and the town is the seat of both Anglican and Catholic bishoprics, as well "as Wnga centre of Wesleyan activity. Many of the buildings are a happy combination of red brick and of a peculiarly fine-grained white "tone, quarried in the neighbourhood. The New Baad Zaal, a beautifully designed building, surrounded by Done columns, with a domed tower 90 feet high and a handsome, useful interior has cost over £40,000. The Town Hull, wbioh contains * large ball used for oopoerta, etc., as -veil as the municipal offices, is leas striking, but the Post and Telegraph Office at the lower end of Market Square is most p'easing and a credit to the town. Other prominent buildings are the residence of the substantial building of atone, which cost £15,000), the Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Cathedral, and the National Museum. For educational purposes there aie Grey College, presented by the late Sir George Grey, and lately rebuilt. The climate has long been known (or its salubrious properties, and the place on this account, is a resort for visitors and aa a place of residence. THE TRUTH ABOUT MAGERSFONTMN. AS SOME SEE IT, WAUCHOPE'S AGONISED DEATH CRIES. y The London correspondent of the Dunedin Evening Star wiites under dated January 12: — Since Mr. Harmsworth declared x gainst the Government he has put in some deadly work. Witness the fol-

lowing column of extracts from public and private letters anent the catastrophe of Magerefontein. Lord Methuen —or " Paul Methuen," as he is still most often called— seems to have sadly lost the confidence of his men ; indeed, there are already strange rumors of recall (probably false) in Pall Mall. The Queen is said to be furious with his lordship. General Wauchope (it has leaked out) differed totally with his chief, but was simply answered brutally: "Obey orders." Here followeth the indictment :

Of the whole Brigade there was only the front rank of "A" Company of ours that could have used their ruto, as everybody else was straight in rear of them.— Letter of a 2nd Black Wist* non-com. There is not the slightest doubt but that Lord Methuen has lost the eon* fidence of every man in the Highland Brigade. I am not going too far in saying that they are afraid to trust their lives to him.—Highland Brigade man's letter in Glasgow Herald. The Highland Brigade marched in quarter Column to their doom, almost falling into the Boer trenches in the dim light of early dawn, Wauchope's last words, " For God's sake, men, do not blame me for this," will gladden the hearts of his numerous friends and admirers,—Earl De la Warn in tho Globe, Someone shouted "Retire!" while others shouted " No; forward!" What with one order and another, there was a general panic. Officers, color-ser-geants, etc., were not to be seen. All the Brigade was mixed up. We made three charges, and met with the same result —Letter from a lanoe-coporal in Seaforth Highlanders. When the enemy opened fire General Wauchope, our brave general who was tilled, turned to us and eaid ; " Don't blame m», lads." We hear that he, emonstrated with Lord Methuen before ve left camp about the plans, buj Methuen only told him to obey orders, -Letter from Coporal Bevan, Argyll ind Sutherland Highlanders, in Daily Vews. The last words of Geneml Wauchope

>.&SL&Wu»Ji lhials not my order." was the order to which he and B# many gallant men were sacrificed—the order to march in close formation to within 200 yds of Boer trenches, tie existence of which was not suspected, and had not been revealed by careful Scouting? The order was Lord Methuen's.— Evening News. The advance in quarter-column formation was, of course, a fatal blunder, as likewise was the failure to locate the •Demy's exact position beforehand. But in spite of this one gathers from the speech afterwards made to the treops by Lord Methuen that in his judgment victory might still have been achieved but for an unfortunate order to withdraw, delivered no one knows by whom. — Vea&minster Gazette.

Our own men were firng from behind xa at the Boers, so, of course, could not help hitting some of us. Ido not know what regiment they belonged to, buc it made it too hot for us. Ido not think there is the least doubt we should have taken the position if it had not been for this, as also two wire fences we had to gat over during our charge.—Lieutenant R, B. Graham, of Cheltenham. General Wauchope, no doubt, went to find death when such a disastrous fire opened, but he had previously! shouted in the vicinity of the .Argylls: " Highlanders, don't blame me for this; < I received my orders, and had to obey them." With proper handling we could have cleared the Boers out in two hours; as it was we were taken in a butcher's shop and left there.— Letter of Color-sergeant Gray, from De Aar Hospital. Private Robert Carlyle, of the Argyll And Sutherland Highlanders, writing to his parents in Dumfries regarding the battle of Magersfontein, where his brother Alexander was killed, says:— The general made an awful mistake. He ordered us right up the hi Is on top of their trenches, and five regiments composing the Highland Brigade vera in close marching order when the enemy fired into us at fifty yards. Someone shouted " Retire!" and we ran out of range. It was a night attack, but the enemy knew of our Coming, and lay in wait.— Morning Advertiser. What could we do? It was dark. The men did not know they were there. The general did, but we were Jed into it all the same like lambs to the slaughter. Somebody shouted « Retire!" and we did—well, not a retire, but a stampede, 4,000 men like a flock of sheep running for dear life. Had we opened out in attacking or skirmishing order we cou'd have rushed the trenches, but in the formations we were in we were helpless. All through stupid blundering and bad generalship we have lost confidence.—Letter from Highland Light Infantry soldier. A Grenadier on the right looked across and saw the dust rising on the plain, and thought the Boers were coming out of their trenches; an officer beside him, using his field glasses, assured him that it was only our cavalry galloping across to cut oft' the enemy in the rear. What both saw was the Highland Brigade in full retreat. Back they came in a wave that no officer could stop, and the guns Were left out in the open with no one to support them. It was perhaps the most unpleasant sight that a British Soldier of to-day has ever beheld.— Morning Post War correspondent. General W auchope was down, riddled Z'lth bullets; yet gasping, dying,bleedg from every vein, the Highland chieftain raised himself on his hands and knees' and cheered his men forward. Men and officers fell in heaps together. The Black Watch charged, and the Gordons and the Seaforth, with a yell that stirred the British camp below, rushed onward—onward to death or disaster. The accursed wires caught them round the legs until they floundered, like trapped wolves, and all the time the rifles of the foe sang the song of death in their ears. Then they fell back, broken and beaten, leaving jiearly 1,300 dead and wounded. correspondent of the Daily News.

It is difficult to sum up impressions of an encounter which has resulted badly without referring again to the continued lack of information whicl caused the initial blunder and conse ''quent slaughter. It is not much tc say that no troops could have retained their morale in a situation for wind not the slightest palliation has ye! been offered. Whose is the fault i; not the question to raise yet, but it in only fair to the men who were thus shaken to state frankly that it was bj no fault of their own that they wen compelled without alternative to begir an arduous day by retreating in dis order; and it must not be forgotter that for the rest of the day the brigad< was practically without officers in ( position in which men require leader ship more than usual.— limes corres pondent. Kot to go back on what was saic when the first news came of Magers fontein, it was intimated here las week that there were already in Lcn don very strange stories about thi generalship then and afterwards, anc the relations between the general anc the senior members of his staff. Wi are told everything received has beer published, and that promptly, excep purely " Service " telegrams. Woulc a "Service" telegram include a justi fication for ramming one's head agains a stone wall without even an attemp at a thorough previous reconnaissance and if that attempt were made withou the privity of the senior members o the staff on the spot, and against tin leading major-general's advice, wha js to be said—even by tba Secretar) , of War specially responsible for.tht appointment?— Mr. Cha lei Williams in Morning Leader.