ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 100, 31 May 1900, Page 2

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Received 30,10.15 a.m. Hobaet, May 30. Oape files by the Waiwera show that it was rumoured in Johannesburg that the Government had discovered a scheme for blowing up forts there and at Pretoria. Several arrests were made. The farmers are bitterly opposed to the foreign element pouring into the country. They say that even if they } conquer the English they will have to fight other nations before securing absolute independence. The farmers, storekeepers, and other i residents north of the Tugela are up in arms against the action of the Invasion loquiry Commission, which will only accept evidence regarding direct losses. At a meeting held in Ladysmitb, motions were carried in favour oi appeal to the Imperial Government for more generous treatment. A deadlock is threatened, it being tacitly agreed that if the Commission declines to recognise what united bodies consider right no more claims will be submitted until better terms are made. Bbisbane, May 30. A letter from a member of the Queensland Imperial Bushmen states that when the transport got to sea the men were put on Imperial rations of bread and tea at all tbree meals. A'l the contingents howled together like jackals till the officers provided cheese and biscuits.

THE LAST HOURS OP GENERAL JOUBEKT. There is reason to believe that the severe internal inflammation from which General Joubert died followed upon an accident which befell him while discharging bis duties at the front. A horse he was riding fell, and injuries were inflicted from the efleot of which the brave General—" Oom Piet" as he was to all Afrikanderdom —was never free. The medical men attending the late CommandantGeneral were Drs. Lingbßek and Hoffman, M.L.A., of the Cape Ambulance , with the Federal forces. They gave up 'hope when symptoms of heart failure manifested themselves. General Joubert was unconscious for nearly six hours before he died. His last coherent words were addressed to PostmasterGeneral Van Alphen, and were full of eloquent expressions of love for his country and people. During the following hours he was lighting through a great imaginary battle, giving commands to despatch-riders, I and dictating telegrams to com-1 mandants. I

An eye-witnefs of General Joubert's last obsequies at llustfontein states that the most touching incidents were old Mrs. Joubert acting as one cf the bearers of the coffin to the grave, and the solemn last honours paid by several hundred veteran greybeards, all lifelong companions-in-arms of the late Commandant-General.

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH. The Daily News special correspondent at Orange ltiver writes:— " For the man who in the heat and excitement of the battle leads his troop into action, for the officer, half mail ' with the lust of blood, who takes his i company up to the steaming muzzles of the enemy's guns, for the blood- ' stained victor generally, there is the triumph—with no attendant slave to remind the laurel-crowned Cresar of his mortality. There are acts, however, which have not the almost essential luridity of coloring required for your military anecdote, and, being such, pass out of knowledge. Because there was nothing dashing or thrilling about the acts of Joseph Hinton, private of

the Boyal Ariny Medical Corps, I almost hesitate to do him into print. For over four months Private IJinton has been nurse in oharge of the enteric fever and other dangerous cases at Orange liiver, in one of the field hospitals there. The duties of a nurse in charge of one of the marquees, which do duty for wards, are many and arduous. There are no white-covered beds and dimity window curtains—no polished floor and shining brasses; no soft-footed women moving about the quiet ward; no twittering birds on the ' big trees outside; no texts on the walls. There are none of these things in a lield hospital. The keen-eyed orderly, bare-armed and alert, picks his way carefully over the prostrate forms lying «n tho hay-covered ijeor of tho shaking A WQi'd. of ejucpu^emsntj

here, a word of reproof there, and an eye ever open for the ' dust devils' that sweep across the blistering plain, and will' throw back' and even kill the patient who is at the critical stage of enteric. When the ' devil' comes the ' fly' of the tent must be quickly lowered and pegged down, and th« dust, and sand, and debris which has whirled in, in spite of all precautions, must bo removed. Doing his duty in such a hospital, Hinton, for four months, simply devoted himself to his patients. Long after the time came which released him from duty he would sit amongst his suffering comrades fanning them, attending on them, and doing all that lay in his humble power —for Hinton made no pretensions to aristocratic origin— to alleviate the sufferings of those who were forunate enough to come into professional con« tact with him. After four months' hard work Nature stepped in and exacted her revenge tor liberties taken, and Private Hinton died of the disease he had been fighting, I feel almost inclined to offer an apulogy fox inserting this record, for, as I say, here was a lummy who was not dashing, who was not brilliant, only faithful unto death."

ITALY AND THE WAR. Not nearly sufficient recognition (says an exchange) has been accorded to the friendship displayed by Italy towards England at a time when all the rest of the Continent is hating us like poison. The friendship of the Italians is strong and genuine, and should be very gratifying to us, for it is a proof thav. gratitude between nations is not an imaginary quality. This was strikingly exhibited the other day by the son of the great patriot Garibaldi. General Bicciotti Garibaldi and other members of his family were invited to Dijon to be present at the unveiling of a statue of Garibaldi erected there by Frenchmen. The invitation referred to a report that the general had offered his sword to England to fight against " the Republican people of South Africa who are battling for their independence," and requested him to give his authority for a contradiction of " such a malign invention." But the Italian general refused the bait. He said: " The cause of the Boers is not such as to embrace the Garibaldian ideals." He went on to acknowledge his "profound sentiment of gratitude " for the action of England in 1860, which made possible to my father the liberation of the Kingdom of Naples. If it had not been for the help given by England the prosecution of the campaign of 1867 in the Papal which prepared the way for entrance to Rome, would not have been possible." And he concludes by expressing his great regret for the hostile attitude of French public opinion towards England. We value very highly these expressions of goodwill from the bearer of a great name, and we are thankful to believe that they are very generally shared by his warm-hearted countrymen.