BOER WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 67, 12 March 1902, Page 3

BOER WAR.

A BERIOUB MISHAP. 3BNKKAL L.ORD METHUBN WOUNDED AND OAPTURBD.

THIRTY BRITISH CASUALTIES AND TOUR GUp LOST. [kXTBAOBDIHABY PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Received 11,9.46 a.m. • IjONDOn, March 10. Genet al Delarey cap* wed Lord Methuen and officers with four guns. Lord Mtthuen was wouided in the thigh. Thirty British were killed and jp wounded and many captured. Received 11, 2.10 p.m. London, March 10. In the House of 1 ords reference was made to Lord Methuen'a capture. Lord Roberts expressed warm appreciation of the General, and deprecated adverse criticism of the reverse. Ciord Salisbury concurred in the viewß expressed by L->rd Roberts,

FOaiHER PARTICULARS. Received 11, 9.50 p.m. London, March 10. Lord Kitchener reported on Saturday that be grea'ly regretted the reported capture of General Lird Methuen, with gun?, baggage, and many officers and men, The news was brought to Marigo by a party of 550 mounted?, who were pursued by Boers four miles from the ocece <>f fc ion.

Loid Kitchener suggested delay of publication of the news until he received definite information, as he had arranged to send troops to the district. He considered Delarey's sudden activity was an attempt to relieve the pressure on De Wet. Farther particulars state that Lieutenants G. Venning and T. Nesham were killed after displaying great gallantry in serving the eons. Thirtysine others were killed, four officers

severely and one da' gerously wounded, •"•ad seventy-two m»n wounded. Captain W. Tilney and two hundred are missing, but many are probably included in the ai rivals at Marigo, Received 11, 10.7 p.m. London, March-10. Lord Roberts, refming to Lord Methuen's action at Magersfontein, said that after a careful survey of the Boer position at that place be was con-

vinced that Mtthuen wbs given an almost impossible tusk, and was not Waivable for his failure to reach Kimberley. Since tnen he had distirgni&hed himself by tbe Z9al and intelligence shown, and his great perseverance had not sustained a check. Hi was beloved by bis men, and no work was too hard for him. Lord Methuen bad more than once assisted and looked after Delarey V family, and Lord Roberts was convinced, from the humane and civilised manner in which Dehrey hid acted throughout, that Lord Methuen would be well cared for by him. Received 11,10.40 p.m. London, March 10. A deepa'ch explsius that Lord Methuen and Major Paris, with 900 mounteds, 300 infantry, four guns and a pompom, were moving from Wyndfberg to Lichten to meet Colonel Grenfell with 1300 mounteds at Rooirayesfontein on Saturday. Early on Friday, when between Tweboach and Palmietal, Delarey's force charged Methuen on three sides Lord Kitchener, on Sunday, reported

that Major Paris, with 'he remainder * of the men, had arrived at Knapan. He reports that the celumn movid in two parties. Some with ox waggors left Tweboech at three o'clock, the mule waggons leaving at four o'clock in the morning. The attack was made aftrr dawn, and before reinforcements were available the rear screen broke. of the Boeis gallnpid through both flanks, though a l , first checked by the fiaDk parties. A panic ensued, and a stampede amongst tbe mules bad already begun. All the mule waggons, with a terrible mixture of mounted * men, rushed past the ox waggons, and all efforts to check them proved unavailing. Major Paris collected forty men and occupied a position a mile ahead of <h« cr waggors, wtkh w«>re then brought to a standstill. After a gallant but useless defence the enemy rushed the waggors, ard Paris wrs surrounded and sun-end* od at ten o'tl ck. BCENES IN TBE COMMONS. THB LATBST ABOUT THE SURPRISE. Receivfo" 12,0.52 a m. London, M»rch 11. Earl Spencer and Lord Salisbury paid generous trir.u'es to LordMethuen. Mr St. Juhn Brodric k read the d spatchesamidst a profound siWce, until he announced the capture of Me'bucn with thneucsn&d biggace. Thtn sime Nationalist bursas of cheers and 'augh'er occurred, mingled with cri'S<f "t-hame" from the Ministeriil and other benches. Mr Dillon, in the abterce of Mr Redmond, vainly tried to chek McNeill and other noisy members. Dillon and Healey joined tbe majority of t! e House in cheering Mr Brr.drick's tribute to Methu'n. Mr. Brrdrick at midnight read a further despatch from Lord Ki'cbener, di'ed Monday, whir-h showed tlat an ox convoy, epcrtpd by half of Methuen'x force, preceded the mules by an hour. Delarey with 1500 nearing all weiring and assis'el by a fifte n pounder and a p iro pom—suddenly mnde an enveloping attack on ■ tbe rear. At sorre cor fusion wns I caused by native boys g doping led horses thiough tbe mule coivoy, while, the latter was, Methuen'n direc- \ tions, endeavouring to jo'n tbe rx convoy. Tbe disorder was (ommufi-i cated to the mounted men, and the! Boers be'ng clos* beside 'hewiggo's' frustrated attempts to rally, and th t section of mountedsand mule wapgoi a galloped ;bree miles beyrnd tbe ox waggon?. Tbe Beers then intercepted , them. THK PEAOE NKGOTIATIOMB. London, March 11. The Transvaal Legation asserts that Steynburger informed Lord Kitchener that be would only, negotiate on a basis {' • of com; 1- te ir.depsr.dence. Sreyn's official tewspaper deyo'es much t pace to a reproduction of Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman's speech on the methods of barbarism and the utterances of other pro-Borr members of tbe House of Commons. Wellington, March 11. Colontl Piloher cables to the Government as follows from Cape Town, under date B'h instant:—SSKl Josephson, out of danger; Lieutenant Hovel!, well and with his regiment. Departures ex Athenic: 1326 Corlett, 2420 Wilson, 4257 Andenoi, 4636 Munn,

3225 D.ley. M.pr Andrews wires that the Sixth Contingent leaves Stand r'on for Cape 7 0 * ii en route for New Z al.t d 01 the 11th iustant ,NEW BSAIjAND AND SOUTH AFRICA. PBB PBBS3 ASSOCIATION. Dunedin, March 10. _At 'he banquet tendered to him tonight, the Premier reid the fallowing I letter from Sir Jame.s Gordon Spri,"", the Premier of Cape Colony:—"Myj friunds here are so delighted with the! firm and coble stand you have taken up on behalf of South Africa, that wf fchall never forget tbe help that has been rendered by the men of New Zealand in the field. That help is s-ill b iag roninutd, and I think that the Boers are at las'; beginning to understat d t hat the sons of Great Britain throughout the world are determined that tbe supremacy of their country and sovereign shall be maintained" NINTH CONTINGENT. Dunedin, March 10. . The South Island section of tile Ninth Contingent paraded mounted to day. The men look a good even serviceab'e lot, but many of the horses are little better than ponies, and look indifferently. Tbe ladies committee tc* day handed over £6O lis collected by them to provide instruments for a band for the Contingent. Dunedin, March 11.

It has bi en rumored that a case of typhoid fever has occurred in the Ninth Contingent Camp, which the authorities have been keeping quiet. It transpires . that the sickness of Troop'r Harry Turner, from the West Coast, which at first closely resembled scarlet. fever, was reslly German me'isb-s. Turner is still quarantined, and will be' UDable to proc ed with the battalion, I but bis tent mates are released. I