N.Z. CONTINGENT.

Waikato Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 545, 11 January 1900, Page 2

N.Z. CONTINGENT.

APPOINTMENT OF NON-COM-MISSIONED OFFICERS,

(BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Wellington, Last Night. The following are the final appointments of non-commissioned officers of the second contingentßegimental Sergt.Major Freeth ; quarter-master Scrgt.Major Clark. No. I Company : Sergt.MsjorMontgomery; Sergeants, Blair, Hay Eastgate, Dcmarlasy ; Corporals, Prince, Clews, Wighton and Fitzgerald ; Lancet Corporals, Greilly, Mallumbi, Orme and Devereaux. No. 2 Company: Sergt.Major, Crosbie ; Sergtu. H. Overton, Kclsall, Henderson and Wilson ; Corporals, Lykes, P. J. Overton, Neill and Robertson ; Lance - Corporals, Street, Thompson, Morris and J. H. Parker. Parker is a nephew of Lord Kitchener. Messrs James and Francis Armstrong, of Akitco, have donated foO to the patriotic fund. The Premier has replied to several offers of the services of New Zealand nurses, that the Government are not sending nurses, as the sick and wounded will be amply cared for by the Imperial Army Medical Department.

The defence authorities will endeavour to send the Hotchkiss battery by the Waiwera.

The first battalion of the Wellington Rifles and the Cycle Co;ps are ordered to parade on Saturday for the purpose of taking part in the field operations with the contingent. PATRIOTIC FUND. Contributions to the Patriotic Fund now being raised for the relief of sufferers by the war in South Africa: Previously acknowledged ... £46 5 2 George. C. Waddington ... 10 6 Colonel Baden-Powell instructed his m m at Mafeking in a new manoeuvre, that of charging on horseback with fixed bayonets. The men were taught to use their rifles as lances. The correspondent of the Dally Mail in describing the bombardment of Kimberley by Cronje, mentions that so little attention did the besieged pay to the firing that they did not even knock off playing billiards, and between the interval r of bursting shells the click of the billiard b.lls could be heard at the principal hotels and clubs. In fact, one shell did burst in the dining room of an hotel and wounded several spectators at a game of billiards. The gathering-in of the mournful harvest of wounded on the fi. Id of battle (writes a correspondent) is done on a system which our fighting forefathers never dreamt of. There is first the collecting station, to which the bearers carry the wounded ; secondly the dressing station, a few hunderd yards off, where the wounds are roughly dressed ; and thirdly the field hospital, whither the poor fellows are finally carried. It is an admirable method, very different froin the haphazard way in which this side of war was managed in the Crimea and other earlier-and later—wars.

The Army contractors, who played such a scandalous part in the Crimean war, are again to the front, says the London correspondent of the Lyttelton Times. News conics from Southampton that the Arawa troopship, chartered from the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company to conv y the ‘2nd Shropshire Light Infantry to Africa, was delayed 36 hours owing to the discovery that her meat stores were bad. This meat was taken aboard at Portsmouth on Saturday, before the ship sailed round to Southampton. It consisted of about 15,00Tb. beef and mutton, both English anil colonial. On the evening the ship was about to sail, the ship’s butcher informed the captain i hat the meat was distinctly “ niffy.” Investigations were made, and Colonel Stacpole, the embarkation officer, went aboard to see the supply. He ordered it to be sent ashore immediately. Some of it was certainly better than the rest, but no invidious distinctions were made. Every ounce of meat in the ship was turned rut on the quay. Arrangements had then to be made for a new supply, and although the time was short, the supply was obtained. Messrs Horwitz and Abrahams, of Whitechapel, sent down 70001b by an early morning Lain, and *2 1, 001b were supplied by the Morris H;ef Company from their cold chambers at the dock. The butchers of Southampton were also commandeered to the extent of 60001b. The condemned meat was on Southampton Quay all Wednesday morning, and a very unwholesome mess it looked. The rain which fell during the i ight had something to do with its condition, but not everything. An expert who examined it said it was certainly unfit for human food. The mutton was green and in very bad condition. Some of the beef was better than the rest, hut none could be described bs goo 1 The Port Medica 1 Officer saw it, and promptly ordered a tug, in which the meat was carried out to sea and damped into deep water.

A trend writing from Ladysmith on October 30.h. to Miss Sutton, of Melbourne, tells the following Binding narrative: “ Early on Thursday morning, a party of us went out to one of f e hil's to view the firing. Ic didn’t last very long ; SO about eight o'clock wc made our way back home. Just after breakfast another shell came from Long Tom (the'name they gave the 40-poundei). It lauded

just over on the otl.er siile of oui pad dock. I saw some of the to'd'n-rs nm where it had struck, so 1 to ian over an 1 get up ece of as a memento. No snr.uer said than done. Off I scampered, and I chummed np with the first soldier 1 met, and he said, 1 Come along with me, and I will warn yon in time to c'car ( IT before another shell comes but almost as he spoke another soldier yelled out, “ Look out, here is another!" and before me had time to think the awful booming and shrieking came, and I wish you could have seen your poor frieud then. I just shut my eyes tight ard clung like grim death to a barhtil who feme and whispered “Good God!” It exploded about 20ft. away—perhaps not so much and the earth just shook uuderme ami my legs felt as if they had been shot i ll over. The last tilings I saw as I shut my eyes were men rolling on the ground and running away in all Fear lenc them wings, but was not so kind to me, and before I recovered I w s knocked over by a mule, which seemed thoroughly to bring me to ny smses again. I wanted to find a piece of that shell or die in the attempt. I found three pieces and then fled home. However I carried them I cannot think now as they were awfully heavy, but at the time they felt as light as feathers. To-day I find I have a big blithe ami a slight wound on my leg :m! a : o'n iu my stocking, and so have come to the conclusion that 1 got shot, especially too, as my legs tingled fot hours after a nl.-. U lien I arrival home, I got such a wing ue. The family hail witnessed it from 'he verandah, also a lot of so'diers and carbineers from the road. I smelt all over of the shell stud, and, of course, tlm shell "as quite h>*t when 1 got it. Every lung is topsyturvy again, and we have all had tool ar ouoe more, as Long Tom is getting <oo obstreperous. Fancy me career in i about with my hair down, and fringe in pins (as the fright had shaken all the curl out of it), am) they said I was white to the gums. Somihow you don’t care how y u look m wur lime. Good bye, as one of the carbiniers lias just come to have some tape sewn on Ids putties.” THE LATEST. BAD GENERALSHIP AT MAGERSFONTEIN. PRO-BOER FEELING IN AMERICA, (Received January 11, 10.20 a m.) London, January 10. Soldiers’ letters abound with the complaints of bad generalship at the battle of Mnger.-fontein New York, January 10 American democrats are exhibiting strong pro-Boer sympathies, hoping thus to secure the Irish-German votes. GENERAL FRENCH OPERATES ON THE ENEMY’S FLANK. WITHDRAWAL OF THE BOERS. Capetown, January 10. General French with a de’aehment of Household Cavalry, operated on Sunday on the enemy’s left flank. The Boers withdrew in order to protect their lines of communication with Nerval's Point. London, January 10. In consequence of General White’s success at Ladysmith, i strong significant revival occurred on Paris Berlin Bourais. THE BUGLE INCIDENT.

A NIGHT ATTACK. THE SUFFOLK LOSSES. (Received Jan. 11,10.5 a.m.) Capetown, January 10. In the recent night attack, when the Boer trick of sounding the Brill- hj retire succeeded, Colonel Watson and three rtficers and 23 men of the Suffolk regiment were kil'ed and 22 wounded, while 113 are missing _