The Transvaal.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 97, 18 January 1900, Page 1

The Transvaal.

Caphtown, Jan. 14. Geneial French is now strncply encamped on the pppitia's eastern flank The invaders endeaionrerl to ou^t ihp Bnlish from their tuition, but the atrempt was vipoiou«ly resisttid and pro'v ed nnsuccessfnl. The manner jn vhkh the Snffoiks met with disnster i>ear Cole^bnig has convinced the colonial troops that mountc-d iiugnlsrs ought to be niih'srd to cope wirh ilie Bo<r foice in hilly cnvntiy, and thnt the u.fantiy oupli't to be rcptiicttd to fighting on the plains. Mr Hoffman, member of the Cape Legislnine Assembly for Pc Anr, will piobfiblv be couit mnjtip.Uid for acting on the medical staff of the Bof-r army.

Jan. 15. Duiing General Babington's reconnaissance, die Queenelanders surprised a do?en Boers who were dining at n. faim. The men epcoped and the Qneenslanders appropriated their dinner. The New Zealanders frustrated the Boeis^ seizing a position which threatened to break the lines of communication to ftensbuig. A few of the New Zealandeis received blight wounds. The British soldiers admire the Ails tralasians quickness in mastering the lie of the country and their capacity for individual fighting. Major - Gisneial Babington and Colonel Pilcher, with the Oth and 12th Lancers, McLeish's Horse, the Victorians and Queenslanders undi r Colonel Eioardo, accompanied b,> the New South "Wales ainbulaiiccs, made an extensive- leennnaissance ccveiiiig three days into the Free State. The foi cc peneti'ated 25 miles, scouting within four miles of Jaeub^dal, whire there is no great force of the enemy. The country is rich pnd open. Ihe few homesteads when* the Boci 6*6 * had encamped were destroyed, The Queensldnders with two guns were sent to dislodge a force holding n kopje. Befoie opening fire they discovered that the supposed enemy were Victorians, \\ hose hats reserijbled those svon by Boers. bixty of the New South Wale*,' Mounted Ihfles ami 120 of the Uen,ingtoi 's Coip-,, on the 12th, dio\e the Gr'qulajid West labels fioui Prilk.i l>iilc. The Biiti->h foice crobscd the river, and chased ihe rebels from kopje to kopje until night, thus preventing them joining the Boer commando, and c-ciptunng much ammunition and foi age. The colonials, by their free, irregular method of h»hting, completely non-plussed the rebels. Yennoolim, Attorney, has been arrested and chaiged with treason foi inducing Britishers at Doidiecht to sign an agreement of neutrality on behalf of the Free State. The Boer casualties in effecting the capture of Knrtnan were 120. Major General Wood has occupied Zoutspan Daft, the first post in the enemy's country. [Zoutppan is a village about 50 miles north of Pietersburg, which is the northern terminus of the CapHtowii-Pie-toriA railway, and has prob ibly been readied bv ero<;siri£f the Limpopo ri\er at Khodes Drift. This is a new point of attack, and one that is quite unsxptcted. aad peihaps defended by the enemy.] Boer spies dressed as Highlanders are recoinnoitring on the .Modder river. Fifteen-pounders dragged to the top of CoJeskop, Rensburgr quickly had the effect of clearing ,the enemy's camp, three inileg off,

Lonhott. J>ri. 14, The Frcctetcr ni£c<; tl,f do I] vr rj, Le fcbiJts cl n cr (,n]\y, m eMti ai-fcfciiai and docW^d: al c o plucnucfiili cis foi 7 iL<= «icifi i' K-rot andabioad. It ad vop '(<-•■. the s'u u<"\ienii q oi the ic^hacs oldgut.i', fill ceis, tuid men of the navy. It h\q r^ that thebe precautions uro ntce-s<i; y \\ifc!i a vkw to >i\eitii!jj tlio presf-;,/e v, European inteiveiilion m ilia r Ji'u,s * aal a few njonlhs heuce. The olfer of Lord Snatbeona, High C('inmii&ioJK-r of Canat'i. to equip and maintain at the cost ot a million ujllais, 400 north western rough ridin fo: acti\e serMca, has been accepted by the Impei ial authorities.

Jan 15. The 2nd Battalion of the "West Edits (the Queen's Own 97th Foot), stationed at Alexandria, and th,e first battalion of the I^eineter lieguaeut (Prince of Wales 100 th Foot)., stationed at Halifax, have beep ordered to boutlj Africa. The Earl of de la Warr hns bc-n appointed io the cptah vy of B"<lni,i.-'> Mounted Eifles, Several correspondents a.a\a\sviy ciiticise the letter by Captain Colnus, to the Victorian naval comintmruut which was published in the T,niep, 4>-fendi!ig the fccheme of Aus'i i ! u\ detence as dialled at the jcie, „ ..j mar.dants' Coniersnes. Iho 'ijui -, in itieiriiig to }he subject, l'd'tuj'tei that the scheme is iuadri4=>sibl6, r iiie Titues ttutes that piivate letier. supply tuuple evidence ot the nigeht necessity foi au immediate charg- ii} the coTjamand of the Biitish aruiy at, the Mcddei Uivsr. The V\"ar Office ha- acoepjted tlio colon, sis gm of Ni'\y Zt-.iland horsps. Mjijor A. Cdvtliew Yoaatoun, c: Ji^ Elaclv Watch, commands the New Z. a land HotcliKUs Battery, Loul Roberts tel-igrnplu d on conda^ that Lirnt. General Fii-uch had iailcc] ro ouiflc'k the Boei-^ ' r K.^t Coles burg. The sitUti'jon oi^e} wise i, uu changed. The offjr of Ceylon to equip and de-p itch to South Africa. 125 uioijnted lntctntry at the colony's expense has been accepted. Lord JJonoriylunore hag raided 's corps of mounted gentlemen for active -sei\ice t the meinb.ij prj\)diug theui&thes imij lioi^eb and tquiptutiit I'adii, is bfcuduig ga I-, vxiid eqmp uieut tor three hca\.) fi^.d battei'ies with native iuult;tfers. Three thousand t-x sllu r s nave oSWtd to t .i: ?,?i\u>z v -i^r General liobevt 1 -. The second bdtt.-lion of Grenadi. jl Colclstreams, and 10th and 23tii i'ieJ , Batteries ar«j tuobiiioioir News ivgurdnig .Mr d hcv IJuiiei. _ ij)o\eineiits are being v\, t hheld pand ing nnporfcaift operations. Tiie Times repot tu- th.ifc the l^oeri' are romoviitg to a fresh };o uion soutli of Lad^Bm.th, while news noiuseveraj sources reports th it ih« posuion at Groblerbklooi has been

Jan. 16. An influential meeting of Austra» lians formed a committee to isisg tuptU to equip tiie J3u->lunen's eoq* tingeut. J2500 was collected on thg ftjiook Exchange for th^ purpose. Sig Hei-rv Noriqin pvfosidud over thg meeting, ao 4 $}& Ageufc General jyg,| present, . - * There is no. official flaws froig Gonerdi Duller 'm^Q th.c 11th, an^ profound anxiety is felt. UnoSjeial icfteiligenpe, conflicting with $ censored message, states thaj Majo^Geueral- Warren, with 11,0'% rrjen^ bag ooci|p>d » strong position o&