The Transvaal.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 177, 13 March 1902, Page 4

The Transvaal.

London, March 0, The Bavarian has sailed from Durban or India with a thousand prisoners. The Natal Assembly strongly favours compulsory military seryice. Thirteen hundred stampers are working on the Rand, but native labour is scarce. A further batch of Boer prisoners at Hawkins Island, Bermuda, as a protest against the continuance of the war, took the oath of allegiance to Britain. A party of other prisoners thereupon attempted to drown them in Great Sound, but the military guard frustrated the attempt, and the assailants were imprisoned. March 19. I Colonel Rimington found important I Boer correspondence, la.ige quantities of wheat, 600 porn pom shells aud a mill' complete. He collected 17 wounded Boers, and a number of waggons. Fifty] other Boors have been brought to j Bbemiontein. j Botha with 800 men is laagered at, his; farm, Lwonty live miles north-east otj Vryheid. , Ross, of the Canadian Scouts, under; itiiuiugtou found De WeL's cave. Seven hundred men, who are employ* d, at the railway wotshopa at l>urb.w.j ttruck for an extra Is per day. XhJ Government had refused to concede the demand.

J De la Rny h-vj captured General M..tlm.jii, 0.v.j;.!,; oia >.;s rui.-l fjur guns, 'General II~1\kvj:: Wis wounded in the

ti.'igh. 'i'huty B:'iri--li wert killed or wounded, anil many were captured.

j Tho Transvaal Legation assorts that iSceynand Schalkburger informed Lord ] Kitchener that they will only negotiate ion the basis of complete independence. Steyn's official newspaper devotes much. space to the reproduction of Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman's speeeh oa the methods of barbarism and the utterances of other pro-Boer meinb rs of the House of Commons.

Lord Roberts, referring to General M?thuen's action at Magersfontein, says : —'• Afeer a careful survey of the Boer position at that place, I was convinced that General Methuen had been 'given an almost impossible task, and" that he was not to blamo for failure to relieve Kimbcrley. Since then he has distinguished himself by zaal and iutelli-

jgence, and has shown great perseverance and not sustained a check. He is beloved by his men, and no work too hard for him was given to them. General Methuen more than once assisted aud looked after De la Key's family, and I am convinced, from ths humane and civilised manner in which De la Key has acted throughout, that Geueral Methuen is well cared for by him."

Lord Kitchener reported on Saturday that he greatly regretted to report that General Methuen had been captured, vviih guns, baggage, and many officers (and men. Tlie news had been brought to Marigo by 050 mounted men who were pursued by the Boers for four miles from the scene of action. Lord Kitchener suggested delay in publication until the received dethute information. He had arranged to send troops to the district. He considered th'it De la Key's sudden activity was an attempt to reliove the pressure on De Wet.

Further particulars state that Lienteuants G. Venning and T. had been killed after displaying great gallantry iu serving the guns. Thirtynine others had been killed ; four officers had been severely wounded, one officer dangerously, and seventy-two men ; and Captain W. Tilney and 200 men are missing, but many were probably included in the arrivals at Marigo.

March 11. The despatch explained that Lord Methuen aud Major Paris, with 90Q mounted men, 300 infantry, four guns, and a pom-pom, were moving from Wynberg to Lichtenberg to meet Major Grenfell with 1300 mounted men at Rooirayesfontein on Saturday. Early on Friday, when between Twebosch and Palmesal, De la .Rey*s forces charged Lord Methuen on three sides. Lord Kitchener on Sunday reports that Major Paris with the remainder of the men had arrived at Kraapan. He rereports that the column moved in two j parties. Some with the ox waggons left Tweboach at 2 o'clock, the mule waggons leaving at four o'clock in the morning. The attack was made after dawn, and. before reinforcements were available, the rear screen was broken, and many Boera galloped on both flanks. At first they were checked by 4 the fhnk parties, but a panic aud stampede among6t the mules had already begun. All the mule waggons, with a terrible mixture of mounted men, rushed pa«fc the ox waggons, and all efforts to check them proved unavailing. Major Paris collected forty men and occupied a position a mile ahead of the ox waggons, which were brought to a standstill. After a gallant but useless defence, the enemy rushed into the waggons, and Major Paris w»a surrounded atd surrendered at 10 i/elock.

Mr Brodrick read the despatches amid profound silence, until he announced the capture of General Methuen, his guns, and baggage, and then eome of the 'Nationalists burst into cheers and laughter, mingled with cries of "Shame" from the Ministerial and other benches. Mr Dillon, in the absence of Mr Kedmond, vainly tried to check Mr McNeill and other noisy members. Mr Dillon aud Mr Healy joined tho mijority of the House in cheering Mr Brodrick's tribute to General Methuen.

Mr Brodriqk at midnight read a further despatch from Lord Kitchener, dated Monday, which showed that an ox convoy escorted by half of General Methuen'a force was preceded by mules by an hour. De la Key, with 1500 men, nearly ail wearing khaki, and assisted by a 15-pr. and a pom - pom, suddenly made an enveloping attack on the rear. The first confusion was caused by native boyg galloping to le-d their horses through the mule convoy, while the latter, under General Methuen'a directions, wafl endeavouring to join the 05 convoy. Tlwj disorder was communicated to too mounted men. The Boers, who were close beside the waggons, frustrated attempts to rally that section of the mounted men and the mule waggona, galloped three miles beyond the ox waggons, and then intercepted them.