britannien. Nr. 12287. order to disperse a commando under Erasmus, which was advancing towards Grofs- Pretoria from Nylstroom direction. On the 23rd September a party of Boers 10. Okt. 1900. from this commando attacked Elands River Station on the Delagoa Bay Railway and did some slight damage, but was driven off by the garrison. Meanwhile Erasmus's camp was surprised by Paget, who during the preceding night had made a forced march with the 1st Bn. West Riding Regiment, two companies of the 2nd Bn. Wiltshire Regiment, two companies of the 1st Bn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, the City Imperial Volunteer Battery, and two 5-inch guns. The camp was captured, together with 12 prisoners, 2500 cattle, 6000 sheep, 50 horses, and some rifles and ammunition. The commando was simultaneously engaged by Plumer's Bushmen, who took 11 prisoners, 750 cattle, and 1 600 sheep. Four days later the portion of Paget's force at Pienaar's River Station, under the command of Colonel L. Chapman, was attacked on two sides, the enemy being able to come up close, under cover of the thick bush. They were beaten off after three hours' fighting, and were followed up by the Bushmen. Our casualties were one Bushman killed and one wounded, also three Munster Fusiliers taken prisoners. || 43. South of the Val the enemy showed activity in several directions, but their attemps failed, owing to the promptitude with which troops were concentrated at the points of attack. On the 22nd August Rundle reported that the Imperial Yeomanry patrols which he had sent to Brandwater Basin had brought in 17 rifles, 140 000 rounds of Mauser ammunition, 12 shells, and 200 lbs. of dynamite; while nearly 700 Boers had surrendered in the Harrismith and Vrede districts. On the 24th August it was reported from Winburg that Lieut.-Colonel H. M. Ridley, Imperial Yeomanry, while reconnoitring 9 miles north-east of that place with 250 mounted troops and a few infantry, had been surrounded by a Boer commando, 1000 strong with two guns. I therefore directed Hunter to despatch by rail 200 Mounted Infantry, one and a half battalions of Infantry, and eight Field guns, under Bruce Hamilton, to Winburg, and a half battalion with 4 guns to Vensterburg Road Station, to co-operate thence with a small column under Lieut.-Colonel W. L. White, R.A., which Lieut.-General Kelly-Kenny had sent to Ventersburg. Ridley's party was relieved and the enemy driven off on the 25th August, the casualties on our side amounting to one man killed, one Officer wounded, and five men missing. On the 27th a Boer force 1400 strong, under Olivier, attacked Winberg. It was repulsed by Bruce Hamilton, 29 prisoners being taken, including Olivier and his three sons, who were captured by a small detachment of the Queenstown Rifle Volunteers. The enemy then moved south-east with a view to attacking Ladybrand and Thabanchu. Kelly-Kenny accordingly railed Lieut.-Colonel White's column from Ventersburg Road Station to Bloemfontein on the 28th August, and sent it thence to the Waterworks on the Modder River. Bruce Hamilton's Brigade, with Le Gallais' Mounted Infantry, was also railed during the three following days to Bloemfontein from Kroon Grofs stad and Winburg, while MacDonald's column proceeded from Heilbron to Nr. 12287. Winburg. The Ladybrand garrison, consisting of 43 men of the Wiltshire britannien. Imperial Yeomanry, and one company of the 1st Bn. Worcestershire Regiment, 10. Okt. 1900. under the command of Major F. White, R.M.L.I., District Commissioner, was surrounded on the 2nd September by a Boer force 3000 strong, with nine field guns and two machine guns. Lieut. Colonel White, R.A., occupied Thabanchu on the 1st September, and the next day he was joined by Bruce Hamilton with a column of 2000 men, supported by Le Gallais with his mounted troops and the 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Rifles from the Bloemfontein garrison. Ladybrand was relieved by Bruce Hamilton on the morning of the 5th; and although the Boers had brought a heavy artillery fire to bear on the entrenchments, our casualties were only one Officer and four men wounded. The enemy had withdrawn north-westward the previous night in the Allandale direction. Bruce Hamilton's Infantry marched 80 miles in 4 days to effect this relief. Meanwhile, Rundle, with Boyes' column was marching towards Bethlehem, which he reached on the 11th September, and Campbell's column passed trough Ficksburg on its way to Trommel on the 7th September. On the latter date Bruce Hamilton was ordered to move to the Leeuw River Mills, taking with him the Ladybrand garrison, and Macdonald's column arrived at Winburg. The object of these movements was to defeat and disperse the Commandoes which had retired to the hills near Korannaberg and Doornberg. On the 12th September a party of Boers belonging to the Commando which had attacked Ladybrand appeared near Brandfort, with the intention of damaging the railway. Kelly-Kenny reinforced the posts between Bloemfontein and Smaldeel, and communicated with MacDonald, who the next morning crossed to the south of the Vet River on the road from Winburg to Bloemfontein, and engaged the enemy 8 miles west of Tafel Kop, driving them across the river and pursuing them to the north of the Winburg-Smaldeel railway. The Boers retired in great confusion, seven prisoners, 31 wagons, 270 trek oxen, and a large quantity of supplies, ammunition and dynamite falling into our hands. Lovat's Scouts especially distinguished themselves during the pursuit. || On the 18th September, Rundle attacked a party of Boers near Bronkhorstspruit, 20 miles west of Senekal, capturing one gun and 30 wagons, while C. Knox successfully engaged the enemy at Klompie Doorns between Senekal and Kroonstad. 44. It may be here mentioned that, in view of De Wet's return from the Transvaal to the district between Heilbron and Reitzburg, and the possibility of his collecting a fresh commando in that direction, I thought it desirable to concentrate a strong mounted force at Kroonstad and on the Rhenoster River. The Colonial Division, which had been attached to Lord Methuen's column during the pursuit of De Wet, was accordingly ordered to march from Zeerust to Elandsfontein, viâ Krugersdorp. It left Zeerust on the 25th August, being joined by the 3rd Cavalry Brigade under Colonel Little. britannien. Nr. 12287. The same day Colonel Little was wounded near Jacobsdal, and the command Grefs- of the combined force devolved an Colonel Dalgety. Between Zeerust and 10. Okt.1900. Krugersdorp considerable opposition was met with, the casualties in the Colonial Division being 10 men killed and five Officers and 20 men wounded; and in the 3rd Cavalry Brigade one man killed, and one Officer and six men wounded. On reaching Elandsfontein, the Colonial Division proceeded on the 14th September to Rhenoster, a portion of it through Heidelderg, and the remainder along the railway. The 3rd Cavalry Brigade, under Colonel Porter, who by this time had replaced Colonel Little, was railed to Kroonstad; while De Lisle's Corps of Mounted Infantry was withdrawn from Clements's column and moved by rail on the 17th September to Rhenoster, where it was joined by 250 men of Kitchener's Horse from Kroonstad. || 45. The Boers broke up in small parties from the hills near Doornberg without giving our troops any further chance of attacking them, and as it seemed likely that the would reassemble in the Heilbron and Frankfort districts, Hunter made a fresh disposition of the four columns under his command. On the 22nd September he ordered the force under MacDonald to march to Kaalfontein, on the Valsch River. Bruce Hamilton and Boyes were to converge on Lindley from Senekal and Bethlehem; and Campbell, who had returned to the latter place, was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Reitz. These movements were completed by the 25th September. || 46. On the 29th September, the quietude of the Orange River Colony was disturbed by a small party of Boers, probably numbering less than 200, and without guns, who moved upon Wepener. About 30 or 40 of the enemy entered the town at 6 a.m. upon that date, and caused a considerable amount of panic amongst the inhabitants. Major Wright, the District Commissioner, was also forced to withdraw together with his police into Basutoland. The Boers are reported to have treated the residents with civility, but they helped themselves liberally to money from the bank, and also commandeered clothing and supplies to a considerable extent. The occurrence was unfortunate, but it has not hitherto been found possible to garrison every place which it might be advantageous to occupy with troops. As soon as I heard of this raid I issued orders for Ladybrand, Wepener, and Dewetsdorp to be occupied by detachments from the Highland Brigade, which had been sent down by rail from Kroonstad to Bloemfontein. || 47. On the 30th September, Hildyard held Wakkerstroom and Utrecht, 150 of the commando from the latter place having surrendered. I am, my Lord, Your most obedient humble Servant, Roberts, Field-Marshal. Nr. 12288. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Lord Roberts an das Kriegsministerium. Stärkeverhältnisse. Johannesburg, 15. November 1900. Eine Anlage zu diesem Bericht enthält folgende Zahlen-Angaben: 2) Truppen, die Pretoria nahmen (5. Juni): 1075 Offiziere, 23 675 Mann, 3) Truppen, die auf dem Vormarsch gegen Komati Poort teilnahmen In allen Angaben sind die Artilleristen Pioniere, die Seebrigade und das Verwaltungspersonal nicht mitgezählt. Nr. 12288. Grofs britannien. 15.Nov.1900 Nr. 12289. Grofs britannien. Die Unruhen in China 1900.*) Nr. 12289. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Gesandte in Peking an den Minister des Auswärtigen. Ermordung eines (Telegraphic.) englischen Missionars. Peking, January 4, 1900. (January 4.) **) It is with great regret that I report to your Lordship the murder by a band of anti-Christian rebels of the English missionary 4. Jan. 1900. Brooks near the town of Fei Ch'êng, in Shantung Province, where he was travelling. The other members of the mission are safe. || The part of China where the murder took place is very disturbed, and I and my French, American, and German colleagues have been making strong representations. Nr. 12290. 10. Jan. 1900. Nr. 12290. - CHINA. Der Gesandte in London an den englischen Minister des Auswärtigen. Derselbe Gegenstand. Verspricht Bestrafung der Mörder. Chinese Legation, January 10, 1900. (January 11.) My Lord Marquis, || I have the honour to inform your Lordship that I have received a telegram from the Tsung-li Yamên, instructing me to acquaint you of the death of a British subject in the Province of Shantung under circumstances that have excited the horror and the indignation of the Imperial Government. | On the Ist of the present month the Tsung-li Yamên received a telegram from Yüen Shih-kai, the Governor of Shantung, acquainting them that an English missionary of the name of Brooks had, whilst travelling in the district of Feichên, in that province, been grievously maltreated by brigands, and afterwards had been carried off by them. learning this, the Yamên immediately telegraphed to the Governor, instructing him to lose no time in following up the brigands and rescuing Mr. Brooks; but by a subsequent telegram which they received from Governor Yüen, they learned with dismay that the robbers had put the unfortunate missionary to death. || Incensed at this deplorable event, their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and the Empress-Dowager have commanded that all the officials within whose jurisdiction the outrage was committed be disgraced by being deprived of their *) Englische Blaubücher Col. 257, 436. Vgl. Bd. 64. Nr. 12222 ff. On Die eingeklammerten Daten geben das Datum der Ankunft in London an. Red. |