Page 5 of 25 Dec 1880 Issue of Colonies And India in London, Middlesex

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Colonies And India (Newspaper) - December 25, 1880, London, Middlesex December 25, 1880. The colonies and India. South Africa. The Basurto telegrams this week have been treated As news of defeat and have suggested to some of the papers the usual comments. To us the news is by no Means discouraging. As we said last week colonel Harrington was moving freely about the country burning villages and laying Fields waste and so making the Bastos feel a Little of the discomfort of War. Meanwhile the Babu tos effected nothing against him. On the 13th they seem to have collected in unprecedented numbers. Colonel Harrington it seems had again started on a patrolling expedition in the direction of Golah which seems to be the great commissariat Headquarters of the insurgents round Mafe Teng and Baleka. The troops on this occasion were divided into two bodies one consisting of 650 men commanded by Captain Brabant the other consisting of 500, by colonel Carrington. Captain Brabant s men succeeded in carrying Zariel s Village but colonel Carrington s division encountered a Basurto Force numbering 3,000, and was compelled to retire. Captain Brabant s column falling Back at the same time effected a Junction with colonel Harrington and All regained the Camp. We think that " Camp " Here Means As before the Camp of the patrolling column not the Laager at Mafe Teng. Both Router s Telegram and the times Telegram agree that the colonial loss was Only two killed and twelve wounded while according to the times the Basurto losses were the heaviest yet inflicted. Thus from both accounts it would certainly appear that the substantial Success was on the colonial Side. The times correspondent further describes the affair As the largest engagement that has yet occurred in Basutoland. His account is not in All Points identical with that which we have made the basis of the preceding summary. A. Patrol he says moved towards the North under Captain Brabant. On entering Tsita Nek they met a Large number of the enemy. Captain Brabant retired on the Village and after communicating with colonel Harrington evacuated it the enemy taking Possession and firing heavily killing one Rifleman. Colonel Carrington s division which consisted of 500 men then moved to the eastwards for three Miles. The enemy charged repeatedly on All sides wounding several men. The Kimberley horse behaved splendidly turning the enemy repeatedly. The number of the enemy engaged was from 9,000 to 10,000. They used explosive bullets. Of course we do not pretend that these movements whether they Are defeats or not do anything towards breaking Down the Basurto resistance. All we allege is that they Are under the circumstances As much As could be looked for. As we said last week effectual measures will be raids on the cattle sent away to the mountains and the reduction of the fastnesses both operations not to be looked for just now. accounts put beyond question the fact that colonel Carrington s action was essentially a Success. The rebel Force occupied a Strong position on the Heights Between Mafe Teng and Morita. With 200 men in a hollow Square colonel Harrington held at Bay a Force outnumbering his own men by Twenty to one. Fighting steadily they advanced for 1,500 Yards finally driving the enemy Back on All sides out of Range. A prisoner who was taken says that let sea As to whose real attitude we have of late heard so Little with a Large following has taken no part in the War. At Leribel too Ferreira s horse has had a successful engagement in which the rebels lost fifty men. The idea we find in the last Cape papers was that colonel Clarke should use his flying column in repressing the rebellion in the Transki that meanwhile the burghers and native levies should be getting sea Obed in Basutoland and that when the Transki was peaceful there should be a simultaneous Advance from Maseru Mafe Teng and the South. We regret to say that the telegrams of this week do not show that even the first part of this programme is near fulfilment. An unsuccessful attack has been made we Are told by colonel Clarke s and colonel Wavell s combined columns we presume on the Trembus occupying the Ingobo Gorges. A Quilio however the doubtful Pondo chief has Given assurances of his Friendly intentions and through ugh Lonelo told or. Davis that ump Sikela the Paramount chief of the condos had first incited him to murder his magistrate there is no reason to believe that any Section of the condos has risen. news is encouraging. The Mtembu land is apparently almost cleared of rebels. In the Pon Domese country there has been a great defeat of ugh Lonelo and the Pondo chief has Given distinctly Friendly assurances. The malcontents have at last Given effect to their threats. They have to the number of 5,000, assembled at Heidelberg a purely dutch town on the Road from Natal to Pretoria. They have there established a Republican government with or. Kruger As president and or. Joubert As command int. They have used no violence indeed but the inhabitants were not allowed to leave the town without a pass. The Telegraph Between St Anderton and Pretoria was stopped and the republicans stopped also the Down mails from Pretoria and opened the official letters. We hear of an engagement at Potchie Stroom but whether this preceded or followed the retirement to Heidelberg we do not know. Unfortunate As is the renewal of disturbance says the St. James s Gazette speculation As to the complications which May result seems to have been carried a Little too far. The Boers of the Orange free state undoubtedly sympathise with the aspirations of their Kinsmen in the Transvaal. The temper they have recently shown regarding the use of their territory by the colonial troops May to some slight extent be regarded As a demonstration of this sympathy but chiefly it is due to a recollection of their own grievances against us and to a wish to avoid provoking the hostility of the Bastos. When they had to fight against the Bastos the English they say not Only did not help them but prevented ammunition from reaching them. Why should the state now incur any risk ? Why should any private trader sacrifice a Chance of individual advantage to oblige those who were once so Dis obliging ? it is True also that the dutch of rape Colony sympathise with the Transvaal Boers and that Many of the Public men there condemn annexation on the simple ground that had annexation not been thrust on the Transvaal people they would have begged to be annexed. But the dutch of Cape Colony Are keenly interested in the successful prosecution of the Basurto War and any action by Boers of the Transvaal to thwart operations will doubtless deprive them of the hold they would have on rape sympathy. Other journals Are not quite so. We confess remembering the feats of the Boers in their War with be Coconi we have no great respect for their valour or coherence. We believe the troops now in South Africa need Only be put in the Field against them to dissipate resistance. Of course the difficulty would not be Over then. But it is hard to see what form conciliation can take with men whose Only grievance is that they Are not allowed the Independence they abused so sadly. Sir g. P. Holley telegraphs that he is sending up All available troops and will leave shortly himself for the Transvaal. The Natal mounted police have been ordered to proceed to Newcastle to protect the Border. The troops according to the latest news have reached St Anderton where All is quiet. , wholly disbelieve the report of a Boer Success at Middleburgh. It is impossible in itself arid has not the authority of sir j. P. Ooley or of colonel Lanyon to support it. The Boers have issued a proclamation declaring the Republic established but saying they do not desire War. In answer to their re qui Sitison colonel Lanyon has simply issued a proclamation offering Pardon to the Boers who at once leave the insurgent lines. Meanwhile Pretoria is reported to be Safe and St Anderton on the Vaal is being fortified. The Imperial times states that the 97th regiment is ordered to Natal and was to leave Gibraltar on the 23rd inst. Although sir Pomeroy Colley did not ask for reinforcements he intimated the times believes that it might become necessary to Send them and it was thought better to despatch a regiment at once without running the risk of any Graver emergency. Probably the affairs of the Transki will influence the decision As much As those of the Transvaal. India and Central Asia. The turkoman last the russian government has so far relaxed its reticent control of the wires which connect Bali with St. Petersburg that some definite news is made Public of what general Skobeleff is doing in the a Hal country. A communication from general Skobeleff dated december 11, report that a body of cavalry under colonel Navrotsky which had advanced along the chador Oha Dir ? Valley successfully stormed during the night of december 18 a mistake we think for the 8th the fortified Village of Karys or Kelt Nadir about thirty Miles from Goktepe routing the Sekkes after an obstinate resistance. Some thousands of sheep cattle and arms were captured. The women and children were taken prisoners and consigned to the custody of the no hurts who Are regarded As Friendly to the turkomans. The brightness of the russian loss two wounded is accounted for by the unexpectedness of the attack and the fact that it was aided by a dense Mist. It is further added that according to trustworthy intelligence several thousand Mei v turkomans Are advancing with artillery to Aid the a Hal Sekkes. This last item is important for hitherto the want of guns wa3 supposed to be the great weakness of the turkomans. But on the other hand the loss of the cattle is serious for commissariat is the Point of which the defence of Goktepe is most Likely to fail. From other accounts from Chik Islar we learn that during september and october stores munitions and other supplies were transported to Bali in such quantities that by the end of december it is intended to take decisive action. Supplies of All kinds Are collected for 16,000 men to last until july 1881, 800 cartridges per Rifle and three complements of projectiles for the artillery. All the troops Are Well provided with the necessary clothing. The weather was extraordinary the thermometer standing at 20 degrees Reaumur during the Day. Warm clothing was necessary at night. A Host of settlers had invaded the Camp with multifarious wares asking inordinate prices which general Skobeleff s despotic intervention had considerably reduced. Meanwhile the Sekkes continued to attack both lines of communication from Kras Novosk and Chik Islar to Bali. They were repulsed each time the total loss being fifty four. The construction of the railway was being actively proceeded with under Anne Koft appointed to the command of the rearguard while the work of diverting the oxus to the Caspian sea was being actively carried on by a detachment of ten engineers five companies of infantry and three Stonias of cossacks. General Glukhovsky is conducting the operations for which a sum of 600,000 roubles it is stated has been assigned by the government. We May perhaps add Here that while according to the audited Imperial budget for 1879, the total War outlay incurred by Russia from 1876 to 1879 inclusive amounted to 1,020,578,490 roubles the Cost of the Tekke turkoman expedition for 1879 is put Down at 4,686,000 roubles. The understanding with with the Prospect of the oxus navigable up to the Northern Frontier of Afghanistan and of the Fertile Belt North of Persia being a russian province englishmen hearing that the strategic advantage Kandahar would give is unless the effects of the Bright Chamberlain policy in Ireland Lead to the abandonment of the policy these Well informed and thoughtful politicians have prescribed to the Cabinet regarding Afghanistan to be abandoned May Well ask what plan lord Hartington has for the future. The Standard correspondent assures us that lord Dufferin has not opened up the question of Central Asia. We confess we Are glad to hear it. Better no Assurance than an illusive one. But meanwhile what will lord Granville have to offer to satisfy Public opinion ? Russia and he will say that for years to come the poverty of the russian exchequer will imperatively compel Russia to be moderate. We do not believe that it will have the smallest effect on the action of the russian officers in Central Asia which after All concerns us a great Deal More than the plans entertained at St. Petersburg. For the moment no doubt the representations of the finance minister seem to have had a Pacific influence regarding the Kula question. A conference lasting some hours was held on wednesday week Between the Marquis Tseng and m. Giers the russian minister at Pekin the director of the Asiatic department and the chinese Mission secretaries being also present. Its results Are indicated by the statement of the Semi official Agency Musse according to which the negotiations had taken " a decidedly More favourable considerable concessions it seems have beep made on both sides. The russians instead of insisting on retaining the Terek Valley agreed to surrender All that part of i specially valuable strategically or otherwise but claim to retain a Section of territory As a country of Refuge for the Dungans who have renounced their allegiance to China. This stipulation says the daily Netos correspondent appears to be considered of much importance on both sides. The question of Money compensation will probably not be so difficult As this territorial one and the proposal for a plebiscite of the inhabitants As to retaining chinese or adopting russian allegiance is interesting As a precedent suggested by an autocratic government. Meanwhile the chinese government does not seem to have cancelled the order for the double turreted ironclad frigate Given to the Vulcan shipbuilding company at Stettin. new explanation of the rising in Gil git is Given. It is now said to have been due in some measure to " the excitement caused by events during our occupation of the insurgents were commanded by one pah Alawan Bahadur a chief of Yassin and at first succeeded in taking some Frontier forts. They met a Check at Sher Kila but an attempt by major Biddulph to relieve that fort failed owing to the sickness of the Cashmere troops. Thereupon major Biddulph withdrew to Gil git fort and invited Amanul Maek chief of chiral to invade Yassin. That chief agreed to do so and sent a Force to occupy Yassin. This had the effect of dispersing the Yassini who had followed pah Alawan Bahadur to Gil git and All danger to the latter country appears to be now at an end. Pah Alawan is said to be a fugitive in Sakhan while the of mitral chief is treating

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