The first news from our new seat of war—East Africa—is
beginning to come in. Thursday's papers publish a War Office communiqud stating that Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien reports that on January 24th our troops advanced to Mbuyuni, fifteen miles east of Taveta, drove off a small force of the enemy, and occupied their camp. To this item of African news we may add that our Egyptian forces under General Wallace dealt the Senussi a handsome blow last Sunday. Our force, which con- sisted of British, Dominion, and Indian troops, while advancing on the enemy in two columns, was attacked by them, and they made an attempt to surround it. By 10 a.m. the action became general, but after two hours' hard fighting the enemy 77:1
driven back in a westerly direction. We oocupied their camp, and burnt a portion of their tents and stores. The strength of the force opposed to us was about four thousand five hundred, with three guns and three or four machine guns, and the troops, according to the War Office communiqué, were well handled. We regret to say that we had ten British and Dominion and eighteen Indian soldiers killed and two hundred and seventy-four of all ranks wounded. The enemy's losses were much more severe. They are estimated at one hundred and fifty killed and five hundred wounded.
