6 JANUARY 1900, Page 9

General Gatacre's command has also been active during the week.

Dordrecht, which was taken by the British at the beginning of the week, was later evacuated, the Boers having began a general advance in this region. Not only did they reoccupy Dordrecht, but they have pushed on in the direction of Cyphergat. It is difficult, writing on Friday, to say exactly what has happened, or to decide whether we or the Boers have come best out of the somewhat confused and interlaced move- ments, but a telegram from the special correspondent of the Times at Gatacre's headquarters, published in Friday's issue and dated Wednesday evening, states that an outpost of Kaffrarian Mounted Rifles and Cape Police was attacked that morning by three thousand Boers, but that the attack failed. The telegram goes on to say that General Gatacre with mounted troops and a field battery drove the Boers from a position at Coperberg, and that they "fled towards Storm- berg." Our men suffered no loss, but the enemy are believed to have suffered considerably,—a belief which may or may not be well founded.