On December 14, before the news of Colenso was known, the Premier of New South Wales had telegraphed to Mr. Chamberlain asking him whether the Home Government would care for more men from New South Wales. A statement to that effect in the Sydney Parliament was greeted with the wildest enthusiasm, the members rising and singing "God save the Queen." Mr. Chamberlain lost no time in replying. His answer ran:--"The Imperial Government is prepared to entertain the offer of further troops, mounted men preferred. It is indispensable that the men should be trained and good shots, supplying their own horses." Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, West Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania, all agreed to contribute men. The total strength of the new contingent was fixed at 1,000 mounted infantry, but this total was largely exceeded. A field battery and a field hospital were despatched in addition by the New South Wales Government, while New Zealand supplied four Hotchkiss guns. The patriotism of the Colonial Parliaments was equalled by the patriotism of the peoples who had to find the men and money. Great landowners came forward with offerings of horses; citizens subscribed thousands of money for the perfect equipment of the force and the pensioning of dependents of the men who volunteered. Doctors in good practice volunteered to accompany the troops, and the difficulty was not to obtain men, but to settle who was to go and who to stay behind. Ten thousand men could with ease have been enlisted in a week. The Colonial Administrators were not content with sending help; they sent it quickly, and their forces were the first of the new levies to appear in the field. Moreover, they quietly assembled and drilled yet a third contingent, to be ready for the worst. The total strength of the second contingent was, as far as can be ascertained, as follows:--New South Wales 900 men, Victoria 300, New Zealand 234, Queensland 150, South Australia 100, West Australia 90, and Tasmania 45. From first to last Australia placed over 8,000 men in the field, or nearly a complete division. As an example of the general enthusiasm may be mentioned the fact that an insurance company offered a pension of a pound a week for life to the first Australian who won the Victoria Cross, an honour which fell to Trooper Morris, of the New South Wales Lancers. [Illustration: _F. W. Burton._] [_After a photo by J. B. Bawden._ FROM CANADA'S SNOWS TO AFRICA'S BAKING SANDS. The farewell parade of D Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, in Ottawa.]