Show QUEER BALLS Boers B JiltrOdilGe Pellhiap lc Peculap Projectie ill warm South Africa I i INT1iIssILEs PUDDING IN ISSllES r Plugged Shells Fired into thf City of Ladysmith t 1 FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS Messages Conveying the Compliments Compli-ments of the Season are also Transmitted Trans-mitted in tho Big Bombs Which are Thrown by the Boer Cannon Planted on the Hills Around the Beleaguered City Regardless of This However the Burghers aro Portifying their Position and aro Evidently Determined to Make a Fir StandOn Wednesday December De-cember 27th the Artillery Opened f TJpon Ladysmitli with a Pierce Caiinonadiug Shell Struck ni Tent in tho Devonshire Camp Kill Y Tent in the Devonshire Camp DcvonsbircCnp i London Jan lThe following bali graph message has been received by ray of Wcenan from Ladyamiih dated Wednesday December 27th The Boers are actively bombarding the Devon he town One shell struck the I hires tent killing CapU Dalzell and wounding seven Lieutenants Dent rwlss Tringham Caffyn Byrne Scafo and Kane A later dispatch from Ladysmlth by Friday Deccm vay of Wcenan dated jer 29th says All well The Boers mayo been tiring plugged shells con alnlng plum pudding and the compll nents of the season They are still ortifylng their positions and arc evl1 forlfyinb lently mlncd to make tl Jlrm stan itandMETIIUEN IS ALL BIGHT The War ofllce publishes the follow ing dispatch yesterday from the gcn clnl officer commanding at Capetown Mcthuens position Is unchanged Drench reports that the Boers fearing heir communications could bo cut by 1 retired to Colcsburg cavalry have Colesburg Hear our unofllclally from Stcrkstroom that a British reconnolssance seven miles superior north of Dordrecht engaged retire on obliged to letllQ orces and was oblged ordrecht HAVE JOINED BOERS tIme fol Dally Mall publishes Tho rnt publshes wing dispatch from Capetown 4 Jowlng Bechua the five per cent of Bechuav Ninety v nal farmers In the Vryburg district J to loot helping them lot the Boers jincd helplnc the country north throughout the stores undertook river They also undertoolC f Orange of OranGc Cronje Mafeklng ivhiile Gen to Invest whie iInfekins Mcthucn I went south to meet Lord llethuen men in Bechuanaland Is The Government had administered as If the Dutch elng lite ndmlnltere beinG possession lor ages I KIMBERLEY HAS SUPPLIES KDlERLEY the Dally Mall from A dispatch to Dal lInl dated Friday December imberley nd We have food enough for says Fresh fruit and vege three months I KettlE from obtainable dally rom Kenl tbles arc dal and cheat worth and water Is plentiful I heat t celen FINAL SORTIE Dally Mall from tho to 1al A dispatch DaJY December Marques dated Decmber ourenco Is reported from Lady It th says I lported Brit the t1 that Pretoria Bll nltlibv I way of Pretora tmlth their heavy cannon hare destroying orlO to a final srtIeL nl The Transvaal agents acre imau available milk sugar all the mlt bought up managed to havo cir and coffee They for shipment hero orders sent get large olderg and German steamer iv French 50 per cent In advanced have Prices and the stock arc very conscllucnce ihcc a famine 4s Something Ween short the British Government threatened us lllti consigned hcrQ all goods Is slopping al goods from the coast ports frm NEUTRALITY > iF PORTUGAL NEUlRALITY df the VolksrriaU members mcm Several togiY doubtleSS Slv meot every portugal is doing hoe dolusOI CUlthCr orders ncutray but Loroigli best to muntaln 15 geim MztrtlUes 61 opinion In LUcnco rarllUC the activelY n In avon oC aclvcly ItnS emIly to obtain Cod supplcs Boors obtln TrtnSvtIal ConsUl time Hclr PoU thl LlOyi aJoncy josimmg General Jwrc is I for the Caste LTmiiofl and the agencieS himmes In con and Iuckflhli ot the steamship position he hold scqueucc BECOMES DESPERA r POSITION conOrmation or the ln the absence oC thLLt reportedl sortie front No uch hopeful tory Is dl5crtlte the Boer accunt US taken be de5igned law cun seems d Qr time 1laOldng word sortie lbnNln SImM un to convey > o ° arrived from has Vi arr such movement feeling o L sus British sources and the icloS 4 t pense Is deepening as It Is I feared Col lindenPowell silence indicates that his position is 1 becoming desperate BOER GUNS DEADLY The dispatches from the front breathe I u confident spirit which hd by no means echoed her The latest Ludysmlth advices ad-vices show Hint the Uoers sliellmgls becoming deudly while sickness and ennui must also be telling strongly upon the gurrison Srrhon I The news of the spread oC a lobcl lioframong the Dutch colonists and oC the 1 attempts oC Boers to cut the rail vvuy at widely different points Is I very disquieting as bearIng upon the safety of the extended lines oC communication ULCERS MOVEMENTS All the correspondents are beginning I l to hint of a forward movement on the part of Gen Duller the danger of wlilch Is Indicated In a dispatch to the Dlnly Telegraph from Frere recording the unfortunate failure of two recon nolseanccs In one case the Boer lines at Colenso were to have been bombarded bom-barded by night Mounted men drew thc Boer lire and it was Intended that the naval guns should bombard This however the latter failed to do owing ow-ing to some misunderstanding and the reconnoltorlng party was compelled to flounder back to camp through the u wet and stormy night marching In mud and water and with the greatest discomfort LOST THEIR wAY correspondent According to the same clrcspon a similar fate awaited another recon iiolssuncc in the opposite direction TJwo detachments says the dispatch loat their way in the darkness They were unable to effect a Junction for attack I at-tack they stumbled into water holes and were out all night only to return I drenched and disappointed in the morning morn-ing I Is roughly estimated that there Tire 25000 Boer between Ladysmlth and I Colenso some 100 being on the south side of the Tugela river At all points the enemy shows ceaseless activity AMERICANS JOIN VOLUNTEERS I s Y large number of Americans are said to be finding their way ihto the various volunteer regiments being raised in Cape Colony It Is also imported im-ported that many Africans are arriving arriv-ing at Delagoa bay having been expelled ex-pelled from the Hand because l they had refused to work the Johannesburg mines for tIle Government |