Show F V PIVfTPK TIIRFIfl RIVFR Big Battle is Expected to Occur Next Week BOERS V ARE INTRENCHING V Tlioy iiro Working Incessantly with I Pick find Shovel lGan Mothuens r Scouting JDevelops the Tact that I Boer Intrenchmcnts Extend Some Forty Milea Par Overlapping the British Position and Making Plank Attacks Exceedingly Difficult V Trench Confronting Gen Duller V London Jan G This mornings nchva V throwsJ no further light upon the war q I situation The exact ooSUlon at Mo 1 lento and Cyphergat Is i not yet clear I but In any case these Illilc engagements are of small Importance beyond proving prov-ing that tho British forces are beginning begin-ning to attack in a greater degree of 1 V mobility U i It la fully expected Hint next week V vllI8 O4i hoavy battlc onHie Tugola V river which is now the real pivot of fr the campaign The Boers appear to be working Incessantly with shovel and S pIcI V torcl Mcthuens cavalryscout has i developed the fact that the peers In y trenchmentsextend some forty miles far overlapping the Brlllsh positions and making flank attacks exceedingly I difficult IVIUlury analytics nfllrm that y the Boer trenches confronting Con V Buller stretch away some seventeen anllen and that work upon them Is 4 pushed unremittingly WJiJle Iho advance IB delayed flank V jiiovomcnts aro jbndcred most diflloult V V 3 > ccau eJlohg marchcsart not done with cavalry Undjt Is hard to Limo on attack iWlth certainty V The extent of the Dutch rising may VI npw measured by Inking a line from J Prieska on the west to Herschel or Uurkley oh the cast Along the whole oC thIs line except at points actually V o6cupied by the British the Population seems for the most part hostile I J New redoubts are being built at Kim I 4l barley and seventeen miles of works V npv encompass the town V The Admiralty programme embraces VV the stationing of small squadrons at V Durban Simons Bay Port Elizabeth V Jotirenco Marques SU Vincent in tlio i Cape Verde Islands and Capetown V and sending an additional ship or two V to Aden V VV I It Is announced that Great Britains V agents and detectives are secretly watching all Italian ports H It now appears that It Is John V Churchillsecond son of Lady Randolph Churchill and not Winston Spencer V I Churchill who has been given com niand of a squadron of the Soulh AfrF can Light Horse Lord Rdsalyn has thrown up his engagement V en-gagement at the Court theater in or V dM to Join the yeomanry The offer of Lord Ivengh to provide at his own V u completely equipped expense hospital hospi-tal for use In South Africa has been C accepted The War office has Invited Sir William I Wil-liam Thompson to accept the post of chief surgeon to the forces in South V Airlcn instead of consulting surgeon r A report was current on the Paris 7 j bourse yesterday that Gen Bull r had mot with another check in his efforts V to relieve Ladysmilh V rPrere Camp reports a vigorousshell V ing of the Boer trenches on the plain V forced the burghers to shift theirposl tron after their horses hadStampeded |