Show BATTlE IS IN SIGHT Fighting Heavier Than Since Ladysmith Imminent THABA NCHU THE PLACE Gen French Who is Directin Operations Oper-ations Has at Least 15000 Men Some Estimates Givo Him 30000 The Boers Are Estimated at Least 6000 Strong and May Possibly Reach 10000 Boers Attacked tho British Outposts at Boshof on April 28th but Without Result London May 2 i a m Fighting heavier than any since Lad 8milh seems to he Imminent near Thaba 1 NChu The dispatches of Lord Rob erls dated Monday and Tuesday show that thc Boer rear guard stubbornly resisting his advance forced the British Brit-ish on Saturday and Sunday to act chiefly on the defensive Gon French who Is directing the operations has at least 15000 men Some estimates gives him 30000 The Boers are estimated to bo at least GOOO strong and possibly 10000 PRETORIA EXPECTS BATTLE Accoidlng to a dispatch from Pretoria Pre-toria dated April 28th they were cx pocllng to give battle and have numerous numer-ous artillery So long as the Boers en gage the attention of half of Lord Roberts force at Thaba NChu his advance ad-vance toward Pretoria will he delayed No one here however considers that 1 Gen Botha will be able to stand longer I than I a few days Tho feeling Is that he must be beaten off by thc masses of Lord Roberts The Boers attacked the British out i posts at Boshof the headquarters of Lord Mcthuen on April 2Sth but without with-out result The British guns at VVar I lenton shelled the Boers out of their halfconstructed trenches Sunday ALL WELL AT MAFEKING A native runner got through from I Mafeklng to Cotsle sjxtyonc miles north on April 22nd with dispatches for nearly all the London dallies That I I to the Morning Post says We can I I stick It out fOI two months or more Nobody minds I Col PI timer who appears to have been reinforced lately by more Rhode I slang seems to ho advancing again A lliltlsh reconnollerlng party fell Into the hands of the Boers near Wind sorton The German steamer Kocnlg on April 22nd landed a quantity of war I materials for the Boers at Bolra and embarked a quantity of Transvaal woolAVAJ1M AVAJ1M CLOTHING FOR MEN Lord Lansdowne replying In the House of Lords yesterday to a question regarding warm clothing for the troops read this dispatch from Lord Roberts There Is no necessity to appeal for warm clothing Some corps have received re-ceived more than I they require and will be amply piovldcd for as soon as tho I numeious cases of clothing and com forts of various descriptions can be brought here from the base I According to a dispatch from Lou renco Marques there ate 1000 British resident yet lemalnlng thc Transvaal Trans-vaal but they arc to be expelled Immediately I Im-mediately IOVE TO WYNBERG 1 A dispatch from Bloemfonteln dated 1londay April 30th says Most of Boers retreating from Vepencr and Dewetsdorp are going lo Vynberg as the largest British force at Thaba NChu renders a retreat to BrandforL risky Reports are current that Brand fort may be abandoned without alight a-light A general order has been published awarding the victoria cross to an officer offi-cer a noncommissioned officer and a gunner of Q battery of the Royal Horse artillery for gallantry displayed dur ing the recent fighting at Sannas post SANNAS POST DISPATCH A letter from Sergl Parker who Is believed to be ono of those Just decorated deco-rated with the Victoria cross describ lug the Sannas post disaster Is pub lished today Ho says In galloping from the Spruit my gun was over turned and my horse shot I got up with No 1 gun and we remained three I hours under the most tenlblc lire In nve minutes i nncl lost two complete detachments and only one gunner Lodge also decorated with the cross and myself were left to work the two guns he at one and I at the other We remained at the guns he at one and I at the other Wo remained at thc guns loading laying and firing by ourselves and brought both guns out of action by ourselves Wo have been recommended for the Victoria cross STOPPED BY BOTHA The War office has received the fol lowing dispatch from Gen Roberts Biocmfontcin May IIan Hamil ton marched yesterday In a northerly direction from Thaba N Chu with a body of mounted Infantry and Smith Dorrlans brigade of Clements divis ion At Hautney he found himself op posed ba strong force commanded by Gen Botha in person Jtolnforco incntn reached this force during the day and I directed Fieneh to strengthen strength-en him during the night from Thaba NChu This he was able to do as the num bet of Boers In the neighborhood of Thaba NChu had considerably decreased de-creased In addition to these troops Hamilton should be reinforced during the day by Brondwoods cavalry and Briicelrarni I tons infantry I brigade Hamilton mentioned that his casualties cas-ualties yesterday were about thirty Maxwells brigade of the Seventh division yesterday occupied Vlaltson tots and Schwaskraal a row of kopjes without meeting with opposition But the mounted Infantry were engaged for aomo hours BOERS PERSISTENT IN ATTITUDE The following dispatch ban also been sent by Lord Roberts to the War of lice Bloemfonleln April JOThe Boers I I made very persistent attacks around Thaba NChu Saturday and Sunday But the position which the Eighth Rundlcs division holds Is strong and ho had the assistance Qf Gordons and Dlcksons brigades the cavalry under French and SmlthDorrlens Infantry I I brigade and a body of mounted Infantry Infan-try under Ian Hamilton PoleCorews i division returned frbm Dpwcladorp I yesterday Lord Roberts t also reports additional casualties sustained during the fighting of April 27th around Thaba KCliu contesting of Lleut Geary and two enlisted en-listed men killed and one officer and three enlisted men woundedj NO LIGHT ON ROBEKTSS MOVE Neither tho commanderlrichlcfa nor correspondents dispatches throw any light upon the plans being adopted to oust the Boer from the neighborhood neighbor-hood of Thaba NChu and how long I I before a dotcrmlnod effort will be made j to reassert British superiority Is only a matter of surmise In the meantime the Boors are remarkably l nggrosulvo I and probably In view I of the largo j forces opposing them I BRITISH CONVOY SAVED A special dispatch l from Thlh1 1 NChu dated yesterday 1 11 h Ror made a daring attempt to cut off I British convoy which got Into broken ground between Thaba NChu and DeuLisd rp opening fire from the adjacent ad-jacent hills In file nick of time Gen Bradson with a strong force of yeomanry yeo-manry returning from Wepencr arrived ar-rived on the scene and extricated the I convoyDISPOSITION DISPOSITION OF FORCES J I The same special correspondent describes de-scribes the positions of the forces at Thaba NChu as follows Gen Run 1 die Is covering the advanced camp facing the BbeiV position to the east I where they arc strongly Intrenched Gen Ian Hamilton and Gen Smith I Dorrlen occupy strong positions on the road lo the north I AN ARTILLERY DUEL Another dispatch says a column under un-der Gen Hamilton located the Boars 0 the northwest and nn artillery duel ensued without result All accounts tell of much artillery 1I firing with scarcely l any casualties It Is hardly likely that two such forces can much longer patiently face each other without more stirring occurrences currences r Gen Brabants column Is expected to Join Gen French shdrtiy A number 1 of Boers me reported to have been scon j I retiring north but this Is scarcely au I thorltallvo RE1TZ MAKES DECLARATION I 4 special dispatch from Capetown undor todays lain says that Secretary Rcltz of the South Afrlenn republic declared de-clared lo a recent visitor to Pretoria Unit not only would every Englishman be cleared out or the State but also every American German or any man of other nationality who was not prepared pre-pared to shoulder a Mauser and light for the country CHURCHILLS STORY Ho Describes the Operations About Thaba JTChu London May Winston Churchill telegraphing to the Morning Post from Thaba NChu Aprll 2Sth and describing describ-ing the operations there says Yesterday Yester-day afternoon upon llu withdrawal of lie British demonstrations on both flanks of the enemy the Boers pressed to close quarters and Kitcheners Horse were unable to evacuate their position until midnight The suspense caused i i great anxiety Todays operations were Intended I to drive out or to Intercept the Boers They occupied a wide horseshoe of mountains with Ihe I convex face lo wurd us Gen Hamilton I I ur l dIn I d-in crushing the Boors on time right and opening a road for Oen Dlrkaons cavalry cav-alry brigade which dashed U1ou hand h-and hunted Ihe enemy from ridge to l ridge shelling them with horse artillery artil-lery I leryAt At last wc arrived l at the roar of the horeeshoe and the Boers In parties par-ties of 200 could be seen within tho Inclosed space running about like rats In a trap Dicksnn had hoped to make a bag and be signaled to Hamilton regarding the situation Hamilton I came at once bringing up every soldier sol-dier he could find Suddenly about halfpast I the Boer army nearly woo strong moved out of the horseshoe and began marching march-ing northeast I had never before seen such an array of Uoers Their order was so regular that at first It was bc loved 1 they wen Gen Gordons cavalry cav-alry brigade but they quickly opened with artillery on DIckson and at the same time time Boers who had escaped earlier In the day from our Imagined trap roturnod In force against Dick sons left and rear with two guns In these circumsiances DIckson resolved to recede and ho only Just withdrew in time ENVOYS BANQUETED I Boer Peace Commission Feasted at Amsterdam Amsterdam May IAl a banquet given here this evening lo the members of the Boer peace commission the I President of the Transvaal committee proposed the toast Success lo the Mission Mis-sion Mr Fischer of tint delegation who replied expressed the thanks of the envoys for the sympathy that had been shown to ihcin by a people of common origin with themselves M Deer > den secretary of the commission com-mission replying lo the toast lo the health of Presldenls Krugcr and Steyn said that although some of the Boers might have returned to their homes for a brief visit no commandos of the Transvaal or the Free Slate had permanently I per-manently returned He declared also that the rumors of the submission of the Free Slaters were absolutely without with-out foundation The envoys complained of the false slalcmenls published by tho BrItish press and praised the Dutch and American Amer-ican papers for their efforts td ascertain ascer-tain the truth SITUATION AT MAFEKING Investment So Close that No Runners Can Get Through London May 2Lady Sarah Wilson telegraphing from Mafeklng April 19th saysThe The Investment Is so close that no runners have entered or Issued forth for ten days Thcro was a terrific bombardment bom-bardment on April llth but with the exception of destroying some houses It was harmless The Boers then made a determined attack on the southwestern forts which wore successfully repulsed I The Boors have formed u new laager on time south Many horses arc dying of horse sickness Trees are being cut down for fuel The garrison is now eating the am bulanco oxen reserving the mules until the last The dally ration Is now six ounces of yrllly oat bread a pound of bully beef and a quart of skilly I A dispatch from Mnfcklng dated April 20th says The Boers have been busy for several days blowing IL > time I railway southward Thcro was little firing during tin past week The town will respond cheerfully to Lord Roberts Rob-erts s request to hold out for another I month Fever I Is rife but otherwise the health of the garrison Is good mid all I are well COST OF THE WAR England Thus Far Counts on 111 250000 Expense London May 1 In time House 1 tf Commons today iho Parliamentary I Secretary of ihe War olilcc Mr AVyndham announced that under the exceptional circumstances of the case he pioposed to lay un the table of the Honef the telegraphic eorrospundcnre between the Secretary of State for War the Marquis of Lnnsdoune and f the commander of the British troops In South Africa Lord Roberts with reference ref-erence to the pffbncaimn of time Splon kop llspalchiv Replying to 0 question ques-tion the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mr Hanhury said Ihe I rout of the war up to March 31st was L21 J J500CO |