| OCR Text |
Show ZJjt :$outh MMtm Wat Gen. Joufcert Has Recovered and is Again There at Head of His Troops British Prisoners at Pretoria. London, Dec' 27 Dispatches from South Africa are still greatly delayed, but they are arriving more freely, which shows that the censorship has been relaxed. There appears to-be no great change in the situation. A dispatch from Lou-renzo Lou-renzo Marquez dated Thursday, Dec. 21, gives the following from the Boer laager, dated Tuesday, Dee. 19: , "The British naval guns at Colenso have been cannonading Bulwer bridge, over Tugela river, with a view of smashing it. ' . ' "The bombardment of Ladysmith is proceeding slowly. General Joubert has arrived here and has been accorded a hearty welcome. ' He addressed the burghers on Dec. 18. "More British prisoners have .been sent to Pretoria, including Colonel Bul-ler, Bul-ler, Major Walters,. Major Bailwark, Major Foster, Captain Dick, Captain Nortein, Captain Fitzherbert, Captain Ford, Captain Hutchinson, Lieutenant Bonham. Lieutenant Smithers, Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Thourne, Lieutenant O'Conney-ghey, O'Conney-ghey, Lieutenant Kaunbald, Lieutenant Charistian, Lieutenant Brigg, Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Birch, Lieutenant Halford, Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Tarbull and Lieutenant Jones." A dispatch to the Daily News from Ladysmith, dated Friday, Dec. 15,' by heliograph, says: "Another sortie last night. General Hunter, with 500 volunteers, volun-teers, 'destroying one six-inch creusot gun, one howitzer and one Maxim. One Briton killed. The Boer gunners fled." Will Wait For Roberts. There is an idea in some quarters that General Buller's destruction of the Tugela bridge heralds an attempt to cut off the Boers now south of the river, but the general opinion is that the British will not make any serious move pending the arrival of Lord Roberts. Rob-erts. The newspapers continue actively discussing and criticising the management, manage-ment, or rather mismanagement of the campaign. The -advent of horse sickness sick-ness draws increased attention to the question of transports and the want of wagons, which may tie the British forces to the railways. The Daily Chronicle says: - "Plenty of wagons could be obtained from the United States, but the government govern-ment authorities- with very indiscreet in-discreet patriotism. have refused to avail themselves of the opportunity. op-portunity. It would have been better bet-ter if the authorities had followed Lord Kitchener's example at Atbara bridge. Will they. ever now apply to the American Ameri-can factories?" The Times editorially attacks the administration ad-ministration of the war office, calling attention to the correspondence disclosing disclos-ing "glaring defects" and declaring that the British acmy is being managed man-aged for .Jhe benefit' of the war office and not -of the. nation. Growth of Dutch Disaffection. Dispatches from various points indicate indi-cate the steady growth of the? Dutch disaffection. The Cape Town correspondent corres-pondent of the Daily, Chronicle reports the discovery of a plot to connive at the escape of Boer prisoners. The Times advises stern treatment of the disaffected disaf-fected Dutch colonists and the enforcement enforce-ment of the penalties of treason against persons and property, - - The . Sixteenth J.$jicers will go to South Africa from India at the special request of Lord Roberts, even after the government had decided that no more troops should be withdrawn from India. The war office has nominated Sir. William Stokes as consulting surgeon sur-geon to the South African forces. He will leave Dublin for the cape in a few days. . Lord. Somerset' writes to the Times urging the seizure of Lourenzo Marquez and its retention, if necessary, until the end of the war, in order to prevent the landing of war material for the Boers. The transport Tantallon Castle has arrived at Cape Town with a number of howitzers and quick fires, which General Buller urgently needs. The government has chartered ;the Lake Erie of the New Elder, Dempster & Co. line, which was buijt.for the Canadian mail service. She is a vessel of 12,-000 12,-000 tons. Recruits For British. The recruiting of British colonists in Cape Colony is actively proceeding. Thirty thousand are already under arms, and several thousand will be addressed. ad-dressed. Those now in the field in-Rhodesian in-Rhodesian and Natal forces " and --th colonial troops beleaguered at Kimber-ley Kimber-ley and other points. - Dispatches from Modder river, dated Thursday, Dec. 21, report that intermittent inter-mittent firing was continued on both sides, although the-Boer shells fell short. A number of Free State burghers burgh-ers had surrendered- There is an unconfirmed un-confirmed report that a Canadian picket pick-et was cut off near Belmont. It is also asserted that fever, is raging among the Boers. The tests of wireless telegraphy at Modder river have been highly successful, success-ful, communication over a distance of seventy miles being perfectly established. estab-lished. Six Marconi instruments, intended in-tended for the Boers, have been seized at Cape Town. A dispatch from Chieveley camp, dated dat-ed Thursday", Dec. 21, says: "Lyddite shells are daily thrown into the Boer camp to prevent them working at the trenches. The nnng or big guns Is heard daily from the direction of Ladysmith." Lady-smith." Boer Commandant Recaptured. Commandant Demelllon, who was captured at Elanslaagte and brought to Simonsntown, where he succeeded in making his- escape from the British cruiser Penelope, has been recaptured. The Times, in a special article, discussing dis-cussing the international law aspect of Boer importantior.s through Delagoa bay, says: "Were we to adopt either with or without the consent of Portugal, Portu-gal, the drastic measures which are so easily suggested In some quarters, we might find ourselves suddenly confronted con-fronted with international complications complica-tions far more' serious and injurious to the successful prosecution of the South African war than the evils of which it was sought to secure an abatement." |
