Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-10-04


White, who will command the British
forces in Natal, will proceed to Durham
tomorrow. On arrival at Cape Town
he found the situation on the Natal
border so grave he wired for Immediate
transportation for himself and staff to
Durham, and the British second-class
cruiser Forte was placed at his disposal.
Various announcements regarding
Boer movements seem to indicate their
probable plan of campaign in event of
hostilities. Their chief force apparently
would surround a narrow stretch of Ma
tai territory jutting into the Transvaal
thus threatening Laing's Neck, Charles
town and Dundee, while the Orange
Free State commands from Harrismith
are expected to operate near Van Re-
mans pass and threaten Ladysmith
Gavin Brown Clark, Liberal member
of parliament for Caithennesshire, who
telegraphed portions of a speech deliv-
cred last Saturday by the lord president
of the council, the Duke of Devonshire,
which Clark thought afforded an open
ing for a pacific settlement, has re-
ceived the following reply from Preto-
ria, under date of October 8:
"The government of the South Afri-
can Republic is gratified to learn that
powerful influence is at work to secure
a peaceful settlement. Considering,
however, the manner in which their
five-year franchise proposals were re-
jected after the government had every
ed; considering, also, the abandonment
of the joint commission proposed by
Great Britain, as we'll as declaration
that the British government regards all
former proposals as abandoned, and Is
formulating fresh proposals, the gov
ernment of the South African Republic
does not feel at liberty themselves to re-
formulate the rejected proposals. If a
desire for peace be earnest and sincere,
an excellent opening is afforded by the
commission proposition emanating from
the British government, which, If car
ried out, would undoubtedly bring a
satisfactory and honorable settlement"
Military critics are confident Great
Britain will hold her own in Natal Free
State commanders appear to be moving
slowly. 1t is probable the government
has loaned portion of the Free State
artillery to the Transvaal. The only
concentration at present is at Harri-
l. Nf hal
Free State, and at Poshof, northwest of
Bloemfontein, the position threatening
Kimberly and fourteen streams. At
Rockville the upper burghers expect aid
from the disloyal portion of farmers,
and at Aliwal, north, in Cape Colony.
Lichtenburg Is the base Of the COM
mandant Of the Cronjes movement on
the western border, menacing the Mafe-
king railway, between Mafeking and
Vryburg, in Bechuanaland. There are
well-authenticated reports Of a large
force of Beers assembled at SeliK, at
the junction of Crocodile and Pongola
rivers, evidently with the object Of de-
stroying the railway. The northern
confronts Plummer's column, which
will move nearer the border to-day.
Military authorities estimate that
there are now $1,000 Beers in the field.
The latest advces from Cape Town this
afternoon indicate a widespread i'm
preston there that unless the Beers be-
gin hostilties by Thursday they will
not fight, but yield to the imperial de-
mands when formulated.
The Transvaal government has taken
over the Perrera mines and all the
mines in the gold fields. A group of five
of the Eckstein mines have been closed.
Additional transports : with troops
from India arrived this morning at
Durham, Natal, and will proceed to the
front Immediately. 1t is rumored there
that the Beers are withdrawing from
the Natal border, owing to a lack of
forage.