The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-30
Prevails in British D0ckyards,
Camps and ArSenals.
PARLIAMENT MAY REASSEMBLE
Large Exodus from Johannesburg
In Expectation That Martial Law
Will be Proclaimed.

LONDON, Sept. 20.-Despite all out
ward show of calm, Great Britain is
in practically the same condition to-
day as was the United States few
weeks before the opening of the war
with Spain. Beneath the crust of dip
lomatic reserve the military officials
are working night and day preparing
for the signal to begin hostilities,
whether that comes or not.
England is not going to be caught
mapping any more than the Transvaal.
While Lord Salisbury is quietly at
home in Hatfield House, Mr.. Chamber
lain is buried in work at the Colonial
Office, and double forces at the Royal
Arsenal and dockyards are straining
every nerve to equip and transport
troops to the Cape.
1t may be set down for certain that
Great Britain will do nothing to pre-
cipitate matters, and the Colonial Of
flee is far from admitting that the case
is hopeless.
The report that Great Britain had
demanded the dismantlement Of the
fort at johannesburg, together with a
material reduction in the armament of
the burghers, the Colonial Office today
would neither confirm nor deny, al
though it is much doubted.
Meanwhile the Marquis of Lans-
downe, Secretary of State for War,
who returned this morning from Dub
lin, has held long conferences with
General Lord Garnet Wolseley, field
marshal, and General Sir Evelyn
Wood, adjutant general of the forces,
and the activity at headquarters is re-
fiected in the contract, supply and
transport departments.
The departure of the British trans
port Jeliunge for the Mediterranean to-
day with LOO troops was witnessed
by large and enthusiastic crowd.
At WOolwich activity increases dali
ly, and especially in the ordnance de-
partment, where Maxim guns, lyodite
shells, balloon equipments, gas reser-
voirs, wagons for limelight apparatus,
water carts, ambulances, army wagons
and other paraphernalia of modern
warfare are being hurried forward.
While rumOrs of the reassembling of
Parliament are current, the fact is re-
called that in the Afghan war in 1873
Great Britain declared war first and
then assembled Parliament
downe issued a strict order to the staff
of the War Office warning all subordi-
mates to refrain from giving the press
any information whatever without the
authority of their superiors, and call
ing attention to previous breaches of
duty in this respect, which, the order
says, will be no longer tolerated"
Advices from Cape Town are to the
effect that the Afrikanders declare that
the Transvaal will not yield further
and that if the Imperial Government
does not recede from it's present posi-
ton war is inevitable. The South
African News supports the contention
of the Transvaal that the convention
of 1884 abolished the suzerainty.
According to other advfces the burg
hers are rapidly going into laager,
while the exodus from johannesburg
reached 1000 persons yesterday The
Stock Exchange at Johannesburg has
resolved to close the moment martial
law is proclaimed but all current con-
tracts Will be carried out until the
proclamation suspending all business
IN the meantime the merchants are
erecting barricades in front of their
shop windows.
AT Pretoria the interest seems to be
centered in the meeting of the Orange
Free State VOlksraad tomorrow, which
it is hoped may suggest a modus vi
vendi that would save the situation.
On the other hand, advices from
announce the arrival
there of a large number of members of |
the Raad, adding that the result of to- /
morrow's sitting is already agreed on, /
as the Orange Free State will throw in
it's lot with the Transvaal, all the Free |
State burghers being fully armed and |
ready to start at moments notice.
special dispatch from Johannes