The age-herald., 1899-09-20
ENGLAND THINKS WAR IS AT HAND Cabinet Members Summoned for
 a Conference. THE BOERS UNCOMP' F1|S|NG
 E. British Calmly Preparing G the Bloody Conflict in OOuts : ica. STILL A PossIBII Q OF PEACE
STILL A P0SSIBlf OF PEACE
Joint Commission May Yet be Formed to Deal With Questions-Ignomin- ious Submission or War En-
 glands Only Recourses

 issued late this evening for a cabinet coun- ell which, it is understood. will be held Fri day. This Is regarded as the result of the visit of the premier, Lord Salisbury, to London, whither he came this evening, re- maining at the foreign office from 4:30 p. m. to 6:30 p. m Mr Chamberlain, secretary of state for the colonies was present in the building at the same time. private doorway connects the offices, and il is pre- sumed that the summonses were the re- suit of their joint deliberation.
 The lack of all excitement In official cir- cles bears evidence as to the deliberate manner in which the highest officials are handling the crisis. Nor is it by any means certain that the cabinet council will adopt extreme measures In spite of the uneom- promising nature of the Boer reply.
 England Playing for Time
 This delberation on the part of the gov- ernment is interpreted not only in London but in other European capitals as a desire on the part of Great Britain to gain time while the transports are hurrying to Cape Colony.
 The Beriner Neust Nachrichten, eom- menting on this today, says: The present calm is only meant to deceive the Boers. When England feels equal to the task of facing the Boers this peaceful tone will give way to a blatant cry for war
 Even rumors of a movement of the Brit ish troops across the Natal border appar- ently fail to excite the military authori- ties here, who profess al least not to fear oucb ooptinpanpv fOr inc present.
 In the meantime the movement of troops proceeds The Royal West Sussex regiment left today for Malta, where it will replace the First Border regiment, which goes by the same steamer to Natal.
 Cruls ITS Ordered 10 Cape
 It is announced this evening that the Brit ish first class protected cruisers Terrible and Powerful have been ordered to the Cape. They have reliefs on board capable of forming d naval brigade of a thousand men.
 The steamer Jelunga will take 300 troops to Natal tomorrow, and she will embark a rifle brigade at the island of Crete for the Cape.
 According to a dispatch from Durban, Natal, the premier of the colony says the alarm of the people of the Natal at the ur- protected condition of the border towns is quite unwarranted, and that all efforts to incite the Sulus have failed. There Is an unverifed rumor from Cape town today that the Boers have delivered another message to the British high com missioner, Sir Alfred Milner more concil- iatory than yesterdays reply. Seriousness Not Mitigated The rumor, however fails to obtain much eredence, and is not taken as in any way mitiga ting the seriousness of the crisis.
 The Outlander press sees nothing but war ahead, and urges the Outlanders to leave immediately.
 The London press is now inclined to take the view that the recent action upon the part of the Boers does not make war t. certainty, though it does place the British cabinet in position where 1t must take steps so aggressive that war or utter ig- nominious submission will be the only al- ternatives remaining to the Transvaal, and is by no means persistent in urging the government to move except in the matter of hurrying troops to the present scene of action.
 The Pail Mall Gazette prints a dispatch from Capetown, which says: "The general lmpTeSSlOn Us that uife bOeTS VIII at once take the initiative, and an attack is ex- pected any hour"
 Troops continue to leave Capetown for Kimberly and the north, and the hrst-class cruiser Terrible, sailing from Portsmouth for China today, is reported to have been ordered to go by way of Capetown instead of Suez.
 Nothing is yet known of the date of the expected cabinet council.
 Luil In the Crisis
 The lull in the crisis gives opportunity for the continuance of unofficial negotiations. The government of the Netherlands Is pri- vately exerting its influence in favor of d pacific solution, and it Is understood that President Kruger, through Dr. Leids, the plenlpotentiary of the president of the South African republic to the European governments, has unoffcially approached three powers with view to their inter- vention.
 From Capetown comes a report that tho government of the colony contemplates in- troducing a motion in the Cape house of assembly urging the Transvaal to accept