The record-union., 1899-11-09
OF RELIEF
AMONG BRIToNS.
Genera Whites Victorious SoTties
About Ladysmith
Leads to Belief That British Successes In
South Africa will Follow.

fort to Capture Kimberley,
Around Which the Gordon is
Drawing Tighter, With the
Hope of Laying Hands on Cecil
Rhodes.
| LONDON, Nov. S-To the eyes Of
military experts, the darkest page of
the war is now being written. But even
! that is illuminated with bright pas
sages, such as General Whites victori-
Gus sortes. If he can keep the British
flag flying over Ladysmirn until he is
relieved, the campaign will turn a fresh
| page, and with the advance of Sir
| Redvers Buffers force the British pub
lie is promised more cheerful reading.
! This feeling of relief, inspired by re-
cent good tidings, is nevertheless tinged
/ by a certain anxiety lest General
| White should again make some fatal
miscalculation. involving a repetition of
the Nicholsens Mex disaster. Her ma
jesty does not share this anxiety, and
apparently is sanguine of his ability to
pull through successfully. 1t is as
serted that she has written to Lady
White expressing sympathy with her
husband in the trials and difficulties he
is now experiencing, and assuring Lady
White of her own undiminished conf
dence in his generalship. The purport
4 of lot ho % n Gem
eral White by the Marquis of Lans-
downe.
The most interesting news tonight is
a dispatch from Estcourt announcing
the. departure of a strong force of
/ mounted troops and artillery for a des-
tination not given in the advices. An
| other message announces the arrival at
Estcourt and Pietermartizburg within
the last few days of reinfOrcements
from Durham, and that $500 troops are
assembled ready for an advance to Co
lenso when the opportune moment ar
rives. The latter dispatch throws light
upon the former, and the force which
left Estcourt Monday has doubtless re-
occupied Colenso, and possibly is now
! advancing cautiously up the railroad
toward Ladysmith, General Whites
iae ugela River, encouraging it's COM
iIlf.lter in the hope of joining hands
with him
General Joubert, the latest adviceS
would indicate, drew in his horns
after Fridays engagement, and has
since withdrawn the Southern Boer
contingent, leaving only outposts on the
line from Ladysmith to Colenso. The
:,
middle of last week retired without
damaging Bulwer bridge, over the Tu-
gela River, or the railroad as far north
as the village of Nelthrope, seven miles
south of Ladysmith. Evidently they
nurse a hope of eventually utilizing
both in their descent on Pietermaritiz-
burg. Meanwhile the British are also
able to use both, as they have already
DONE in running up an armored train,
which may at the present moment be
/ covering the advance of the Estcourt
forces.
At Estcourt and Pietermaritzburg the
defensive works have been greatly
strengthened within the last few days,
and they are now believed capable of
( holding their own against any Boer
/ force which General Joubert would at
present juncture risk sending against
either town. Both are likely to be
strengthened before the week is out by
a further naval force, and even by the
first detachment of General Buffers
army corps.
None of the troopships have arrived.
The one which it was predicted might
reach Cape Town at the earliest Mon
day is as yet unannounced, and even
when it does arrive it will have three
days steaming to reach Durham. AS
many as six transports, with 4,5O0
| troops, were expected to be in Cape
Town harbor by this time, but the War
Office last evening issued a statement
! to the effect that the only arrivals at
Cape Town were the Sumatra, from
Durham, with wounded; the Southern
Cross, from Gibraltar, with mules, and
! the collier Wenvoe.
OF course it is possible that dispatch
boats have been sent to meet the troop
ships with instructions to proceed di
/ rect to Durham, and in that event the
War Office statement that not one has
arrived at Cape Town would be accur-
ate even though several should be half
way between Cape Town and Durham.
The situation looks brighter at Mafe-
! king, where the Beers are apparently
disheartened at the unexpected resist
ance, a large body of their force hav-
ing been detached to the south to assist
I in the investment of Kimberley, around
which the Gordon is drawing tighter
Evidently the Beers intend to make a
concentrated effort to capture Kimber-
ley, and that arch enemy, Cecil Rhodes
Reports of a treacherous use of the
white flag by the Beers, coming from
native sources, are not received with
complete credulity, but at the same
time their reiteration is making an I'M
favorable impression One paper asks
| sarcastically whether President Kru-
gers reference in his message to Amer
lea to staggering humanity meant the
use of the Boer white flag
WAR OFFICE LOOKING FORWARD
TO VICTORY
LONDON, Nov. S-An air of relief
was observable among the British War
/ Office officials to-day, as a result of
reassuring news from Ladysmith and
the tone of comment on the war news
has assumed optimism. which Lately has
been absent, leading to the belief that
there are brighter prospect for the
beleaguered garrison Now the off,
cials are inclined to predict that low
water mark has been touched, and that