The San Francisco call., 1899-11-03

Lieutenant F. c. Egerton and his men
from the Powerful did splendid work and
quickly silenced the Boer guns. The Beers
acknowledge having suffered heavy losses
in men and horses in the previous battle.
General Jan Kock. who was second in
command of the TransvaaI forces and
who was wounded in the battle Of Glands
Laagte, died in the hospital at Lady
smith on Monday night
Little light is thrown on the actual stu
alton by the news at hand to-day. The
magnitude of Mondays fight, however, is
more than evident. Virtually thre actions
were raging simultaneously, but it Is OBJ
vious that the intention TO roll back the
Orange Free State troops was not
achieved
The correspondent Of the Daily News
at Ladysmith telegraphing Tuesday.
says:
''Dr. Horna brooke, while searching for
the body Of Lieutenant Clapham on I'm
bulwena Hill, which was in possession of
the enemy, met many Beers. On stating
the object of his quest he was kindly
received. The consensus of opinion among
the Beers. he thinks is that they are
sick of lighting and would like to throw
up the sponge. They said their loss yes
terday was heavy and due chiefly to our
artillery fire"
All was quiet at Buluwayo. in
Rhodesia, according TO dispatches re-
ceived this morning. UP to October
r. There has been some skirmish-
ing on the border. Apparently ex-
tensive preparations are in progress at
De Aar, Cape Colony, for the concentra-
ton Of Lieutenant General Buffers army
-l9 -sanus 9f mules are corralled in that
neighborhoOd and transport material is
being ed nm,
According TO another dispatch the naval
brigade at Dadysmith has mounted four
more guns from Durham.
The report comes from Rome that Port
ugal will permit the landing Of British
troops at Lourenzo Marques This coin
ciGes with the view strongly prevalent in
some quarters here, that the British inva-
sion Of the Transvaal will be made from
that point
The morning papers are divided in opin-
Ion whether Sir George Stewart Whites
latest list Of casualties includes the losses
Of Lieutenant Colonel Carieton's column
before its surrender. The preponderance
of opinion inclines that they were not in
cluded, since If they were General White
would probably have mentioned the fact
report that BOer force with guns
from KOomati Poort is making its wav
through Zululand is held to indicate an
intention 10 seize the railway between
Colenzo and Pietermaritzburg, if 1t has
not already been seized. This, however
Will soon be known, as armored trains are
patroling the line
The Times, commenting editorially upon
the fact that news appears to arrive In
Belgium from South Africa through some
channel uncontrolled by British censor
ship reminds the Government that infor-
nation valuable to the enemy can SINH
larly leak from Europe TO the Transvaal
It suggests that the Government should
fully exercise its right under existing con-
venuons, if such a channel has been for
special reasons left open, and it appears
to think there may be some truth in
yesterdays Berlin and Paris stories.
The Daily News suggests that these
rumors are more likely intended for prop
agation at the Cape and to influence the
AfTikanders.
Lord Frederick Roberts of Candahar.
commander of the forces in ireland, while
reviewing the troops at Kilkenny. said:
1T IS useless to disguise the fact that we
are engaged in a very serious war, war
which Will put our resources and courage
10 a severe test"
The War Office states that a dispatch
had been received from the Governor of
Natal Sir Walter Francis Hely-Hutchin-
son, announcing that communication with
Ladysmith has been interrupted since half
past this afternoon. This is not regard
ed by the War Office, however, as in any
wise confirming the rumOr Of a complete
investment of Ladysmith, or Of the cap
ture of COenso