The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-14

| River, to mobilize an eighth division in re-
| serve, and send the seventh division to
| the front. Several foreign stations will
probably be garrisoned by militia and, If
necessary, volunteers Will be called to
take the place of militia at home 1t is
| likely the militia reserve will be sent out
| to join their respective battalions
DELAGOA BAY DIsCONTENTED.
The Cape Town correspondent of the
| Times says:
'"There is great discomfort with the con-
| dition Of affairs at Delagoa Bay Louren-
| 20 Marques is rapidly developing into q
regular Transvaal emporium, and is be-
coming the headquarters for Transvaal
| agents Of every description, who are able
| to communicate freely with other agents
and with Europe.
1.-The difficulty of preventing the I'M
portation of machinery and materials for
| the stateworked mines, explosives for the
| government factory, and even OF actual
| ammunition has been enormously in
| creased by the practical impossihility Of
conducting thorough searches Of foreign
| vessels professedly conveying food.
1.-The course adopted by the imperial
! government IS regarded as tending seri-
| ously to prolong the war and to benefit
British who, in any case. are not able to
trade with the enemy. Delagoa Bay in
the present status of affairs is more use
full to the Beers than if it We're actually
in Transvaal territory
LONDON PRESS COMMENT.
All the papers comment upon the ex-
treme gravity of the situation and upon
the momentous decision Lord Methuen
has to take, whether to remain at Mod
der River or to retire on Orange river.
The Times says:
'At least 5000 additional troops must
| Ila1@
must be called out, and the militia and
| volunteers turned to account. Efforts
must be made to increase the local
colonial forces and offers of further
troops from Canada and other colonies
must be sought and accepted
The Standard, which comments upon
the Seemingly astonishing numbers OF
the Boers,' is driving to the conclusion
that a substantial portion of the Boer
commanders have been recruited from
the Cape Dutch.
ALL EYES ON BULLER.
All eyes are now turned hopefully to
Gen. Butler, who, taking into account
the troops with Gen. White in Lady
smith, has altogether 10000 men. The
| Standard says:
"At this moment there must be few
men in her majesty's dominions who
have as great a weight of care upon
them as Gen. Butler carries on his
| shoulders"
A dispatch from Boer sources says
| that Kimberley remained quiet during
| the battle of Magersfontein.
| The special correspondent Of the Daily
| Mail at Modder River, describing the
! fighting, says:
THE Boer trenches extended far be-
yond the kopje into the open plain.
! Those on the plain were hidden by
| of
were guarded by a double line of barbed
! wire. Evidently they feared our Storm
! ing and bayonet attack. We raked the
! kopje and trenches with an intense and
! we'll directed fire of thirty guns, including
! a naval gun and howitzer battery, both
using lyddite. 1 believe they effected Sc
| we're damage. The Boer prisoners say
that one lyddte shell fell among forty
men, only five of whom escaped unhurt.
Other shells burst in the enemy's laager,
! causing its complete destruction.
THE Beers are in still larger forces
! than we found them at Modder River,
outnumbering us by almost three to
one. The Transvaalers are apparently
dominating in their military councils al
though in a minority
WATCHING OTHER POWERS
The Mail publishes this morning evil
! dence of Russian activity at Ceuta and
! Tangier, and in Central Asia and Abys-
| sinia. and urges its readers to watch
the movements of Russia France, and,
probably, another power, in the event of
any further reverse to British troops in
| South Africa.
GREAT BRITAIN MOURNS.
LONDON, Dec 14-Each important
battle seems to bring a worse reverse
for the British. and the papers this morn
ing sorrowtully admit that Lord Me-
thuen's check at Magersfontein is the
most serious event the war has yet pro-
| duced. The Morning Post says:
we have had our day of humiliation
| appropriated for US. Let US accept hum
bly,, soberly and steadily, and be the
stronger for the lesson it, has taught US.
rms last reverse will make us a fresh
butt of Europe. There is a more ap-
propriate occasion to prove to Europe
what We are worth
The position Lord Methuen assaulted
is thus described by correspondent:
''Magersfontein range terminates on
the east with an abrupt saddle rock.
some $50 feet high Boer entrenchments
run around the whole front The posi-
ton is some two miles long, due east
and west. The western ends of the
trench formed the center of the kopie
and afforded a retreat"
1t is reported that Lord Methuen's g
force amounted to II 900 men, and per
haps more. No reliable estimate of his
losses has yet been received. They are
believed to have been at least $50
FIGHTING AT MODDER RIVER.
PRETORIA, Dec. I.-An official report
/ says:
A battle at Modder river began yesser-
day with cannon firing, heavy fgh ing pro
ceeding from $3.50 o'clock in the morning
until $3.50 o'clock, with cannons, Maxinls
and rifles A bombardment began at
4:SO o'clock. Fighting still continues. A
balloon has just risen from the British
position, where it remained ten minutes
and descended. There were heavy rains
during the night.
AT o'clock this morning another re-
port was received from Modder river. A
dispatch rider brought word that all The
Beers positions had been maintained md
that forty-one British prisoners had been
taken.
At $50 o'clock it was reported that the
heavy cannon fire had somewhat abated
The British are constantly using their
balloon.
The fighting was still going on ut noon.
TO FIGHT WITH BOERS.
| CLEVELAND, O., Dec. ia party of
twenty-five young Irish-Americans left
this city to join the Beers in their fight
against Great Britain. AT New York
these young men, who are mostly vet
Grams of the Spanish-American war will
join about 500 other Irishmen and the
entire party will sail from New York on
Saturday for Paris.
BOERS SURPRISE BRITONS.
NORTH OF MODDER RIVER, Mon