Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18
England Realizes That the War is Nc
Trifing Matter.
Her FORCES IN THE TRANSVAAL
Subscriptions for the American
Hospital Ship.
OTHER INTERESTING TOPICS

LONDON, November s, 1899.
1t is now perfectly certain that Lady
smith Is completely invested, and the mill
tary authorities are by no means easy as
TO the security of the place. The outside
critics are confident that Sir George White
can take care of himself, with his 10000
men; but there are other calculations to be
taken into account
AS far as mere fighting goes. the men
are fully capable of keeping the enemy
well employed for a long time to come.
The present anxiety is as to their sup
pies was the naval brigade, for instance,
apie TO take up with 1t a sufficient supply
OF ammunition to last a siege of several
weeks? great deal depends upon that,
because, If the naval guns We're silent for
lack OF ammunition, there would be poor
chance FOR the garrison against the Boer
siege artillery. 1t seems that, after all, the
naval brigade started in a great hurry.
and may not have been able to take with
1t a Areat supply of shell.
1t ii not likely that the Boer supplies are
running short, for. although the Beers have
had great difficulty with their transports,
yet they have had several weeks in which
to bring along additional supplies from
their immense stores of all kinds of am
munftiOn at Pretoria
The events of the last few days have I'M
questionably worked striking change in
public opinion, and there Is scarcely any
one VINO Will not now admit that the Bri-
tlsh have got a bigger thing on hand than
they imagined
The BOer Forces.
1t is, too, now universally admitted that
the generally accepted estimates of the
number of fighting men the two Boer states
could put into the field was grossly un
derestimated. We were asked to believe
that 1000 men about the outside
limit Of the effective force which the Beers
could put into the field, and that the dis
patch or an army corps in addition to the
troops already in Cape Colony and Natal
was rather precaution than a necessity
a measure taken by the government to
avoid any possibility of a prolonged strug
gle. But already the demand is being for
INFLATED for the dispatch of additional
troops, not merely to replace the wear and
tear of the war, but also to supplement
the army which Sir Redvers Butler will
have under his command when the troops
now on the high seas have disembarked
in South Africa. No trustworthy statistics
are obtainable of the strength of the Boer
forces, but If it falls short of the hundred
thousand men which were told from
Boer sources would take the field, it can
scarcely be much less than 1000 men, or
double the number which was originally
cheerfully given out as the limit of the
Boer resources.
Have Changed Their Tune.
We hear very little now about finishing
the campaign and occupying Pretoria in
six weeks" and the prophets who predicted
this at first are now trying hard to forget
that they ever said so.
Rumor still concerns itself with Boer dis
illusionment as to the character Of war,
and an inclination to make an end to the
fighting.
owl
credulity, but 1t may have in it a measure
of truth. The Boer force is COMPOSED of
different elements. There are the foreign
lev1es, German, Irish, Hollander and so
forth, who have gone into the war lOr
what they can get out Of it. But apart
from these, which are not of much account
there is wide difference In the two types
OF the Communicated Beers. The Boer of
the town is comparatively civilized, is ao-
customed to soft living. takes but little
exercise. and is not likely to thrive under
exposure, not to enjoy even the triumphs
OF campaign after some taste of its
hardships. 1t Is very possible that this
factor Of the force has had its fill of fight
ing. and would willingly exchange the pos
sibilities of glory for the comforts of home.
Familiar with the Country
But the country Boer. who composes the
ma jority of the force, Is a. very different
creature He lives always in what to his
town cousin, would be a state Of discom-
fort He lives in the air. on the veldt, I'M
der the rain, with the beasts.
Campaigning is to him only his ordinary
existence with little Rooinek sport
thrown in.
He is out shooting or, at least, he was
out shooting. 1t is probably now beginning
TO dawn on him that he is out being shot
But that consideration alone is not likely
to damp his ardor.
When the sporting view Of the campaign
fades out under it's stern reality he has
another and more serious one on which the
graver elements in his nature will assured
~ rest. He has a cause: He is fighting
for his existence, for his independence, for
his country, and the cause of country is
the greatest for which ever man drew
sword or handled a rifle, the greatest STILL
cause of country is always just, and al
ways must be just to the patriot; and just
or unjust matters little as a fighting i'm
petus beside his conception Of it.
Beers Attitude.
Therefore, let reports that the Boer is
anxious to throw up the sponge be received
with caution. The sponge is not to him
the symbol of defeat, 1t is the seal Of ex-
tinetion. A man will struggle against that
when he has lost every other zeal for COM
bat; when he has parted with his stubborn
ness, when he has parted with his pride
He will fight still. and he will fight more
desperately when he mas no motive but his
despair. This is, as l conceive 1t, the atti-
tude of the Beers, and they are very much
In earnest.
The possibilities of communicating with
invested places have been discussed with
animation, and examples of
he correspondence which came from Paris |
when it was besieged by Germans are be-
ing shown. There was first the balloon |
post. Letters sent by this medium consist
ed one-half of a printed correspondence
sheet containing briefly the news that
might be communicated, and the other half
was written by the person sending the let
ter Both print and writing were very
close and fine; yet, though the letter Is
nearly thirty years old. there was no diff
Guilty in reading either. For the pigeon
post letters We're photographed in minute
form on one sheet, which was closely fold
ed and tied to the pigeons leg. When it
reached London enlarged photos We're taken |
and the letters were duly forwarded to their
owners The envelopes containing each
class of siege letters are both well pre-
served.
Lord Mayors Show.
Preparations for the lord mayors show
tomorrow are progressing vigorously, and
already many of the streets are gaily be-
tagged. The most popular form of decora-
ton is to stretch across the street at in
teryals lines laden with flags, which float