The Portland daily press., 1899-12-29
The Heat Intense Near
Ladysmith.
Terms Upon Which Kruger
Would Make Peace.

London, Dscember 99.-4.l0 q. m.-
During the continued luil In the military
operations In South Africa, the papers are
filled with letters aud articles crtioizing
the government and the campaign and
suggesting remedies, improvements,
alterations in the plans and the like.
The Times complains Of needless
censorship and concealment. 1t oitss
the fsnt that nothing has yet trAnspired
to show how Gen. Gatacrs came 60 lose
six huntrsd. men AZ Stormberg
The dispatches from the front all repre-
sent the Beers as 10 o nervous condition
aud constant 1dread Of the 6ritish ad.
vance, but this IL probe aly an exaggera-
tlon.
The Modder river correspondent OF the
Daily Chronicle gives an explanation of
= sudden rifle fire inexplicably openea
from the Boer trenches. He says: 1.-THE
Bosrs have wires st -et shed along the
ground In front OF tie trenches and con-
meet ed with lamps. Ii wire be touched
a lamp Is ext'ngishsd, thus giving warn
ing. One night high wind extinguished
o lamp, which result ID In false warn
Ing. TIE fire ceased when the Beers dis
covered inst tse alarm was falie."
A correspondent of the Daily News at
Frere camp announces t1at t.amway
is being const rutt I'd from the railway -
hill commanding tbs Boer position and
that along this the British will convey
heavy guns.
EAccording to despatch from Lady
smith dlt,d Wednesday, December 20. the
heat then was Int snse, being 104 degree 8
In ths shade. There were m sny oasss of
ert srio fever in ie town at that time,
but net enough - cause alarm.
On the other hand, report from Rosr
sources on the continent assert that IT,
phoid fever Is epidemic In Lsdysm.th.
The Iransvaal government according
to information supplied by Beer syIupa-
thizsIs tareat,n ID ''rsduce TIE rat!ons OF
British prisoners IL Greet Brit Ain ct )ps
the entry OF food by Delagos bay"
Ihs British government row esincas
q marked change from itl att tlde In the
early stages OF the war ana shows "a dis
position to accept assistanoe from any
quarter. The imperial yeomanry COM
fpittse has Issued u statement to the effect
that the govrnment considers the forma-
tiOu and despatch OF yeomanry as one Of
the most pressing needs of the situation
and has intimated that it Is now prepared
to acsept from 5000 to i0.001 yeomanry
instead of the 1000 originally asked for.
Il is expected that the nrst contingent OF
one thousand will sail about the middls
OF January. I
The government has announced that
will accept the services of q battery from
the Honorable Artillery corps. When
these services were first offered they were
dsolined on the ground that the corps was
not affiliated with any regiment Of regu-
lars. 1t will now be attached to the city
imperial corps. Lady Shesham and Lsdy
Georgianna Curzon have Issued an appeal
for public funds TO establish field hospi-
tai for the yeomanry.
Care Town dispatches complain OF the
inadequacy of ths hospital arrangements,
1t is now estimated that the war will
cost at least q, 800 oCO pounds and IL Is
suggested that the sinking fund Of the
national debt should be suspended for five
or six years in order to dsfray the cost.