New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-08

haps n sprinkling Of natives. This is about all
that can be said regarding the Boer forces
They are virtually non-roguars. and attempts
10 estimate their fighting strength are hope'eSS'
although various calculations appear daiy III
tho English newspapers. RANGING from Z"V" u
I25 600 the latter figure being obviously tx
travagant
The whole question was summed up to-day
hy an influential member Of the House Of COM
mons, who said.
Before this is ended Great Britain will have TO
face every Boer-man or boy-strong enough 10
fire a gun for the sake Of his country
ACTION OF AMERICANS.
The part which the foreigners who are volun-
teerng under the Bocr standard. especially
Americans. will take in the expected conflict
provokcs much supposltion and comment. Inc
correspondent of The St Jamcss Gazette at
Pietermaritzburg. says.
American civil and mechanical engineers have
been engaged 10y the Beers to disnante me
Netherlands Railway In the event Of Boer rtt.
roerade movement upon Pretoria. Ihey VII
certainly not meet with too c3EsIdera'e zen
lnent II taken prisoners. Something Ike dozen
VI these adventurous Yankees are professional
railroad wreckers. now living IN comparative
clover in Pretoria
The Bocr ranks will certainly include A mum
Der Of Irshmen and Of former officers OF the
German army.
II is said the Beers will adopt the policy they
adopted IN 1881 when ten sharpshooters were
detailed out IF each company to pick OF the
British officers.
The weekly papers comment with the great
est satisfaction upon the kinshp of the Empire
as revealed in the Colonial offers Of assist
ance in the Transvaal campaign In Difference
to the wish Of the Secretary of state for tho
Colonies. only a portion of the contingent Of
fered by Australia will he accepted
Major Girouard French Canadian, has tenn
porariIy resigned the presidency Of the Egyp-
tian Railway Board, in order to take charge Of
! the military transport arrangements in Africa
for the campaign. for. as The outlook re-
marks. This is real Imperial federation.
STOCKS REGAINING VALUES.
The panic stage of the stock market appears
10 have passed The tone Of most departments
IS much improved. 1t is believed that an out
break Of hostilitles would send Kafir prices up.
the idea being that war would end IN the acqui-
| stion Of the gold fields 1t is curious that
! Transvaal stock has declined much less than
African colonial stocks. This is due to a belief
/ that Great Britain will assume the Transvaal
debt after the war is over
The condition Of the money market excites at
tention 4 still higher bank rate is regarded
as not improbable, should war break out
France. It is reported. declines to sell more gold
to America The stringency is felt throughout
almost all Europe. Russia is suffering from a
| rather severe financial crisis. The reserve or
/ the imperial Bank IS now low. and stocks OF all
/ kinds have fallen considerably. This, presum %
! ably, Is due to overspeculation and to the gisan-
| tic fotation OF Industrial companies. In word,
Russia has been trying to 60 too fast in the on
/ deavor to become a great manufacturing ma
1 ton.
Money is also tight in Germany
The Statist" again comments upon the strin-
/ gency in America. and says.
We fear that the period ~ ease customary IN
4 October may this year he altogether absent
and that strong demand for gold VIII arise
/ I'm November to move the corn and cotton crops
/ Altogether there Is every prospect of higher IN -
stead Of lower rates since no gold is available
now from the Transvaal