The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
BOER WAR IMPRESSIONS.
NAIL CoHREsPoSDfNoE NOW REACH
no ENGLIsH EEBsPIPEKs.

Detailed Reports Probably VIII All Come
In That wsy-A Times Correspondent Ia
Jouberps Camp and His Sudden Exit
The Hard.hips Of the Great Flight frou
the Transvnsl-Th~ Position at Storm
bure-A Burghersdorp Loyal Brit
ish subjsot'' Cape Colony Politics
LONDON, Nov. a--The indications arc that tn,
most interesting accounts Of tho progress Of this
war in South Africa will come In the od-faahioncd
vay--by mail Each correspondent or rather
each newspaper, has been limited In the Use Of
the cable 10 200 words day. and even with this
restricuon the blockade upon the cables al the
present writing imposes . delay Of three day,
upon all dispatches, except those Of the Govern.
ment The mos, ingenious condensation inc
cipher kilograms are permi,teD will no, enable q
correspondent, 70 crowd longer narrative Of more
than. say. 900 words Of ordinary English into the
prescribed limit So II happens that the history
Of events In South Africa told by the cable 10 q
very bald chronicle. and the world mus, walt for
the mail bag 10 supply the picturesque details Of
tho campaign
News down 70 Oct 10 has already arrived by
steamer from the Cape. and II includes some Inter
ssting and important Information. which perhaps
will prove even more entertaining to American
readers than the fraementary dospstehes which
ere forwarded from day to day. letter from q
Tfmss correspondent who spent week with Gen.
Jouber In the Bosf camp After var was declared.
10 one Of the most graphic yet al hand tis Of
course, written from the English standpoint a. 10
almost everything thus far published. but II 10
fair In spirit and gives an c1cellen, idea Of tho
Boer situation a, the ontreak Of hoeuliues Tho
following EXTRACTS will be found Of interest
Gen. Joubsr's headquarters In the ARTILLERY
IL
Station. and | betook myself there on arriving
70 renew my request for leave to stay After
some cross-oI animation as to the obec, Of my
coming the General finally reiented and ISSUED
permi, authorizing me 10 stay with the burg hers
and move abou, freely from camp to camp He
bound me very stric,ly the duty Of speaking uho
truth. and told me not W dsbelievo straigh hi away
everything was told by Beer. a. mas the hab,
OF most EngliShnen. | met the General several
tines after this nrs, Interview. a. rule In con.
nccuop with the consoring Of my tregrap,s TO the
Ttnes which be usually did himself Gen Joub-rI
n . painstakins censor and objects 10 any eS
prossions OF opinion with which he IL not IN full
agreement which. II | had stayed nigh, after
ward have become somewhat Of q difficulty.
On one occasion | wished to express the opinion
that the Beers were in excellent spirits, iuips
tient to light and confident Of success. but he
Oencfdl maze NE crdkr Inc NnOIc pdfhge. DC
claring that they bed not the lras, desire 10 ad
vance, but humbly confded in God to assis, them
TO defend their country and their homestends
from unprovokod attacks am afraid lhat
my Impressions a. to the state Of mind Of The
majority Of the burEhcs were more accurate
than the version which Gen Jouber, wished
me to substitute lie can hardly have beon de
scribing his own frame Of mind. for be knew quito
we'll even before leaving Pretoria that the Govern.
ment had decided 10 send In Its ulumatum to
the British agent and that II was only delaying
. few days for its comm'ssarai and transport
arrangements 10 get into working order and for
the Free State burghers to get TO the NaIhl border
before giving the signal for action Slim lwilyl
Piet Jouben In an Interesting character study.
not without contrasts, as the Times recently
indicated by publishing side by aide bis appeal
10 the Queen with his letter TO Lobcngula lie
10 not popular commander like Pie, Cronie-
he Is too cautious and h.sitaung for thst---but
the Boes have grea, confidence In his skill and
experience
The FRS, day or two after arrival the confusion
had been very great There were no tents and no
provisions or forage Some things had bean
forgotten by the Field Cornet, others werc delayed
by the general block OF all traffic on the Neither.
lands line The real Beers were not so badly
of. They are accustomed TO camping out and
besides most Of them had come up before with
their own wagons and provisions But the we'll.
nurturod lawyers and shopkeepors Of Pretoria
who relied on the commissarat and the railway
were In . sorry plight, and spen, their frst days
In the field very intentionally. with little 10 eat
or drink and with shelter at night against tho
cold and tho rain By tho time | came down.
however. things we're settling down. Many
people arriving had telegraphed homo for
tents, provisions and servants, and these various
comforts were now coming In together with The
Government stores
The Arrangements Of . Boer laaser arc very
different from those Of an English military camp
The chief difference lies In the fac, tina, among
tho Bosrs every man Ia supposed as far as possible.
70 look after his own Affairs, 70 bring his own
wagon and horsea- and 10 some extent his
own provisions The Government provides tents
blankets, mackintoshes, forage and provisions
Tor distribution " those who want any Of these
things, but no one Is Obliged to take them On
the othor hand. there IL no limit to wha, any in.
dividual may choose TO bring for himself There
arc no fixed regulations AZ 10 messes. but friends
club together and have meals when they like
There were no drills or field exercises except
. parade on the Presidents birthday, and even
81 this attendance was by no means obligatory.
Guards, however. were pu, round the camp regu.
idfly eVcry nlgnt ana from ehch Of the campo
q detachment Of twenty or thirty horsemen was
sent every twelve hours TO relieve tho patrols
stationed along tho Natal frontier There was
very little discipline or method in the camp but
plenty Of willingness, and a natural instinct for
doing tho right thing, which served very well in
their place. After had been there two or three
days tho whole camp was broken up and shifted .
couple Of miles TO bring II near better drinking
water and to find new grass for tho horses The
whole operation wen, of perfectly smooth with.
out single order being given. except the order
that the camp was to be moved Every man
looked after his own affairs. and In three or four
hours from the time that the order to break up
was given the new camp was complete and cook.
ing was going on busily. In action the operations
Of Boer commando are directed by the com.
mandant and the Field Cornet or Field Comets,
but In camp the chief work devolvos upon the
corporals, OF whom there were perhaps half a
dozen In our lager. Tho corporal looks after
the stores distributes forage. raions and am.
nunuon superyises the removal Of baggage,
the erection OF tents, the drawing up Of tho wagons
on the sides Of the laagcr, tho lettering Of the
horscs-in fact, most OF tho operations Of camp
life. He has also disciplinary power to the eA.
-. I'll