Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-07
BRITISH PUBLIC is RELIEVED
Assurance that Lndysmith Is safe
Lifts Weight of Anxiety from
Minds of English.

| Lifts weight of Anxiety from
Minds of English.
LONDON, Nov. 6.-An immense weight
| was lifted from the public mind by brief
dispatch publiehed this morning by which
tho continual stories Of disaster at Lady
smith were proved to be false although the
dispatch itself revived the anxiety of the
more timid in another direction, as it indi-
Gated that General White, instead of sit
ting tight and acting wholly on tho defen-
sive, as 1t was held in many quarters he
ought to do, persists in making sorties and
risking another Nicholsons Mex disaster.
Generally, however, tho CHEEKY tone of
the dispatch showing that there is no
anxiety at Ladysmth as regards the ability
OF the beleagured garrison to hold its own
mas had an excellent effect en- the country.
From the fact that General White is able
TO take the offensive and shell Boer camp
II seems that Ladysmith is not so closely
| besieged as was supposed. Not much i'm
portance, however, is attached to the she'll
ing Of the Boer laager, as the war Office
! mas no confirmation OF the story that the
orange Free Staters camp at Bester's has
been captured. Were this true it might
haVo considerable effect on the future at
titude of the Orange Free State, which is
not so directly concerned in the conflict as
, the Transvaal
Ihe movement of Beers into Cape
colony Is beginning to awaken British fear
that they have greatly underestimated the
forces they will have to meet and that even
General Buffers task may not be so easy
as anticipated. 1t is becoming apparent that
all the British calculations, based on the
loyalty OF population, are hopelessly at sea
hna.,
Dutch smypathizers from Natal and Cape
colony Otherwise there is no accounting for
the large forces of burghers reported from
all directions. The was office, consequently
is being urged to have more troops in read
mess for all possible demands.
Withdrawal stilI Unexplained.
The evacuation of Colenso and the re-
ported withdrawal of the British force from
stormberg are still unexplained. The former
may be due to either the Boer artillery
rendering the place untenable, or to the fact
that pressure elsewhere, possibly at Pieter-
maritzburg, has necessitated the concentra-
tion at threatened point of all available
troops. 1t is said that if the objective of
the Beers traversing zuuland was Pieter-
marltzburg they ought shortly to be heard
from That the position is regarded as seri-
GUS Is apparent from the fact that British
cruisers are hurrying to the Cape station
With regard to Stormberg it is claimed
that IL 1t turns out to be true that the
place has been evacuated, it may either be
due to the impossibility at present of pro-
viding an adequate garrison to defend such
important supplies against the Boer raids.
or to change in General Buffers plans
whereby General Methuen's division will
be landed at Durham to relieve General
White. If the latter plan is decided on,
the nearest available stores are those at
Stormberg and the quickest method of maxi
ing the necessary provision for an advance
will be to railroad thase stores to East
London, whence they would reach Durham
before the first troopship.
A dispatch from Portland says that the
special service Squadron has been instructed
to coal for a voyage and that no one con-
nected with the squadron Is permitted to
sleep outside the port.
Advices from CaRetown, under date of No
vembe: s, say that martial law has been
proclaimed in the districts occupied by the
British troops between the Orange river and
Deaar. The premier, w. P. Schreiner, has
cent circular to the magistrates and others
warning all persons against statements to
the effect that the parliamentary institutions
or detrimen tally affected. He adds that the
proclamation of martial law is only mat
ter of temporary urgency in some districts
and does not compel the burghers OF the
colony to participate in the "deplorable
hostilties."
Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig- Hol-
stein, grandson of Queen Victoria and a cap
tain in the Kings Royal Rifles and other
officers have left Capetown for Ladysmith
to replace the dead and wounded.
The Boer prisoners hav been taken on
board the British cruiser Penelope. They
number nine officers and $50 men.
The Dutch farmers OF Aliwal North have
passed resolution making strong pro-
test against the allegations Of the disloyalty
of the Dutch in Cape Colony.
An official notice posted at the Landrost's
office at Vryburg. October %, referring to
the bombardment of Mafeking, says:
"The big Pretoria gun wrought great de-
struction, but the enemy obstinately holds
its own. Other advices from Vryburg say
the British flag still floats over Kuruman,
but that a Boer force is about to proceed
thither. The Dolariss commando has been
reinforced by 5000 Beers and has gone to
Kimberley.
DURHAM, Natal, Nov. 3.-Evening-(De-
layed IN TRANSMISSION. Ut is SAID tnat the
Colenso garrison saved all the stores tents,
kits, etc. The Beers numbered about 5000
men, comprising fresh corps Of the Orange
Free Staters. The armored train did splen-
did service, taking detachment of the Dub
lin Fusleers to relieve an outlying fort gar
rsoned by volunteers.
Reassuring reports have been received re-
garding the position at Pietermartzburg.
Basutos No Longer MoIested.
CAPETOWN, Nov. GA dispatch from
Maseru, Basutoland, dated Friday evening. !
says that since Magistrate Lagdens warning
that their interference with the Basutos
would cause an uprising, the Beers have
been letting the Basutos cross the river into |
The natives, however, continued |
to complain that they were being robbed of
their savings by the authorities. There is
no Disgusting from the natives that the |
British suffered reverse at Ladysmth. 1t
has been explained to the Europeans as a |
mere incident Of the war and they are re- |
gardng it as Insignificant. 1t was thought /,
better that everybody should know, the dis
patch adds, "and not follow the republics
methods of concealing reverses both from
the Europeans and Basutos, who have i'm |
plicit faith in the imperial government"
The repulse of the Free State forces Octo- |