The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-30

London. Dec. 27.-Dispatches from
South Africa are still greatly delayed,
but they are arriving more freely,
which shows that the censorship has
been relaxed.
There appears -be no great change
in the situation. A dispatch from Lou
renzo MARQUEE dated Thursday, Dec
u, gives the following from the Boer
laager, dated Tuesday, Dec. 10: 1.-THE
British naval guns at Colenso have
been cannonading BulWer bridge, over
Tugela river, with view of smashing
it.
THE bombardment of Ladysmith is
proceeding slowly. General Joubert
has arrived here and has been accorded
hearty welcome. He addressed the
burghers on Dec. Is.
More British prisoners have been
sent to Pretoria, including Colonel Bull
Ter. Major Walters, Major Bailwark,
Nortein. Captain Fitzherbert, Captain
Ford, Captain Hutchinson, Lieutenant
Bonham. Lieutenant Smithers, Lieu
tenant Thourne, Lieutenant O'Conney-
ghey. Lieutenant Kaunbald Lieutenant
Charistian, Lieutenant Brigg, Lieuten-
ant Birch, Lieutenant Halford, Lieu
tenant TarbuIl and Lieutenant Jones"
A dispatch to the Daily News from
Ladysmith, dated Friday, Dec. Is, by
heliograph' says: Another sortie last
night. General Hunter, with 500 volun-
teers, destroying one six-inch creusot
gun, one howitzer and one Maxim. One
Briton killed. The Boer gunners fled"
..ss Will Wait For Roberts.
There is an idea in some quarters
that General Buffers destruction of the
hoT-a16S
cut off the Beers now south of the
river. but the general opinion is that
the British will not make any serious
move pending the arrival of Lord Rob
erts
The newspapers continue actively
discussing and criticising the manage
ment, or rather mismanagement OF the
campaign. The advent OF horse sick
ness draws increased attention to the
question of transports and the want of
wagons, which may tie the British
forces to the railways. The Daily
Chronicle says:
PLENTY of wagons could be obtained
from the United States, but the govern
ment authorities with very in
discreet patriotism have refused
to avail themselves of the OPP
portunity. It would have been bet
ter if the authorities had followed Lord |
Kitchener's example at Atbara bridge. |
Will they ever now apply to the Ameri- |
can factories?"
The Times editorially attacks the adj !
miniStration of the war office, calling |
attention to the correspondence disclos-
ing "glaring defects and declaring |
that the British army is being man
aged for the benefit of the war office |
and not of the nation.
Growth of Dutch Disaffection.
Dispatches from various points indi- +
cate the steady growth of the Dutch /
disaffection. The Cape Town CORES I
pendent of the Daily, Chronicle reports |
the discovery of a plot to connive at the |
escape of Boer prisoners. The Times |
advises stern treatment of the disaf- |
fected Dutch colonists and the enforce |
ment of the penalties Of treason against |
persons and property,
The Sixteenth Lancers will go to |
South Africa from, India at the special
request of Lord Roberts, even after !
the government had decided that no |
more troops should be withdrawn from |
India. The war office has nominated I
Sir William Stokes as consulting sur |
geon to the South African forces. He |
will leave Dublin for the cape in a few |
days. ts
Lord Somerset writes to the Times |
urging the seizure of Lourenzo Marquee !
and it's retention, if necessary, until the |
end of the war, in order to prevent the |
landing of war material for the Beers. |
The transport Tantallon Castle has |
arrived at Cape Town with number |
of howitzers and quick fires, which |
General Butler urgently needs. The !
government has chartered the Lake |
Erie Of the New Elder, Dempster & Co. |
line, which was built for the Canadian |
mail service. She is vessel of H. I
600 tons.
Recruits For British.
The recruiting of British colonists in |
Cape Colony is actively proceeding. |
Thirty thousand are already under |
arms, and several thousand will be adj |
dressed. Those now in. the field in |
Rhodesian and Natal forces and the |
colonial troops beleaguered at Kimber- !
ley and other points
Dispatches from Modder river dated |
Thursday, Dec. II, report that inter- !
mittent firing was continued on both |
sides, although the Boer shells fell |
short. A number of Free State burgh-
ers- had surrendered. There is an I'M
confirmed report that a Canadian pick |
ct was cut off near Belmont. 1t is also |
asserted that fever is raging among |
the Beers.
The tests of wireless telegraphy at |
Modder river have been highly success |
full, communication over a distance of !
seventy miles being perfectly estab- |
lished. Six Marconi instruments, in
tended for the Beers, have been seized !
at Cape Town.
A dispatch from Chieveley camp, dat
ed Thursday, Dec. q, says: "Lyddite |
shells are daily thrown into the Boer |
camp to prevent them working at the !
trenches. The firing of big guns is |
heard daily from the direction of Lady |
smith.
Boer Commandment Recaptured.
Commandant Demeillon, who was
captured at Elanslaagte and brought |
to Simonsntown, where he succeeded in |
making his escape from the British !
cruiser Penelope, has been recaptured.
The Times, in a special article, dis
cussing the international law aspect |
of Boer importantions through Delagoa |
bay, says: Were We to adopt either |
with or without the consent of Portu-
gal, the drastic measures which are so !
easily suggested in some quarters we |
might find ourselves suddenly con- |
fronted with international complica- |
tons far more serious and injurious to |
the successful prosecution of the South |
African war than the evils of which it |
was sought to secure an abatement"
BoMBARDMENT KEPT UP.
H.