Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-29
ASSEMBLING FORCES.
British and Beers Will Soon
Be Face to Face.
Thousands of Burghers Already Under
Arms and Being Posted.
British Cabinet to Meet. Extraordinary
Excitement in England.

London, Sept. 2S.-The Press Associa-
ton issues the following statement,
TINS evening: I'VE learn that the GEN.
tiers Of interest in the Transvaal crisis
are in reality at Lisbon and Berlin and
TINS consideration, it is thought ira
some quarters, may cause further
adjournment of the cabinet
The future administration and finan-
cial control Of the Portuguese possess
sions in South Africa are held to be an
! integral factor in the president diff
Guilty. The friends of President Krug-
or urge that it would be manifestly
unfair to insist upon a partial reduc-
! ton Of the forts at Pretoria and Jo-
| hannesburg so long as Lorenzo
| Marques remains under the Portuguese
government and it is probable that
the negotiations between London. Ber-
! lin and Lisbon may not be concluded
! until after the cabinet council"
AS the End Battalion of Grenadiers
embarked on a transport at Gibraltar,
| for London, this afternoon, they re-
ceived a hurry call ordering them to
proceed to the Cape, and they will
start. tomorrow.
The secretary of state for the colo
MES, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain arrived
at the foreign office, this afternoon.
The cabinet council will meet at 100
p. NJ, tomorrow. The speaker of the
House Of Commons, Mr.. Gully, is re-
turning to London, and Sir Henry
Campbell Zimmerman, the Liberal
leader in the House, and Mr.. Herbert
Gladstone the chief Liberal whip, will
arrive here, Monday.
Charlestown. says: Communicating is
proceeding in the Wakkerstroom dis
trict and probably throughout the
Transvaal. Two thousand burghers
are assembled at Wakkerstroom, which
is eight miles from the Natal border
and II from Laingsnek. Twelve hun
dred have been ordered to Sandspait.
IL miles west of the Natal border
state artillery. which has been lying
low in this neighborhood for fort
night.
The field cornet at Pretoria is again
serving out rifles, communicating is
actively proceeding and all prepara-
tons are being made to take the field.
An Englishman named Robertson
has been arrested at johannesburg
charged with high treason He is al
Imperial Light Horse.
The burgherS are getting uneasy at
the concentration of British troops be-
tween Ladysmith and Laings Mex, es-
pecially at Glencoe and Dundee. The
nominal reason for the concentration
is the protection of the Dundee coal
fields, but the burghers shrewdly sus-
pect that the real reason is the forma-
a. 90 1,
across the Transvaal frontier on Vry-
held as soon as war should be declar-
ed. The Boers do not intend to be
caught mapping and are now massing
around Nryheid. not, however, merely
as protective measure, but to be pre-
pared. unless the British reinforce
ments across the border cease. to make
a dash in force through a portion of
Zuzuland. crossing the Buffalo river at
a point below Rorkes Drift and then
seizing Their abroad. cut off the British
garrisons at Dundee and Ladysmith
from the south. which would not only
interrupt the British lines of communi-
cation, but would seriously interfere
with a forward movement. In order
to watch this portion Of the railroad
exposed to 4 Bocr incurslon British
post VIII De eStaDllSned at ROrkeS
Drift.
A dispatch from Mafeking in British
Bechuanaland, just across the Trans
Vaal border. says a stream of destitute
people is arriving there from Johannes
burg.
A British infantry detachment with
some engineers, has arrived at De Aar.
southwest Of the Orange Free State.
and an important railroad junction.
Extensive Notifications will be
thrown up there and the town will be
made the base of operations from that
side against the Orange Free State or
the Transvaal.
More troops viii shortly arrive at De
Aar. From Cape Town comes the
news that at meeting of the minis
.erialists there, today, it was unani-
nously resolved to petition Queen Vic
.oria deprecatinG the idea of war and
Urging a joint inquiry into the effect
If the TransVaal franchise act as pro-
posed by the imperial government,
Continued on page 81