The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-20

! The Associated Press learns that the
transports which will convey the army
/ corps about to start for South Africa
/ Will go neither to Durham nor Cape
Town. both of which are already over
/ crowded with refugees. but to Port
! Elizabeth, Port Alfred and East Lon
| don, from which points railroads con-
Yerged directly upon the Free State
border. where concentration will be
/ effected somewhere in the neighborhood
| of NorVals point. The advance will
| then begin toward Pretoria
Natal again claims a share of the
attention which during the last few
Gays has been focused upon the be-
! leaguered garrison at Mafeking. The
combined advance of ths Beer forces
on the positions held by the British
general commanding in Natal, Sir
George Stewart White, has already oc-
caSaoned a sharp conflict at outposts,
] which possibly has since developed
| into a pitched battle.
The Beers according to the latest
! information at hand DO not appear to
have been driven back. Perhaps, how
ever. their movements are only part
Of a general plan to isolate Ladysmith
and Glencoe from the south.
The simultaneous Boer movements
from Acton Homes on the west and
from Rorkesdrift and Helpekaunar from
the east may mean a projected attack
upon the railway at WaSchbank be-
tween Colenzo. The movement from
the east also suggests an attack upon
the railway at Waschbank between
Ladysmith and Glencoe.
Military experts are inclined to the
opinion that the troops at Glencoe are
only TO form a rear guard left to at
tract the force under Commandment
General Joubert while General Whites
full strength is concentrated at Lady
smith with a. view of attacking the
Orange Free State force while General
Joubert is still forty miles away.
Stories of British successes in the
Mafeking district are SO persistent that
in the absence of contradiction from
Boer sources they may be accepted as
true in the main, although the alleged
killing of 600 Beers is discredited
General Cronje's troops are regarded
as the flower of the TranSvaal forces
and decisive fighting must occur on
the western border If, as was init
mated in last nights dispatches, re-
liefs are approaching from Rhodesia,
IL will probably not be long delayed.
Apart from their desire to gain an
initial advantage by capture of Mafe-
king and thereby attracting the Dutch
colonists, the object of the Beers of
msssing in Bechuanaland is doubtless
uNe 10 the 1act Jhat THIS splendid stock
country is full of cattle and as it is
only sparsely settled, would give the
Transvaal a route to import arms and
ammunition by way of Walfsh BAY
Demalar and on the West African
coast.
A dispatch from Pretoria asserts
that the TransvaaI government has
cabled to Joseph B. Robinson. the
millionaire gold mime owner. and chair
man of the Robinson South African
Banking company, who is now in Lon
oon, to return to Johannesburg on
pain of confiscation of his property.
Mr.. Robinson characterizeS the alleged
threat as ridiculous. He says he is a
British subject, that the Transvaal
government has no right to demand his
return and that his property has not
been and cannot be confisoated.
Portugal, according TO a dispatch
from Berlin, has given distinct assaur-
ances of her neutrality. A continuance
of commerce with the Transvaal. by
way of Delagoa bay, is, therefore. Sc
cured
Advices from Cape Town. dated yes
terday, say that the governor of the
colony, Sir Alfred Miner, has issued a
proclamation prohibiting the importa-
ton of all dangerous explosives.
Almost everything is in readiness for
the departure of the troops from
Southampton tomorrow when five
transports, each carrying 4 thousand
men, with officers. viii start for South
Africa The first viii sail at 1870 y. m. |
the Others following at intervals of half !
an hour