The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
WAR is ALMOST CERTAIN.
sLIeHr CHANCE OF PEACE NOW IN
THE TR<NSVdIL

Ehs Boers Ready to Fight for Their Indo-
Acknowledgements State of Unreadi-
ness OF the British Army The War
once Looks for q Campaign of Two
Months with = Single Army Corps.
Sn.esi Gable De,paioh to THu suS
LONDON Sept. 30--.The chances Of peace IN
tho Transvaal are slGhter than ever. II would
~ bard to md to-day more than very few
persons who believe that war can now be
ayerted. Even these hope rather than believe.
Everything goos to show that tho Beers have
practically given up the idea that Just. peace
able solution 10 possible. and are ready. some
resign edly. others eagerly. even confidently. to
fight for their Independence. Considering the
numbers OF the Boers. 1t 10 no email credit to
their powers Of self-restraint that they have
refrained so long from taking advantage OF
Great Britain's unreadiness.
While. the refore. II 10 almost impossible to
give the slightest hope OF peace. II Is palmer
than ever that the Cabinets conscience 10 not
yet dead. The lingo press and public were
bitterly disappointed because Fridays meeting
was not more conclusive. The fact 10 that
members such as Baliour. who form
the Cabinets conscience. despite their open
confession that they have small expectation OF
such result. still hug a lingering hope that
they may be spared from taking the laat step
without bona flde casus belll. The Foreign
Ofnce's cautious statement that In the ABB
senos Of the Transvaal's reply the Government
will draft its own proposals. which will prob
ably be communicated in q few days to the
South African Republic. is Significant. The
probably shows desire and hope on the
sOsbineps part that some reply may arrive In
time and may be In such terms az either to
allow Of tho reopening OF the negotiations or
70 give plausible grounds for pleading that the
Govern ment was forced to the last extremity.
But 50 few persons here credit the possibility
of peace that interest mainly centres in the
probable lines OF the actual campaign. The
Government intends to be very thorough in It's
work. Even II. as 10 generally believed will be
the case. there are actual hostilities within q
fortnight. the real war is not likely to begin
till the British troops are reinforced. The
British will keep In the me awhile chiefly on
the defensive.
A majority OF recent dispatches from South
Africa relate TO the movements OF the British
troops and the Boers on the Natal border. TAX
ing MaJuba a. the apex OF triangle with
sides sixty miles long and with a base eighty
miles In length. having Harrismith In the
Orange Free State at one end and Vryheid in
the Transvaal at the other. one gets the area
containing the British positions. mely. Glen
zoe. Dundee. Newcastle. Ladysmith and Damn
hauser. The Beers occupy Wakkerstroot
utrecht. Vryh0td. and bandsprint. In the
doubtful event OF the Orange Free States re-
naming neutral. the Natal border would prob
ably be tho line OF the main British force.
Otherwise Gen. Sir Redvsrs Butler. the British
commander. will advance with 10000 men
through the Orange Free State toward Pro-
toria.
The War once 10 believed to estimate that o
two months campaign will suf1ce whom a
complete army corpa gets at work: but
they are paying the Beers the compl-
mont Of preparing an even more extensive
FORCE Tho Standard this morning hints
chat "the Government has decided on a
scheme Of mobilization which might include
the major portion OF the active army. involving
in all probability the calling out of the re-
serves" But the preparation OF one army
corps 10 taxing the War ONCE to the utmost.
The desperate state OF unreadinsss is shown
by the fact that the War ONCE has already
spent more than q million pounds and
10 still short Of provisions and other
supplies for which It is ransaoking the
whole world. At the beginning OF the
week IL tried to get three million pounds Of
canned meats. The colonies Of Australia only
afforded . quarter Of a million The War
Once IL now contracting for millions OF pounds
Of colonial mutton at I've pence pound. As
usual. tho War ONCE will prove scandalously
expensive. but there Is little doubt that the
forces will finally be put into the Geld In good