The Princeton union., 1899-10-05
Story Of the Confiscation of a
Shipment From Johannes
burg Mines
Confirmed From Two Sources,
But the Figures Are Some
what Smaller: %>s=
Transvaal Government. t. Said Sal to
Have Taken Over ALI the ~@
- Mines. ssz5a..,&s res..,a.

tional news from South Afri ca is re-
iteration OF the report Of the acquisition
by the Transvaal authorities Of $780,.
900 in gold which was on the way to
Cape Town from johannesburg. The
confirmation of the story comes from
two sources.
The Cape Argus asserts that the Beers
made the seizure at Veirenigen, the
amount being two weeks shipment of
gold on the way from the rand to Cape
Town, and forwarded the treasure to
Pretoria. The report is also confirmed
by cablegram received by a mining
company in London from their repre-
sentative, which is to the effect that the
train upon which he was travelling from
Johannesburg to Cape Town was held
up and looted by Beers, who secured
e300, 900 in gold, the amount being con.
siderably less than the original esti-
mate.
Situation Strained a. Ever.
There is nothing very tangible in the
late war news, but the situation re-
mains as strained as ever, unless hope
may be derived from the apparent fact
that the forces on the frontier are re-
garded by both sides as wholly defen-
sive for the present and from the state
ment that Mr.. J. H. Hoffmeir, the
Afrikander leader in Cape Colony, is
still prepared to endeavor to secure the
adhesion Of the Transvaal government
to the 'irreducible minimum proposed
at the Bloemfontein conference to Pres
ident Kruger by Sir Alfred Miner, the
British commissioner, if the imperial
government will stand by the high
commissioners original proposal.
The Stock Exchange was Influenced
during the opening hours by vague ru-
mors that Queen Victoria had cabled
Presidenr Kruger and President Steyn,
holding out the olive branch, and that
the Beers had been defeated in small
engagement.
Prices rose, but there was a speedy
relapse when both stories were discred-
ited
Harcourt Attacks Chamberlain.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the
distinguished Liberal statesman, mem
Der of parliament for West Monmouth
shire, had another slashing attack in
the days paper upon the policy Of the
secretary of state for the colonies, Mr..
Joseph Chamberlain.
He relterates his original statement
that Mr.. Chamberlain's assertion that
the Transvaal refused to redress the
grievances Of the outlanders is the re-
verse of the case, and he insists that
Great Britain is responsible for 'slam-
ming the door in the face of President
Kruger, just when arrangements were
approaching settlement.
Advices from Cape Town announce
that General Sir George Stewart White,
V. c., who will command the British
forces in the Natal, will proceed to
Durham at once. On his arrival at Cape
Town he found the situation on the Ma
tai border so grave that he wired for
Immediate transportation for himself
and staff to Durham, and the British
second class cruiser Forte was placed
at his. disposal.
A London news agency publishes the
following dispatch from Volksrust,
Transvaal, dated Oct. 8:
AN unconfrmed report is in circula-
tion here that the time allowed the
British troops to withdraw from the
Transvaal border will expire at p. NJ,
and that failure to comply with the de.
mand will be considered tantamount to
q declaration of war"
Liberals Sustain the Government.
A meeting of Liberal members of the
house of commons, including several
former members of Liberal cabinets,
was held at the private residence of the
leader of the Liberal opposition in the
house, Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman.
The subject under discussion was the
governments South African policy and
the meeting resolved to support the
government on the reassembling of par
lament, even at the expense of placing
the present official leaders of the Lib
eral party in conflict with their former
colleagues, Sir William Vernon Har-
court and John Morley.
The various announcements regard
Ing Boer movements seem to indicate
their probable plan of campaign in the
event of hostilities. Their chief force,
apparently, would surround the narrow
stretch of Natal territory jutting into
the Transvaal, thus threatening Laings
Neck, Charlestown and Dundee, while
the Orange Free State commando from
Harrismith is expected to operate near
Van Remains pass, Threatening Lady
smith.
The military authorities estimate
there are now 1000 Beers in the field.
y special dispatch from Johannes
burg says the Boer officials there con-
tinue to urge the British subjects who
remain to leave and it is believed that
all who do not will be marched, under
escort, along the railway until train
is reached to carry them off. ~.
Orders have been issued from Pre-
toria closing all the saloons in the gold
fields.
The Transvaal government has taken
over the Perriera mines and all the
mines in the gold fields. A group of
five of the Eckstein mines have been
closed. .4<