The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-08


them The plain was strewn with dead
Beers.
An armored train has again left fol
Colenso with a company of the Dub
lin Fusdleers and a railroad engineering
staff to repair the line. No fighting is
supposed to have occurred Saturday
as no firing was heard.
A native eyewitness of Thursday
battle near Ladysmith says the Beers
were caught on the open ground and
raised several white flags. The British
then advanced without firing to accept
the surrender of the Beers, but they
were received with a volley at close
range Enraged at this treachery, the
Lancers. Hussads and Dragons, fol
lowed by the infantry with fixed bayo-
nets, charged through and through the
enemy and did great execution. A lot
of prisoners and loot were captured.
Another battle on Friday with the
Beers was proceeding, according to the
natives in the south, with similar re-
suits.
BOERS IN ZUZULAND.
DURHAM, Sunday evening, Nov. s.
The Beers have invaded Ingwavuma
Zululand, and looted and burned the
public buildings and stores. The mag
istrate, police and other inhabitants fled
toward EshOwee.
Beers MORE POWERFUL THAN
ANTICIPATED.
LONDON, Nov. 7.-Such scanty in
telligence as is coming from the front
is generally accepted here as reassur-
ting, although the later reports agree
that the fighting outside Ladysmith on
Thursday and Friday was much mor5
severe than indicated by the official &C
counts There is no longer such a dis
position to jump at the conclusion that
a crushing blow has been inflicted on
the Beers as was shown before. Brit
ish contempt for the Burghers has been
modified by defeat. The best informed
are inclined to discount the stories OF
the cutting UP of the Beers until
further confirmation is received. But
the mere fact that General White was
enabled to undertake a series of sue
cessful "Reminiscences is taken as an
indication that the Boer investment has
been relaxed by the withdrawal of a
portion of General Joubert's forces
southwark.
While however, the anxiety in re-
gard to the immediate stress of Lady
smith Is alleviated, there is a wide
spread fear that the authorities are
badly laundering, and may find toe
late that the main expedition will prove
too weak to complete it's task with
safety and dispatch, as the Natal force
has already admittedly failed to per-
form what was expected of it,
The confession last evening of Gen
eral Lord Wolseley, the Commander in
Chief, that the Beers were more pow
erful and more numerous than had
been anticipated sufficiently explains
the present happenings, and the War
Office will hereafter have awkward
questions to answer in regard to its
apparent colossal ignorance of the Boel
strength, which both in numbers of mer
and excellence of artillery is apparently
a complete surprise to the British mil
itary authorities. Mail news from
South Africa shows how inaccurate
have been the estimates of the Intelli-
gence Department and the Government
experts. 1t is CLEANED therefrom that
a fair estima te of the Boer forces is
as follows:
Around Ladysmith, 25,OOO; traversing
Zululand, 1000; advancing on Burgh-
ersdorp, 5000; Colesburg, 1900; Kim
berly, 1000; Mafeking, $500, and on
the Northern Transvaal border 1900.
Exact information about the Boer ar
tillery is lacking, but it is known that
General Joubert's detachment, before
it was reinforced consisted of sixteen
Krupp field pieces of the latest pattern
and two heavy Cruseol siege guns
which but for the opportune arrival OF
the British naval brigade would have
rendered Ladysmith untenable.
In connection with the naval guns a
most interesting and important expert
ment has been successfully carried out
at Cape Town with a Al inch gun. SO
serviceable at Ladysmith One of the
British cruiser Terrible's guns, mount
ed on a Scott travelling carriage, was
fired in the same way as a field gun
with entire success. The Terrible. with
a number of guns thus mounted, is on
her way to Durham, and though the
guns cannot now reach Ladysrnith.
they may be of great value in the de-
Tense of Pietermaritzburg, which 1t
seems will probably have to stand a
siege.
The arrival of the Terrible with the
relief crews for China and other avail
able men must have placed in the
neighborhood of 10000 more men at
the service of the military authorities.
Interesting news comes from the
channel squadron at Gibraltar, show
ing precautions against all eventuali-
ties almost unknown in European wat
ers in peace times. On the way to
Gibraltar the fleet spread out four
miles apart, and sharp outlook was
kept for suspicious craft. At Gibraltar
extra sentries are posted at night at
different parts of the ships with ten
rounds of ball cartridges each. The
small guns on the upper deck and In
the fighting tops are kept ready for
immediate use, the ammunition being
on deck, a few men sleeping at the
guns the searchlights kept working.
and all boats are hailed and not allow
ed to approach without the permission
of the officer of the watch.
CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES AT
LADYSMITH.
LONDON, Nov. THE following is
the text of dispatch from General
Butler from Cape Town dated Novem-
Der 7th, 1855 p. M:
1.-The following dispatch has been re-
ceived from the General commanding
at Estcourt, dated November 9Th:
Since Friday there has been a ces-
sation of hostiities. A note was sent
that day to General Joubert by Cen
eral White at the request of the Mayor