Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30


| lions embodied the original position of Mr.
Kruger in regard to the question of suzer-
| ainty and offering to arbitrate. On Sep
| TENDER IL the British government Dispatch
| ed note to South Africa in which it abb
| solutely repudiated the claims of the Trans
vaal government regarding its status as
| sovereign state and rejecting the proposed
| alleviating measures for the uitlanders as
| insufficient to secure the desired end. The
| government also decided in cabinet meet
| ing to dispatch an adequate military force
| to South Africa.
| Kruger Appeals to the Queen.
| About the middle of September Presi-
| dent Kruger sent to the queen by tele-
| graph long and strong personal appeal
| for her Intervention to prevent bloodshed.
| The reply of the Transvaal government to
| Mr.. Chamberlain's last note requested that
| the new British ands be withdrawn.
| and again declared its readiness for a
| joint commission to arrange for arbitra-
| ton. Finally on October the Boer gov
| eminent sent to the British government
an utimatum. including four demands with
a brief time limit, follows:
| No l. That all points of mutual differ
| ence be regulated by friendly recourse to
| arbitration or by whatever amicable way
may be agreed upon by this government
and her ma jesty's government
| No .. That all troops on the borders of
| this republic shall be instantly withdrawn.
| No g. That all reinforcements of troops
| which have arrived in South Africa since
| June L, 1873 snail be removed WITHIN q
| reasonable time, to be agreed upon with
| this government, and this government to
withdraw the armed burghers from the
| borders.
| No T. That her majestys troops which
are now on the high shall not be land
ed in any part of South Africa.
| The time limit in which Great Britain
might return an answer was set at pm.
| October IL, 1899. The ultimatum added
| that in the event of SatiSfa Glory answer
not being received within the interval spec-
| fed the republic would with great
| greet be compelled to regard the action of
| her majestys government as a formal dec
| laration of war"
Previous to this armed Beers had been
| gathering along the boundary of Natal
| preparing for a sudden invasion.
| Pursuant to an order of the British
| council in London, a royal proclamation
was issued for the calling of parliament
| and the mobilization of the reserves. Great
| haste was made to gather and transport
| large military force to South Africa. One
| OF the most noted of English generals,
| Sir Redvers Butler. was appointed to the
| chief command. Parliament met and voted
| Sou,WO,0OO to carry on the war, having
previously voted $15,0O0,ooO for the same
purpose.
| The Orange Free State declared for the
Iransvaal. and decided to cast its lot with
| the Beers in the threatened war
Beers Invade Natal.
The time limit having expired without
| any reply from Great Britain the Beers in
vaded Natal, both from the Transvaal and
| the Orange Free State. The Beers met
with success almost from the start The
| first actual fight occurred at Kraaipan
| forty miles south of Mafeking, in which
the Beers derailed and cantllred an ar
| mored train. with about twenty-five Brit
| 1sh officers and soldiers. There We're a
number OF unimportant skirmiShes between
| this and October 20, when Gen. Symons,
who was in command at Dundee near Glen
| coe, attacked the Boer position and gained
temporary advantage, but the Beers rail-
| lied and captured squadron Of the 18th
dussars, some of the Dublin Fusiliers and
mounted infantry. General Symons was
mortally wounded. The British loss was
reported as thirty-sx killed and 19l wound
ed. The Boer loss is unknown, but was
reported by the British as 800 killed and
wounded. October p, the Beers suffered
deteat In battle at Elandslaagte. The
BRUSH captured two guns and number Of
prisoners The British casualties were
| fifty-one killed and 213 wounded. In this
| hSht the Beers claimed that the British
killed men after they had surrendered The
Brltlsh claimed that the Beers had fired
| on the ambulance corps.
On October %, General Yule. who had
| succeeded General symons in command at
Dundee decided to abandon his position at
| that point and join General White, at
ladysm1th, arriving at the latter place
after forced march, in which he mar
roWiy escaped annihiiation at the hands of
| the Beers.
| Sortfe From Lndysmith.
| On October 80 a sortie was made at
! Ladysmith, in which the British lost sixty
Killed and 2iO wounded. The British also
| lost about 1000 men taken prisoners by
| the Beers. The Beers followed up their
| advantage by closing in around the British
| position, 1ntrenching themselves and
mounting cannons which commanded the
| BRITISH position. Since then they have
| maintained almost a daily bombardment of
the place.
IN oInarf +lo d,
| forcing the British to evacuate
| British ReinfOrcements Arrive
| Early in November the reinforcements
| sent out from England began to arrive at
| Cape Town and other points in British
| South Africa.
| There were a number of skrmishes be-
| tween the Beers and the beleaguered Brit
| lsh garrisons ut Mafeking, Kimberly Lady
| shillh ana other points up till the latter
| part of November, but without material re-
| suit to either side. On November 20 Gen,
| Lord Methuea assembled a force of about
| 1000 men at the Orange river, seventy-fiye
| miles south of Kimberly, for the purpose
| OF making an advance and relieving the
| siege of that city. On November " he
| struck the Beers at Belmont and drove
| them back, capturing considerable stores
| and ammunition. The British however
| suffered severely, losing 40 killed and Us
|
| or killed. In another action at Willow
| Grange the Beers We're driven back from
| Beacon Hill. the British losing IL killed, 81
| wounded and some missing. These fights,
| however, were little more than preliminary
| sklrmishes on the part of the Beers VINO
| steadily fell back TO their entrenched posi-
ton at Modder River on the road to kim
| perry. There Gen. Methuen engaged them
| with his entire force on November % The
| result was that though the Beers again re-
| treated the British suffered severely in the
| assault, their losses being estimated at 4ol
| Meantime, Gen. Butler who had arrived
| al Durban on November %, organized di-
| VISION TO proceed to the relief of Lady
smith: Gen. Butler took personal command
| OF TINS relieving column at Frere on De-
| cember I, and directed the forward move
ment against the Boer position along the
| Irsela river south of Ladysmith. He struck
the Beers in their intrenched position on
| december 10, and suffered a complete de-
| feat. His army Of 1900 men was almost
| decimated. He lost eleven guns and was
| forced to retire to position five miles in
| rear of the Boer position and there in
| trench himself.
| Gen. Methuen, who had pursued the Roers