The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-28

VIII Be Ready to Assume the
Aggressive-Winston ChurchfII,s
Arrival at ChieveIey Camp Causes
nsatiOn-Lady ysmith Needs Help.
LONDON, Dec 28.-Winston ChurchiI's
arrival at Chieveley camp is perhaps re-
| sponsible for some overcolorfng of the
| gravity of the situation. but all todavis
news conveys the impression that Gen.
Butler may be contemplating an attack
upon the Boer position. Certainly the
! Boers are not inactive. At both Modder
River and the Tugela they are said to be
strengthening their forces and extending
defense works, which in both cases are
seemingly almost inpregnable
An Illustration of the difficulty Of OBJ
tanning accurate information: A CORE
/ spondent Of the Daily News at Cape
| Town, under date Of Dec. q, announces
that Gen. Butler is coming to Cape
Town to meet Sir Charles Warren, and
then both go to Modder River"
As five battaIions of Gen. Warren's
Fifth division are said to have gone TO
Natal, his arrival at Pietermarttzburg
seemed natural
A dispatch from ChieveIey indicates
that Gen. Buffers forces will remobiIizs
| at F'rere before he attempts further ad-
vance. Doubtless he would be glad TO
| redeem the CoIenso reverse before the
arrival OF Lord Roberts, yet he is hardly
| likely to attempt another frontal attack.
! 1t is more likely that he is preparing
| to strike should the Beers make any
| offensive move
Mr.. ChurchtlIs reference to Ladysmith
may imply that the situation OF the gar
rtson IS more desperate than has been
supposed. The Beers continue forttfyfng
| the hills. A heiIograph message said that
| all was well in Ladysmith on Dec e.
Military critics in London consider the
campaign deadlock for the present, ow-
ing to the dispersal OF the British forces
! and the lack of wagons for transport.
They believe 1t will be many weeks be-
fore Lord Roberts will be able TO organize
! and make movement.
The Boer trench work is so good that
: 1t enables the enemy TO hold q long line
| with very few men and 70 travel great
distances under perfect cover, SO as to
rapidly reinforce any point attacked
The Times, which comments editOriaIIy
. upon the severe strain, says:
! 1t is difficult TO avoid the conclusion
/ that our troubles are due to the unreality
VI the II - QtueUly ptdCtlCdl teSSOnS given
| IN the maneuvers at Aldershot' %
DUTCH DIsAFFECTION
A dispatch from Modder river repre-
/ sents Dutch dIsarecdon in GriQualand
| West as growing very serious In some
towns the entire Dutch population has
Joined the Beers The rebels have formed
a laager at a point about thirty miles
west of Modder river camp.
1t is also announced the Beers have
raised the siege OF Kuraman, and have
| all Withdrawn 10 A1agerfontein
The Cape Town correspondent of the
Times, under date of Friday Dec q,
says:
Anxiety regarding the attitude Of the
| Colonial Dutch is steadily growing They
| make no effort 20 conceal their sympathy
! with the TWO republics, and the only aues-
ton now IS whether, If the military situa-
ton is changed, they can keep from re-
| belling- Even in districts that have not
been visited by Beers. in the western
part of the province, the Dutch farmers
| are riding about armed. This is the case
also in districts only fifty miles from
| Cape Town, where a sediIious movement
| IS being propagated The British forces
are inadequate to guard 1000 miles Of
| communica ton"
A dispatch 10 the Times from Mafek-
| ing. dated Monday, Dec II. by way Of
Mochuddi. Tuesday. Dec 49, says that
4-dOS GdIdAI " ltSOIlt aunt OF the Luke
( Of Marlborough, who was captured by the
Beers while acting as correspondent for
| London paper, has arrived there. having
| been exchanged for VilljOen, notorious
horse thief and convict
LOYALISTs IMPATIENT.
A special correspondent of the Daily
Chronicle telegraphing from SterkstroOm,
Thursday Dec 21, says:
Strong measures are necessary 10
check the hostile feeling among the
Dutch colonists. whose sympathy is
shown by the removal OF railway bolts
switches, bridges and culverts. and at
tacks upon loyal men. Disaffectiou is
bound to break out unless reirfOrcenents
soon arrive. The loyal Dutch and Brit
ish settlers are becoming alarmiugly i'm
| patient.
SUSPICIOUS CARGOES.
A dispatch to the Times from Pteter-
maritzburg, dated Thursday, Dec. q,
says:
"A, strong suspicion exists here that the
ostensibly innocent bills of ladiug fur
nished by German steamers arriving in
Delagoa bay really conceal contraband,
and the local newspapers are urging
more rigid examination Of cargoes.
ASTONloHED BRITONS
The Daily Chronicle publishes the fol-
lowing from Cape Town:
Herr SChleSinger, an agent OF the New
York Equitable Assurance society, who
has arrived here from Pretoria. says the
Beers possess immense stores Of food,
imported by speculative capitalists under
a belief that mining would be allowed
during the war. He says. also, that there
were thousands Of spectators at the Pre-
toria railway station when the British
who were captured at Nicholson Mex
were detrained. The people were ordered
by the Boer commandant to bare their
heads. and they did so. The British, as
tonished, returned the salute"
AT CHIEYELEY CAMP
| CHIEvELEY CAMP, Natal Monday,
Dec. 25.-Although the two armies were in
sight of each other. with the tempera-
ture 1O2 degrees in the shade, the British
soldiers enjoyed characteristic Christmas
cheer.
Glenfeu and Kirkwood, of the South
African light horse, left here to inspect
the patrols along the eastern hills.
Their horses returned at night alone
Col. Donald, of the Royal fusileers, had
his collar bone broken by being thrown
from his horse while on outpost duty.
The naval guns began shelling the
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