The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-18
RESERVES CALLED
Victoria Sends a Message
to Parliament Asking
Appropriations.
TO oYERHHELM The POWERS
The Great Numbers Of the
Militia to Be Used as an
Object Lesson.
TBy cable to The Associated Press j


town itends to surrender
The War Office has issued the following
statement
News has been received from Generai
Sir George Stewart White, the General
commanding in Natal, that tn anticipated
movement of Boer forces across the
Drakensberg, already reported from sew
eral quarters. was likely to be continued
on October II. In which case some Of them
might be expected arrive at Boaan Bank
that night and probably to come into
contact with our cavalry between Lady
smith and the Passes of the Drakens-
berg.
"On the north the Boer forces from
Ingagano are advancing. accompanied by
la few batteries of artillery
"On the Buffalo River the Beers from
Vryheid are moving toward Wants and
Rorke's Drifts
Our cavalry remain in observation and
report movements in the Orange Free
State The Basutos are said to manifest
an attitude hostile to the Beers. and they
may neutralize a certain number Of the
Boer forces"
Up to noon today no confirmation had
been received of the report Of serious
Boer losses at MafelSing; but stories are
arriving from various points SO persist
entity and circumstantially that it ap-
pears probable the Burghers have met
with some measure of reverse.
| Accounts of the action at Mafeking are
| now beginning to arrive from Pretoria
Therefore, if the Beers had any success.
| 1t is bound to be known. AS fores hadow-
ed yesterday they have succeeded In cut
ting off the water supply at Mafeking;
| but it is said that there are sufficient
wells in the town to supply the inhabi-
tants
Advices from Pretoria, summarizing
| the reports to the Transyaal Governments
| from General Cronje. in command at the
| chief laager on the west side. announce
| that the Marico and Rustenburg Com
mandoes, with field telegraph occupied
Burmanns Drift, near the outskirts or
Mafeking, on Monday, and took possess
sion of fountain in the neighborhood,
thus cutting off the water supply OF the
! town. The Boer Artillery then began
| shelling but the Britis did not reply.
| ABoer account of the skirmish with the
British armored train, south of Kimber-
! ly, says
while they were destroying the railway.
The burghers fired upon the train with
| Mausers, and subsequently with artillery.
The third shot struck, and the train
| steamed off after which the burghers
continued the work of destroying the
| line"
| Another despatch from Pretoria says
| that the burghers have occupied Taung >,
south of Mafeking, and Lobari. to the
northward, without opposition.
! A despatch from Durham, Naal, says
| that refugees who arrived there yester-
day Tuesday) from Pretoria declare that
| the Beers at the Transvaal capital admit
ted Boer repulse at Mafeking. eight
Burghers being killed and a number
| wounded.
The Beers, according a special des-
patch from Pretoria, yesterday repulsed
| a small force of Cape Mounted Police
near Barkly West. Cape Colony. captur-
| ing two.
| A new and serious element in the mill
| tary situation is the rising of the warlike
| tribe of Basutos. under Chief Mcheko.
| The British must keep the Btsutos quiet;
and the paramount Chief Lerothodi has
thus far behaved well. Reports are cur
rent. however. that the other chiefs may
! follow the example of Mcheke. Moreover
| the unrest among the tribes1nen is spread
| ing into Zululand.
| With regard to Norval's Point, 1t APP
pears that the Cape railway officials de-
4 stroyed the bridge on their line on the
| Orange Free State side and then aban-
doned the station. The Orange Free State
/ troops have destroyed the Modder River
| bridge without opposition.
| According to special despatch from
Durham. Natal, the Zulus are arming with
| assegais Chief Dinizulu says he IS un-
able to restrain them. 1t is expected that
| they will be Joined by the Swazeis-
In the House of Commons today. the
First oLdrof the Treasury and Govern
ment Leader, the Right Hon. Arthur J.
Balfour, brought in the following mes sage
from the Queen:-
| "The state of affairs in South Africa
having constituted in the opinion of Her
| Majesty. a case of great emergency with
| in the meaning of the Act of Parliament,
Her Majesty deems it proper to provide
| additional means for military service. She
has. therefore, thought 1t right to COM
municate to the House that Her Majesty
is. by proclamation, about to order the
embodiment of the militia and to call out
the Militia Reserve Force, or such part
thereof as Her Majesty may think neces-
sary, for permanent service
The calling out of the militia and the
militia reserves has occasioned wide
spread wonderment Old stories of pre-
parations against Continental combina-
that the Government is deternaieaed to
demonstrate to Europe that the British