Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-11-11
RUMORSOF DISASTER
In Absence of War News Lon
don Hears Evil Reports
SOUTH AFRICAN CONDITION CRITICAL
E-ssourt. 90 which the British Re-
tsrsd From rolcn.o, L. the last
BARRIER between Boers and
the Natal Capital.

LONDON. Nov. THE war office an
nouDced az midnight that no dispatches /
bad been received beyond those already .
made public and that nothing further T
would be issued before noon today. Thus .
not a solitary official item of news has
been posted for nearly "a hours. This
has given rise 20 n crop OF rumors that
LadySmith's ammunition l. exhausted.
that Sir George Stewart White l. mortal
~ wounded. that both facts are being
concealed aud that other unlucky hap
penings have taken place For all 90
these reports there Is absolutely no fOun-
dation. At the same time the British
has had little o. stimulate him with
he last - hours except the news of th.
confident attitude OF the Ladysmith gar
riSon and It's slight SUCCESSES last Thurs
day and Friday.
AdviceS FROM other parts ~ South Al
rica are distinctly uupalntahlc. aud ev-
erything points to a critical situation in
I Natal and tGc nofthern portions ~ Caps
/ Colory. likely to vrow more acute until
/ General White II either relieved or de-
/ cisivciy defeated Nobody darc- to think
| OF cnr.tulatiou. Rather than that be- is
! expected in last resort. 10 Lady~mith bee.
comes untenahie. 20 make desperate
/ effort 90 cut his way through the BOVrs
/ hack INTO lower Natal and % join hands
1 with the garrison there, which h now al
/ most certain 60 be- re-enforced hy the
first arrivals 90 the army corps from
England and 20 b, pressed forward % re-
new touch with him.
II il generally assumed. however. that
General White. with the aid % the naval
guns. will be able 60 cope with any bonn
bardmcnt. and the idea that the Rocrs
could take I.ndvsmith hy assault IL scout.
ed as absurd The defense thus depend,
upon tke uninterrupted working % the
naval guns. Right here arises the impor
tant Question-upon which the dispatchc-
have thrown uo hght-whethcr the naval
guns. which themselves only arrived al
the last momeut. have with them Suu
cient ammunition Co reply Co lombard
ment lasting fossihly several weeks. Il
not Il h. hardly likely that works exis
in sunu town like I.adySmith Tor east
ing the special shell needed FOR the 4.
gun. and. moreover, there b no mentio'
~ stores ~ lyddite az Lady.mith Tor ~
charging these shells.
Meanwhile vague remarks in the Dis
; patches point 60 the impending arrival %
Z further biz Bocr guns from johannes
y burg fo De mounted among the hills with
b. in range % I.adysmith. Such consider.
Il tions explain the anxiety felt regarlin
] tnRnRINN
% not only by the public. but in official ci
s., cles
The British retirement 90 Estcourt ha
given the impression that IL is intende
2 10 make a stand there. E~tcourt - Oh
'r last important town between the Boel
IT and the capital OF Natal. and II the koe
r sweep past Estcourt nothing can 81,
N them from laying seige to pietermarit
,s burg. which cannot be expected Co nal
d protracted defense. while It's fall won
. be- "A tremendous blow 20 British prestil
throughout South Africa.
OF Already the British retirement south
to Colcnso has given the Beers an opport
~ nifty To make bid for The active suppo
Of af the disaffected Dutch in Natal hy ~
OF claiming the annexation Of the Ipp
~ Tu-ela section Thus fag the Dutch @
- 0niSts seem 10 have confined their sy'
pathy with the invading Beers 20 y
tonic emotion. Except for surreptitiO
y assistance there is no evidence that "a
uS have yet joined the Beers openly in a
TIC appreciable numbers. The reported BI
ar ish retirement from Stormberg Juncti'
ell however. will be followed doubtless by
Oh similar Boer proclamation annexing
H. portions OF Cape Colony lying direc
-. south OF tue Orange Free State. Th
a proclamations. as in the case OF Bee
analand. have been and viii be imms
.a' ately followed by British counter pros
IA nations. but 20 the eyes OF the Du
Sc farmers the presence OF one Boer G.
al maudo 10 probably more impressive q
me the expectation OF the arrival Of
ris- whole British army In the more or
he distant future.
,u, The British newspapers publish q
seo ~ g ens 80. s,s ND ...i,., -
my -or,s 90 600 n,sn shorld reach ,hs q
no' by the end OF next week. bet the ad
hen