Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-22
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
lcopyright. 1Ssg. Associated Press.l

copyright, 1859, Associated Press.)
LONDON, October 21.-War talk
reigns supreme everywhere in England.
London is teeming with people notable
socially, but what cares London for So
ciety when troops are piling into trans
ports, and when everybody, from her
majesty down, is saying, Goodbye"
God bless you," and Good luck to
you" The newsboys are fairly reyell-i
ing in their "Orrible slaughters," and
the ordinarily pacific stock brokers talk
necessarily of strategic and military
tactics. There is nothing of the tradi-
tional shop-keeper element visible in
British character since the first shot
was fired. A multitude of military de-
tails flood all classes of publications,
and almost everybody who has ever
been In South Africa takes the first op-
portunity to air his views as to the
lighting capabilities of the Beers, the
result Eeing marvellous mass of con-
fiicting theories.
The news Of yesterdays fighting in
Natal made tremendous sensation,
and the pluck and dash of the Kings
Royal Rifles and the Dublin Fusiliers
greatly stimulate the universal enthusi-
asm. The total British force at Camp
Glencoe, according to the reports i'm
mediate1y preceding the announcement
of the engagement, include the
Eighteenth Hussars, the Natal mounted
volunteers, the First battalion of the
Leicestershire regiment, and First
Kings Royal Rifles, the Second Dublin
Fusiliers, the Devonshire regiment, the
Dersetshire regiment several compa-
MES of mounted infantry and three field
batteries, total of about 1000 men,
opposed to a Boer force estimated at
twice that number and possibly reach
ing higher figure. The very disparity
between the combatants gives an addi-
tional element of fascination to the his
tory of the day.
Probably no officer in the British
army has seen more fighting than Gen.
Sir william Penn Symons, the COM
mander of the Fourth division under
Gen. Sir George Stewart White. Ger
tainly none has seen more in India, and
the campaign in Burma and Zululand
revealed his splendid qualities in the
most brilliant fashion.
Gen. Symons was one of the few who
escaped on that memorable January
morning at Isandulu, when nearly the
whole of his regiment, the gallant
Twenty -fourth, persisted. Thus there
is a tragic completeness in his victory
near the scene of that massacre.
The operations thus far seem to show
that the Orange Free State Beers have a
strong Gisinclination to fight at close
quarters. This was rather anticipated.
The Transyaal Boer is a rough farmer,
accustomed so live in the open air and
to bivouac The Free State Burgher
lives in comfortable brick house and
is much more civilized.
It would also appear, as was pre-
dicted, that only the younger Burghers
of the Free State have responded to the
call to arms.
There is considerable speculation re-
garding the numerous naval move
ments. The admiralty has ordered the
paying off of the crews of four ships of
the training squadron, the Raleigh, Vol
age, Champion and Cleopatra. This is
supposed to be because the crews will
be required for the social service squad
ron which, it is assumed, will be util-
lied for the defense of home waters.
The officers Of the channel squadron,
which is under orders to proceed to
Gibraltar next Tuesday, believe it is
going there for guard duty as the gar
rison at the Rocks Is very weak at
present
According to the Outlook, it is re-
ported that President Kruger has issued
letters of marque to French privateers
to prey upon British transports on the
way TO the Cape Although France is
officially friendly, there is no guarantee
that cupidity will not tempt private
owners to fit out ships. This is said to
explain the dispatch of the British first
class protected cruisers Diadem and
Niche, very fast vessels, to Las Palmas,
which is an admirable place of obser-
walton.
The forthcoming Parliamentary BIZ
election In Tower Hamlets, London, is