Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-06
Beers and British Watching Each
Other in Transvaal.
WAITING FOR THE FIRST BLOW
Some Hope Expressed That War
May Yet Be Averted.
TALK OF NJ EDIATIO o n

LONDON, October 6.-Al the reliable in
telligence from South Africa points to
contin of the existing situation for
some time. as both sides are apparently
diffident about commencing attack. al
though. from the dispatches received here,
it seems as every movement of a patrol
and every cloud of dust raised by herd
of cattle were turned into a general ad-
vance by both armies
The delay is all to the good, inasmuch as
1t gives time for further negotiations; and
today's indications apparently show a will
ingness on the part of the British govern
ment to continue to utilize diplomacy.
\ well-defined conviction is prevalent
that the foreign office is trying to discover
a way out of the difficulty which has been
created by admitted mistakes and mscal-
culations and it is evident that peace ad-
vocates and peace counsels are gaining
ground. However, Mr.. Chamberlains re-
fuSal to seize the chance given him by the
petition of fifty-eight members of the Cape
house of assembly to point out, in his reply,
that the Beers still have opportunity of
accepting Great Britain's previous offer,
so long her new proposals remain un-
formulated, seems to show Il personal de-
termination on the part of the secretary OF
state for the colonies not to yield an lota
in the interest of peace.
English Distaste for Wnr.
w nile the QlSldSle LOT war eNlueHllN III
creases in Great Britain. dispatches from
the scene of possible hostilties grow more
and more lurid. Advices from Pretoria de-
scribe the Transvaal organs as crying for
impossible terms and President Kruger as
referring TO the prospective struggle as a
means of setting the republic totally free
of England"
Ii is also said. according to adVices from
the same point. that the Boer forces at
Volksrust will advance today to the Natal
border, and, according TO General Symons,
although Commandant General Joubert Is
personally averse to hostilities his patient
tactics will not last, the Beers Will soon
either demand to be disbanded or to receive
orders to invade Natal.
DISPATCHES from Cape Town. of doubtful
authenticity. allege that the Boer OrganiZa-
ton in the field is already breaking down
and that friction is developing between the
artillery, who are regulars, and the burSh-
er commanders.
The refugees in Cape Town are having a
bad time, the women and children being IN
Il ptiable plight. The governments offer to
send a transport for some of the distressed
has been accepted.
Talk of Queen Abdicating.
In connection with the rumors that Queen
Victoria is liable to intervene to prevent
war a curious story is published this morn
ing by the Vienna Estrablatt, which alleges
that her majesty intends to abdicate IN
the event of an outbreak of hostllties, de-
clarng that it has this information from
an excellent source" The statement un-
The British foreign Office, when shown
the Vienna story as 10 the intention OF the
queen to abdicate should war break out, de-
clared 1t "supremely ridiculous and ut
terly baseleSS.
favorably affected the Vienna bourse.
The announcement from Pretoria that the
British diplomatic agent, Mr.. COuyngham
Greene is i'll. is taken in some quarters to
indicate the possibility of his recall and of
kpr stem i'm he 81
adjustment.
a host of officers including Prince Chris
tan Victor of Schlesw swig-Holstein. and
large number of nurses sailed for the Cape
today.
1t now appears that Lieut.. Winston Spen-
GER Churchill. son of the late Lord Ran
dolph Churchill. who will accompany Gen.
Sir Redvers Butler, will go not on behalf of
the Times. but as the war correspondent of
the London Morning Post and the New
York World.
Plea of the OppositiOn.
Sir Henry Campbell -Bannerman, speak
ing at Maidstone today, at luncheon spe-
cialIy arranged to give the leader of the
opposition in the house of commons an op-
portunity of expressing the view of Off
cial liberalism regarding the Transvaal
crisis, said that neither side had shut the
door upon further negotiations.
Great Britain" he continued, has not
but in virtue of international law and
the power responsible for the well-being
of South Africa. If the Boer government
have refused the reasonable requests of
the dispatch of the secretary of state for
the colonies on September through fear
and suspicion regarding a possible attack
upon their independence, the speeches of
the Duke of Devonshire Qord president OF
the council OF ministers), and Sir Matthew
White Ridley (secretary of state for the
home Department.. constitute assurances
which ought to extinguish suspicion and
fear. These speeches quite as author-
tative any dispatches, and bind the
honor Of the government and the country.
They ought to open the way to an agree
ment."
private message from a high official
in Pretoria, in reply TO a friend In Lon
don. says: I'VE do not want any guaran-
tee of independence. We stick to the Lon
don convention. We have lost all faith in
British statesmen and have nothing more
to say
Mining shares had quite boom in the
street today, owing TO the report that the
Portuguese government had asked the Brit
ish government TO protect its interests.