The record-union., 1899-10-03

the cape OnC1l Next week, EX-
cept in Case of Unforeseen De-
velopments-The Date for the
Summoning Of the British Par
lament Not Yet Definitely De-
cided Upon.
LONDON, Oct. 2.-No confirmation is
obtainable from any source of the re-
port contained in a dispatch to the Ex-
change Telegraph Company that the
Beers have captured Dundee.
| No exceptional activity was shown at
/ the Government offices to-day. Mr..
/ Chamberlain and the Earl of Selborne
were absent from the Colonial Office,
but Lord Lansdowne, General Lord
Wolseley and General Sir Evelyn Wood
We're busily engaged at the War Office.
General Sir Redvers Butler called at
the War Office this afternoon, and a
special board meeting was held Nat
uralIy nothing of the discussion was
made public, but it is understood that
General Butler will not proceed to the
Cape until next week, except in case of
unforeseen developments.
Many of the members of Parliament
are returning TO town in anticipation
of an early summoning of the House
of Parliament. 1t is the general impress
sion that, although some speakers may
express disapproval of the Government
policy, few will go to the extreme OF
voting against the required credit. 1t
is considered more probable that they
will abstain from participating in a
division.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the
Liberal leader, having in a speech in
Trexeger said, "The first and last word
of these gold hunters is war, in order
to lead to annexation" a correspondent
wrote to Lord Salisbury asking if it
were not true that the Government
would make every effort to avert war,
and had no desire to annex the Trans
vaal if a settlement could be obtained
peacefully. Lord Salisbury replied, an
swering affirmatively.
The Duke of Argyle, in reply to an in
Quiry as TO what he thought of Sir
William Vernon Harcourt's words, said
they We're pure party clap-trap. adding:
| II have no respect for a petty state
which invites, rises by means of, and
depends upon the labor and brains of
strangers, and then refuses them the
common rights of humanity and con-
demns them to an intolerable life of
serfdom."
A letter from an Uitlander received in
Birmingham was published to-day. If
it reflects the general feeling of the
British residents in Johannesburg, they
must be in an awful funk. The writer
| fo 6cI r haJ
the Beers will make a massacre of it,
blow johannesburg to bits and shoot us
on sight. In fact, have been told so
by one in office"
The announced intention of the Brit
ish Cabinet to meet tomorrow has ap-
parently been reconsidered. 1t is now
said that the meeting depends largely
on the developments in the Transvaal.
The date for summoning Parliament
has not been definitely settled, though
it is expected to be about October 10TH
Queen Victoria will hold privy
council at Balmoral at an early date,
when the necessary proclamation will
be signed. The remarkable absence of
news from South Africa this morning
leads to the belief that there has been
a widespread cutting of telegraph wires
or that extra censorship has been es-
tablished. There is no Transvaal news
yet to-day. so there is nothing to soften
the extreme bellicosity of yesterdays s
dispatches. Neither is there anything
to indicate the authorities at Pretoria
have the slightest desire to come to
terms peacefully with Great britain.
Had the Beers not determined to fight
it out, or if they were not prepared for
hostilities, they would, it is thought,
have sent some temporizing reply to
Great Britains dispatch. The hanging
back seems to be on Great Britain. 9
side, where, in spite Of the newspaper
and War Office talk of mobilization
of an army corps, the work is apparent
ly proceeding in a curiously leisurely
manner.
The departure of General Sir Redyers
Butler. the commander of the British
forces in South Africa, has been post
poned from week to week. and when
the members of the Cabinet talk in
public their assurance of Great Brit
aims good will toward the TransvaaI
are regarded as almost smacking of
pathetic appeals for peace The Duke
of Devonshire, Lord President of the
Council in his reply to a toast to his
health at a public luncheon of the Man.
chester Technical School. Saturday af-
ternoon was careful in referring to the
Transvaal situation, to announce that
the Cabinets new proposals were mod
crate, and his whole speech seemed to
indicate that the British Government
was arranging its dispatch so as to in
vite a continuance of the negotiations.
Tt now appears that the alleged call
ing out of the first-class army reserve
was a hoax. The circulars were issred
on official paper and many members of
the reserve presented themselves at the
barracks only to find that the order
was a forgery. The police now have
the matter in their hands.
An advertisement appeared this
morning announcing the formation of A
corps of gentlemen rough riders pat
termed after Roosevelt's Rough Riders
for service in South Africa. Advices
from Ladvsmith. Natal, to-day say
that 600 Burghers have assembled at
Albertina, in the Orange Free state.
with the object of proceeding in the d.
rection of the border, and that it is
feared raid on Ladysmith is medi-
| tated
A prominent Englishman. DIR. viii
son. has been commandeered at Har-
rismith by the Orange Free State.
| The Natal Field Artillery. Carbineers.
and other military commands are en-