The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-24
The Jhessewer.
BRITISH AND BoERARMIEs.

E#LEMs n #r r. 81 .- ~ ~ ~
The British Parliament is asked to
vote for raising a force Of $4,000 men
additional for South Africa. 1T has
been but just announced-within three
or four ~days-that $4,000 troops now
ready, will be dispatched at once for
theE seat of war. On t6AnorroW pix.
troop ships will leave Southampton,
England, and this will be followed for
six days with jother ships, all taxing
so, boo. soldiers. sThis is regarded as the
greatest undertaking eve before made.
The Philadelphia, Record says that
such a six wouAd be beyond the pow
er of an. other European nation, for
none has a fleet of merchantmen to
draw on comparable in tonnage Or
numbers with; the British fderchant.
marine. The army about to be sent out
from England will be by far the largest
land force that has ever left her shores
for a cahpafgn beyond the seas; 1t will
be twice the size of the British contin-
gent in the Crimean war and greatly
superior in number to the British army
under Wellington at Waterloo"
Why TINS great demonstration, this
vast ~ex!eIditure of labor and means,
and perhaps of men too? Are the
Beers so great, so awful fighters that
it takes 100, 900 men to deal with them?
1t is said the Beers can muster 5000
fighters. That is the estimate of a
leading military authority in Berlin.
Germany. Another estimate even puts
it greater-at 1000. This force is COM
posed of soldiers from Cape Colony,
the TransvaaI, Natal and Orange Free
State. England has a big army wildly
scattered. 1t is in fact a prodigious
force il it could be concentrated, aggre-
eating nearly $50, 900. According to the
New York World this. force is thus
THE regular army consists of II, PSI
cavalry, 16, 1889 artillery, 1858 engineers
and $3.50 infantry, making a total of
9,258 men under arms in Great Britain.
In Egypt; the colonies, India and else
where are 121, 745 men, making a total
REGULAR army of 221, 0O3. These are the
figures for the end of 1898. An addition
has. been made this year which swells
the total to $50 iii, but details are not
accessible.
The reserves of the first class number
SO, 900, the reserves of the second class
only so men. The militia numbers 1888,
961, the yeomanry 1881, the volunteers
263, 1863.
The total home and colonial forces
amount to 669, 259 men. The regular
forces on the Indian establishment
number 1852, making a grand total OF
742,421 men" '
AT present the British force in Africa
does. not exceed probably. $4,000. Those
to sail at once-thousands of miles
away-amount to so, 1000. The parlia-
ment is asked for $4,000 more. 1t looks
as if not less than $50, 900 men was the
number that it is proposed to concen-
trate for the Wiping out of the Beers
defending their own land against in.
,vaders. Suppose it was Germany in
stead of the weak states warred upon
would Great Britain be less eager for
a trial OF conclusions? Cape Town
Africa is perhaps 5000 miles from
Southampton, England. 1t is a big job
to send big armies that distance.
Referring to our own war of aggres-
sion upon a much inferior people, the
NNSoA ""S - "iAN
difficulties:
The distance from Southampton tc
Cape Town is somewhat greater thai
that between San Francisco and Ma
Mia; and whereas the problem con
fronting our army transport service is
the carriage of about sc, 200 men anc
their equipments to the Philippines il
the space of about three months, the
British authorities are wrestling will
the far more serious one of transport.
ing an army nearly twice as large, il
as many weeks. The dispatch of 1900
sC.diers from England to Egypt in 1SS.
within three weeks was considered {
great feat at the time and was said tt
have ELECTED words of praise even from
tie taciturn Won Moltke."
England evidently fears European
complication judging from it's move
ment in the call of Empress Victoria t
embody all of the reserves and more i
required. The country that starts on
to grab the earth may expect combina
lions against her and untold wars an
expenditures of life and money.