The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-02

LONDON, Dec. 2, 4:3o a. m.-Absolute
silence has fallen over affairs in South
Africa. The war office has not yet re-
ceived Lord Methuen's casualty list. The
public and the press, hitherto patient. are
beginning to murmur at the apparently
needless delay which keeps many fami-
lies in a state of painful suspense.
Methuen Has Been Reinforced.
It Is regarded as practically certain
that Lord Methuen has been reinforced
by a battalion OF Gordon Highlanders
regiment Of cavalry and battery Of
artillery, and that De Aar Is being daily
reinforced by troops to hold the lines Of
communication. 1t is supposed that the
Natal advance has been delayed by the
necessity Of getting supplies to Pieterma-
ritzburg, but not q word emanates from
any Of the various commands.
Lieut.. Gen. Sir Charles Mansfield
Clarke, who. as already announced, will
command the Sixth division. has seen
much service In South Africa. particu-
larly in the Zulu and subsequent wars.
He has also held a number Of high STAFF
appointments at home. and is reputed to
be a very capable officer.
Rumors Of Relief Of Kimberley.
While the rumors Of relief Of Kimberley
current on the. stock exchange today may
be premature in their literal sense. there
seems no doubt that the pressure on the
garrison has been much lightened by Gen.
Methuen's successes, and the actual re-
lief Of the place is likely to be fact very
soon. A clew to the urgent reasons which
dictated Gen. Methuen's hurried march
may be found in Gov. Miners hint to the
relief committee at Cape Town to prepare
for the reception of 10000 refugees, and in
dicat.ng that the garrison must have had
reason to fear the reduction of Kimberley
by starvation and disease.
sorties From Releaguered Towns.
The most recent news from Kimberley
comes by way of Pretoria, and almost
seems to show that Kimberley and Mafe-
king are acting in concert with Gen.
Methuen, for at the time the battle was
raging at Gras Pan. both Col. Kekewich
and Col Baden-Powell made sort.es and
asssiled the beleaguers The result from
Pretoria shows that Col. Kekewich infiict-
ed considerable loss on the Beers, two
shells Killing nine and wounding seven
teen in one group. 1t is reported that Gen.
Methuen resumed his northwest course In
order to form junction with the Kimber-
ley forces Saturday or Sunday.
SUGGESTIONS as to Boer Movements.
1t Ia suggested in some quarters that the
Beers have been Withdrawn from north of
Cape Colony and may be hurrying to at
tack Methuen's rear, but as reinforce
ments have been pushed rapidly forward
from Orange river and De Aar 1t is claimed
they thought to clrcumvent such design.
sorties From Mafeking.
A special dispatch from Pretoria, dated
Sunday, says there was another sortie from
Mafeking on Saturday. On the morning
of that day the chartered police attacked
Eloff's fort with great determination. The
fight was progressing when the dispatch
was sent. Several ambulance trains left
Mafeking November 25 for the Free State.
where heavy fighting was expected, dur
ing the then coming week, when the Beers,
1t is added, would resist the advance Of
the British in the direction of Kimberley.
Long War Evidently Expected.
From Lord Wolseleys announcement
that 1t had been decided to call out one
more division, 1t appears clear that the war
office does not look for speedy collapse of
the Boer resistance
Little News From Natal.
Brief kilograms from Natal, the central
theater of the war. convey little informa-
ton about the situation. So far as known,
the Ladysmith relief force is still at F'rere,
though the bridge was perhaps sufficiently
stable to permit of It's passage November
In xrtt oh, ia ctr,rr
already have come in contact near Colenso,
where, apparently, the Boers are strongly
intrenched on the north side Of the river.
A special dispatch received here today
from Frere. dated November 2S. says that
while attempting to blow up a 500-foot
bridge over the river at Colenso. the Beers
were driven back by British artillery and
mounted infantry.