The record-union., 1899-10-26
TRANSVAAL NEWS
Is UNRELIABLE.
CONTINUED from First Pageo

nearly 100000 men in the field, made
up as follows:
Boer regulars, 25000; artillery, 1850;
police, 1,150; Orange Free State troops,
$4,000; Natal Beers, 5000; Bechuana-
land and Rhodesian Beers, S,000 for
eign legion, 600; Americans, 1000; Ger
mans, 6.OOO; Dutch Belgians, 1000;
Irish, 1000; Scandinavians, 600;
French, Swiss and Italians, 200. The
Jews, it appears, are doing police work.
A special dispatch from Pretoria
dated October 24th, purports to give an
interview with one of the highest
Transvaal executives, who is quoted as
having urged that, while the Boer sue
cesses were yet unimportant, there was
still time for an amicable settlement,
as he believed the Beers had been mis-
led as to the real issue.
RUMORS OF FOREIGN COMPLICA-
TIONS
LONDON, Oct. 25.-The extent of the
British preparations revealed by to-
days information causes a strong reit-
Grafton OF the rumors of serious foreign
complications 1t is now said that
Rear Admiral Lord Charles BereSford
Will command the Mediterf anean squad
ron, and details of the activity at the
dock yards and naval stations are COM
ing in hot and fast. The Associated
Press learns, however, that whether or
not Great Britain seriously fears Rus
sian or French aggression, the naval
preparations have been under consider
alton for several months, and it was
the Admiralty's intention to put them
in force as soon as war was declared,
deeming it necessary to increase the
active strength of the navy in order to
insure the large fleet of transports
against every possible contingency.
Whether later developments have
transformed the Admiraltys precau,
tionary measures into preparations for
naval demonstration necessitated py
European hostility is the question of
the hour, and it is as much a mystery
to many high naval officers as to the
public. The exact condition of affairs
consists of ordering the naval reserves
to be in readiness to join their ships at
twenty-four hours notice, while all the
cruisers of the reserve class have been
ordered to be ready to sail in the same
limit. These vessels, although at the
sion and are always supposed to be
ready for immediate manning. A dozen
cruisers ranging from six TO eleven
thousand tons are now only waiting the
word to embark crews
In addition TO these preparations.
work on the uncompleted vessels is be-
ing hurried day and night. The special
attention being paid to the cruisers is
taken by many naval authorities TO in
dicate that Great Britain intends to
form a menacing flying squadron, using |
the term "menacing," because the nava!
force at sea now is ample 10 convoy |
the troops and is capable OF preventing |
any interference in South African
waters.
While the British officials do not con-
ceal their knowledge OF German, French
and Russian antagonism and their irfi'
tatIon, they do not give the slightest
hint that European hostility Will efys-
tallize In any overt act,
Eut the belief that Great Britain IL
on the verge OF u crisis or even con-
fllet far greater than that In the Trans
vaal has many supporters, though the
lack OF all official confirmation favors
views that the remarkable
military and naval activity Ia due TO
a. desire TO take thorough precautions,
which, though ominous, have at pres
ent no special bearing upon Great Britt
aims European relations.
For instance, the "Fremdenblatt" or
Vienna to-day says: Nothing points to
the eventuality OF the intervention OF
Europe I'm favor OF the Beers"
The paper adds that Germany espe-
cially has resolved mot to depart from
her attitude Of neutrality"
on the other hand, the "Nues Weiner
Tageblatt" publishes a telegram from
the Transvaal Legation at Brussels an
that DR.. Leyds has received
formal assurances that France and
Russia will not permit Great Britain
to annex the Transvaal or the Orange
Free State. This is discredited, how
ever, as it is pointed out that even IT
this were the intention of the Powers
mentioned they would not allow their
hands to be shown prematurely through
the medium of DIR. Leyds. The Russian
may be somewhat response
BILE for the general impression in re-
gard to the European intervention. the
St Petersburg 'Russkija" advocating
that Great Britain can be brought TO
her senses by a naval demonstration in
South Africa in which France would
take the lead.
GENERAL SYMONS DOING WE'LL.
CAPE TOWN, Oct. 25.-Intelligence
received here yesterday from Natal
says the bullet has been extracted from
the wound of General Symons, who
was struck down while leading ms
troops at the battle of Glencoe, ana
that the patient is cheerful and doing
well.
Advices from Orange River. Cape Col
ony, near the Orange Free State border,
announce that the Beers have taken
Kripadam, near Barkley West, north
of Kimberly, and that Assistant Mag
istrate Marmsworth and his clerk are
prisoners. 1t is supposed that the
Beers are advancing on Douglas, fur
ther west, the inhabitants of which
place are asking for protection.