The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-03-17

ing can be said of the advance on
Bloemfontein beyond Lord Roberts
own dispatches. Nothing more has
been permitted to come through.
Doubtless Lord Roberts himself is fully
occupied with important military OPP
erations. The dispatch from Cape Town
saying that General French has ar
rived at Bloemfontein," probably does
not mean that he has entered the city.
Lord Roberts messages may mean
either that the Beers have cut the rail-
way to the north, or that the BRUSH
cavalry have done so. II the former
case, then it may be assumed that no
rolling stock has been seized, but by
general assumption the latter inter
probation is regarded as correct
This would greatly facilitate obtain
ing supplies from Orange river, an I'M
portant matter, as Lord Roberts line
of communication at MOdder bridge IS
now 10 miles long.
The Beers may make another light,
but there is little doubtSthat Lord ROB
erts will occupy Bloemfontein Wednes-
day. The Beers retiring from orange
river will find themselves between two
British armies. and their guns are al
most bound to fall into the hands OF the
British, while the occupation of the
capital of the Free State will strain
the alliance of the two republics TO the
utmost.
The government will not allow the
Kruger Steyn appeal to influence IN
any way their determination not 70
spare any effort to prosecute the war
There will be no diminution of meas
ures calculated to maintain the full et-
ficiency of the field force, and Whatever
reinforcements were previously consld-
cred advisable will still be sent out
Lord Salisbury'S reply meets WIN
unanimous approval among conSerVa-
tives. and it is the universal opinion
that the Beers. by their extravaganza
claims and canting tone. meant TO IN
fiuence foreign powers, however, again
overreached themselves, as they DID oy
the ultimatum ea1
The war office has received the 1ol-
lowing additional dispatch from Lord
Roberts at Venters Wei:
..There were 321 men wounded ana
about sixty or seventy were killed or
are missing.
wounds. Lieutenant Pratt OF the ES-
sex regiment was wounded severely.
The wounds are as a rule more serious
than usual owing to the expanding Dull
lots which are freely used by the Beers.
patch from Kimberley, dated TUESDAY
March 10: Lord Methuen occupied
Poshof on Sunday without opposition.
He left a garrison there and returned
.sThe railway and telegraph lines
have been repaired thirty miles north
ward to Slyp Kip. 1t is understood thaJ
line between Fourteen Streams and
Vryburg is not badly damaged.
IL riV-1.cs 70 n
ing Post from Durham, protesting
against the ceremonious treatment OF
General Cronje. He adds:
THE stern decision not to exchange
prisoners will undoubtedly accelerate
the end of the war. but it will prove
very hard and perhaps even dangerous
for the British prisoners in Pretoria.
.eThere is abundant evidence that the
Beers are becoming more cruel ana tnai
the war will enter darker phase. II
is very doubtful if the Boer government
will be able to control the wild passions
of the .exasperated ruffiians forming the
noisy part of the Boer forces in the
event of a siege of Pretoria, and the
position of the British prisoners would
then become precarious.
at have visited the dam which the
Beers began on Kip river below Lady
smith. If it had been completed it would
have submerged IntomDl camp, Where
there were 1000 sick.
Lady Sarah Wilson wires to the Daily
Mail from Mafeking, under date OF
March g. by native runner to Lobasti
March 8, as follows:
y"On Saturday, March 3, the Beers
furiously bombarded the brick fields
and trenches about a mile from the
town for three hours. killing one anC
wounding two colonials.
ION Monday. March 5. they made 9
determined attack. Owing to mis-
understanding the colonials evacuated
the foremost trench. This the Beers &C.