The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-05
SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA.
BOERS ARE PREPARING FOR DE-
FENSIVE OPERATIONS.

They Are Likely to Oppose Lord
Roberts at Abraham's I<raaI-That
Is a Natural Point of Concentra-
don-Ladysmith Was Near TO star
vatiOn when Relieved - English
May Meet Many DimcuIties in
Operation in the BOer Country.
London. March 3, 1850 a. m.-Her Males
ty has abandoned her intended visit TO the
Italian Rivera and has decided to remain
g. home.
Her decision to give up her customary
spring holiday is accounted another proof
Of her deep interest in and devotion to the
welfare of her people. On Thursday she
will come to London for a brief visit re-
naming until Saturday, ana she will un-
doubtedIy receive splendid ovation Her
heartfelt, homely dispatches 10 the gem
erals in the field and her visit to Netlev
Hospital have greatly endeared her to her
people.
Beyond the signs of a general retreat of
the Beers throughout Cape Colony there Is
little news from the front. Lord Roberts,
in his dispatches to the war office thus far
published, says little but ne is undoubted-
Iy active in some direction.
BOers on the Defensive.
The Onsland, the organ of the Afrikan-
der Bund. says:
The Beers will now confine themselves
TO the defensive, abandoning an offensive
policy"
Abraham's kraal as shown in the war
office maps is a group of three kopjes
situated al The junction of Kraal Spruit
with Modder river 1t is a natural point
OF concentration, which the Beers could
make exceedingly strong, but, after the
proofs of the mobility of the army of
Lord Roberts, it may be doubted whether
they will make a really serious attempt
10 bar his advance there.
noticeable feature of all the recent
operations at the thea{er of war has been
the active employment of colonial forces
which is in marked contrast with the poi
icy adopted at the beginning of the war
The AustrallaA colonies have decided to
provide $500 men, Mr.. Chamberlain re-
Gently asked for.
Il is now seen how near Ladysmith was
10 starvation and the exhaustion of am
munition The town could hardly have
held out much longer. The Daily News
has a dispatch from Ladysmith, which
says that the supplies on hand were only
enough to provide fun ratons for four
days. The town might have held out an
other week, bur scarcely beyond that.
Looking for Fight.
A dispatch to the Times from Osfontein,
dated March ., dilates upon the 'increas-
ing difficulty of telegraphing as the army
advances through the enemy's country"
The correspondent says:
Forage for horses is almost unobtain-
u6le on the journey. The whereabouts of
the enemy is not exactly known, but the
NOBLE commanders are lowering around
our army We anticipate opposition at
Abraham kraal thirty miles east of
laardeberg, where Gen JOubert is report
- collecting a force from the whole of
the Ladysmith forces, with the Northeast
eru Free Staters.
President Steyn arrived at the Boer
camp az Abraham's kraal on the morning
OF Feb. n and harangued the burghers,
"Nhorung them to remember Majuba and
10 deliver Cronje.
The Standard says:
We believe that negotiations for Eng
lands acquisition of a port in Portuguese
East Africa, giving easy access to Rho
desia, are on foot, and are likely TO sue
ceed, in view of the turn the war has
taken"