The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-02
RUMORED IN LONDON THAT LORD
FREE STATE CAPITAL
BOERS CONCENTRATING NEAR By

mandant JOubert's Combined
FOrceS-Relief of Ladysmith Ac-
cOmpMshed without Fighting,
Beers Having Left for Orange
Free State to Oppose Advance of
Lord ROberts-Lahy ysmith Gar
rlsOn In Pitiable COnditiOn-Great
Rejoicing Among Br1tOnS Every
where.
NEW YORK, March 1.-(Special "A
London cablegram says: ''If Lord Rob.
erts Is not now In Bloemfontein it Is be,
lieved he will be before many hours have
elapsed. 1t ts stated that he will make
the Orange Free State capital his base
for future operations, while Gen. Kit
chener attends to the matter of trans
portation at points leading to Bloemfon-
tein. The next big battle of the war
is expected to be fought near Bioem-
fontein, as the Beers are said to be con-
centrating in that vicinity and that they
will muster nearly $4,000 men,"
AN OVERWHELMING ARRAY.
LONDON, March 2.-Britons feel that
they are living in the precinct of mo-
mentous events. Tornadoes Of patriotic
excitement are whirling through the
country. Even the dullest soul must
have been stirred by the emotions Of
yesterday and London's 100000 were
raised to a high pitch of patriotic exhai-
tation. 1t Is a wonderful sight OLD
men have nothing In memory with
which to compare the day. Some likencc
1t to Lucknow, others likened 1t to the
fall of Sebastopol. 1t was a time of SIN
gu!ar abandon. The usual conventions
of society ceased to control and every
body knew everybody else, all Joining in
smiles or believing as their dispositions
moved them.
Lord Lansdowne chose the psychological
moment to announce estimates exceeding
e61, 100000, and rather startled the public
by unfolding the programme of the war
office to send out, in addition to the
$4,000 troops now afioat, $4,000 fresh sol,
ders. Lord Roberts will ultimately
have a force Of 2500O0.
An order has reached Woolwich for
the construction of 224 new guns, from
three Founders to twelve-inch guns.
OF these 140 are to be naval
guns. Already 25.OOo workmen are en-
ployed at the arsenal and 1900 more will
be engaged. These decisions to send out
more troops and to increase he homo
armament met with universal approval.
The Beers seem to have gotten quite
Lar Il
losing a gun or their baggage Van
Reenan's pass is only about twenty miles
from Ladysmith. The enemy had ar
tillery in action Tuesday and they prob
ably utilized both railways in retreat!ng,
sending the heavy pieces to Pretoria and
the lighter ones into the Free State.
NEXT FIGHTING GROUND.
Dr. Leyds says that Gen. Joubert is
assembling $4,000 men at Weinberg, sew
enty miles northeast of Bloemfontein.
Col. Albrecht,- according to a dispatch
from Paardeberg, affirms that the Beers
have $4,000 left.
Whether Lord Roberts Is at Bloem-
fontein now or not, he doubtless soon will
be dating his dispatches there and usine
the town as his advanced base.
Lord Kitchener's mission is to combine
the forces under Gems. Clements and
Gatacre and then advance along the line
of railway to Bloemfontein. The rail-
way will simplify immensely the Ler>
plexities OF transport.
The conditions at Ladysmith, suIne OF
which were explained by Charles Wills
Jams and cabled to the United States are
now better understood. as the military
authorities are no longer retaining their
special information. 1t appears that
since the middle Of January horses have
been half starved and were too weak
either to drag artillery or to carry cav
alrymen, making it impossible to dash
out
Emperor William, Emperor Francis
Joseph and King Humbert have tele-
graphed congratulations to the queen.
COL. ALBRECHTS CRITICISM.
PAARDEBERG, March 1-Col. AL
brecht describes the British strategy up
to the battle Of Magersfontein as stupid
and almost insane" He says there were
only 1000 men in Magersfontein trenches
and that only half of these were engaged
in actual fighting. He praises the strategy
of Lord Roberts, but says that the war
is by no means ended, as there are still
10000 republicans in the field Gen.
Cronjes surrender, according to Albrecht,
was due to a blunder IN locking up his
men in a hole, instead of occupying
kopjes,"
Commandant Wolmarans, however, con-
siders 1t hopeless for the Beers to con-
tinue fighting in the present circum-
stances.
"BOBS" PRAISES CANADIANS.
PAARDEBERG. March 1T appears
that action was about to begin with the
Boer relief forces at the moment of Gen.
Cronje's surrender, but Gen. Roberts for
bade it until all the prisoners should be
in safekeeping. LORD Roberts addressed