The Saint Paul globe., 1900-05-25
LORD ROBERTS ADVANCE FROM
THE RHENOSTER RIVER WILL
BE DELAYED
BOZRS DESTROY ALL BRIDGES
FREE SKATERS COMPLAIN OF THE
WANTON ACTS OF THEIR
TRANSVAAL ALLIES
B0ER PLANS ARE UNKNOWN
Embargo Upon News From Pretoria
Has Been Complete of Late
Supplies Entering Mafe-
king by Rail.

LONDON May 25.-Lord Roberts in
fantry advance is delayed at the Rhenos-
ter river, for a day or two, by the depth
Of the stream, which is not fordable. The
banks, which are precipitous, are forty
feet high. A pontoon and temporary
bridge constructions are under way. The
railway has not been damaged to any
great extent between Kroonstad and
Rhenoster.
The Transvaalers have offended the
Free Staters by destroying their splendid
bridges when retiring to Kroonstad. They
refrained from doing this on the retreat
to Rhenoster. but they are destroying the
railway and bridges almost completely
north of the Rhenoster. The British
troops are in the form Of a crescent with
horns thirty miles apart, with Gen.
French's cavalry on the left, within TWEEN
ty-three miles of the Vaal, and Gen. Ian
HamiltOn's mounted men on the right,
within thirty miles Of the Vaal The cen
ter of the crescent is apparently forty
miles from the VaaI. Seventy OF eighty
miles to the left Lord Methuen is ad-
vancing up the Vaal. Boer kilograms say
that 1900 British with forty guns are
near Vreydeford, which is close to the
Vaal, and near Heilbron.
The Free Staters are pictured as ''bolt
ing like hares" at the first sight of the
British. The latter, according to one
writer, do not even find women and
children, as the fleeing farmers take their
families with them, In consequence of the
reports current among the TransvaaIers
that the British llidnap all children over
twelve years of age.
The BOer rear guard was composed Of
Russians, to whom was committed the
task of destroying the bridges. They also
looted freely.
BOER PLANS A MYSTERY.
What the Beers are doing is an ahso-
lutte mystery. The embargo of news out
of Pretoria for the last twenty-four hours
has been complete. Such shreds Of in
formation as the correspondents at Lour-
emo Marques have picked up do not
illuminate the Boer designs and dispo-
sitiOn further than that the movement
towards Lydenberg continues and the
referendum concerning the continuing of
the war goes on among the Boer fighting
men. 1t may be a fortnight before the
results Of this singular vote are finally
before the Transvaal government. If the
view of Boer encouragement is one half
right the Beers will vote to quit
In Natal Gen. DartneIIs volunteers oc-
cupied Mt. Prospect Monday. Lord Dun,
donald's cavalry is at Firmstones, near
IngOgO. His infantry rests at Schoens-
hcogte. The names are all Of fateful
memory in the first Boer war. The Brit
ish face Laing's Mex, where the Beers,
through the range glasses Of the British
are occasionally visible.
In the march across the Biegarsbere
all the farms except one were found va
cant.
A temporary bridge has been finished
at Waschbank Trains now go to Dun
dee. Gen. Butler said the hest wav to
celebrate the queens birthday was to re-
pair the railway to Newcastle, and every
man was put to work.
Earl de la War;, who was supposed to
have been captured at the time of the
disaster that befell the squadron of Beth
uen's horse, contrvcd to escape. He laid
all night with wounded leg, behind an
ant-heap, reaching the camp next day.
AS the railway is now open north of
Mafeking an abundance Of provisions Is
entering the town, plenty of flour and
meat, and few luXuries. The telegraph
messages viii probably come from Mafe-
king direct over the northern route in
Gay two.
South Africa has another infliction. An
extraordinary issue of the Gazette at
Durham, announces the death of an East
Indian from the bubOnic plague. The
government has put into force the most
stringent preventive measures, but fears
are expressed that the pestilence may get
among the troops.
GOLD PAYMENTS SUSPENDED.
The TransvaaI national bank has sus,
pended gold payments under authorize
tion from the government, requiring the
acceptance of bank notes. The institu-
tion has large assets, apparently, in Lon
don. One hundred and fifty thousand
pounds were seized at Cape Town and
&25,GO0 "a Durham. Mr.. Lucan, chairman
Of the London committee of the bank.
says:
The Transvaal government is laying
hands on every ounce of gold it can fire
in the country. The government has
nothing to lose and everything to gain
thereby. Financial circles here are inter
ested in many ways, principally whether
the Transvaal I. o. US will be redeemed -
The Birmingham Argus which keeps in
pretty close touch with the colonial Of
flee, says:
I'VE understand that a general election
will be ordered as soon as Lord Roberts
obtains an additional success. The gov
# wishes to do with the conquered re.
publics"
BOERS WITHOUT HOPE.
At a stop the war meeting in London
this evening William Stead remarked that
the BOer delegates now in the United
States told him they We're prepared to ac-
cept peace on any terms compatible with
independence, and asked If it was any
good attempting to Lord Salisbury,
TO which Mr.. Stead replied that it was
useless to do so unless they were prepar-
ell to surrender their independence; 50 the
delegates proceeded to America, ''T here
they have met with so mueh coldness
in oficialdom as to excite the exulta-
tion of those who are determined to
throttle the little states to DEATH
LITTLE RESISTANCE EXPECTED.
Gen. French has reached Prospect Sta
ton. about five miles north of Rhenoster
river The Beers are retreating straight
on the Vaal. "A dispatch from Rhenoster
dated Wednesday, May 23, 7:45 %. M.
says:
THE general opinion is that we will
arrive at Pretoria as fast as we can
march, though the Beers announced 10 all