The sun., 1900-04-12
GENERAL RUMBLE.

erly, which had been reported missing
since April Z, has returned safely"
Lord Roberts does not mention the al
legged British reverse ON Saturday ut
Meerkatsfontcin. The Boer reports are
discredited at the war Office here. 1t is
pointed out that AIeerkatsfontein in one
message is located near Brandfort and in
another southeast of Bloemfontein. The
distance between Brandfort and Bloem-
fontein is more than 100 miles.
A dispatch from Aliwal North dated
April 10 says that the British loss in the
fighting at Wepener on Monday was IL
killed and Al wounded.
Gatacre Superseded.
A Bloemfontein dispatch says:
General Gatacre, the commander of
the Third division, is about to return to
England. General PoleCarew has been
appointed to the command of the Elev-
enth division. Several changes are like
ly to he made in the brigade commands"
General Gatacre's return TO England
is accepted as being in the nature of II
recall, although no reason is given for ii,
and will be associated in the public mind
with his lack Of success. Lord Roberts
criticised his management of the Storm
berg attack, and possibly the fact that
the general arrived an hour and Il half
too late to rescue the Reddersburg force
may have decided his fate. General
Rumble will probably succeed General
Gatacre.
The Reuter- Telegram company's CORE
pondent at Aliwal North says:
"There is no further news from We
pener. Too cloudy to heliograph. More
British troops are arriving"
II xa1 lx.,N N1x.x N,,.,
ments have formally notified Portugal
that they consider the shipping of Brit
ish troops and munitions of war to
Rhodesia by way of Reira, Portuguese
East Africa, to be tantamount to hostile
action. This, however, will not stop
General Sir Frederick Carrington's force
from entering Ikhodesia. Whether or not
the Beers will make reprisals upon Port
ugal remains to be seen, though the best
informed opinion here inclines to the be-
lief that the Beers are not likely to back
up their protest with action that would
bring them into hostilities with still an
other power.
A dispatch from Colesberg, Cape Col
ony, says:
"In view of the state of unrest across
the border Lord Roberts has proclaimed
warning to Cape Colonists that further
acts of hostility will be treated with the
| utmost rigor of martial law"
The war office has issued return of
| the total British casualties up to April Z.
| 1t is as follows: Killed in action, 211
officers and 1860 men; died of wounds,
4S officers and 465 men; missing and
prisoners, 16S officers and 3,122 men:
died of disease, Al officers and !, ,4S5 men,
accidental deaths, 3 officers and 81 mem;
repatriated invalids, 2SS officers and
4,934 men; total, 1896, exclusive Of the
sick and wounded now in hospital.
The Powerful Home.
The British first class cruiser Power
full, whose brigade did such splendid
service in the defense of Ladysmth, ar
rived at Portsmouth and was received
with immense enthusiasm by thousands
of people. The whole town appeared to
be in the neighborhood of the waterside,
which was lavishly decorated with bunt-
ing, while the Notifications and other
points of vantage We're thronged with
cheering crowds, waving flags.
| The warships in the harbor were ablaze
with bunting, and their crews manned
ship and cheered and cheered again as
| the Powerful entered. The babel of
sounds caused by the bands the cheering
and the shrieking of the sirens was deaf
ening.
The first lord of the admiralty. Mr..
George ]. Goschen; Admiral Sir Michael
Culme-Seymour, the commander in chief
at Portsmouth; Lord Durham, and others
welcomed Captain Lambton, his officers
and crew.
A dispatch received here announces the
arrival of the steamship Monterey of the
Elder Dempster line at Cape Town from
Halifax with the Strathcona horse and
the Canadian relefs on board. The men
were all well, but the report says that
1863 horses died ON the voyage.
Rudyard Kipling has sailed from Cape
Town for England.
The brother of the late General de
yiliebois Mareuil has received a cable
message in Paris from State Secretary