The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-04-13
WAITING FOR
A Big BATTLE
Roberts Said to Have Indicated
a General Advance Soon.
VIVID SKETCHES OF THE WAR
Death Of Baden.POweIl UneOnfrmed and Is
Not Believed Ia EngIand.~A Trm.
sndOus Army Now In South
Africa.

| LONDON. April 10. 4:I5 a. m.--In q
roundabout way London hears that
Lord Roberts. when wiring to the
Prince Of Wales at Copenhagen, con-
graduating him upon his escape from
assassination. added TWO or three hope
full sentences portending an early ad-
vance with a wide-reaching comblna-
tion.
Quiet assurances are passed around
among the military men that Lord
Roberts is employing his great army
effectively and that the adventurous
Boer commanders are likely to be en-
meshed. Scraps Of news--a detail here
and another there-have reached Eng
land tonight over comparatively idle
cables but they do not illuminate The
situation.
The colonials at Wepener stilI hold
of the Beers. Lord Methuen has work.
ed eastward until he Is now within 50
miles Of Kroonstad. BOer scouts have
gone around Ladysmith and have ap-
peared at Dewdorp and other places
on General Buffers TANKS and rear.
officers Of Buffers Irregular horse es-
timate the Beers in Natal at $1,000 but
these igures are probably excessive,
10000 being regarded here as the out
side number.
After General Hart's brigade leaves
him. General Butler will still have close
upon $500 men. It is generally as
sumed that this brigade is going TO
join Lord Roberts but its destination
is really unknown.
The Boer note to Portugal regarding
the use by the British Of the Beiera
route for the transportation Of troops
TO Rhodesia may, IL the Beers act
against Portugal. lead Great Britain
to land troops at Lourenco Marques.
The work Of the Boer peace commits
sioners has begun NJ. Fischer as
asked Italy to intervene and the Ital-
ian minister of fereign affairs, Marquis
Di viscounte Venosta. has replied that
while he would receive ENJOYS. the best
he could do would be to transmit their
proposals to London, thus following
the course of the United States.
1t is calculated that Lord Roberts
now has 2l4.OOO effective troops. with
Il, 900 more afioat or under orders. The
war office has instructed the officers
not to take any more expanding bull
let's to Africa for revolvers.
a special dispatch from ElandsIaag-
te, dated yesterday, says:
Fighting was renewed beyond
Elandslaagte this afternoon. The Boers
steadily advanced upon the British
positions. There was continuous rifle
fire and the Beers big guns were in
action. The British replied effectively,
and after two hours fighting the Beers
were checked.
PRETORIA. April 12-Advices from
Wepener, where the British force Is
surrounded, say the battle continues
favorable to the federals About / 800
British troops are said to be there.
Heavy cannonadlng was heard this
morning in he direction of Bullfontein,
situated midway between windburg
and Boshof, in the Orange Free State.
and north of Brandfort.
LONDON, April r. Elandslaagte
and Wepener still monopolIxe atteh-
ton. At both places series of in
decisive actions are occurring. The
Boer report of the fighting on April 10
at Elandslaagte, AYERS that the advance
on the British camp was made with
the loss of only three mules and two
horses, while the British losses, says
the same report, must have been heavy
The bombardment lasted all day.
Nothing has been learned regarding
the rumor of Colonel Baden PowelPs
death. nor is there anything tending 10
show how long the general advance
toward Pretoria will be delayed.
The announcement OF the. reoccupa-
ton of Smithheld by the burghers. lust
received, is no news, as the small Brit
ish force at that place withdrew AFTER
the Reddersberg affair.
LONDON, April 5.-Mr. Bennett prr-
leigh, writing to the Daily Telteranh
under date Of March 6. says:
Our friend. the willy Boer, IL al h,e
own eongenial game along our front
Every rough kopje and defensive posI-
tion he is industrlousIy fortifyine
have ridden out and seer aim ,l;rni...
trenches. building stone walls erect
ins sandbag redoubts. mounting can.
non and preparing to receive us n the
direction he hopes we shall advance
For such country he has made cho.ca
Of the strongest possibi4 iin=e .sr -
miles he is entrenchlng southwarl
from the Modder skip from rn,e. u