The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-05-28
~ MILES FROM ETORII.
Position of British TrOops-situntion
Critical at Pretoria.


London, May %, 1920 a. m.-When
Lord Roberts wrote his first dispatch
on Transvaal territory yesterday short
ly after clock he was about forty-tWo
miles from johannesburg and seventy
seven miles from Pretoria. His i'm
mensely superior forces had passed the
Vaal river, their last great natural OBJ
stacle, at three points. The Vaal forms
a curve OF eight miles from Parys on
the west to Zand Drift on the east. The
concave of the curve is toward the Free
State. Thus Lord Roberts, advancing
along the railway, was in a position to
strike any part of the crescent by short
er lines than those by which the Beers
could reinforce the threatened points.
The Beers retreated almost without a
show of defense General French and
General Hamilton apparently did not
fire shot.
The EIrat 70 Gross.
or Lord Roberts immediate force
eleven men belonging to the Eighth
mounted infantry We're the first to ford
the river. They came upon a Boer pa
troll looting at Viljoens Drift and a slSir-
mish lasting ten minutes followed. Two
hundred Beers tried feebly to hold the
Vereeniging colliery but they were dis
lodged. The Boer rear guard is at
Meyerton, ten miles north of Vereenig-
ing. Their main body is moving to-
ward the Kip river hills that cover the
south side of Johannesburg.
situation Critical nt Pretoria.
While Lord Roberts $4,000 infantry,
10000 horse and $50 guns are moving on
T-l,- y
parched and deserted country, the situa-
tion at the Transvaal capital, as it was
last Friday, is thus described by an OBJ
server who sent his message by private
hand to Lourenzo Marques yesterday:
"irhe situation. both from military
and a political point of view, has be-
come very critical. President Kruger
yesterday admitted for the first time
that matters are very grave. The Boer
determination is to trust everything to
a last stand on the Cats Rand noun
aims, to the north of Potchefstroom,
where 1900 Kaffirs are digging trenches.
To that point every available man and
gun have been sent.
Boer Western Frontier DefenspIrss.
1.-THE whole of the western border of
the Transvaal from end to end is de-
fenseless, and General Baden-PoWell
can march in when he likes. Lord Rob-
erts, on the other hand, will encounter
the greatest resistance. The Boer en-
deavor is to lure the British into ap-
lpearing to threaten Johannesburg with
attack, an excuse thus being given
them for the destruction of property.
The Transvaal government will not
dare destroy the mines or property
without an excuse. Much dynamite
has been sent down the line, and 160,-
600 cases lie ready at zuurfontein, near
Johannesburg.
General Louis Botha and General
Lucas Meyer have pleaded for the pres
ervation of property. Both are large
landed proprietors and fear con1sca-
ton; but they have not received sat
isfactory replies from President Kru-
ger.
Meanwhile many French and Ger
man adventurers have come forward |
with schemes and Inventions for blow
ing up the British troops. Some of |
these have received a tacit permission |
of experiment. One German invention
is for use on railway where it lies per-
fectly concealed until the weight of
passing train eXplodes the charge.
Fear IGnomimy OF smrr nd,,.
General Lucas Meyer says surren- /
der would at once be proposed by the
Beers, but that everybody fears the ig
nominy Of being the one to make the
He declares that he is assur-
ed that his men will not stand. Presi-
dent Steyn and Mr.. Reitz, the Trans
vaal state secretary, are strongly op-
posed to peace, but Mr.. Kruger is not
so much against it, President kruger's
proclamation to the burghers asking
their votes for or against continuing
The war is understood to say that they
ean quit now with the prospect of re-
tanning their farms or continue to the
bitter end, Rumors are current in Lord
Roberts army that the Beers intend to
Several correspondents wire the Lon
don papers that there are 10000 for
eigners in the Boer ranks, but this is
hardly credible.