The gold leaf., 1900-04-12
ROBERTS INACTIVITY.
DIssATIsFACTlON EXPREssED AT
HIS UNACCOU DELAY
Which Enables the Beers to Recover
by His Former Movements The
Beers Tryin. to Cagc the Conn
mander.in.Ch Chief and His Amy
The Enemy at Several Places In the
Nefghborh Ood OF BlOemfOnteir.

ed here at the unaccountaole delay,
both at Bloemfontein and in Natal,
which enables the Beers to recover
from the Generalization caused by
Lord Roberts former movements.
The enemy evidently now nope to re
tard the advance by Threatening the
railway behind Lord Roberts. 81 far
as the Natal railways are concerned,
repairs are being made beyond
Elandslaagte, and the idea, so often
repeated, is that an advance is immi-
nent.
A dispatch to the Daily Telegraph
from Ladysmith says that the Boci
investing positions reveal immense
strength, ingenious construction and
immunity from the British shrapne!
and lyddite fire.
A dispatch from Ladysmith to the
Daily Chronicle gives serious news CT
the outbreak of deadly lung sickness
among the oxen, which, if it spreads.
is likely to cripple General Buffers
operations.
From LOUrenZo Marques comes the
report that Mr. Steyn has been ap-
pointed commandant Of the Free State
forces.
Although Colonel Plumer is reported
to have gotten within six miles Of
Mafeking it is evident that the siege
had not been raised on April 1st. To-
ward the end of this month Colonel
Plumer will be reinforced by the troops
now going by way of Beira, so that re-
lief cannot be far distant.
London, April 6.-The BlOemfontein
correspondent of the Daily Mail says:
90 4 lix-ic ct
has arrived from the southwark and
has encamped five miles north of the
city, after a continuous march for a
fortnight There is no danger of a wa
ter famine here. An important en-
gagement lasting several hours was
fought yesterday afternoon at Bosnian
KOp between the Beer and British out
| posts. At a meeting Of the Army
| Temperance Association Monday Lord
| Roberts made speech urging the SOL
| diers to join the association. He eulo-
| giZed their splendid work, adding that
| the entire army had been members Of
| the association while along the Modder
| river as water was all they had to
| drink and sometimes there was very lit
| tie of that"
| London April 5.-1:55 p. ma special
| dispatch from Lorenzo Marques says
| sharp fighting occurred April I'd in the
| neighborhOod of Mafeking. The garri-
| son made a sOrtie. while Colonel Plum
| er's cavalry attacked the Beers at
| Rama thlabama. Both attacks were re-
| pulsed.
| Twenty of Colonel Plumer's men were
| found dead on the field and six others
| We're made prisoners. The Federal
| losses were small.
| Pretoria, April 3.-In the fight OF
Ramathla bama. March 31st, the fol-
lowing We're taken prisoners: Captains
| Crewe, Duncan Robertson and Nc
| Laren: Crewe and Duncan-RObertSOn
have since died; staff officers Cecil and
| Granville and nine soldiers. of whom
six were wounded The prisoners all
belonged to Colonel Plumer's Rhode
sian force. Thaba N'Chu is now in pos
session of the Federals
| Forty-one British subjects were es-
corted across the border this morning.
| London. April st is thought the
officer named Cecil. captured at
Ramathla bama, Is not Lord Salisbury s
son. Lord Cecil as the dispatch says he
belonged to Colonel Plumer's force, and
If the Beers had captured the Premier S
son they would assuredly herald the
fact.
i Detached bodies of Boer horse, num-
| bering from 500 to 1000 each. have ap-
| peared at several places to the south
| ward and eastward of BlOemfOntein,
| nication by rail and wire is not in the
| least affected. One of these forces Is
! near Springfontein. on the east Bloem-
| fontein railroad. and General Gatacre's
| forces are reported be about to en-
gage 1t. Lord Roberts. except to safe
guard the railroad. seemingly declines
to send columns chasing the BoeI
bands. He is reservir his cavalry and
transport animals for the forward
movement Explanations having indi-
rect origin in the w r Office to why
Lord Roberts is inac We are that there
has been a lack O. horses for re-
| mounts. but new 10 are arriving by
train loads hour. The pressure on the
| railroad is So great that private par
| GELS and the officers newspapers have
not been forwarded from Cape Town
| for three weeks.
The situation in the Free State re-
| mains far from clear and is unsatisfac-
tory to British observers. The sickness
among the Boer prisoners at Simons
town continues to increase. Five mer
| died April Sd. The prisoners who were
on hoard the transport Mongolian have
been transferred to the shore camp
Unless the sickness abates, it is no,
| likely that more prisoners Will be sem
to st. Helena.