The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-02-08
A MERCENARY's LETTER.
He Was Recently Major in the Ger
 man Army.

He Was Recently Major in the Ger man Army.
 I have now been for ten weeks em- pIoyed in the operations against the l English generals Symons, White and Butler, and so unsystematic are the pro- ceedings, so impractical, so illogical, and, in consequence, so unprolific the proceedings of these generals, as equal | ly are those of the Baron Methueu, 1 that I cannot refrain from regarding | them wiSh ceaseless wonder. In ths extraordinary war the enemy's generals' | have behaved in manner which must | seem incredible to those who have not l been hers to see for themselves. But | It me ieave generalities and come to I facts. When the government of Preto- | ria had sure information from Doctor | Leyds that Lord Saliesbury and MT. | Chamberlain had made their plans for l sending to Natal reinforcement of some infantry battalions Colonel Koh- ner late of the Fourteenth Field Artil-
 lery, and myself went down to the Eng fish colony and remained there until week after the issue of the ultimatum by President Kruger. Thus we were dDlG to DIlu6 UdCh d uSelul lcpOit uPoi
 almost every point affecting the re-
 sources, organization and morale of our
 future opponents.
 Although we lived nearly three
 months In Ladysmith, Pietermaritz- burg and Durban, we, strange as. 1t does now seem, were never recognized
 or the least suspicion raised as to the
 real nature of our business. I should
 like to hear what some of our good com-
 rades at Kiel, Strasburg, or other of our
 frontier fortified towns would think of
 the chances of couple of French off,
 cers taking up their residence for some
 months in German military center
 when war was impending with France,
 and remaining undiscovered. Apropos
 of French officers Major C., former
 ly of the French foreign legation, was
 sent upon a similar mission to Cape
 Town Being an Irishman, he escaped
 attracting the slightest inconvenient mo-
 tice. Truly, the English are the most
 unsuspicious peoples under the sun.
 We are cosmopolitan band of good
 brothers-in-arm here around Lady
 smith. There is first in rank General
 Count Georges Villebois de Maureuil,
 WHO WAS ldlGly CUlOltl COllllllclullIS IlC
 First regiment of the far-mamed for
 eign legation of the French African
 army. This distinguished officer speaks our own language very well, as also he
 does English. He treaas us Germans
 with marked courtesy, as, indeed, do
 all Of his confreres, numbering thirty
 seven. Some of these are territorial of ficers, and I must confess in profession
 al qualifications they, in my opinion, 1ank far below those of our sergeants. Of retired officers of the French active army, there are at present on the pay- rolls fourteen; eight are with old MT. Joubert, three with our friend Albrecht who is keeping the Baron Methuen amused, and the others are in charge of the ammunition supplies-a duty which cannot be intrusted to Boer off, cers in consequence of their utter want of method. The ammunition supply has been very well looked after up to the present, and only on two occasions here at this siege have we been allowed to run short of shell, and ill each of these l