The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-04-13

COlonists Resist Attacks OF fOers and He.
Inducements Are En- Route-British
May Land Troops at Lour4nzo Marquee.
Work of Boer Peace Commission Begun
LONDON, April 13.-In roundabout
way London hears that Lord Roberts,
when wiring to the Prince of Wales at
Copenhagen congratulations on his es
cape from assassination, added two or
three sentences indicating an early ad-
vance with wide reaching combinations.
Quiet assurances are passed around
among military men that Lord Rob
erts is employing his great army eff
fectively and that adventurous Boer
commandoes are likely to be enmeshed.
Scraps of news-a detail here and an
other there-have reached England
today over comparatively idle cables,
but they do not illuminate the situation
The colonials at Wepener still hold
off the Beers. Lord Methuen has
worked eastward until he is within so
miles of Kroonstadt. Boer scouts have
gone around Ladysmith and have ap-
peared at Dewdrop and other places on
General Buffers flank and the officers
of Buffers horse estimate the Beers in
Natal at $4,000, but these figures are
probably excessive, 10000 appearing an
outside estimate. After Hart's brigade
leaves him General Butler will still
have close on 81, 900 men. 1t is gener-
ally assumed 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 Beira
route for the transportation of troops to
Rhodesia may, after the Beers act
against Portugal, lead Great Britain to
land troops at Lourenzo Marquee. This
possibility has been seriously discussed
and is referred to at length in the morn
ing papers today.
The work of The Boer peace commits
sion has begun. Mr.. Fischer has asked
Italy to intervene and the Italian min
lister of foreign affairs, the Marquis Di
Visconti Venosta, has replied that while
he would receive the ENJOYS, the best
he could do would be to transmit their
proposals to London, thus following, the
course Of the United States.
1t is estimated that Lord Roberts now
has 214,0O0 effective troops, with $4,000
more af1oat or under orders. The war
office has instructed officers not to take
any more expanding bullets to Africa
for revolvers.
Hiyard Steyn, brother of the presi-
dent, in the course of an interview at
Bloemfontein, said: "The original war
plan Of the Beers was to overrun all
Cape Colony, but on becoming involved
in the sieges of Kimberley and Lady
smith, the burghers found the design
spoiled. To this I attribute the Boer
failure to conquer the British. expect
the war to last until Christmas.
The seventh month Of the war is be-
ginning with Eastertide, and all the
morning papers expatiate on the need
OF seriousness.
A dispatch to the Daily Mail from
Lourenzo Marquee, dated Wednesday,
says: "It is reported from Pretoria that
a Boer commando is moving through
Basutoland. This is said to be clever
ruse to draw the British away from
Wepener. Olivier's commando is mov-
ing in the direction of Smithfeld Five
different laagers are located between
Bethani and the Kaffir river, parallel to
the railway IL miles eastward. About
1900 foreigners constitute the new for
eign legion in Pretoria, including some
Cossacks in uniform. Several fresh re-
cruits left here for Pretoria today, in
Guiding French captain, brother of the
| late General de Villebois- Mareuil'
The Bloemfontein correspondent of
the Times, telegraphing Thursday, says
"The latest news is that Colonel Dal-
gety's force occupies position outside
Wepener, while the Rockville com
mando occupies the town itself. Lieu
tenant Nix, the Dutch military attache,
who was wounded at Kroonspruit, died
1 TODAY under an OperatiOno -