The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1900-02-09
NO NEWS OF BULLER
NOTHING BUT SPECULATION AS TO
HIS MOVEMENTS.
Large Operations Are Apparently
About to Begin in the Western
Field-Gen. French Returns From
His Conference With Lord Rob
Large Force to Seize NOrvaPs
Point - Occupation of NOrvaFa
Point Would Render COlesberE
Untenable for the Beers.

London, Feb. 7.-Military opinion in
London continues to assume from very
slender materials that Gea. Butler is
again throwing his army against the
Boer works. A retired general. Sir
William Henry Green, whose distin-
guished career gives weight to his
opinion, says that Butler, with his 25,-
600 men, is making a detour to the
north and west in order to avoid the
toughest parts Of the country. AS Gen.
Butler must have some thousands of
wagons, Sir William points out that
the advance must be necessarily slow.
No authentic news is at hand save
that the war Office affirmed orally to
newspaper inquirers at a late hour last
night that it could not confirm the re.
ported advance. 1t is from the West
ern field that the most definite state
meEts come. Large operations are ap-
parently about to begin. Gen. French,
who has now apparently returned to
Rersberg from his conference with
Lord Roberts, has sent what is de-
scribed as an overwhelming force of
infantry to seize Norvaps Point. This
is where the railway, before it was de-
stroyed, crossed the Orange river and
connected with the Free State trunk
line to Bloemfontein. Norval's Point
Is nineteen miles north Of Colesberg
and twenty-five miles from Gen.
French's headquarters at Rensberg.
The Beers at Colesberg have been in
danger of being surrounded by the
largely reinforced and extending lines
of the British. An occupation of Nor
vals Point in force would presumably
render Colesberg untenable. The
Beers are
Showing Great Activity
in the Nuauwpoort and Colesberg dis.
tricts. Many of the guns formerly
captured from Gen. Methuen are be-
lieved to have gone to Norvars Point.
The British may find formidable bodies
of Beers there.
The admiralty announce that fifteen
transports will be dispatched between
now and Monday with 10000 troops,
including the Fourth cavalry brigade,
militia battalions, 5000 yeomanry.
with 2SO horses and thirteen guns.
|, These 1900 are not included in the
'18, 1000 scheduled to be due in South
Africa by the 26th The Eighth di-
vision Of 10000 men is available for
service. Sir Alfred Miner, in letter
written three weeks ago to the former
lord mayor of Belfast. said the war
would last three OF four months longer.
Sir Alfred has sent most hopeful ana
encouraging reports to the government
respecting the prospects Of the cam
paign, and it is understood his views
are shared by Lord Roberts.
The censorship seems to have COM
pletely shut down the correspondents
at Spearman's Camp. No dispatch
from that point appears in this morn
ings papers and nothing has been al
lowed through since Sunday. The
Times correspondent at Queenstown,
Cape Colony, dated Monday, Jan. 29,
says Lord Brabant, addressing body
of colonial troops on parade ground,
said they were leaving for the front
next day. not to return, he hoped, until
they had successfully carried the ope-
rations. He could not disclose the
plans, but he said the greatest glutton
among them for fighting would have
his full.
Inspected by Webster Davis.
Lourenzo Marques, Feb. 7.-Webster
Davis, the assistant secretary of the
interior, accompanied by a party of
friends, is at the head laager of the
Beers at Ladysmith and is closely In
specting the camps and positions
around the besieged town. The Ger
man consul at Pretoria, Herr Bier
mann, is accompanying Mr.. Davis on
his trip to the Boer head lager.
Steyn and Kruger Protest.
Cape Town, Feb. 7.-President Steyn
and President Kruger have communi-
Gated with Lord Roberts, the British
commander-in-chief, protesting against
the destruction of farms and the de-
vastation of property. Lord Roberts,
in replying, said the charges were not
sustained, adding that wanton de-
struction of property was contrary to
British practice.