The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-07
MOVE BY METHUEN
1T WAS MADE JUST IN TIME TO
PREVENT A JUNCTION OF TWO
BOER COMMANDOs
M'DoElLD At KOPPIES DAM
BOERs ARE CONCENTRATING TO
PREVENT FURTHER ADVANCE
BY BRITISH FORCES
FIGHTING NEAR LADYsMITH

Continuous Cannonading, With tho
Occasional Roar of Long Tom
Buffers Forces Relieved to BE
Engaged, Though Not a Word Has
Been Received From Him-Fitx-
maurice Amendment Rejected.
LONDON, Feb. THE Standard has
received the following dispatch dated
Monday, Feb. s, from Koppies Dam:
Gen. Macdonald, with brigade Of in
fantry, regiment of Lancers and one
battery, has reached here from Modder
River camp, in what Is regarded as an
important movement to the right of the
Boer position at Magersfontein. Koppies
Dam commands the railway from Kim
berley to Hope Town and Douglass. Boer
laagers at Kumulahoek and Griquatown
are within striking distance. The arrival
of Gen. MacDonalds column was oppor-
tune, as it just prevented two large COM
mandoes effecting a junction. He now
holds both branches of the river.
"Our Lancers had two brushes with
the Boer patrols. There is great activity
among the enemy, and strong forces are
concentrating to oppose our further adj
vance. The troops suffered from heat
and scarcity Of water during the march"
ROAR OF CANNON.
MODDER SPRUIT, Feb 6.-Messages
from Ladysmith, dated yesterday, Feb.
s, say continuous cannonading has been
proceeding since o'clock in the morning,
with the occasional roar of long Tom.
The firing, 1t is added, continues.
NOT A WORD FROM BULLER.
LONDON, Feb. Lord Roberts has
caused to be distributed in the towns bor-
dering upon the invaded colonial territory
an invitation to Free Staters and Trans
vaalers to go into the desert, Offering
them good treatment and restoration
of their farms on the British occupation
of the territory. The manifesto guaran-
tees that those bringing horses can sell
them. Foreigners will have their passage
paid to Europe. Colonial rebels are ad-
vised to surrender In preference to be-
ing taken prisoners.
Not word has been received from the
correspondents with Gen. Butler for three
days. 1t is as though Natal had been
wiped off the map, excepting the hello
gram from Ladysmith saying that the
Beers are cannonading, and that fght-
ing is going on"
Gen. Macdonald, with 1850 infantry,
cavalry and artillery, threatens the Boer
right at Magersfontein. This is the first
sign of activity on the part of Lord Me-
thuen for several weeks, and doubtless
has relation to the movements of the
British further east
1t appears that Gen. French's visit to
Cape Town was to ask Lord Roberts for
1000 more men, Whether he got them
is not disclosed.
Troops are no longer detained at Cape
Town They proceed Immediately to some
point at the front Three thousand dis
embarked Monday and We're quickly sent
elsewhere. No pubic reception was gwen
to the arriving volunteers at Care Town,
because they had to leave Immediately.
AS Lord Roberts since the battle of Spion
Kop has had 10000 fresh troops to dispose
of, it is probable some have gone to Gen.
Buller.
BAYONET NOT EFFECTIVE.
In the absence of war news this
morning Spencer Wilkinson, in the Morn
ing Pest, discusses the question OF arm
ing the nation at home. He says:
There IS no such intense and wide-
spread interest in the army manage
ment that the nation has not Itself to
thank if the solving point should not be
the history of the next few months.
He proceeds to argue that "conscription
would be valueless unless the general
management OF the army was reformed.
On this point he says:
"a war office that for thirty years
has not known what to do with the vol
unteers would not know what to do
with half a million conscripts.
Mr. Wilkinson also discusses the use
of the bayonet, saying:
"This weapon very seldom comes into
actual USE Its effect is on the spirits
of both sides rather than on the bodies
of either The British, by using forma-
tions fit for charging but not for shoot
ing, have lost ten times as many men
as the Beers have lost by British bay
onetS.
AMENDMENT REJECTED.
The house of commons has rejected
Lord Edmund Fitzmaurice's amendment
to the address in reply to the speech
from the throne by $50 against the
amendment to, 139 in its favor.
BOERS ATTACK BRITISH
MoDDER RIVER, Monday. Feb. Son
Saturday the Pretoria corps discovered
party of British from Ladysmith In
trenched at a railroad bridge, protecting
a number Of coolies who were cutting
grass. A party of Beers dispatched to the
scene was attacted from the trenches,
and all retreated, except four who, hid
ing, permitted the British to advance to
within fifty yards, when they fred a vol
lev, killing three men. This was seen
from the British fort, which fired shell
and sent cavalry to assist the British. The
Beers beat these back, killing two men.
GERMANY STRICTLY NEUTRAL.
BERLIN, Feb 6.-With reference to the
attempt of French diplomacy and Journal
ism to induce Germany to join in move
ment against England in Egypt, a nigh
parsonage at the foreign office made the
following statement this morning:
Germany will not join movement to-
reopen the Egyptian question ASIDE
from the question whether France ana
Russia mean honestly, Germany is con-
yinced it would be unloyal and unfair to
seize a moment when England Is deeply
engaged elsewhere for such a STEP
DR.. Leyds spent the day at Weimar,
where he rendered his congratulations TO
the grand duke upon the sixtieth anniver-
sary of his joining the Prussian army.
He returned to Berlin this evening AS
he does not find time now to go to St
Petersburg, he will return to Brussels
x,,lara an enormous mass of correspond