New-York tribune., 1901-01-14
De VETS SAVAGE ACT.
prvITLsION OF FEELING TOWARD THE
BOER GENERAL.
pFAcE DELEGATES FLoGGED IN HIS
LAGER AND ONE sHoT-NAvAL
PROGRESS OF EUROPEAN
POWERS
ccopyrieht: 1901: By The New-York Tcibune)
TBY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNEl

TBT CABLE TO THE TRIBUNEl
London Jan. IA. a. m.-For many months
,set the average Englishman has had a warm
sor,er in his heart for De Wet The pluck and
;ntrepidty of the dashing Free Slater and the
,ronderfuI manner in which he is carrying on
losing fight against overwhelming odds appeal
+o the finer instincts Of the people of this coun-
.-v who are sportsmen in the best sense of the
term As a matter Of fact, very little interest is
+sken in any engagement in which De Wet is
mt directly or indirectly engaged. and not even
a budget of alarming messages from Cape Town
about the invasion Of the Colony causes any
ching like the excitement which attends the news
NJ 2 raid on the British lines. whether success
fpI OF otherwise. by the commandant of the Boer
forces in the Orange River Colony. 1t is by no
means improbable, however, that a revulsion of
feeling Will be induced in England at all events,
toward the redoubtable enemy of the British
Empire by General Kitcheners latest dispatch.
Flogging as mode of punishment is distinctly
opposed 40 the code of civilized warfare, and the
British commanders announcement that by De
Vets orders three agents Of the Peace Com
mttee have been fogged in a Boer laager near
Idncley is sure I, call forth some hostile COM
rnent which will not be any less bitter because
one of the victims of this instance of petty
tyranny who was indeed, shot after being
Aogged, was a subject of Queen Victoria.
The announcement which is made by THE
Post" this morning that the scheme for raising a
colonial police force has been abandoned for the
present cannot, in the light of recent events
cause much surprise The rates of pay were not
considered tempting enough by the people liv-
ing in South Africa, and of 10000 men who ap-
plied in the United Kingdom to join the force
only five hundred or so We're selected S suit
able II will be remembered that IT was an
nounced from Pretoria early in October that
1900 police were TO be enrolled in the Trans
vaaI and Orange Free State under command Of
General Baden Powell a few days later the
Colonial Qfflce issued announcement to the
effect that recruiting was taking place in South
Africa only but in November the Government
asked for 1000 recruits from the mother
country, and in December they decided to in
crease this number to 5000 1t has now ap-
parently been agreed to drop the whole scheme
altogether and in order to meet the require
rnents of General Kitchener further enlistment
of Yeomanry viii be called for.
England, although the first naval Power in
the world, has not much to boast about in the
matter OF naval progress in 1900. Not a single
battleship was launched during the twelve
ronths-two first class armored cruisers, one
third class cruiser four sloops and eighty de-
stroyers completing the list-and real he
ginning has Yet been made with this years
programme except in the case of two new second
class cruisers. as the contracts for six new ar
mored cruisers have only just been given out,
and the first keel plates of two new battleships
viii not be laid till the enc of March. 1t is some
consolation to Englishmen to know that Frances
naval progress at the same time has been great
ly retarded owing 10 delay in delivering mate
rails Russia made great strides last year, and
in naval progress competition among the Powers
eha SiIzy dc he LIST coming
and Japan third, while England only secured
fourth place. Russia completed and commits
stoned two first class batteships, one first class
armored cruiser and eight destroyers. More
over. she launched three first class battleships,
one first class armored cruiser, one second class
cruiser, two third class cruisers and three de-
stroyers. The rapidity of Russian shipbuilding
was one Of the features Of the year. The ar
mored cruiser Gromobos, formidable vessel of
1900 tons. which only laid down at the
Baltic Works, St. Petersburg. in May, 1898. is
now route to China. n. T.