Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-06-12
THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.
To Conquer the Beers Costs Great Bril-
tain ST., liza, 10000 In Materials and
$4,000 in Men and Over Two
Years and Half Of Effort.

October II, 1899, ar began in South Africa
in consequence of the British govern
ment's official refusal 'even to consider
the peremptory demands of the Transvaal
government" These demands issued Oc-
tcher called on England to arbitrate diff
ferences with the TTansvaal to withdraw
all their troops from South Africa and to
reply within forty-oight hours.
COST OF THE WAR.
The price that Great Britain has paid
for its conquest of the South African r.
publics in money including the military
appropriations for South Africa to the
end of the fiscal year, Sll1i,1JO.OO0.
Price paid in men. officers and privates,
9S 90 in gross loss from injuries in field
and disease. with a net absolute deduc-
ton of British forces amounting to %5O
men, of which number the dead total up
to % 800, and the missing and prisoners"
and the unfit invalids" 1000.
Great Britain's absolute loss In men
amounts to more than one-half of the
number of troops. 50,N0. with which Brit
ish military experts in 1899 believed the
Boers could be conquered In three
months war at cost of S50,oO0.ooo.
The war has lasted nine times as long
ne the British War Office anticipated. has
cost twenty-five times as much in money
land has involved Mt its maximum an army
was originally calculated as equal to the
task of bringing the Beers to terms The
maximum British force OF 2S0,Qo0 men Is
about five times the maximum Boer force,
estimated at about GD0c0 men. and Is al
most equal in numbers to the entire Boer
population of the Transvaal and the
Orange Free state.
| The Roer forces, according TO British esti-
mates, at their maximum, were Free stat
| ers, % ,OC0: foreigners. 1000; Cape Colony
and Natal rebels, 5000 By the end OF Feb
ruary, 1901, ! ! 900 of this force were dead.
| l6 900 were prisoners and 20,6OO were still In
the field. BY November. 1901. 1000 were
estimated still to be in the field and with
a total Boer loss of killed. captured and
surrendered of zoos between November b.
1901. and May s. 1902 only N2 Beers were
officially TAT large" when the peace nego-
! tiations were concluded.
The actual cost Of the war to the Beers
| in morev is unknown: nor are their losses
in the field known with any degree of ac-
curacy. IL the total Of Sc 90 Boer prison
ers in British hands he correct, the net
less OF killed and missing among the Beers
estimating the Boer force Mt $1,000 will
reach to 24G0O.
The total number OF men involved or
both sides during the war amounts &c
nearly $4,000
Duration of the war from the Invasion oil
Natal by the Beers on October II, 1890, &c
acceptance of the British terms ON May 81
1902, two years and seven months.
WHAT GREAT BRITAIN GETS.
In exchange for this expenditure of mer
and material Great Britain secures in the
u Trapsvaal a state with an area or ll''lE
j square miles, about equal to New Mexico
Il 1921 $50 square miles. with a white nopula
ton estimated at go 600 before the war
The main resources of the Transvaal are
its gold deposits which produced an aver
age of ssD,0O00O0 a year Just before tho
war, and which are capable, 1t Is believed
i Of q greater yield. since the available golt
still in the Witwatersrand reefs has beer
estimated to amount to $S,5oNOOOO
u In the Orange Free State less riof
prize is secured The State has an area OF
rs, 362 square miles, but little smaller
than Louisian1s 4S,72O square miles, and III
white population before the war. was no
much over 5000 The main industries are
agricultural, but its diamond mines yielC
about E,5oo,ooo in gems annually
LEADIN INCIDENTS.
i October. y ovcmber, 1S99-The Beers un
der Joubert invade Natal and OH Oct, %
at the battlet of Dundee, make their frs
L capture of British troops, which Is fol
lowed by further captures on October 80
4 and the investment of Ladysmith on No
vember l. Mafcking and Kimberley ar
also investedrby the Beers and the Brit
ish advance from Cape Colony Is checked
at all points. Butler arrives at Cape Tow
!, and leaves at once for Natal.
}, December l0-l7, 1S'9-The Black Weel
OF the War" for the British; Buffers cam
paign fails all along the line, Gatacr
loses at Stormberg, Methuen at Mayors
fontein and Butler on the Tugela. Lore
Roberts is appointed commander In chic
on December IL, with Lord Kitchener a
! chief Of staff
4 Januarx N-February q, l900-Bulle