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CAliMAHTISRN UNDElt THE SEAK…

Carmarthen Board of Guardians,

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BRONCHITIS and ASTHMA.

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! ord Roberts and Lord Kitelwncr.

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ord Roberts and Lord Kitelwncr. THE ]lUMOUHS OF STRAINED j RELATIONSHIP. EMPHATIC DENIALS BY A CARMAR-1 THEN MAN. Mr Arthur Evans, of the engineering branch of the Cardiff Post Office (son of Mrs Ivans Bridge-street, in this town\ who acrompaiiied Lord Robert's staff in South Africa, as a telegraphist, has recently been inv alided home and with an interview with our Carmarthen representative has imparted some interesting information regarding the relationship existing between Lord Roberts and Kitchener. It may be stated that Mr Enuli had except ionaJly facilities for forming an opinion upon this matter, seeing that his duties kept him daily in close attendance upon the field-marshal, and it happened more than once that his lorciship and his chief of staif visited the telegraph ollice together in order to discuss the plan of operation" for the morrow with General French, who as a rule. would be miles away and in communication by telegraph. Not on a single occasion did Mr Evans, who is of an observant turn of mind, perceive anything that would tend to 9 give colour to the rumour of strained feeling prevailed, and a suggestion made by one or the other was invariably mutually agreed to. Whenever a halt in the day's trek took place the two famous generals would always be found together, in earnest conversation, and what struck Mr Evans was the apparent unanimity which existed between them rather than the differences of opinion on matters of detail, which one would naturally expect under the eircumstauces. In dilating upon the point, Mr Evans proceeded to say "The absence of Lord Kitchener from head-quarters has frequently been put forward as a proof of the alleged strained relationship, but although I am not 111 a position to divulge any official information which passed through my hands, I am quite convinced that Lord Kitchener was never, away from headquarters except when his presence was absolutely required elsewhere. It will be remembered that during the big rest at Bloemfontein critics seized with great avidity upon the fact that Lord Kitchener was frequently absent from the staff at head- quarters. As a matter of fact, this may be explained, and accepted in all truth, as being due to the extraordinary zeal and tireless energy which always possessed the hero of Omdurman. Nothing pleased him better than to pay a surprise visit to any garrison which was likely to receive an attack from a vagrant band of the enemy. His lightning- like movements caused no little perplexity, and amongst our own men who had got to understand him to a certain degree, a visit at. any hour of the day or night would never be unlooked for. The difference of the tempera- ment of the two chiefs is undoubtedly as great as most people have been led to believe, but. this in no wise debars the existence of the most cordial relationship both in their private and public capacities." LORD ROBERTS' ENERGY. It has been suggested that a serious difference of opinion has occurred more than once. Naturally the view taken by Lord Roberts would, as a rule, prevail. Kitchener it is said, has been inclined to take this in bad part, and has, in consequence, given the impression to those around him that he keenly fel t the non-acceptance of his views. Here again, Mr Evans states that, so far as he could judge, there is not the slightest founda- tion for such a suggestion. Continuing, Mr Evans said -Your readers are quite et) title(I to form their own opinion on the question of Lord Kitchener's reported harshness and C 1 es callousness in dealing with his troops, but lie is a disciplinarian who would never dream of requesting his subordinates to carry out a task which he would not be prepared to undertake personally. Both generals are inde- fatigable wotkers, and in the case of Lord Roberts, taking into consideration his age, the remarkable energy shown by him is deser- I ving of special comment. During the heavy fighting at Silverton on June 11 and 12, Botha had assaulted in great force and had occupied a ridge of kopjes described in official despatches as impregnable. ] should explain Silvcrton is some thirteen miles east of Pre- toria, and Lord Roberts would leave his headquarters each day to direct operations on the field. As a rule he would return to Pretoria about eight o'clock in the evening to attend tG any dispatches which may have arrived during the day. This must neccessarily have involved several hours' hard work, and yet at three each morning telegrams in the handwriting of the field-marshal would be handed in. Turning to another therue, Mr Evans said it would be impossible to exaggerate the sym- pathy which the commander-in-chief fplt for the sick and wounded, and the steps he took to secure comforts and the best accommoda- tion for them. Mr Evans never lost an ot)por- tunity of gathering the opinions of the rank and file on their superior officers. The Guards to a man spoke in the highest terms of Lord Methuen, and although many men who had served with Buller were interrogated, not a single one was met with who had not the utmost faith in that intrepid general. AN AMERICAN DOCTOR'S STORY. ^Aipongst oilier notable men, not the least of the many Mr Fvans met was an American doctor who had bsen doing duty on the Boer side. This gentleman furnished some remark- able information -information which may be seriously accepted since the doctor had been for many wont hs in consultation with Kruger, Botha, and other leaders. According to him Buller was thought quite as much of by the Boers as any other British officer except Lord Rollerts, and Oom Paul and his confreres were firmly of opinion that no other European generals would have done one whit bett,erthati the perfQrn)ai;cte of Buller, The quondam Boer medico had been in clqs.e touch yith the Statistical Department of the tloer Qoverji- meist, and, according to his calculations, which had been arrived at after careful in- vestigation, the maximum number of Boers in the field at any one time (excluding those on leave of absence) as 60,000 men. Thi doctor I confessed that lyddite caused much destruc- tion at Modder River and Magersfontein, but insisted that in other engagements little dam ago had been effected by it. Dysentery was ¡ rejpbnsibfe for the greatest amount of sick- ness on the Roer sicfe. Lnte^ic v/as not GO rife and, although much sickness prevailed', the mortaliey was very low indeed, The Boers, it would appear from the same authority, have still an enormous quantity of amriitim? tion on hand —sufficient to prolong the war for a considerable period. The commandoes still in the main consist of stubborn men —men who have declared their intention of fighting to the bitter end. Intervention was not looked for from the United States but Kruger probably informed "by somp irresponsible agent -was confident of support from France aiiui Germany, Such was the American doctor's story,' Mr Evans fias brought home an excellent collection of autographs, amongst which our correspondent noticed those of Rudyard Kipling, Julian Ralph, Charles Hands, Mel- ton Prior, Bonnet Burleigh, Sir William TbQrn PSč)}), Lady Chesham, and General Prinslbo. His cclleption of cartridges and bullets is a very good one, and not the least interesting of his curios is a i-itle captured by the Boers from the Jameson raiders, and which Mr Evans kindly relieved a weary burgher of Western Mail.

LL AN R Y X Y D I).