The Western Mail

POSITION TO-DAY., Although tiling* in tlip Free State do not bear a good shape as they are seen from r.. » cable received last night from Mr. 15-!i!H i Burleigh is dec iiietlly re-assuring, l'li.- military position has improved." Mr. no one is in a better hi to kno\ in message a vivid light on the almost para- (iiffiltiltil, b.Etting Lord Roberts i,'ii Ti:e>d;iy r-'gimo'tts like the Spots (TrpyS i the Inniskillings could not muster iv t'uip. a h.nulred mounted men apiece. T;:i- means that four out of every fire her-"s are done up or killed, and it illus- •r.if'< the tremendous task which the R.■our.t Department has to accompli -h n till.line the necessary supply of animals arni then in lapping jt ,,p. This -shoirs. m-ti'.er. why French could not intercept Olit-i(,r. Tliil),t .Vchu why we have been ,¡,tide to J)t'N'('nt tbf' Boers over-running Free State. T, is learn t!it re-mounts tve during the last few days been arriving hy road and rail, and that the and mounted infantry are for this ■-mi once nine active. There is ample vrk lor them to do. Roberts has behind unatinfotriiihvay eighty miles long to -p.ingtoiitein alone. and even there the ilh camp is thirty miles north of the n g,, Rr. j Moreover. we m;iy be snrp that Lord tl,e vr,, an r,i(i the hints Mi. Burleigh and other correspon- •its give about ''steps being taken" to il with the new situation produced by Boors returning to tho southern por- ii or the Free State. What direction e tOMs Will til Up we must wait to see. now have details concerning the |■■■Mer-burg disaster last Tuesday and I -clne^lay. The Bows are said to have ill ti.200 strong, with five guns, whilst Briti-h force consisted of Új7 mounted ,'1) and 424 infantry—in all. ,>01. Two >ri.vr. vr ere killed and two wounded, and r" ilk and file lost eight killed and 03 all the others—o-l(>—were .ie n prisoner?. Our men displayed magnificent bravery tore they capitulated, fighting gamely ^insr tremendous odds. According to of the iiotlitd(,d who has lvajhol ''ioemt'ontein, the Irishmen did not sur- ".uler until they had fired thpir 1: irtridge, but it is feared that the- did 'it iittle damage, for ifc 'va, roailv a rzht of artiik :y v. rifle. The Irish have iau peculiarlv bad luck all '■rough the. war. At Sternberg th-v !-t over )ti.,n. so that their total io->es—mostly pri-oncrs- txceed 700. Ritiler is still waiting, his rcq )M.v not be unprofitable. The Leers, we • nil. are construing his inactivity into ,ar or inaltilit., to resume active cpera- -nils, and It is possible they will force .t)r ,p!d. Buller is quite ready to receive tnem.

MILITARY POSITION! JKOM THK i'UKSS ASSOCIATION MXUTAKV l.'OintKSI'ONDKXT.; LONDON, Sunday Sight. No news of the men captured at Rd- ha, 't arrived either from1 Via! or unofficial sources, and there is -"me doubt in military circles as to which Ili,h Rifl(-i were a tud. As I stated on Friday night 3m that they were acting as advance guard of General (Jatacres diri-ion, which Ivi- known to be steadilv I JIlIJl-ing (m Bloemfontein from the Orang I ?" r. That the enemy should be able to 9" alP., with 500 men, mostly infantry, is « remarkable enough, but what is Hill more surprising is the fact that they ave not yet*collided with any of our out- ymg pickets. There appears to be an impression in some quarters that the Royal, Irim formed part of General Brabant's rolumn now operating on the Basutoland bord0r, but this is highly improbable un e«s they had been out in the direction or Reddersburg to see that a second and mO:-e secure line of route was open for the Ba!ato labourers who are shortly to be i S'fnt to the Free State capital. The news from Bloemfontein to-day does not add much to the information published i ?'s morning. The enemy are still mass- iwe; to the south, but all accounts show that re-mounts are arriving daily. and this bt "lonp should contribute to the satis- "iction of tile magnificent army now under "I Roberts. As soon a.s the re-mount ha,, been (,ttle(i ,-e shau be able "vot our foe upon an equal footing, and t,lc'n- Although fresh horses are ;¡rri"in at Bloemfontein, I doubt very 11""i¡ whether sufficient numbers are hug the capital to place th" com- ^M,i(Jer-iu-chief in a position to clear the (hri State from the Orange to the Vaal K'?rs, and from the Modder Station to? Risutoland border. Times out of, :l'lt!)f'r we ha.ve attacked the enemy and .z"¡u-rI what has appeared to he a satisfac- issue, but the enemy, more mobile :11 ourselves, have cleared off, only to up in some fresh position and harass 1.)11' flanks or lines of communication. ".cover, our whole transport system is 1 ')': cumbersome to admit of the rapid rll')\ment which alone can place us in a "ition to defeat the Boers on their own

TIIEII-RECK OF THE MEXICAN. • E0M THE "DAILY TELEGRAPH SPECIAL CUfcRESPOXDEXT. CAPE TOWN, Friday. April 6 <5.!0 p.m., The iTarcioeaa of Lothiuu was aboard the '?r Mc/iran. He praises the coolnee- and I'.ine exhibited hy ofRc.Tfl and crew aliko. The re?, d? thc ""ssengcfS ,ere in bed at tli? t.t' r:f tl¡ \:oilis¡Oll. The sea was f¡rly 'I'-nJ. hn. llisre wu» roare swell on. The rriMos, .,(• Lo:hiun saved a good part. of his 1"'°."0 l>ur n.aiiy of tb? lost ^"arlv ..n their elf(,tg The reatr number PC', cod in the intermediate "teamcr d?tY -1 t- Sir Charles Hunter fi"t aboard the Mexican, aa w;n v:ron?ly re\l'o'I A sratif» ins rcatur of the ivre> U W, the 8"We:ency of boats, and there was no transferring th- pnsaengers to the • iMkfir-i, Ths Imperial Yeomanry Nor- "'ir.iberland Compapy. r'ndcred Mttant *• 1,1'he WiiikHeldS boats and '??ht.<.?exiL..n. TUe Winkflel l had t;¡f \i, an hi tow lor three hours, ,.t was f''I: (I t., abandou her, a, tile liner was ?'iv .?ttiinx d0wn The Raved nnmh<? ::1 the weat her x' I'iu i* .mil \f'I: (I; iU. hoth «bip7 \vpr,> :r;n :'ar'.p"fJ rlif m liiivluif her fll\

I REPORT FROM LORD ROBERTS. Ol TNUMF^ERED BY FIVE TO ONE. GALLANT STAND BY THE IRISH. I' jFOUGHT TO THE LAST SHOT. LORD METH UENS VICTORY. The War Offioo has received the follow- ing from Lord Robert..< ULOEMFONTEI.V, Friday 110. 1.5 p.m.), Tiio following casualties recurred at the battle near Reddcrsburg Oil the Srd and 4th. which have been reported by Lieutenant Templo- smith, Cape Medical Staff, who returned to Bethany with the wounded KILLED, Captain S. G. Passon, Northum- berland Fitsiliers Second-lieu- tenant C. R. Barclay, Northumber- laud Fusiliers. DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED. Captain W. P. Dunsda'e, Royal Irish Rifles. SLIGHTLY WOUNDED. Lieutenant E. C. Bradford. Royal Irish Rifles. Non-commissioned OffiCPB and men:—Killed, 8; wounded, 33. CAPTURED. Captain Teunant, Royal Artillery lattachcd to Northumberland Fusi- liers): Captain W. J. -NI'W!iinni, Royal Irish Rifles; Captain A. C. D. Spencer, Royal Irish Rifles; Captain Kelly, Royal Irish Rifle.s; Second-lieutenant E. H Saunders, Royal Irish Rifles Second-lieu- tenant Bowen-Colt hurst, Royal Irish Rifles; Second-lieutenant Soutrv, Royal Irish Rifles; and all remaining rank ind file. The enemy were said to be 3.200 strong, with five guns. Our strength was 167 mounted infantry and 424 infantry. Lieutenant Stacpxle (? Stacpoole) was slightly wounded in tho fore- arm with General Gataere's force on the 1th. The War Office at 11.5 p.m. on Sunday announced that a further telegram from Lord Roberts reports that the officer of the Imperial Ynomanrv previously reported killed in tlii, enenunter near Boshof is Lieutenant A. C. Williams. From Mr. BENNET BURL EIGH. I By special arrangement with the 'Daily Telegraph II for simultaneous publication. BLOEM FONTEIN. Wednes- uay (9.35 p.m.). a ne military situation here has improved. Numbers of troops have come up, and pre- parations are being made for dealing with the enemy. Large quantities of supplies are also here, and more are arriving by road and rail hourly. That most important arm 7a sv.ch a cam- paign—the eavalry-afe receiving re- mounts and reinforcements. Yesterday many historic regiments, like the Scots Greys, the Inniskillings, and the Lancers, could not muster a hundrettmounted men. Artillery horses are also few. General Clements marched through the Free State west cf the railway. His columns met no enemy. The burghers delivered up large numbers of Mausers r.ud much ammunition. besides five tons of dynamite. The latter has been destroyed. Our troops are in the best of spirits. The movement of the enemy south may help to bring the campaign to an earlier close. Uy fighting a decisive battle here the Transvaal save their State from being made a battleground, with all that implies m loss of property, &e. This decision is characteristic of their "slimness. I learn that re-arrangements of the commands are impending. A division will be formed of the Colonials, another of the Highland regiments, and the City Imperial Volunteers are to be a re-united body, despite rumours to the contrary. All was quiet yesterday and to-ciav at Glen and Karee Siding. The Boers have a small force at Brandfort. but they give no trouble. As soon as the enemy received a few shots from our outposts upon Bos- mans Kop yesterday they at once scat- tered, and made off from the ground across which they had advanced. A vigilant examination of passes has been instituted, and t.rghers are not allowed to come and j go as it all honr' 1).v 1I';oh: | THURSDAY (4.15 p.m.). We have experienced a severe thunder- storm. accompanied by rain, but. fortu- nately. most of our troops have now been provided with tents. Stores are arriving, together with blankets and overcoats. The formation into a separate corps of the Colonial and other mounted Volunteeer In- fantry is warmly welcomed here. Bri- I gauicr-gc nera! Ian Hamilton is to com- mand the- force, which will numbEr about I 10.000 men. Boer patrols and small commandos have been near Reddershurg. NIGHT (delayed in transmission), j The enemy have now entirely cleared out from the position lately occupied by them north of the Glen, and the British force there is being considerably augmented. This should have a good effect upon the burghef of t'u> neighbourhood, who hitherto have been afraid to surrender their arms owing to their uncertainty as to our p iwer to defend them against Boer raiders. The British losses attending the recent capture of our guns is being ridiculously exaggerated by the enemy, with the ob- ject of influencing the Free Staters, who have already capitulated. Reports continue to arrive here attri- buting acts of cruelty on the part. of the Boers towards the peaceably inclined burghers in the outlying districts. It is stated that women have been shot for sell- ing bread to our troops. It is impossible to credit these statements without ample corroboration, although investigation shows that individual acts of injustice to- wards the unarmed people have un- doubtedly taken place. Much indigna- tion has been excited here by a telegram ptatini- that the notorious Michael Davitt arrived lately at Kroonstad, and is confer- ring with the enemy. More soldiers and guns are ii-i-iiiiig 11.30 p.m. It is reported that the Boers are moving east from Reddersburg towards Dwetsdorp. It apoears that th" farmers to the north- west of Bloemfontein for twelve miles are coming in. as they are afraid of the Johan- nesburg Police jxitrols. tRID.W, Al),ii n, Morning (Delayed in transmission). All is quiet. The railroad and tele- graph wires are working well. The spruits are full of water after a day's rain. In- I 0"curre1lce. and the troops are being kept in fit condition. XIGHT (delayed in transmission). Details of the affair at Reddersburg have now reached here, from which it appears L-at the three companies of Irish Rifles and two of the Northumberland Fusiliers -Mounted Infantry surrendered on Wednes- day morning after a prolonged fight with the Moseterts Hoek men. The force, which was detached for the purpose of collecting arms, was surrounded on Tues- day morning, on arriving from Dewetsdorp. Tho Boers during the night of Tuesday got between the troops and Reddersburg. placing three guns in position. Our men were upon an uneven pJain, surrounded by kopjes. The enemy opened a can- nonade and rifio fire- Our soldiers found shelter in the dongas, and returned the musketry fusillade. The Boer positions wero almost unassailable, but the British soldiers stormed the kopjes, from which they fired upon the enemy with more effect. The latter concentrated their whole fire and strength against the posi- tion captured. Sniping went forward during the night, but on Wednesday the troops were suffering from want of food and water, and the Boers tried to rush the kopje. The fight had bean watched by the people from Reddersburg, and evi- dently the enemy were successful, for the firing ceased. It is belioved that the number of troops taken is about 400. General Sir H, Colvilo's division has returned here. His guns dropped several shells amongst a few hundred of the Boers who were seen to the south of Rietfon- tein, and the enemy bolted. Great satis- faction is expressed at Lord Methuen's occupation of Boshof and the defeat and death of the Frence mercenary Villebois- Maretiil. General Co!vile's division, like others of our troops, is in need of new boots, and also of clothing General Gatacre is visiting headquarters to-day. Lord Kitchener is in command of the railway to the south, and our positions are secure against interruptions. SATURDAY, April 7 (11.15 a.m.). A general re-arrangement, of t-he dispo- sition of the troops is taking place to-day. The infantry portion of the City Imperial Volunteers are assembling at Naauwpoort, preparatory to entraining for Bloemfon- tein, and will advance to-day. G Com- pany has arrived under Captain Lowell. The men are delighted at the opportunity of meeting the enemy in the field. The health and spirits of the regiment are splendid. Mr Burdett Coutts ha.s reached here to inquire into the best method of assisting" in the distribution of gifts to the wounded. The railway is working well. The army horses are benefiting from the better feeding and tho rest they are now get- ting. The Boers have formed a strong laager at Donkerspoort, eighteen miles to the south-east of Venters Farm. later. Mr. Hnlkhardfc Steyn, younger brother of the ex-President, who is suspected of giving information tc the Boers, has been arrested upon his farm, twelve miles to the north. A burgher called Richter, who occupied the adjoining farm, subse- quently had a narrow escape. He was driving off in the darkness just as five Boers came to catch him. The natives declare that ex-President Steyn had a narrow escape of capture near Leuuw Kop (not berg), to the east of the railway, where he was hanging around in order to attend the meeting that had been called, two shells dispersing his following. A number of peacefully-disposed fanners have removed their belongings into Bloem- fontein as a precautionary- measure. Lady Edward Cecil and Lady Charles Bentinck are here, and have visited the camp. [FROM Ol'R SPFC'IATj COKKFSPOXDrNT.] SPRING!ON I EI.N Saturday (2.45 p.m.). Details of the capture of the troops at Reddersburg show that the men fought for nearly thirty hours, and lost ten killed and several wounded. General reeret is expressed at the capture of Captain Ten- nant, intelligence officer to General Gat- acre's division. A Free State burgher named M'Caskill was caotured at Aoem- fontein Waterworks, and was shot bv the Boers. Wp ought to treat the Cape rebels in a similar fashion. It would have an excellent effect. I REDDERSBURG DISASTER MAGNIFICENT STAND OF THF IRISH RIFLES. BETHANY. Thursday (g.:i IDetained by the censor.) I have seen some of the wounded men who were elr.t in the fight near Peddcrsbuor, and the following details of the disaster are from til Mil. Ihe l.oy,il Irifili Rifles and some mounted infantry had been on a pacification mins'on to the emet of the Frel-, State. They were on their return to BstJmny on Tuesday, when they were intercepted at, midday about eight miles east of Kedderslmrg by a number of Boers. The ll10untN! sconts reported tho cTH1nv in force and with guns. Thereupon the infantry entrenched upon 80me rising gronnd, and the mounted men skirmished upon both flanks. The way. however, proved to be effectually barred, and there was nothing for it bit to fight it out. The enem" apnarcntly rc"Jised from t,he first that they had got us 8,tfely, and did not v??r?", ture to short range until the last. They opened upon our force with their guns, and. unfortunately, we had not a single gun with which to reply. It was a fight with rifles on tho on" side and with artillery on the other. The ammunition was nsed sparingly OJ) oor s'de, the enemy being mostly out of range, and in tile hope that by prolonging the fight succour would arrive. III the afternoon, as the mieqnal eon test

STOP PRESS. —- This Space is Reserved ?or Important News received after j we have gone to Press. J Lorenco Marque-, Friday—The reports of ths meeting of the Free State, ltaad show that the titting was chiefly remarkable for the virulence of Mr. Steyn's denunciation (,f Kngland.—I'ress A6,' War Special. j 1 i .J I j I

LATE GENERAL DE VILLE- BOIS-MAKEUIL. SYMPATHY IN PARIl-i. [REUTEB'S TELEGRAMS.] PARIS, Saturday. The n,?., of Co'.cned De \ïteboh. Mare?t'a death R.?cd ? very painfnl Rnsa" tion in Parlicmcnt2ry c:rc:es. n the dubs, and on the boulevards, ,?d III this mo,ing' papers deplore thc loss of th? latD officer. Many of them, particularly the Nationalist organs, devote long articles to hs career, and dwell upon the bravery, energy, and decision which he invariably displayed in the iaoc of the enemy. Tho calone!"s brother, a former deputy for Mayenne, has been interviewed ry "e??ral p"pors, and rccancd tb fact that on joining the the .I.n?l ni-Eanifed' n. ser- vi? of with whom he aiw.INs went (?n in advance. It is prabxbiy ow ng to thi'l practice that he met his death. The I z? t !e!t<r received from Colonel l)e Villeboh-Marsuil by his brother, a?orl ii 7? t interview with the latter pu)):?h"d by the "Figaro," wis doted February 4, and stated i-.e WU: about to make an UBsu111t on Kimbe";y Ho ever, gr.vc an outline of his plan of attack \\h(1. was very boldly conceived, but a t!"3 succcs or which he placed absolute conadsuce. This plan bad bn approved by :fct- 13"01' Krygsra(j, ..d was about to be carried into execution a (f: :ra:whlro Ie wrl';e':rr I at t I..t moment, owing 'o tho sncrifl-e f eh¡fc; itth:it:?le" ;r;n I was with Cronje when too latter was sur- rounded by Lord Robert1;'8 1l1'1I:Y. hut 1,e succeeded in escaping. M, Do YiHebois- Mareuil said he was convinced that several letters written to him by his brothar had been intercepted—doubtless, by the British postal authorities—and had, therefore, not reached him. He was determined not to allow the colonel "body to remain on British soil, and in a few days' time he intended to nek the British Government for a safe cond-tct enabling hinl t4,, go anollook for his brother's remains at the spot where he fell and bring them back to France, A memorial service for the late Colonel De Villebois-Mareuil will be held in l'aris next week, Paris. Sunday.—The "Lilwrte" announces the opening of a patriotic subscription to defray the cost of a monument to the memory of Colonel De VilJcboj8"Mre!¡,-Reuter, Paris, Sunday.—Paris liapera to-day continue to express the hope that Colonel De Villsbois- Mareuil is not dead after all. The colonel's brother has abandoned 11,18 intention of start- ing for the Orange Free State to bring beck the colonel's body, in consequence of the dis- covery of a will written by the colonel shortly before his departure trcm Paris, and contain- in,, ,i??h to b burie1 wherever hoe migbt fall, —Dalziel.

SICK AND WOUNDED RETURN EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF BOER unfTAMTY. A PRIVATE'S TERRIBLE EX- I PERIENCES. The Union liner Greek, which arrived at I Southatnptnn on Sunday morning, brought sixteen o cers and a hnadred and sixty invalided and wounded men from the front. The majority of the rank and file had suffered in action, and ha'lod from all quarters of Cape Colony and Northern Natal. There were a number of interesting cases on board. Private Roberts, of the Worcester Regiment, told an extraordinary story of Boer brutality. In one of the engagements at Coleneo he received no k. th?. 6?,en -Il?t .d.- I':VU i? fno t:h;,nsh;rted four in the abdomen. He wac left on the field of battle, and subsequently picked up by a party of th enemy, h. li' to t? k. i: t sC\h'or:¡tddsv; ho could not ""Ik they threw him to the ground, the poor fellow sustaining four broken ribs by the fall. Then, whilst. heiple-s and enduring the utmost agony, the Boers rifled i his pockets, stripped him of part of his clothing, and broke one of his finer in wrenching a ring from it. For some time after his rescue Roberts's life was despaired of. hat he has made a fa; rly good recovery, though the sight of his right eye is destroyed. Private Bnrg-oyne. of the West Yorkshire Begiment, bad a different story to unfold, for after being wounded in both legs at Willow Grange he continued firing with such effect that he brought no less than eight of the enemy, three of whom were killed outright, to earth. Some of the men testified thM, the Boers had made free use of "poiscnod" bullets and showed the wounded little quarter. Some had been deliberately murdered, and 01'2 man at least had l-ocn buried aliYe. They declare there are a- large number of English serving in the Beer ranks, and all spoke of tho terrible havoc wrought by the Beer "pom-pofs," whilst, as an instance of the miscellaneous character of Boer ammunition, a Lancashire Fusilier dis- played a leg riddled with bnekehot. The Union Castle Company's steamer Pem- broke Cattle, which was expected at Plymouth on Saturday, arrived on Sunday morning from Cape Town with 216 invalided officers and men. all of whom belonged to Lord Roberts and Lord liethnen's forces. About 80 of the number wre wounded, the others being men suffering from the effects of fever. At Plymouth a hun- dred patients were landed and convend to the Military Hospital, Davonport. Before leaving the docks they were thc recipients of refred,- inents, supplies of tobacco and cigarettes, gi ft, being handed to the invalid*, who proceeded to London in the Pembroke Castle. Major Ball, 1st Welsh Regiment, is in charge.

ESCAPE OF THIRTY BOER PRISONERS. Simon's Town, Saturday.—In now appears that at last 30 Boer prisoners escaped from the old camp last night. Six were captured soon afterwards, and three this morning. Pickets surround the town. Several townsmen have been arrested, but released on identification. The escape was effected by the cutting of a fence under the sentry bridge while the sen- tries were above. It is significant that attempts heell made to bribe the guard", and the driver of a, sanitary cart was recently offered £200 to carry away some prisoners. Th. authorities have discovered ,i.ther ¡ ta:l.a¡niie \;5itL;[¡ f::t th, j previous one. "ml complete to within 5ft. of the beach. The ch:wct8 of re-captnring escaped prisoners are remote, owing to the large iiuiii. ber of Dutch sympathisers in the district.— Router's Special SQ!. ON THE WAY OUT. 1fr, Ovenden. tastiestroet. Cardiff, h, rc- ceived fln interesting 'etter rOln Private John Winiam?Fcn'.rth.?-hi?a member of th? Gl. morgan Company of Yeomanry, now in South Africa. It was written a day before Inr¡¡¡:: at Cape Town, and the writer stat" that the voyage was [l very pleasant one. There were mlm<¡;' me: and trbi. of skill rn board, nnd rivate U. h. Or,¡d(,11 came out first in the boxing comp:-titi>n f>r >e:v weig-its. It will be remembered that Priva'c Ovenden is 011£1 of tlie "Wc-tern Mail" six. There were 1.100 Ite'ttlnrs and Volutile i-i board the Cymric, and that a r presentative of Cardiff should ccm fir,t in tiie old an,1 still popular art of boxing must b' pleading to ail the nrUUerotlfl friendg of tht" winner. There is, probably, nobody more proud than the fathor of thi* prollliing lad, ESCAPED FROM PRETORIA. A TC-RF. ADVEX- xrRE. 8ergean LOTJKEXCO MARQUES. Friday. I 9.,g?.nt-?,ajor A. Brockie, ol the Imperial Light Horse, who escaped from Pretoria with Captain Haldane and Lieutenant le Mesurieur. has arrived here. He Ion his companions at Elans River shortly after leaving Pretoria, and, making his way to a side station, ob. tained a situation as barman under an assumed name. Kventnally he made his way down to the frontier anrl to Lourenco Mar- queg,-ReutEr. GKNERiATj .rorijEHT'S J EATH I e ¡:Urtfne;:m:a h.? I'?, j?t-r f ,N-?,p.thy to the wi^ow pf nw !ate G^n^r:1! .Tl'uh1"! --Rruter.

BOERS PLANNING TO OUT- FLANK BULLER. OUTPOST SKIRMISHING. ( [FROM THE <OD.Hr.)" TEU:GRAPR" SPECLU, I COBBESPOXDENT.J LADY8MITK. Friday. April 6. I The enemy are in forc on the Biggarsbcrg. Strong patrols of (hem are in;t by our men, who are daily exchanging shot- with them. Two of the 13th Hus;ars while thus crgas;<l were wounded and taken prisoners. Saturday Horning, April 7. Major Morgan, who had charge of the supply C'olamn with General H!J1: relief for, has I-a deservedly prolUryted !icote»ai!t-co!cne). A public picnic to cechmt" the relief of Liulysmith will take place by iiermission of General Buller under the ausnices of the Ladv- smith Town Council on Easter ;t.)nday. on the range of hills, beyond Pinters, tho ecen3 of the last Boer stand. The party will be conveyed by nail free. Colonel Boyston, comniaudant of tho Natal Volunteers, died IMt. night of enteric fever, i The gallant officer WH moM popular among his men. He cheered und enronr,;g»d them during the moat trying period of the siege, and he victoriously ;ed 500 of them when n Hill was eucce*fful'.y Btormed, resulting in two of the Hœr big guns L?in? Bm.?isd and one captured, FnhergaI indignation is at th ¡ Bruls miscreant's da.s1ardlr attmpt OIl tj1e life of the Prince of Wales. LAHYSMITH, Saturday. There is increasing evidence that the Boers construe Cencral Buller's inactivity into fear or inability to re:mmc active operations, and it is quit,? on the cards that t-h? enemy n?.y force our ha,,d. In the Biggarsberg the BoerB are particular);' re&tive. and We have information that their leaders are actually considering a plan for a movement designed to outflank our forccs. This p.an will involve an advance in force by way cf Helpmakaar. General Buller is quite pre- pared for any move that tile enemy may venture to make.—Central New?. LADYSMITH. Friday. Our cavalry outpost are constantly exchang- ing shots with the enemy in the vicinity of ^Vessels Neli. On Thursday a picket of the 13th! Hus-arg, while reconnoitring the Boer posi- tions, was cut oiL Three men were wounded, aaid two of these were taken prisoners, Imt the tiilfd escaped.—Press Association War Special.

THE CAPE REBELS. REMARKABLE STATEMENTS BY SIR GORDON SPItIGG, CAVE TOWX Saturday. Speaking at Wynberg lagt evening at a • meeting called for the purpose of supporting Lord Salisbury's policy of annexing the Boer Republics, Sir John Gordon$prigg, ex-Premier, of Cape Colony, declared that recently a member of the Afrikander Bond, who had just' returned to t!« Colony from Pretoria, informed him that the Transvaal and Free ?tAte Executives expected that when war commenced the Boers would receive the active a8iBta!]ce of no fewer than 45,000 Colonial rebels, and also that documents existed in safe lieepinj? incriminating leading Colonials in the rebellion and in machinations with the Republican Governments —Central News. CARNARVON. Friday. Mr' Schroder, ?n attorney from Vpington, who was the l?t to lcave that place, has arrived here by way of Onderstedoorns. He reports that business h-ju.?e? in Vpington Ild Kenbardt have been cJmp!etely looted, lie confirms the previous statement that Mr. Schroder, of the Cape Legislature, would not believe that the British troops were-approach- || ing Upin.-ton. There is a rumour here that 200 rebels rode into KerJiardt after Sir Charles Parsons had arrived. They were not aware of our occupa- tion of the town, and were captured. The Derbyshire Yeomanry, Canadian Artil- j Y. Western Australians, and some Canadian Rifles have all returned here from Van Wyks KIMBERLEY, Friday, Between sixty and seventy local farmers and diggers living in the districts of Kimberley, Barkly, Herbert, Hay, and Bechuanaland met to-day. and appointed a deputation to wait upon the military authorities and request protection and assistance in getting hack to their homes. The speakers urged the hard case; of the loyalists who had been driven from their homes, their wives and families being left to starve, while mc1 are being "Jlowed to go free. They d ti, t no one need have I)e,n a rebel unless he had been so disposed, and that e:.<ell!!e8 as to commandeering. Ac., were merely cloaks for disloyalty. All who declined to assist the Boers, they said, could have gone over the border. There is much strong criticism of the lenient treatment the rebels are iv:illg-I)ress AR!0ciajon War 8pecÎa1.

GENERAL KINDLE STARTS FOR THE FRONT. Cape To?. Saturday Night.—General j R..di,? and hi. tff left here for the front to-night.—Central News. WELSH CASUALTIES. Captain E. W, Jones, 2nd South Wales Bor. derers, htvs been discharged from hospital. 1st Welsh Fusiliers.—2.402 Private C. jenjilns i died enteric. Mooi River, April 6.

THE RISING IN ASHANTI. ALL THE TRIBES IX ARMS. ACCRA, Friday. The situation is unchanged at Kumasi, i but a runner unconnected with the Govern- ment reports that all the Ashanti tribes are in arm, The King of Bekwai alone remains loyal. It is believed that the Ashanti Golden Stool lias been found, and that the rising was due to the endeavour of the Governor to take possession of it. Ladv Hodgson is reported to have been taken ill on the road. and the Governor is said to have stopped his journey further on, The officers of the expedition are Mr. Chalmers (medical officer) Mr. Wilkinson (director of public works). and Captain! Armifctgo (private ,ecretary).-Reuter. CAPTAJ-N ARMITAGK, S.W.R WOUXDET). Accra, Saturday.—The Governor and Lady Hodgson are probably at Fort Kumasi. Capt-1 Annitage, of the South Wale? Borderer?, and i Captain Legeat. of the 5th Battalion Wor- cester Regiment, assistant-inspector of con- stabulary on the Gold Coast, have been i woundcd-Rcnter,

BATTLE ON THE ABYSSINIAN j FRONTIER. 2-Mi) MUSSULMANS KILLED. Pari-, Saturday, The following: disp.itrh from Jibntil of to,da"8 date haa been received here:8 the result of a rciigious war a battle was fought Oil the 19th nIt. at Jigjiga, in the Ogadyn country. The Christian Gover- nor of Harar was victorious. Two thousand f3n!m:1n were killed. The Empror Yenc1:k i sendimj 3.071 horsemen r(>!nrnrce- ment-s."

RUSSIA AND COREA. Yokohama. rig to advices from Seoul au aarreemem h:18 been c'ne1llùed whereby Iiui-aia disavows any ile^gne to obtain a port on the isbnd cf Qu<.>iport, Ccrea pro- i raising net to conceùe sucli a port to any other l'ower,-TI-euter,

CONFIDENCE IN TIIE GOVERNMENT; At Newcastle on Saturday night a great, patriotic and Imperial demonstration recorded satisfact ion with the! Government's policy, and affirmed that no settlement of the Sout-h African question I would be satisfactory that did Mot include; the supreme authority of the British Empire in South Africa.

1'0 CURK A COI.n ts ONK DAY. I Tike I.axaliTe Brcrnn (Juinine Taliietn. All DM1;,h: Tftil1:l «1.' d :6 fail* t.. '"lIT, J1d. 1 :6')

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE DRIEFONTEIN 1-IGHT. CARMARTHEN MEN IN THE SAME HOSPITAL. PATHETIC STORY OF THE LATE SERGT. SANDBKOOK. Mr. Arthur Epn, the Cardiff te>*rjphi«l v n L'jrd "Roberts's ,df '.vho was the first in.i'i to wire news of Cronje'* surrender at. Paardf- hers, iini acme of whose experiences have already appeared in these crluninf. ha« written a most interesting letter to his brother and sister, at 22. Bridge-fctreet, Carmarthen. It dated "V.o:1t"svlei. March 14. and in it he states:—For about the first time eince I have been out here I ara having: a bit of a rest, and this is due to tile telegraph line having been cat down by the enemy. We are stranded here as the result of an accident, but for which we should have been in liloemfont ,in, and have been left without rations. But in spite of this we are iving; like real liva lord., Xatu- r«'liy, all the farms ;ire depertc-u, and we send cut a party, who invariably .succeed in bring- ing: back eome chickens, vegetable*, and slieep. Yesterday and to-day We had eo:ue five meal. Winding up with chicken broth for supper. iVe are fixed up at a f irmhouse. and it almoet breaks ones hei,t to eee th beautiful furn- turc and househalci poods and chattl. all smashed up and thrown III II heap £ h)J)}n;er- iiig in t;ie chaotic mass li( £ n beautiful Kr;;li machine, brand new, and insids the farm is a mognifkent organ, untouched, strange to say. ;'iid a Canadian is playing upon its keys, luakiuff me feei as happy it king. The weather is bcautifu lv fice ajid the air '0 dcljgh:fu:jy deJr. It is a IGrio9: country, aud I can quite understand the rre2 Skaters making a desperate effort to retain it. We work very iiara, having litt:" sleep, but I enjoy trekking acro-s the veldt, and th, f: He climatc ella :)2$ one to b?ar the narrltulips l1!Ore 80 than jf we were in England. It is intensely hot midday, and ..xtrell1(> cold in the early morning, but the remaining portion of the d:iy is so charming that we quickly recuperate. Up to now I hav> expe- lieneed very little home £ ickne?s. and have nothemre to come back immediately. No.v I will try to relate my various wander- ings. We moved l.' Osfontein ou the 1st of March, getting satiu-atcd to the sfcin. We cleared out on the fth, und at Poplar Grove I spoke to Yick. wfi • waa at Kimberley. On the Sib We pushed lorward again, and out- spanned in the veldt near a larinhome. ccru. pied by Gennam, wh "had the German flair and a flag of truce flying At three a,tn, ire were oui and about, and rda-cbed Driefontein on the day of the buttle, ^vhich again the Weigh were to the front. Ithe fight from a considerable distance, and was within fifty yards of "Bobs" tll. whole of the day. In lie', 1)? wa« f;)l1('I;g the "ariOU8 mn ments ten yards away from our office, through a teleeoVL Here agrain we lost a lot of men by the treacherous conduct of the Boers in basely using the white flag and then tiring into our men. Lord Roberts witnessed thi. himself, and w" in a terrible fage, He sent 1\ stinging telegram to Styn, Kruger. and the Secretary of State for War. the last named to communicate the contents to the neutral He pointed out the vileixefis of the behaviour of the Boere. and threatened that if it occurred oncc again no further notice would be taken of any white flag they might fly. The next day the wounded were collected from the battlefield, which extended some twelve mile., God knows, I shall never forget the sight. They were gashed about in the roost horrible manner, and in every con- ceivable part of the frame Poor "Bobs" nearly cried when he saw the.. He is, un- doubtedly, not only a great soldier, but a perfect gentleman. "Tommy" adores him. ajid with good reason, too. To be woonded severely is sorely bad enough, but picture their sufferings when they had had no food for ,4 hour., I had been working: nearly two day* without rest, and, although nearly sleeping on my feet. J. conld not very well remain pa,j,o, I immediately procured a bucket and drew som« water from an adjacent. weil. Yon should have seen the look of gratitude on their face", and after all had been supplied-Welsh, Baff., and Earex—I made a small pot of beef-tea from Koine tabloids, and let the woi^t cases hare it. By and bye they were supplied with biscuit ajid one poor fellow, who had half his lowfr jaw shot away, looked ruefully at his biscnit. YOII will naturally where the medi"?! poople were Well, they were working with all their might. brJiijing in the wounded. At soon as I got an hour off I went over to th impro- vised hospital in the farm twenty yards away, Yoa can understand how surprised I was io meet no less than three Carmarthen bovs there I hardly rec.og-p.ised them at first, as they were so pinched with hunger, and were naturally :n pain from their ",ounos, Tile names of the three men are:—Davies, i'oOlI of Richard Davies, watchmaker, Johns-court, wounded in leg: (reorse Jones, I4a?T1mastret, sliphtb" wounded (rapidly recovering*, and Tom Evans. leg. slight. The Carmarthen boys were remarkably fortunate in being wounded by Manser bu))(>1.- The wound is hardly perceptible, and in a few days is quickly healed. Serjeant Samlbrook. who i« well known to Carmarthen people, was killed in that awful flas-of-trucs bU8n-eF-fl The Boers hOlst.rl"\ ,.be flag, at the same time holding their hand. above their heads. Our men then st-ood up, and a terrible volley was fired into them by a. portion of the enemy who were crouching beneath a bon;<kv waiting for our men to tand up, It was here we lost most^cf our men, and darknes3 waø faøt approaching. By the time I had had a short chat with the boys nur tea was up, and I let hem hnve mv share It is very sad to thii.k that. Sandhrook was speaking fcndlv only the previous right of his Carmarthen friends, and what he should do when he got hack, I bade the St. Peter's boys good-bye, and wished them a rapid recovery, and soon was trekking lor Aasvoge1 l'ortiiiia, ?' l'I' 'be njht wa, a one ,"? and the moon ;hone brilliantly, and we were enabled to reach our destination somi time after midnight. We started with it convoy some eight miles] ong, but we oo" outstripped them. To-morrow, perhaps to-day we push on to Bloemfontein.

REIGN OF TERROR IX SWAZI. LASD. SHOCKING BRUTALITY. Palatta Lohombo, April 2 (bv ninnor to Lourenco Marques, April ii).—A ijip.^cnojor who has just arrived lirre from Lobobo's Kraal stntes that Sebobn. the boaHman of the district, has been killed and his women tied up with ropes. The unrest i- increas- ing. Many natives have been threatened, ana one district has been completely killed off.—Press Association War Special, Paiatta Lebombo, April 3 (via Lourcnco Marques. April 7).—Yesterday morning, accompanied hy the proprietor of this farm and some natives. I visited Mqueisie's Kraal. four miles off. We wore armed. The main body of the impi had left before? we arrived, but we found t;vo men seated there with a prisoner, a bo N- ten years of age. V. e t;Ted the two men with the murder of Mquezi^. Thev admitted it, hut pleaded that they had mere! obeyed tho orders of the Queen, and expressed regret at having to do such work. V>e relieved them of their shiems and assegais. The prisoner. who had a dpc;) assegai wound in his side, i a son of Mqnezie. He showed us th!' body of his father, in which we counted .leven wonnds. On the other ide of ihe huts lay two women, with their in- fants, all of whom had been assegaied Everything in the kraal had been destroyed. A few hours after we had returned to this farm the whole imni surrounded the house, and demanded tile return of tli., assegais and shields we had taken. After a parley in the course of ti- t(,Id. the impi Tengpan, 0 would be meted out to them, we -irrangr-d in fTi\c them back thoi:- :is*esrais and shields in exchange for their prisoners We ar awa'ting (he action of ilie British Gm-,>rJuuPllt, The woman prisoner tell, a pitiful tale. Sh8 herself was wounded, and her father, mother and grandmother were killed. This is a sample of the horrid work which is prn- ceedins in Swaziland.Press Association War Special.

THE PHILIPPINES Washington, Sunday.—General Otis hn* cabled statins that private interests require his return to the United States—Reuter.

developed, the Boera drew doøer, They had three guns with them, and the wounded sur- vivors estimate their numbers at 2,500. The fire grew hotter, and before darkness fell our gallant fellows were being enfiladed on three sides. The Irishmen fought magnificently, and kept in the best of spirits, even when they were being pounded with shell to which they could make no effectual reply. The fire did not cease at nightfall. Occa- sional volleys were fired, but by two in the morning the ammunition had been expended, the men having fought to their last cartridge. Even then there was no surrender. The gallant little force waited on, believing: the sound of the Boer big guns would bring them the relief they so sorely needed Dawn came, but no appearance of help. The enemy re-doubled their fire, and, seeing that they were ent rely at their mercy, the British force determined to surrender. That is the story as told by the wounded. The pitiful part of the business is that General Gatacre, having been advised of the fighting, hurried from Bethany on Wednesday morning, but arrived on the scene two hours too late to save ths detachment. There is no doubt but that the enemy were supplied with precise information of the move- ments of this small column. The whole country is reeking with active spies. General Gatacre, with his relief force, has retired to Bethany, acting on instructions from Bloom. fontein to hold the line of communications. There has been no direct communication with the enemy relative to the prisoners or casual- ties. The ecriously wounded were allowed to return here. All the available advices statoq the enemy to be in considerable force. Anotbe-r large commando is reported to be operating to the south of this station, the evident intention of the enemy being to destroy the railway. The BoerB in this dis. trict are said to be under the direction of Com- mandant De Wet. The loyalists of Bedders- burg, fearing reprisals, left that place before the Boers came up,-Oentral News. BOER REPORT. I PRETORIA, Friday. report hM been ?-?oei,-d here to the effect tha,t (4eneral De Wet ha? d«?t<d a 1,M British force at Dewe^orp, 42 miles south-east of Bloemfontoein. He captured 450 prisoners, a large quantity of ammunition, and camn equipment and stores, at the same time inflict- ing iieavy losses on the Britisii. The Federal loss was two killed and four wounded. All is quiet with the other commandos. Reuter. FREE STATERS AGAIN RISK BRITISH FLAG TORS DOWV I SPRIN'GFONTEIX, Thursday (6,40 p.m.). (Delayed by censor.) The advanoe of the Boer oommandos from the north-east is greatly retarding any sub- stantial pacification of the country. The Free Staters at Reddersburg, who took the oath of allegiance when the British, forces occupied the place, have now risen again, and joined the Boer foroe. who are advancing upon the town. The citizens have torn down the British flag and hoisted the Free State colours in their pla.oe.-<Jeutral Xewa. LORD METHUEN'S VICTORY. COLONEL VILLEBOIS BUHIED WITH MILITARY HONOURS [FROM THE "DAILY TELEGRAPH" SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] 130SHOP, Friday (Three p.m.). (Delayed in trar:5miAion,) To-day Genr,,1 Lord Methuen addressed the fores. Afttr exprcin regret, at the lo of their comrades, especially the. two officers killed, the general said :1 must conr:1tu!i!!e yon on th, quiet manner in which you made tie advance. If you had hurried or had not taken advantage of cover the casualties would have been greater. You realise now the manner in which the enemy act. and no man ouslit to expose himself unrler 1.500 yard. range again, I find extreme plea.ure in having mounted tro.p3 with me, and the fact that j mounted men have bn able to act with surli ce mit proveg that had more ?onnted been employed elsewhere our casualties woald not have 1)-u so grea,, and our forces would have done much Wtt-er." The commando consisted of 3? Hollanders, 29 Frenchmen, and a few other Europeans, with nine Free State Boers. The latter wished to surrender without firing a shot, but Genera! ViUebois said that he would fight to the death, which he did, being killed late in the action, after which the white flag WI!. hoisted. Everything points to the fact that the object of he commando was to blow up a portion f the railway south of Kimberley. It is the opinion of both Frenchmen and Hollanders I that the Boers are arrant cowards. BOSHOF, Friday. The prisoners raptured in yesterday's :1ctirn were brought in here this morning. Many of them were Frenchmen. They pm-.ented i bedraggled appearance, owing to the heavy thunderstorm which commcnced at the close of the engagement. At parade this morning Lord Methuen warmly complimented his men on their behaviour, and pointed out the lessons to be learnt from the precision or the modern rifle. Our casualties J would have been much heavier had not the men taken advantage of the little cover afforded. The British officers who were killed were bnried to-day "tith miliary honours, as was Colonel Villebois.—Vrosg Association War i S¡lCC¡a1. THE LOSSES. SERGEANT PATRICK CAMPBELL| lvII.LKlV Tile following '?? i?:<?d at the Wi? OfSce I hte on Saturday night:— Following, received at 7.4 at the War Office. I is list of ca8ualti0¿ reported by Lord, Roberts as having occurred among lloT1-COm!11i:sioned officers and men in the s'glit encounter at Tweifontein, rrar Boshof, on 5 h inst.• IMPERIAL 1 KOMANRY. KILLEn, 4,810 S2-gcant Patrick Cimpbell. En;JŒLY WOUNDED, 7.967 Serpenii'ii .J. (i.hbnr.t. 763 :,crg!ant D. T-riier. 4,932 Corporal A. Littie. W Private C. t iai-?r. 8.023 Private (i. Strut'. SLIGHTLY WOl'NDED. ¡ 1.2.34 Colour-sergeant, Cole, 8.020 Private B. Throckmorton. .1 7,454 Private E. Christian. KIMBERLEY MOUNTED CORPS. SLIGHTLY WOUNDED. Private C. N, Judd and Private D. Hurst. r The Sergeant Patrick Campbell mentioned in the above dispatch is t!-o husband cf the cle- -braterl actross, Mrs. Patrick Comobeil It may be remembered that the corps to which he belonged was inspected by the of I Wales at Albany-street Barracks shortly before the men left for South Africa, and that Ber- geant Cainpb?il was singled ont for presenta- tion to hia R-oyal Hig-nne.-t—a distinction which was e(;nrerrd on ?'? alone among the rank d nle. ITIIE FIGHTING AT THE WATERWORKS. BOER VERSION. Pretoria. April 2-It, is stated here that in the fighting at Blocmrontmn Waterworhs the British loss was 362 privates eleven officers, eleven gune. two ammunition wagons, antl a. number of other wagons, mules, and Scotch carte.—Reuter. CAPTURE OF MR. STEYN'S BROTHER. BLOEKFOXTEIN, Saturday. A brother of ex-President Steyn was cap- tnred yesterday in the neighbourhood of Karee Siding by a dwtachment of the Norfolkshire Regiment, and was brought hero to-day,- Ii enter. THREATENING THE LINE OF COMMUNICATIONS. PICKETS ATTACK KT). BLOEMFONTEIN, Saturday, The Boers are reported to be in force to the south, and to be threatening the railway line, which, however, is strongly protected. Our outlying pickets at Springfield, eight miles from here, were attacked to-day by the Boers, who advanced from the waterworks. The railway bridge at Glen was completed yesterday, and the rails are now being laid. Re-mounts are arriving here daily, and every- where in ORml1 there are scenes of great activity. The men are in the best of spirits, and eager to move forward. The enemy are reported to be pushing sonth towards Smithiield. Lord Kitchener has been inspecting the lines of communication to the, south.—Press Association War Special. POSITION AT WEPENER. DRISCOLI/S SCOUTS ENGAGED. WEPER. Thunday, Driscoll's scouts, at a point about seven miles off, became heavily engaged with a Jarge party of the enemy, and fought them from an advantageous position, among some houses and kraalg on a farm. The Boers retired, with two killed. Driscoll's scouts had- three horses killed, but they brought away th saddles and bridles. The position here is, roughly, semi-ciroular, and extends about four miles, It is. appa- rently, equally defensible from either front or rear attack. The Boers who have surrendered their arms are naturally nervous, and demand protection against the inroads of the enemy, who have treated similar oaies at Ladybrand and Thaba X'chu most brutally Times." ALIWAL NORTH, iViday. The Colonial Division at Wepener has cap- tured five prisoners and 400 rifles. The Royal Irish Rifles are falling back on Beeste Kraal from Rouxvillo. Boer commandos are reported to be moving both east and west of Rouxyille. A town guard is being formed at Aliwal North. Numbers of Boers are reported to have been seen sixteen miles down the Orange River from here.—Renter. THE BRITISH AT LADYBRAND BOERS IN GREAT FORCE. MASERU, Friday. The attitude of the Boel"lt who are operating at Ladybrand and in the adjoining district.* is demonstrative. It is reported from all sides that the men are being kept up to the mark with a somewhat severe hand by the German and other mercenaries who are allowed to direct the operations, and are reckless of the after consequences toO those who will ultimately have to find their way back to their farms, sadder, if not wiser, men, A British force is now near Wepener, and has taken up a splendid jxwrtion. Rumours are current that the Boers are in great force, but are afraid to make a frontal attack, and will endeavour to turn the British position by crossing the Basutoland border and making a. rapid march through Basuto- land, along the road which skirts the Caledou River and emerges south of Wepener. It is clear that matters have developed seriously, as the Basutos a.re excited. Assistant Oornmisr«ioner Griffiths, with police, left Maseru to-day in the direction of the road which the Boers will take if they mean to trespass on the frontier and invade Basntoland. Sir Godfrey La-gden is embarrassed by the absence, for some unknown reason, of the paramount chief, ?'??'- who is at TohR]i"h?n. That there is unusual uneasiness may be inferred from the reported deswrtion, on various pretext, of Ilumbefs of labourers recruited for railway work at Bloemfontein Pfe.. Association War Special. | CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE. I nLOEMFO\TEIX.Thur.d.y t, 15 Firo: Cavalry Briyade, under Colonel orter, made a reconnaissance to th.c eastward beyomi Leeunkop to-day, and came into con- tad with l?o of the .enemv 'Th:  [it {;J1C'e o!H!n1 .Hb Tbeenns or the '?'? -'? o?n?: with' s?; "?""?""?'?' MR. BURNHAM CAPTURED 13LOEMFONTKIN, ?'?'???P' nlia 'hl- American e<-out.wax c?ntured by the Boers at Thaba X'chu, but ma n? to! e cape After wandering about for two days! he icachcd the !-Mn f th- l2th La,?r. very weak state. They sent him on to Bloem™- f..t,i.. Burn 11 say, that the b £ expressed to him their intention of fh:hting on. I although they fully realise that eventual defeat is inevitable.—Laffan. LORD ROBERTS AND THE I FREE STATERS. BLOEMFONTEIN, Thursday, I The Boers have lately been showing "sreat activity. Great numbers of troops are arriving daily The }1resent movement of the enemy is con- sidered on every side to b- somewhat in the nature of a raid. since they c:<rry no baggage The worst feature of the Boer raiding is the ill-treatment of the farmers who have delivered up their amis and who have taken the oatii not to flsht any longer. In somft cases these men are stated to have been shot In a leading artioie on the subject the Friend of the Free State" san :The end of the war is not far off. British arms die gnins to prevail. When the question of a settlement cames to be discussed those responsible for the outrages will be called to account. We show an example of leniency and toieranoe to all the Ise;votai:n up arms. and we ?pect that examp.e to be followed by those who I dimet the enemy's aft'airs We b?,1,' exact f"om the two Pre.MeHts full and compleoo repara- tion for the acts of cruelty and inhumanity committed by those under their control. The whole of the mounted infantry has been i 7ne lnto one division, commanded bv Colonel Ian Hamilton. The division consists of two lri The nrEt. commanded by Colony I ;5¿m=erf ai! the Austrahan and Ci?,iiadi?ii troo)M. with a proportionate number a' Regii!Lirs. Tic rtli@r b?;r'ade. wili?ll il? manded by Colonel Rid'ey, con?? of South I '?ce ie;i,t1 \e Cs:I4)ffp: .f Regulars. The inconHnience dne to the cutting of Ihe water EUpp:r is Tery sUght. Th?r,? .r? pten? of in the tcwn, and rain has fiHed the àam. General Pretynian has succceded in rstub- 'hilg exojU*nt c-icr in th- t, wil Indeed "bJ? loemf« ontein presents Wletl,;J;Je/ of an I ord;r)' tO\l"1I excpt for the presence of the sreat numbsr of Eol(Eers. whose behaviour is abov<» reproach. The -ilit,"Y ?!?th.,Iti. have iMued Stringent orders preventing civilians being out after ei^lit o'clock ill the cvenin?. Lord Roberts lately addressed a temperance meeting, at which he stated that he was proud to command ths best-behaved army in the world. A great many 1 rains r'1"C arriving daily.- Pre«s Association War Special.