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The Boer War:

If the week in midDecember, with its The Relief of Kimberley defeats at Stormberg, Magersfontein, and Colenso, was the most disheartening of any for the British forces in the Boer war, last week was certainly the most cheering for them. Nothing could be more impressive than the contrast between the heavy losses and retreats of the December week and the trivial losses and surprising advances of last week. During the past four months British courage has had its chance: brains are now at work behind the courage. The result is now evident of the choice of a commander-in-chief for South Africa in FieldMarshal Lord Roberts, the most distinguished soldier of our day, and one who is believed never to have been defeated in battle. His triumphs at Kabul and Kandahar, however, were not more remarkable than the success of his well-planned operations carried last week to triumphant success. The scheme included the advance of four divisions, each comprising ten thousand men. The different combinations of the divisions planned for dovetailed with absolute precision in the execution. Beginning on Sunday of last week, the British forces entered the Free State at Rambam, General French's division leading. It marched to the Riet River, and crossed it at Dekiel's Drift (or ford). The crossing occupied all of Monday night and a part of Tuesday. The drift was found almost impassable for wagons, and the necessary delay there in getting the transport across gave the Boers time enough to leave before being surrounded by the British. Before they retired, however, the former had captured a large convoy, but were not strong enough to engage the enemy with their wonted wall of fire. The British loss in killed and wounded was less than thirty. General French's brilliant march then continued to Jacobsdal. The

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Boers made an attempt to hold the ridges about the town, but were outflanked by the British mounted infantry-a striking proof of the transformation of British ideas by Lord Roberts to Boer method's of mobility. Though the Field-Marshal is sixty-eight years of age, he is not too old to adapt himself to his enemy's tactics. At Jacobsdal, where the Boers were supposed to have had their headquarters, the town was found practically abandoned, and it was taken with a loss of but twenty in killed, wounded, and missing. General French then forced a crossing of the Modder River at Klip Drift, and immediately marched on Kimberley, which had been invested 123 days. He encountered little opposition, the wary Boers having correctly gauged the strength of the new development in the British army. The actual relief of Kimberley was accomplished with the surprisingly small loss of but fifty men. Lord Roberts had planned that General French's division should leave the Orange River at three o'clock on Sunday morning, should march ninety miles to Kimberley, and, allowing for the detentions by heat, dust-storms, fords, transport difficulties, heavy artillery, and, above all, by hostile Boers, should arrive in about four and a half days. General French rode into Kimberley on Thursday afternoon, just when he was due. The news of his entry has greatly cheered British troops everywhere and has caused intense relief in England.

move

in the march northward to Kimberley. Every part of the transport department was worked day and night to four divisions through the heavy sand with mathematical precision. General Tucker's division is now on General Kelly-Kenny's right, ready to effect a junction with his force in the direction of Bloemfontein, or to look after the Boers who are in retreat towards Boshof. An

other division, under General Colville, is rapidly coming up from the rear. Lord Methuen's division has advanced from Modder River camp and occupied the Boers' strongly intrenched position at Magersfontein. His Guards cleared the district northward to Kimberley, and an engineer corps immediately set to work repairing the railway to that place. It is said that the Boers left behind most of their big guns at Magersfontein, Spyfontein, and around Kimberley. As might be expected, Lord Roberts's occupation of Jacobsdal (his temporary headquarters) is characterized by the utmost order. Military police patrol the streets. A sentry is placed before each shop, and the soldiers are allowed to enter and purchase what they want. The inhabitants express surprise at the peace of the town since its capture, as it had been reported that a British occupation meant instant looting. The Field-Marshal also issued a proclamation to the burghers of the Orange Free State, saying that he felt it his duty to make known to them the cause of the coming of the British, as well as to do all in his power to terminate the devastation caused by the war.

The Boer War: Cape Colony and Natal

South of the Modder

River camp, meanwhile, the Boers have appeared, and are endeavoring to break the British lines of communication at Graspan and Belmont. Thinking to isolate Lord Roberts from every source of supply from the sea, the Boers are advancing southward in three bodies: the first by way of Hopetown to the railway junction at De Aar, cutting off the route from the coast at Cape Town; the second by way of Norval's Pont and Arundel to the railway junction at Naauwpoort, cutting off the route from the coast at Port Elizabeth; the third by way of Bethulie and Burgh

ersdorp to the railway junction at Stormberg, cutting off the route from the coast at East London. Hence, General Roberts's scheme of operations was necessarily on a larger scale; it must needs include the entire seat of war. In order both to assure success to the Kimberley relief movement and to check the aggressive enemy, he ordered activity everywhere. Accordingly, General Macdonald again occupied Koodoosberg, near Kimberley, and General Clements's dragoons met their enemy at Rensburg, but were forced to retire to Arundel, a town towards Naauwpoort, with the loss of a hundred and fifty men. West of Burghersdorp, Colonel Brabant, the popular Cape leader, with his colonial forces, attacked the Boer trenches with great spirit, and after two days' work carried them at the point of the bayonet. Near Stormberg General Gatacre again found his forces in battle with a Boer contingent; the result is unknown. General Buller's response to Lord Roberts's order was in a fourth forward movement from Chieveley Camp for the relief of Ladysmith." On Wednesday, Lord Dundonald, with cavalry, infantry, and artillery, occupied Hussar Hill, five miles north of Chieveley, and intrenched the hill. On the establishment by General Buller of headquarters there, General Lyttelton's forces worked around to the right, and Sir Charles Warren's to the left. In the three previous attempts to relieve Ladysmith they had found the Boers heavily intrenched north of the Tugela River; they now found that, since the third British attempt, the Boers had again assumed the offensive, and had intrenched themselves south of the river, particularly at Hlangwane Hill, the most important eminence near Colenso. Fighting seems to have been almost incessant since Wednesday. On Monday of this week the British succeeded in capturing Hlangwane Hill.