Perrysburg Journal

BOER VS. BRITON.

Military Movements in South Africa Progress Slowly.

Englishmen Are Puzzled to Know Whether Steps Are Being Taken to Relieve Mafeking—Lord Roberts is in No Hurry to Advance Toward Pretoria.

London, March 24.—Lord Roberts' main army continues waiting at Bloemfontein. The sentimental interest in the fate of Mafeking has intensified with Col. Plumer's forced retirement to Crocodile Pools, where he was two months ago.

London, March 26.—A dispatch to the Daily Telegraph from Kimberley, dated March 25, says: Prisoners brought in here report that a force of British cavalry has entered the Transvaal and penetrated to a point 18 miles north of Christiana. The British forces at Fourteen Streams are being strengthened. A movement northward is expected soon.

A Bloemfontein correspondent of the Daily Telegraph in a dispatch dated March 23, says: The late allies are now bitter foes. So strong is the popular feeling here, that were it desirable, a large body of Free Staters would take the field and fight immediately against the Transvaalers.

The total British losses, exclusive of the invalids sent home, are 16,418 in killed, wounded and missing.

Except for the "occurrence," as Lord Roberts calls it, which resulted in the killing of Lieut. Lyon and the wounding and capture of Lieut. Col. Crabbe, Lieut. Col. Codrington and Capt. Trotter, the campaign presents no new features. The mishap to the Guards' officers is a testimony to their bravery, but not their discretion. They met a party of the Boers, whom they tried to capture. The Boers took refuge on a kopje, where three of their comrades were hidden, and within five minutes every member of the British party was hit.

Mail accounts of the capture of Gen. Cronje, just received, bring out interesting points as to the rapidity with which Lord Roberts changed his plans when he found that Gen. Cronje had escaped from Magersfontein, where it was originally intended to attack or close in upon him. Lord Kitchener was sent forward to intercept him and at the battle of Paardeberg Lord Kitchener seems to have shown that he is better as an organizer than as a fighter, for it was at his order that the British infantry repeated the blunders of other generals, attacking intrenched Boers, who allowed the Britishers to get within 1,000 yards before opening fire. As the British had no cover they lost heavily and uselessly and were compelled to fall back momentarily with confusion and to withdraw their transport to a safe distance.

London, March 27.—Military observers here, and even those in close affiliation with the war office, are considerably confused as to what is being done for the succor of Mafeking. Some 5,000 or 6,000 men are engaged with Lord Methuen at Warrenton and Fourteen Streams and now another column is about leaving Kimberley, if it has not already started, for Griquatown, 105 miles westward. Its ostensible purpose is to drive out the Boers. The force is described as "a strong one," and the expedition as "likely to attract much attention."

Gen. French is reported from Bloemfontein as returning from Thaba Nchu, without apparently having headed off Commandant Olivier, with his 15 guns and miles of baggage.

Boer horsemen are in contact with the British outposts from Biggarsberg to Warrenton. Gen. Buller's patrols had a sharp skirmish Sunday at Waschbank. Lord Roberts' infantry have now been quiet for 14 days.

London, March 28.—The Boers are having a little good luck and are showing some boldness again, as a raiding party estimated at 400 is believed by the British forces at Warrenton to have crossed the Kimberley-Bloemfontein wagon road Monday and to have headed for Jacobsdal, with the intention of cutting the railway ten miles west.

Commandant Olivier appears to have gotten his 5,000 men and 25 miles of wagons into rugged country, where he can make an easy rear guard defense. Charles Williams, the military expert, says:

"If this column gets through, Commandant Olivier will have carried out the greatest feat of the war, seeing that he ran every chance of being ground between the upper millstone of Lord Roberts' army and the nether millstone of the broken Basuto frontier."

It is given out at Cape Town that Lord Roberts' advance may be delayed for months. Although such statements should be received with reserve, it seems positive that he intends to go to Cape Town to meet Lady Roberts, who is due to arrive there in ten days.

The war office has issued another table of British losses, showing an aggregate of 16,652, which does not include 4,004 who have been invalided home.

A special to the Daily Telegraph from Ladysmith, dated Monday, says:

"There are about 20,000 Boers guarding the nine passes over the Drakensberg range. They are led by Commandant De Beer, and consist of Free Staters. It is reported that the Boers have moved their big guns from Biggarsberg, as it is not intended to make a stand there."