The news from the front during the whole of the
past week has been extraordinarily meagre, and on Friday there was practically no war news at all. This shows that Lord Roberts has some serious work onhand. All we know, or rather guess, is that he is preparing for one of his dashes, probably at President Kruger's last capital. At the same time Christian De Wet is being bard pressed to the South of Bethlehem, while Piet De Wet and Mr. Steyn, according to a Daily News telegram, are trying to help him. A good deal has been made of the news that fifteen hundred Boers have broken through the cordon drawn round the enemy in the Orange Colony by Generals Hunter and Rundle, and were moving towards Lindley. We do not, however, think that the fact is of any great importance, as they are being closely pursued by our troops. Other items of news during the week are, that on Monday Botha attacked a part of Lord Roberts's force under Pole Carew, and was repulsed with-loss, that several hundred foreigners were arrested in Johannesburg owing to the discovery of a plot to seize the town and let in a Boer commando, and that Lord Roberts has sent oat of Pretoria and into the Boer lines one thousand Boer women. It is clearly the duty of their husbands and relatives to feed them, and, besides, they were in con- stant communication with the enemy. On the whole the situation is satisfactory and the end perceptibly nearer, in spite of there having been no sensational successes of late, and even a drawback or two.
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