NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE surrenders of Boers continue, and it can hardly be doubted that in a good many cases the men have come in because of Lord Xitchener's proclamation. At the 'name time, the news in the Colony is not good, for our troops have again and again failed to catch the Boer commandos. This can only be due to the superior mobility of the Boers, and that superior mobility after a year and a half's experience is not creditable to the British Army. The truth is, we load our men too heavily with all sorts of impedimenta, and there- fore they always start the race penalised by some ten or twelve pounds, an " extra " quite enough to ensure their opponents winning. The only political event of the week in South Africa has been the arrest of Mr. Merriman. The incident has caused a certain mild sensation, but in truth it is a very small matter. Personally, we should have left Mr. Merriman severely alone to tend his peach trees and quote his Cicero, but we cannot feel greatly excited because he has been " Stellenbosched " on his own farm.
