4 NOVEMBER 1899, Page 17

To go on with the chronicle of the war ;

the artillery duel seems to have been continued on Tuesday and Wednesday, our heavy naval guns keeping down the enemy's fire. On Thursday news was received that the telegraphic communica- tion between Ladysmith and Natal had been severed. This points, of course, to the fact that parties of Boers have worked their way to the South of Ladysmith and cat the wires, but it by no means shows either that the railway line has been destroyed, or that Ladysmith is closely invested. In all probability it would take a very considerable Boer force to destroy the great bridge over the Tugela River, for it is strongly guarded, and the Boers would not, we expect, care to weaken their force by detaching a large number of men to the South.