NEWS OF THE WEEK.
UP to noon on Friday no news of a decisive action had arrived from South Africa, but at the moment of our going to press War Office telegrams came to hand, supple- mented by details from the Central News, announcing that a Boer attack in force on Glencoe camp had failed, that their artillery had been silenced, and that our troops, dashing up the hill, had captured the Boer entrenchments, with five guns. We regret to learn that General Symons is reported wounded. Earlier in the week the Boers had advanced steadily through the passes of the Drakeneberg, had occupied Newcastle, and on Thursday captured a train containing several officers and a few men at Elandslaagte, thus intercept- ing communication between Ladysmith and Dundee, and threatening to outflank Sir George White. On the Western border of the Republics the Boers, by blowing up bridges, tearing up rails, and cutting wires, have isolated Kimberley and Mafeking, while Vry burg has been abandoned. At Mafeking, which is closely invested by some nine thousand Boers, there has been heavy fighting, and confirmation has arrived through Boer sources of the rumour crediting Colonel Baden-Powell with a successful sortie in which the enemy lost heavily. According to news from Pretoria, Lieutenant Nesbitt and seven men—all wounded—were captured on the armoured train derailed at Kraaipan last week.
