In Natal the news is also promising, though not decisive.
General Buller, after his dogged attempts to get through the Boer lines on the West, has tried the Eastern flank, and with the best possible results. He has not only taken Hlangwane Mountain, the great hill which the Boers held as their out- post on our side of the Tugela, but has occupied Colenso, and is now across the Tugela, and nearer by mileage than he has ever yet been to Ladysmith. It is clear that large numbers of Boers have left their lines round Ladysmith to go to the relief of Cronje, and it looks as if the Boers were about to raise the siege. They will, of course, do this as slowly as possible, and will fight as long as they dare in order to delay General Buller's advance. He, on the other hand, will do his best to capture the delaying force. Again we will not express too great confidence, but it is difficult to think that this time General Buller will fail to relieve the beleaguered city. From the southern theatre of the war the news is good. The pressure on Arundel is relieved, and our troops are hold- ing their own, while General Brabant is steadily pushing the
Boers out of the Dordrecht district. Mafeking is as cheerful as ever, talks of holding on for another three months, has adopted a soft currency pro tem., but conducts its bank- ing business in "a commodious bomb-proof apartment."
