NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE war newt:4 of the week has been almost wholly good, but as we write on Friday it is not yet decisive, and till it is decisive we have no right to indulge in heroics. What has been actually achieved is as follows. After General French got into Kimberley, as was recorded in our last issue, General Cronje literally bolted from his entrench- ments at Magersfontein, and with masterly audacity cut right through our lines to the east of him, and fled up the Modder valley. Generals Kelly-Kenny and Kitchener were after him hotfoot from Jacobsdal, and French, as soon as his mounted men were a little rested, also joined in the pursuit. At Paardeberg our men came up with the Boers, which place Cronje had reached after a march of thirty-three miles without outspanning. At Paardeberg Cronje's laager is hemmed in, and Lord Roberts has, moreover, succeeded in driving od the forces coming by rail from Ladysmith, who are trying to reinforce Cronje. While the work of drawing the cordon round the enemy was being completed there was some very hard fighting, but though our losses were heavy those of the Boers were even more severe. It is stated that General Cronje asked for a twenty-four hours' armistice, and then proposed to treat for a surrender, in order, of course, to gain time, but when he was told that he had only got to come in and surrender, if that was really his desire, he declared that he would fight to the death. It would be useless to speculate further on what will happen to Cronje's army, as we must soon be in possession of definite news, but at any rate there can be no over-confidence in saying that the prospect is promising.
