29 JUNE 1901, Page 3

Captain Slocum, the United States Military Attaché with the British

forces in South Africa, says of our soldiers in his official report that "for indomitable courage, uncomplaining fortitude, and implicit obedience they are beyond criticism." He expresses admiration for the tenacity and persistence of the Boers, whom he pronounces splendid when on the defensive, praises the management of our hospitals, and condemns our ill- judged leniency. "The British," he sums up, "have been too merciful, and I believe that had a more rigorous course been adopted when the army first entered Bloemfontein, and the enemy thoroughly stamped on, the war would have been materially shortened. Lard Roberts was undoubted/ydeoeived by the general professions of submission."