THE TRANSVAAL.

LATEST NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL, MR CECIL RHODES AT KIUBBRLEY. —NARROW ESCAPE FROM CAPTURE. The special correspondent of the Daily Telegraph at Kimberley, in a despatch dated October 12, says "Mr Rhodes ran the risk of capture by the Boors, as his train

was delayed by a slight accident. He passed the Modder River three hours after tho ultimatum had expired, and a Boor party was only five miles distant from the station. Their spies were actually on the platform, bub Mr Rhodes " lay low," and was unrecognised. Had the Boors known him his capture would have been easy, as tho lino was undefended at this point. Mr Rhodes i 3 staying at the Sanatorium, the grounds of which uro defended by sandbags and troops, as it is an important position. Ho looks cheerful, and rides out everywhere, and says he feels as safe as though he were in Piccadilly. He intends staying until the trouble is finished. When questioned as to the prospects of the war, Mr Rhodes quoted the siege of Potchefstroom a3 a proof that tho Boera will nob attack entrenchments. He is convinced that the Boer strength is exaggerated, having studied the figures from both republics. He thinks they have 25,000 men, but there may be a few more Hollanders, but they don't know one end of a rifle from tho other, and remain in the towns talking." KEION" OF TERROR IN JOHANNESBURG. _ The Capetown correspondent of the Daily News aays: "A refugee from the Rand reports that the Mainreef road Is black with natives from the mines on their way to Natal. Many burghers are occupying the finest residences in Johannesburg, having effected a forcible entrance. Government officials havo entered the few shops remaining open and demanded the contents of the tills. A reign of terror prevails, and murders and robberies are committed in broad daylight. Tho nativeß are leaving the Tree State panic-stricken. It is reported that 16 cases of gold which have been discovered in different canteens at Johannesburg have been confiscated by the Government, the value being 500,000 dollars.

TRANSVAAL MANIFESTO TO AFRIKANDERS. Dalziel'a correspondent ab Pretoria, telegraphing on October 12th (via Lorenzo Marques), saya:—An official manifesto haa just been iaaued addressed to the Afrikanders of the whole of South Africa. The manifesto is a striking appeal to resist the unjust demands of Great Britain. It accuses Lord Salisbury, Mr Chamberlain, and Alfred Milnor, and blames her Majesty for condoning what is described aB Mr Chamberlain's criminal policy. It also declares that it is perfectly clear that the desire and object of Greab Britain is to deprive the Transvaal Republic of its independence on account of tho gold-mining industry of the Rand. Tho manifesto goes on to say that Greab Britain has offered two alternatives —a five years' franchise or war. It points oub bhab bhe difference between the two Governments of two years in the matter of the franchise has been considered as a Bufficient juatification for her Majesty's Government to endeavor to swallow up the Republics ; but ib assures the Afrikanders that God will aßßuredly defend the right. The manifesto is Bigned "Francois Willem Roitz, Secretary of State." I The manifesto (adds Dalziol's correspondent) haa undoubtedly created a profound aensation. A million copies have been printed in Dutch and English. BOERS ORDERING CANNON FROM FRANCE. The Echo de Paris learns that an important order for guns has been placed in tho name of the Transvaal Government with tho Canet firm, M. iJelcasse, owing to France's neutrality, is expected to formally forbid the despatch of the cannon. PRECAUTIONS AGAINST BOER SPIES ON TRANSPORTS. The Tyno seamen have (says the Pall Mall Gazette) forwarded a resolution to tho First Lord of tho Admiralty, urging upon him the necessity of insisting that all shipowners whose vossels are engaged in transport service shall avoid engaging, crews at Rotterdam and Anbwerp. They state that the Boer Government's headquarters in., Europe are located ab those places, and that it would be an easy matter for Boer spies to . ship on transports as sailors and firemen, hence tho need for tho utmost precautions. yII'TEBN THOUSAND BRITISH TROOPS IN NATAL.: Tho following (Bays the St. James' Gazette : on October 14) is the present strength and j disposition of the troops in Watal i Ab Ladysmith : Tho 42nd, 21st, and' 53rd Field Batteries, a battery of Natal Artillery, ono mountain battery, And two guns of the Natal Naval Reaerves—total, 32 guns. The Natal Mounted Volunteers, the sth Lancers, I9bh Hussars, tho Ist Battalion<Liverpool

Eegiment, 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders, Ist Devonshire Regiment, and lßt Gloucester Regiment; several companies of mounted infantry, a hospital and veterinary corps, the 23rd Company Boyal Engineers, and the lßt Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers—altogether 9000 fighting men. At Glencoe : The 13th, 67th, and 69th Field Batteries, the 18th Hussars, the Natal Mounted Volunteers, the Ist Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, the Ist King's Rifles, the 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, several companies of mounted infantry, and a field hospital corps —totH.l, over 4000 men. At Estcourt there are 200 and at C'olenso 450 volunteers. At Pietermaritzburg fchere are the 2nd King's Rifles and the Imperial Light Horse. The grand total of the troopß in Natal is therefore 15,000.

BOER TRKASON-MONGfcRING AH THE CAPE. Mr Chamberlain has, says the Daily Mail, been notified by Fir Alfred Milner by telegraph that the following is the material part of a treasonable circular which was being circulated widely in the Cape Colony some weeks ago : "Circular issued in English and Dutch, signed by Viljoen, Field Cornet, Johannesburg, headed 'Appeal to Afrikanders, address to compatriots on both Bides of the Orange River. Asks them to decide what; they will do in the uncertain future, recites England's proceedings with regard to the diamond fields, Jameson's raid. England desires to avenge Majuba and destroy the Afrikander nation. Owing to the existence of two independent Afrikander repubiics the Afrikander in the English colonies is still tolerated. If republics fall into the hands of England.Boers of Cape Colony and .Natal will be disarmed, Hottentotts will sit with them in Parliament. Whorefore men belonging to our race that live under the British flag know and understand full well that the destruction of the Boer republics means the destruction of the Afrikander nation. If the republics go under the Afri- ; kander will merely be referred to as a nation that once existed. Know that in that event Kngland's iron yoke will press upon and plague you to the last day. Wherefore I ask will you allow England to employ your colony, your money, your cattle, yes, even yourselves to destroy your brothers and compatriots 1 Afrikanders, be true to your people.'" THE BOERS CUTTING OFF BHITISH COAL SUPPIIES. The war correspondent of tho Daily Telegraph at Ladysmith, in a despatch of October 16 date, says: I have seen a refugee who has come down from Newcastle to this place. He states that the force there under tha command of Ben Viljoen contains a surprising number of foreigners, including Hollanders, Germans, and English. My informant declares that they are coming on with guns. The Dutch and native coalminers have left their work in the Dundee districb, and all the mines in the area have been closed down to-day, owing to the alarm that the Boers are in the vicinity of Dundee, the inhabitants of which are leaving in considerable numbers. Telegrams to Ladysmith and Newcastle from Hattingspruit station, north of Glencoe, ask that no more empty trucks shall be forwarded there, and it is believed that the enemy's patrols are in the neighborhood of that coal'ield, which is also threatened. If it should bo clossd, the source from which the best steam coal ia obtainable in this part of the world will be temporarily lost. The railways use the Hattingspruit coal. 1 here still remains available the coal districb of Elandslaagte, but the quality of the fuel obtained therefrom is indifferent. THE GERMAN MILITARY ATTACHE. The Berlin correspondent of the Standard hears that the German Emperor intends to send Count Getzen, the well-known African explorer, who was German military attache to the United States army during the Spanish-American war, to South Africa, should military attache 3 be allowed to accompany the British army. MR CHAMBERLAIN AND AMERICAN OPINION.

In acknowledging a letter in which reference was made to the moral support Great Britain is receiving in the United States just now, Mr Chamberlain has (says the Pall Mall Gazette) sent the following reply to Mr J. N. Ford, the London correspondent of the New York Tribune : 40 Prince's Gardens, S.W., October 14, 1599 —Sir, —I am directed by Mr Chamberlain to thank you for your letter of the 13th instant, and to say that he has observed with pleasure the recognition by the mosb influential organs of opinion in America of the justice and wisdom of the British policy in the Transvaal. He thinks a.singularly close comparison might be drawn of the motives of our present interference and those of the American nation when the latter refused to tolerate longer the misgovernmenb of Ouba. The main difference is that we are fighting chiefly to protect our own subjects, who have been deprived of the equal rights promised to them by President Kruger, wnile the Americans were Interested for a foreign population whom they believed to be suffering injustice and oppression.—l am, Sir, yours obediently, J. Wilson. A TIRED-OUT TELEGRAPHIST. At a late hour on the night of October 15 the telegraphist on duty ab Modder River station, 30 miles south of Kimberley. was still in communication with the south. He had been working night and day for 72 hours, and intimated that he was suspending communication for an hour or two in order to obtain Eome sleep. THE INVASION OF NATAL. The Morning Post in a second edition of October 17 publishes a telegram from its special correspondent at Ladysmith. The correspondent, whose message is dated 1.35 p.m., October 16, says : General Viljoen's force is composed of the scum of the Transvaal, and includes American, Irish, and German Socialists. The Hollander volunteers are very smart men, however. There are very few men who do not know the rascal Yiljoen. In his time he has been a " Dutcher" policeman and has kept a canteen. He fought for the British in the Basuto war. In another period of his career Viljoen started the Voortrekker newspaper with money which was supplied by certain capitalists. He is very bitter in his hatred of the British. He owes his present position to the free expenditure of money, which was upplied by illicit liquor men.

GERMAN AMMUNITION TOR BOERS. The Port Said correspondent of the St. I James' Gazette telegraphed on October 17 : The DeutscheOst-Afrikaline steamer Kaiser, from Hamburg, is disembarking at the entrance to the Suez Canal 4000 cases of ammunition for the Transvaal, in order to avoid seizure in the Red Sea by British cruisers. The ammunition will probably be reembarked for Hamburg on board the steamer Herzog, which is shortly expected here. (The Kaiser has been watched by her Majesty's cruiser Thetis through the Mediterranean to this port. It is reported thab several German officers who are going oub for acbive service in the Transvaal are on board the Kaiser. I October 18.—The German steamer Kaiser, after disembarking all tho ammunition which formed part of her cargo, entered the Canal. The Lourenco Marques correspondent) of the Daily Mail Btates that the British cruisers Philomel and Partridge are patrolling outßide here, and stopping all ships for contraband of war. SUGGESTED AMERICAN FILIBUSTERING EXPEDITION. According to a despatch from Washington (saya the St. James' Gazette), Major Armes, an officer of the United States Army, on the retired list, has conceived tho remarkable idea of organising a filibustering expedition to the Transvaal. The gallanb major is unable to see that. there are any practical difficulties in the way of his enterprise. The expedition will, proceed to the Transvaal nominally as a mining party. They will. help the Boers, but incidentally they propose to pick up some of the numerous valuable mines which they expect to . find derelict owing to the confusion. It. is said that the major is recruiting frontiersmen, cowboys, miners, etc., on "partnership" terms. A UITLANDER VOLUNTEER CORPS. The Durban correspondent of bhe Daily Mail states that the Imperial Government has notified its approval of the formation of a colonial force not exceeding 1000, men r to be raised from the refugees and the landers. Their pay is to be the same as thab of the'lmperial, forces. Sir George White was instructed by the Imperial authorities thab the colonial Government had offered to provide equipment and rifles for the force. Preparations for the enrolment of the corps are now proceeding briskly. A sum of LIOOO has been offered

from one source alone towards the expenses.: Durban could alone furnißh the number of= volunteers allowed by the Imperial authorities.

THE NORTHERN APE BORDER. - y; A Beuterls message.to the St. James Gazette, from Burgersdorp, on October says:—lso natives on their way to Basutoland from Johannesburg have arrived here. They had walked from Stormberg Junction.; Eiehty-Beven of the number were destitute. They complained of having been gobbed of : their money by the Boers, first at Kronstad, ; and then at Norvals Poort. Some of them stated that the Boers flogged them with sjamboks. Amongst them was the son ot Lerothodi, the Baßuto paramount chief. .By, order of the magistrate the natives were supplied with provisions. They left the. town cheering the Queen and chanting their Maseru (Basutoland), October 17_— Persistent rumors are current that the Basutos are in a state of great excitement owing; to accounts which they have received of tne ill-treatment and robbery by Boers_of Basutos returning from the goldfieids. They have, besides, other grievances againsb the Boers which they are anxiouß to ventilate. Some discontent also exists in consequence of the restraint imposed upon the natives by the Basutoland Government. There are distinct signs of restlessness ana anger against the Boers; " HEBE'S YER MOTHSR CALLING. An Australian signing himself '«Arthur ; Macquarie, Sydney, New South Waies, sends to the London Times some spirited; stanzas called " A Fam'ly matter, which neatly pub the Australian view of the present situation. The first stanza runs. Come my hearties—work will stand Here's yer Mother calling ; Wants us all to lend a band, £nd go out Uncle-Pauling, Catch yer nags and saddle slick! Quick to join the banners ! Folks that treat the fam'ly thick Musb be taught their manners, ; The other stanzas each end with the refrain, "Here's yer. Mother calling," and the last ends with the appeal— Come on chaps and be the firßt! Here's yer mother calling.