THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10481, 20 October 1899, Page 6

THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

We believe Chamberlain's Cough Remedy is the best in the world. A few weeks -go we suffered with a severe cold and a troublesome cough, and having read their adver'isemeots in our own and other ipapers we purchased a bottle to see how it would -ffe;i us. It cured us before the bottle was more than half used. It is the best medicine out for coughs and colds.—Tbe "Herald," AndMonviUs, lad. Van sale by aU dealers, _.6d_t-13--

render. Such an ending would elate tbe Boers and their Dutch kinsmen, and British I prestige would once more receive a severe shock. All Dutch South Africa would think that England is powerless, and that Kruger must be tbe coming man, and as such they wot_- be only too glad to have an opportunity to assist his army whenever it reaches far enough south to render it safe for them to leave their farms to join its ranks. For this reason it is very desirable that Kit-bar-ley should be relieved by sending a large force to assist its defenders, but I am afraid we have not forces of sufficient strength for that purpose. Kimberley must fall, and the situation will then become dangerously critical j Taken altogether the outlook is mo/t discouraging, and involves the Cape to such an extent that its territory having become , tbe theatre of war, the Cape forces must take the field for or against the enemy. It is no longer possible for Schreiner to remain neutral; he must protect his State against the forces of the Republics, or else openly join forces with them, and thereby end the farce he has so long played. Then we may see | that there is just cause for complaint against that section of the British public, and their representatives in Parliament, who have always been opposed to an increase of the military forces in South Africa, or for ordinary precautions in dealing with defence matters, for fear of offending Kruger and Boer sympathisers in the Cape and Natal. Once in occupation of Kimberley Cronje wiU secure his rear by hemming up Powell's forces or driving him back on Buluwayo, and will force him to remain on the defensive. By tins move he will leave the main body of his commando free to proceed south over the Cape railway to capture De Aar Junction, compelling the British force there to fall back on King Williams Town or else risk an engagement against a numerically superior force elated by recent success. I am of opinion that De Aar w_i be abandoned, and that Cronje will soon be ma-ter of all the north-western part of Cape Colony. In that case we sh-ft soon hear that Cape Afrikainders an. joining his army by thousands. Then the situation will become very serious. From De Aar south-west and along the railway towards Capetown Cronje intends to operate with his mam force, and at the same time he intends to hold in check any force moving from Port Elizabeth or East London to cut his line of retreat. As it is necessary for his supplies to come from Ins rear, he will be very careful about running too much risk aa he advances to the south, and I entertain no fears of an excursion of Boers into the eastern part of Caps Colony or of any serious attempt being made to capture any of the small garrisons or towns in that part of the colony. The united forces now operating on the western frontier of the Republics number about 12,000 men, and the British forces ore in every particular inferior to'them, as the hulk of our forces ore in Natal. From the latest dispatches some 9000 of these are i-trener-xT at L_dysmith and 4000 at Glencoe, and the bafeace are either it- Maritzburg or at important places on tho railway leading to Ladysmith from Durban, available to reinforce Ladysmith or to guard the railway against raids by small bodies of Boers. I expect that the positions now held by our farces in Natal will be defended until the Army Corps from England h_s joined forces with the __rri_on_ now holding them, and that nothing of a serious character wiU ! happen until we are ready to advance to atj tack the Boers, or about Christmas. No doubt little affairs will be continually taking place, but none of a serious character need be looked for or expected unless the Boers ! succeed in drawing General White's forces i by turning his position and gaining his rear ', in force, thereby cutting' him off from all corj_mvmkatk>n with the coast by way of I : the railway running via Pietermarit-burg. However, I deem it safe to state that our mounted force in Natal will be able to beat off any force that the Boer Commandant can find available for such a scheme of attack, and I see no reason why Ladysm-ith should be abandoned. Glencoo will probably be held for sometime in order to delay Joubert's advance as much as passible, and when of no further use for tiiat purpose, tbe troops occupying it will retire on the main camp at Ladysmith, and assist in the defence of that place. Two ieasons may be assigned for following out a defence of Ladysmith on the lines I have laid down, to wit: 1. It gives the British commanders time, and time is the great consideration now, as if tlie Boers ! fail to make an inroad into the heart of I Natal before the troops now on the way J and those leaving England on and about ! the 20th inst arrive then Joubert's game • is up, and he will have to take up the defen- : sivo and retire. There is also a great deal ' to be hoped for in the fact that the horses i of the Transvaalers invading Natal are very ! liable to horse-sickness when brought into , tbe low veldt of southern and eastern Natal, j and consequently the burghers of' Joubert's j army may find themselves in a very tight l corner, for it must be understood that the j Boer is a failure as a fighter unless he has i his horse. He cannot and will not inarch, and would soon fall into the hands of any force that cared to make him a prisoner. So it is, in a great measure, favourable to tbe British forces if the Boers press well into Natal, for their conditions will be re- ! versed; the Boer commander will find it ' extremely difficult to feed and remount his army, while the British will require less transport on account of operating near to Durban, the base of sunplies. Summing up the situation, I consider the campaign in Natal is altogether favourable to the British, but, looking to the westward, everything points to Boer success in that direction, and unless troops sre poured into the colony soon all the western province will be the recruiting ground for Cronje's army. Even that may be a blessing in the end, for I if the rebel Dutch join forces against us, we 1 shall find it tbe surest way of putting a stop to Afrikander treason. While we fight the RepubHcan army, the more Cape Dutch rebels they have in their ranks the better the chance of forever getting rid of them. It is to be hoped that noW the war has started, it will not be finished until South Africa is properly painted one red colour. Kimb_rley and Mafeking and the small forces at all places along the line of railway north will surely fall into Cronje's hands, and as he advance- to the south a large force from the southern districts of the Orange Free State will co-operate with him by marching on Colesburg, and then destroying the railway to the south and east. They will probably*-—rch to join him by way of Hanover and Richmond, and come up to him in the vicinity of Victoria West, about eighty miles south-west of De Aar. The enlistment of rebel Dutch is the object of Cronje's march, for from a military point of view his march to the west and south, is not a sound one, as he can do the British little damage, as no forces at present in that part of the colony are likely to resist Kirn until he reaches such a distance from his base that a reverse will probably result in the capture of himself and his army. His long line of communication will prove his weakness, as it will likewise prove to Joubart iaNataL