NOTES ON THE WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11574, 7 November 1899, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR.

By Major Kennedy.

The situation in Cape Colony may be summed up thus: Kirriberley must be able to hold out for afc least 30 days before assistance can reach there, as the Free State forces now in the vicinity of Colesberg must be defeated before we advance to the Orange River, and some delay will be necessary at that point before our Engineer Corps will be able to complete a bridge to enable the guns and commissariat to cross to the north bank. This will prove1 a difficult job at this time of the year, as the river is now in flood, and will remain very high until March, at the close of the rainy season. But although it will be difficult, our Engineer Corps will be able to bridge it after a while. It is only reasonable to expect, however, that the work will delay the appearance of a relief force afc or near Kimberley by about a week. Assuming that enough troops will have reached Capetown to enable a good strong force to be despatched from there to De Aar on the 20th inst., that force must defeat the Boers now in occupation of Colesberg before it attempts to cross the Orange River. It is too risky to leave such a large force of the enemy in the rear, as the Boer force would be sure to follow, and attack just as soon as it arrived within a short distance of the other Boer forces that are in possession of the railway line south of Kimberley. ~ Turning to the Natal side, the retreat of the garrison stationed to guard the bridge at Colenso gives Joubert's forces complete control of all means of communication with Ladysmith, and indicates that the British had information that the Boers had crossed the Tugela by the drifts, and would gain the rear of their position and cut off'refreat, unless they abandoned Colenso. It would also indicate that Boer forces barred the way between Colenso and Ladysmith, and to the. south lay the only way to escape capture.' No news. from Ladysmith fully confirms this view.

The' bridge over the Tugela is mow sure to be . destroyed, and all hope of White's army being able to effect a .retreat' on Pietermaritzburg goes down with it; but it is not at all likely that he cares to retire or that the enemy will be able to 'break his defence. One. thing is plain, that until they make themselves victors over White's troops they dare not attempt to leave him in their rear, and proceed to attack Pietermaritzburg, for, with White's forces between them and the mountains, they would be unable to effect a retreat when Buller's army attacked in front and forced them backward. We may then safely say that Pietermaritzburg is safe from attack as long as White holds Ladysmith • and he does not look like one that would give up very soon or easily. We think, that the southern limit of the Boer advance has been about reached, and that very soon after the. arrival of the .first division of Buller's army in Natal Joubert will retire into the mountains, and try to draw the British into the old mistake of following him and offering him battle, where he can make- the most of his burghers in their old style of fighting. Slim Piet may be trusted'to try his old tricks.- but we think he will fail to draw this time. . ' *.

No further news of a reliable nature will he, received from White until after the Boers have stormed his camp, and one side or the other have proved the victor. I expect serious fighting to take place before reinforcements reach Ladysmith^from Natal.

The Boers continue to advance from Bethulie on Colesberg. This marks the beginning of their march to attack De Aar. By Thursday their advanced guard will probably reach that place, and Naauwpoort Junction will probably be. seized to stop reinforcements reaching De Aar from the eastern province. We estimate this Boer force at 9000 men, and its object is to gain recruits from rebel Dutch and prevent relief, being sent to Kimberley.

A SHORT, SHARP EPITOME.