I hear that the enterprising firm of Thomas Cook and Sons are arranging for a personally conducted tour to Pretoria, the dex being to leave early in December and arrive about Christmas, by which time it is thought possible that General Buller, who by the way, I see is expected to reach Capetown to-morrow, may be ready to hold x grand review of his troops, the date of the event being fixed for the 25th of December. A similar expedition was likewise proposed in connection with Omdurman bat I believe it was wiped in the bud by the War Office. should say this little enterprise is likely to share the same fate, though at. the same time we shall all feel only too thankful if the General is ready for a great review on Christmas day. The only one thing to hope for in connection with this war is that as it is so sharp it may likewise be short. Modern warfare is so much more terrible than was the warfare of olden days. I was told a few days ago that a shell used, when it exploded, to divide itself into about 40 parts, but now it is so constructed that it jower to make of itself something like 300 instruments of torture, any one of which is sufficient to Kill a man if it hits him in a vital part. As a little milliner said to me a few days ago: "Te gets on one's nerves if one thinks of it."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.