livering was the effect of the news at the War Office in the early hours of this ug that Lord Methuen ie tory aver the Buers road to Kimberley must be admitted that we wanted cheering. Whit little news we have received from Natal during the past few days has been a little disquieting. We have heard that a large Hour force, believed to be under the command of General Joubert, had, after cutting of our communications with Escourt, been hurrying on towards Pictermaritzburg; and we have had no assurances that General Dory has as yet sufficient forces at his command to save the capital. It has been recognised almost from the first that Joubert's objective was Maritzburg, the idea being to. establish himself there, and thence negotiate for peace on terms favourable to the Boers. fix true that already some thirty-five thousand troops of the Army Corps have arrived in South Africa, and that more than a third of these should by this time have landed in Natal. But the facilicie: for disembarkation at Durban are not of the best; and-as, ina 1, an unduly small proportion of ex id artillery are amoring the earlier reinforcements we are hot even yet free from anxiety lest the Boer attack on Pietermaritzburg should succeed and so would take some little time to counteract. To-day, however, in addition to the news of the Belmont victory, we have received an unofficial report that' General White has made a more successful sortie than any that have preceded it, and has exptured guns and many prisoners. This news has not been confirmed, and at best it is pro-ably exaggerated as are most of the reports which come to us fret unofficial sources but it has contributed to the revival of our spirits. It, is of course unreasonable to expect to hear of great British victor moment our reinforcements have but I am afraid this is the many of us. Still, we have great faith i Sir Redvers Buller, and we trust the mililary experts when they tell us that the General's plan is probably to lure the enemy into South Natal and then surround and overwhelm them, THE KaIseR's visiT.
With all our absorption in the war, the visit of the German Emperor and Empress with two of their sons to attracted a very large degree of and interest. There is no reason the trath of the official declaration that it is—or at all events was originally in. tended to he—a private and family visit to the Queen on the pare of her M grandchildren and greatgrandchildre that it was had become mev: ble and befurethe Samoan Settlement had been arrived at. At the same time there is ample corroboration of the belief of Continental politicians newspapers that the visit would be taken advantuye of for some great State purpose. The fact of Herr von Biilow accompany his master would alone be sulfici evidence of this, Unfortunately the sad bereavement which Lord suffered the very day of Raiser Wilhelm's arrival in this country, coupled with the attack of influenza from which the Prine Minister is suffering, have prevented him from meet ther sociily or in Mr. Chamberlain tock the Prime Minister's ind that the int-views ich he had at Windsor yesterday were matters of great importance is shown by the fact. that Count Hatzfeldt, the German Ambassador, made the journey from London to Windsorand though i ition of had to be carried carriage which tack him from the star to the Castle Mr. Chamber had lone interviews with' both Count Hatzfeldt and Herr von Bill "1 then after the German Emperor and his Authasdor had b ered together for a neb the Colonial Secretary'
ence of the Emperor. That portant international question was the subject of these communications seems certain but it would be hazardous to speculate on its nature. The Emperor was cheered mest enthusiastically by the crowds thronged the street of Windsor on his rival; and it is evident that the friendly and correct attitude which has been jopted by the Kaiser in regard to our the Transvaal has totally dispelled the ill-feeling which was aroused by the famous telegram. France isin a high state of exasperation over the matter; but France is herself entirely to blame for the it ces which ha more intimate and friendly relations with Germany than with our nearer neighbour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.