We are constantly asked when this war will end. We wish we could give the date—or could feel ourselves able to judge within a month thereof.
This we do know: thatthe war planned by the Boers for many, many years and actually begun last Ostober came to an end with the relief of Ladysmith, the freeing of Kimberley and the entrance of Fiela-Marshal Lord Roberts's army into what had been the Orange Free That war to which we refer was a war of extermination of the British in South Africa, The programme laid down by the Boers was the capture of the British territories, Natal and Cape Colony, and the driving of their loyal inhabitants into the sea at Table Bay and Durkan, 'There was contemplated nothing short of the conquest of two of the Queen's Colonies, Itdid not take into account fighting on Bove territory or any inv: of such territory. It was to be tough' on British soil' to the damage of Bri property and the slaughter of such British as did not flee from their homes.
That war ended quickly in a complete failure, Now, another struggle is going on for the settlement of the quest ons whether the two races are to live in peace as neigh-hours in South Africa, whether the Boers are to continue to obstruct modern progress with seventeenth century narrowness, whether white men who elect to live here are to have white men's rights and white men's liberty.
These questions are so simple and the only answer to them is so sure that we cannot believe the war is to last. much longer.
A writen in-the "National Review" maintains that England is relying too much on old men, and that the Empire was built up mainly by young men. So far as the army is concerned, there are decidedly two opinions on the matter. In South Africa, for instance, Lord Roberts is 67, Sir George White 64, Sir C. Dory 62, General Tucker 61, Sir Redvers Buller 60, Kelly-Kenny 60, Sir Charles Warren 60, A. Fitzroy Hart 55, Lyttelton 54, Sir H. Chermside 49, Gatacre 56, Sir H. Colvile 47, Sir L. Rundle 44, Lord Kitchener 49, Sir F. Carrington 55, Lord Methuen 54, Forestier-Walker 54, Sir A. Hunter 43, Pole-Carew 50, and French 47. Cromwell was 46 when he won Naseby; the Duke of Marlborough 52 when he took' the field for his campaign as generalissimo in Flanders; Napoleon was 45 at Waterloo; Grant was 44. when he commanded at Shiloh; Sheridan 33 when he received the command of the Army of the Potomac; Sherman 44 when he started upon his immortal Atlanta Campaign "Joe" Johnston was 52 at the outbreak of the wor: Lee 64; "Jeb" Stuart 28; "Stonewall" Jackson 37; Wolfe was only 42 when he fell on the heights of Abraham and Wellington was 3{ when ne commanded at Assaye. On the other hand, Moltke was well advanced in years during the Franco-German War; Kriiger is 76, and Joubert and Cronje both over 60. "Max Muller says that, as a rule, man is meant to learn in his youth, to act in his mau-hood, to counsel in his advancing years, and to meditate in his extreme old age.—"Japan Mail."
D"" of Bloemfontein has the following not:
To Correspondents.—Please do not write on both sides of your letter sheets when you contribute to the " Friend."
It's all right to take a kopjo on both sides, but you should not send it-in on both sides.
Some of the Bditors are sufficiently profane already.
Laxpzer is in the Orange River Colony, about 45 miles to the eastward of Kroon: stad, and 40 miles south of Heilbron. A telegram dated London the 3rd inst. said that General Rundle's object on the 29th ult. was to draw the enemy from Lindley where 500 of the Yeomanry were isolated, and that he had attained his object after a hot engagement in which the Guards lost heavily.
Rooperat. is on the railway, about 30 miles northward of Kroonstad, America Siding is about fifteen miles northward of Kroonstad, and Henning aprit la about midway between Americn and Roodeval, all being on the railway through the Orange River Colony to Pretoria, Wire reference to the expedition of the Rajah of Sarawak into Trusun, the "Straits Times" learns from a well-informed source, that the Rajah's expedition was entirely successful. His men had a hard march over bal paths and high mountains. Such obstacles naturally caused delay, and the delay gave rise to some rumours of difticulty. But the Rajah's success was complete, The rebels lost 35 killed, and 20 long houses were, bummed and the paddy forms destroyed. Thy loss on the Raja's wi wi illed and 15 wounded. It is cor sidered that the troubles are now quite settled.
Tux Bureau Veritus Monthly List, published on the Ist of Muy, of wrecks and casualties recorded in Murch Inet, announces that 152 sailing vessels were reported as totally lost; 66 by stranding, 4 by collis while 6 foundered, 7 wei abandoned, 70 were condemned, and were missing No less than 140 sailing vessels were damaged; 26 by stranding, 3: by collision, 7 by fire, 24 by leaks, and 51 by stress of weather, 'I'he steamers totally lost were 56; 14 by stranding, 5 by collision; while 4 foundered, 20 were condemned, and 13 were missing. The ste mers damaged were 249; 46 by stranding, 68 by collision, 15 by fire, 9 by leaks, 42 by stress of weather; while 69 reported i jury to their engines or boilers, A very well-known old Shanghai resident writes from Port Elizabeth under dat the 28th of April Our difficulties in South Africa are very great, as we cannot treat the Cape Colony as a hostile country, although its government is really hostile It is in the hands of the Dutch party, really concealed enemies, and they manage the railway and, I believe, obstruct the movement troops and stores from the coast to the front. It was shameful to seo the Guards (2nd Grenadiers), the finest battalion ever landed in South Africa, put into coal trucks exposed to rain and cold, while there were plenty of good carriages kept for the Easter holiday excursionists. The Colonial Government ought to be suspended, at least for the present, and we ought to have control of-all the resource of the country. Every horse fit for military service in this colony or in the Free State should be requisitioned. Horses are more wanted thay meu, and if we don't take the horses the Boers get them, in many cases with their owners. Our stores, fodder, ete., can't be landed fast enough as there is nowhere to store them. Steamers remain mouths waiting to dis. charge. It is the same at Cape Town and East London,. whilst there are plenty of public buildings which should be requisitioned."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.