NEWS OF THE WEEK.
AS we go to press, on Friday afternoon, comes the wel- come news that General French with horse artillery, cavalry, and mounted infantry reached Kimberley on Thurs- day evening. This news is sent by Lord Roberts himself, and is dated Jacobsdal, 2 a.m. on Friday. This shows that Jacobsdal, the important Boer centre of supply, has been seized, and is now our headquarters. That and the presence in Kimberley of General French must surely mean, either that the Boer stronghold at Magersfontein has been evacuated or that the Boers there are hemmed in. At the tame time a Central News telegram reports that our troops at Rensburg have inflicted a severe repulse on the Boers. Emboldened by the fact of our withdrawals the Boers attacked with too great alacrity, and were caught by a fierce and unexpected artillery and rifle fire, and before they had recovered were most gallantly charged and cut up by the Inniskilling Dragoons,—the enemy's loss is said to have been great. In addition we must add that in Natal General Bailer was obliged to abandon his attempt to relieve Ladysmith via Vaal Krantz and to recross the Tugela, though he is still trying to find another place where the Boer lines round Lady- smith are capable of being penetrated. Whether he will succeed remains to be proved, but there can be ne doubt that he acted wisely in abandoning Vaal Krantz. The observa- tions made from the military balloon showed that further progress was barred by an immense number of concealed Boer grins which would have enfiladed his advance from both sides. Meantime, Ladysmith holds out and probably will be able to hold ont for another three weeks.
