NEWS OF THE WEEK.
RITMOURS of a circumstantial nature were persistently circulated on Thursday that General Botha, had surren- dered that morning to Lord Kitchener, but up to the hour of our going to press official confirmation was still lacking. In the Transvaal continued success has attended the sweeping operations of General French, Lord Kitchener telegraphing on Wednesday that three guns had been captured, together with vast quantities of live stock, ammunition, and waggons, and that three hundred 'Boers had surrendered. In Cape Colony De Wet is still at large, but though the failure of nine British columns to bring him to a final stand may exasperate the armchair critic, it is evident that his powers of resistance and mischief are being steadily reduced by attrition. According to the latest accounts, though he has joined hands with Hertzog's commando, he has been unable to cross the Orange owing to continued floods, and after many ineffectual attempts was reported on Thursday to be east of Philipstown and moving towards Colesberg. Ex-President Steyn is still with him, and his force is estimated at two thousand men, with no lack of led horses, besides those actually used. But according to the accounts of prisoners the horses are said to be losing condition and the Boers becoming despondent. . We may note that con- clusive evidence of the murder of Esau, the coloured black- smith at Calvinia, has now been obtained, not only from the local doctor, but from Mr. Duk, the Assistant-Magistrate who was carried off by the Boers, but has since been released.
