Towyn-on-Sea and Merioneth County Times

BRUCE HAMILTON'S RECORD. E»Jt,;Ntan,dectou message says General Bruce ovei- tin1 during the month of January, made and s caP''ures in addition to killed, wounded tliA r6Dders" Amongst his captures are most of the w l the Sfaafc8 ArfciIlery- Tbe men of 24th fi S Gom™ ando were forced, on January RofV, j their hau»fcs> and were chased to Bethesda Road Station. The Boers laagered on h at Wag-snpameberg, having, covered pwardg of 50 miles. The District Mounted Rifles came in contact with the enemy at Bethesda, and the Column continued the pursuit.

CHASE OF DE-WET. ——— tiKh, EXCITING INCIDENT. » Monday, -a series of telegrams which have been delayed In transmission. describe some of the operations against De Wet in the North-east of Orange Colony between January 21 and 26. Beginning in the neighbourhood of Reitz, Colonel Bying shelled tho enemy out of their Positions and pursued them w f "f- Q"'Mt-with a «W»m lorce ar^Sou^Afnca^ ^t H»™B »Wfw «~*r- 100 men of Wessel's Commando drove in the Light Horse rearguard. This led to an exciting incident, 70 Boerswearing British Cavalary Cloaks, in the rain and under cover of some Boersin a kraai, charging the Light Horse position, firing as they advanced, with the object of capturing a pom-pom. As they failed to accomplish this, and were met with a heavy fire from the British force, they broke and fled. It afterwards transpired that the attacking force was De Wet's bodyguard. De Wet, with six men, fled up the Liebenbergsvlei River. His force has been considerably worried by the Columns under Colonel Bying, Rimmington, Dawkins, and other Comman- ders.

A LAAGER CAPTURED. EIGHTH NEW ZEALAND BRIGADE. A week ago, Steyn, with a bodyguard 30 strong, Was between Reitz and Bethlehem.—From Pretoria' it is stated that a sixth wing of the National Scouts' has been formed, and a large number of Boers are joining the Intelligence Department.At dawn, on Thursday, Colonel Rawlinson surprised and cap- tured a laager attached to General Botha's force — Zealand, ,a,s the tf Tbeffighft?".1°' N°"1' Isl"sd. Spddrm +Vie» p ^ac*e was most enthusiastic. Mr S cpoS"»Riiti,at attM ?• rm would be commenced, but he hoped it would not be necessary to send it.

ANOTHER LAAGER TAKEN. that ^om Tarkastad, Cape Colony, states that Colonel Price attacked 'Weasels' and Besters's ° at_J^aarfontem last Thursday, killing ing thellaaa-1 enzy^ an^ two rebels, and captur-

THE PEACE MOVEMENT. w., FOREIGN OPINIONS. 1 reSard to the Peace movement, a Brussels correspondent says that Boer circles believe that a mission to South Africa would be completely use- less. I he British Minister at The Hague, y ester- ay, conferred with Dr Kuyper and the Dutch Minster for Foreign Affairs. In the States General yesterday, the Foreign Minister declined to state the nature of the British reply to the Dutch Note, though he admitted it had been received. In Berlin it lasemi-omolally stated that the German Govern. menthaa received no information regarding the contents of Dr Kuyper's Note to the British Government, and that any co-operation on the part of another Power would render the movement of the Dutch Government nugatory.

WEEKLY REPORT. ecln L^rd ptcliener' in a Despatch sent from Pretoria on Monday, says that since January 27th, there had been 27 Boers killed, six wounded, 142 prisoners, and 48 surrenders. The British Columns also cap- tured some rifles and ammunition, 260 horses, 33 waggons, and 3,250 cattle.

SUPPLY TRAIN "HELD UP." In Cape Colony a small commando is :in the iSamboosberg, to the west of Sterkstroom, and another, under Louis Wessels, has been active in ((Ciadock district, where a supply train was neld up" and partly burnt on Saturday.

DE WET'S MOVEMENTS. A MEETING DISPERSED. It is stated that De Wet arrived at Hooggelegen, near Verkeykerskop, on Thursday last, with the intention of holding a meeting. The arrival of a British column, however, upset the arrangements, and the Boers dispersed.

ORANGE RIVER BOERS. THE BLOCKHOUSE SYSTEM. An unofficial message from Pretoria states that there are still 4,450 Boers in the field in the Orange River Colony. Of this number nearly 3,000 are said to be in the north-eastern district.—The line of the blockhouses from Botha's Pass, on the Natal frontier, through Vrede and Frankfort to the main railway line, has been completed, and the lines of blockhouses from Lindley to Bethlehem andHarri- smith are also nearing completion.

THE DUTCH NOTE. LORD LANSDOWNE'S -REPLY. NO INTERVENTION, The Foreign Office issued on Tuesday the text of the Dutch Note of January 25th and Lord Lans- downe's reply, dated January 29th. The Dutch Government, in view of the fact that the Boer delegates in Europe can do nothing towards open- ing peace negotiations because they do Dot know the state of affairs in Africa and that the Boers in the field can do nothing because they are not cognis- ant of affairs in Europe, asked if the British Government would make use of the good offices of a neutral Power in placing the nego- tiators appointed by the two parties in communi- cation. They suggested that safe conducts would be necessary to enable the Boer delegates to proceed to South Africa and confer with the Boer leaders. After the conference it was suggested the delegates might return to Europe with power to conclude a treaty of peace with this country. Lord Lansdowne replied that, whilst his Majesty's Gov- ernment entirely appreciate the motives of humanity which led the Dutch Government to make this proposal,, they must adhere to the decision, adopted and publicly announced by them some months after the commencement of hostilities by the Boers, that it is not their intention to accept the interven. tion of any foreign Power in the South African war. He adds that it is not clear that the Boer delegates in Europe retain any influence over the Boers in the field, and states that the quickest and most satisfactory means of arranging a settlement would be by direct communication between the leaders of the Boer forces in South Africa and Lord Kitchener. In these circumstances the British Government have decided that if the Boer leaders should desire to enter into negotiations for the purpose of bring- ing the war to an end, those negotiations must take place not in Europe but in South Africa. j T?iPBHfiSSis CofrespofiHent of the Standard says it is confirmed that the French and Russian Gov- ernments approved confidentially of the Dutch Note. All the Great Powers, however, are firmly determined to maintain strict neutrality. From another source at Brussels it was reported that a Conference of all the Boer representatives in Europe will be held on Wednesday at the residence of Mr Kruger at Utrecht.

PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS. Captain E C Margesson, the South Wales Bor- derers, is granted the local rank of Major whilst employed as second in Command of the 1st (Central Africa) Battalion the King's African Rifles. Cardigan Militia.-H F Davies, to be second Lieut. 3rd Battalion Welsh Regiment.—Captain J W Aldridge is granted the honorary rank of Major. 3rd Battalion the King's (Shropshire Light In- fantry).-Lient W J Brooke to be Captain Super- numerary Lieut H Hudson to be Captain, and to remain seconded. Imperial Yeomanry.-Denbighshire (Hussars).— E W Griffith, late Lieutenant 3rd Battalion the Cheshire Regiment, to be Second Lieutenant. Shropshire.-Ca.ptainA H 0 Lloyd, MLV.O., to Major Lieut W Tavleur to be Captain. Major E St Barbe Sladen of the Montgomeryshire Militia, is seconded in his regiment while engaged as a member of the Royal Commission on Tuber- culosis. Super-Lieut W J Corbett-Winder, Montgomery- shire Miltia, is gazetted captain, and remain seconded.

LOCAL CASUALTIES. 3rd South Wales Borderers-7204 Private Alfred Ireland, dangerously ill (enteric), Mafeking, Feb 1. 1st Welsh Regiment.-Ptes 6064 W Harvey and 3490 H Lee, dangerously ill, enteric, Johannesburg, Feb. 2nd. 2nd Shropshire Light Infantry Ptes 7568 H Crowder and 5625 J Greening, danesrousiv ill enteric, Middelburg, Transvaal, February 1. ^nd South Wales Borderers 2705 ~A)f Bull d,ngeTously ilj, enteric, Germiston, February 1. T^o if dangerously ill, abscess liver. Johannesburg, February 2. 1st Welsh Fusiliers: 7572 Pte John Knott, dangerously ill, enteric, Germiston, February 1.

AMNESTY FOR REBELS. Q. „r.. KIPLING'S OPINION. Sir William Gowers has sent to the Times the following extract from a private letter he has just received from Mr Rudyard Kipling, dated Cape- town, January 14 Things are going forward well in the country as regards the war. Our only fear now is the old one -that England at the eleveuth hour will declare an amnesty for the colonial rebels, and thereby let in the men who have been shooting, burning, and horse stealing for the last eleven or twelve months to legislate for the loyalist. I am not talking now of the Transvaalers and the Free Staters, but of the colonial rebels. So far as one can judge from the almost inconceivable levity both of Rosoberry and C.-B., the Liberal party is quite prepared to give them that amnesty. One gets so weary and so ashamed of one's motherland when one leaves it. I do wish you could make some moderately sane politician (I do not say statesman, because they seem as dead as the dodo) understand that this question of amnesty to rebels, which they raise so i^htheartedly, is not only the life or death of the colony, but will mean, if per- sisted in, the severest blow to the colonies' trust in England (I speak here of Australia, Canada, &c) that has ever been administered. Now the Boers are saying that the war will be patched up in order to have pe..ce at the Coronation, and that then will be their opportunity. It, all rises from the fatal weakness of our party system."

INSPECTION BY LORD itOBERTS. THE NEW WELSH YEOMANRY. The Commander-in-Chief visited Aldershot on Thursday, 30hh ult, and inspected various units, including eleven battalions of Imperial Yeomanry, who are under orders for South Africa. The 34th or new Welsh Battalion, which has a strength of 407, was under the command of Col T J Roch. The eleven battalions of Imperial Yeomanry consisted of 145 officers and 4,535 non-commissioned officers and men.

THE LIBELS [ON ITHE ARMY. I INTENSE INDIGNATION AROUSED. The special Correspondent of the Standard tele- graphed from Capetown on February 4th as follows:—The vile slanders on the British Army have aroused intense indignation in all classes of the community, and Mr Graham, the Colocial Secretary, has suggested to the Mayor to call a public meeting on the subject. He point3 out though South Africans can well affoid to smile at the calumnies, knowing, as they do, the true facts, their silence might be misinterpreted in Europe. The Mayor this morning received a widely-signed requisition for a public meeting, and communicated with every Municipality throughout Cape Colony and Natal, urging the holding of simultaneous gatherings.

PARLIAMENTARY. THE REDISTRIBUTION QUESTION. Thursday. In the House of Commons yesterday the debate on the Address was resumed, Mr Louis Sinclair's amendment calling for the introduction of a measure for the redistribution of seats and provid- ing for the representation of the Colonies in the Imperial Parliament being further discussed. The debate turned chiefly on the first part of the amend- ment.-Mr Balfour agreed that the anomalies of oar system of representation were great, and that it was impossible to [postpone their consideration indefinitely. He expressed a hope that this Parlia- ment would not come to an end before the House had had an opportunity of dealing with the question.— Mr Asquith said that the subject when taken up would have to be dealt with as a whole, and that such questions as University representation and plural voting would have to be dealt with.— Mr Sinclair asked leave to withdraw the amendment, but this was refused, and the amendment was de- feated by 302 votes to 23.

IMMIGRATION OF DESTITUTE ALIENS. The next amendment, which dealt with the question of immigration of destitute aliens, was withdrawn on a promise by Mr G Balfour, on behalf of the Government, that a Select Committee or Royal Commission should be appointed to inquire into the matter. The Address was then agreed to and the House rose.

THE DISESTABLISHMENT DEBATE. The Opposition intend to muster their forces for the Welsh Disestablishment Debate on Tuesday. They hope to make a good show in the Division Lobby, and do something to remove the effects produced by recent displays of Liberal disunion. It is expected that Mr Asquith will take part in the Debate.

THE DUTCH NOTE. Friday. In the House of Commons yesterday Mr Balfour informed Mr Dalziel that he was unable to name the day on which papers containing the communica- tion of the Dutch Government would be laid on the table. He did not imagine that the Dutch Govern- ment were-or would be until to-day—in possession of the reply of the British Government, and there- fore it would be impossible to produce the papers this week. He hoped that there would be no long delay. Mr Dalziel asked if it was intended to pub- lish the communication of the Dutch Government and the reply of the British Government without waiting for any further communication. Mr Bal- four said-he "did not know the answer to that question." Subsequently Mr Balfour said there had appeared in a newspaper—and he had seen the passage—an account of an interview with him upon the subject of the communications from Holland. As this was a very important matter, he desired to say that the account was a fabrication from b-cr.'n- ning to end THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS. NOTICE BY MR HUMPHREYS-OWEN. In the ballot for motions on going into Com- mittee of Supply, Mr Humphreys-Owen was for- tunate enough to draw the second place. Having secured this favourable position, he gave notice that on going into Committee on the Army Estimates he will call attention to the loss of life in the concentration camps in South Africa.

ARMY ESTIMATE FIVE MILLIONS. • ,the Honse of Commons yesterday Mr Brodrick introduced a Supplementary Army Estimate for five millions for the purpose of carrying on the war in South Africa. He said the amount now asked S the year'S exPendit^e up to &t>l,0/U,UiX) as compared with £ 63,000 000 in the previous year. On May 1 last year we had nearly 250,000 troops in the field, and on January 1 this year we had 237,000, so that, despite the natural wastage of the war, the number had been maintained substantially at the same figure through- out the year. The monthly expenditure on the war had been reduced from 51 millions to 41 millions. Describing the progress of the war he pointed out that there were now three places in South Africa, and three places alone, in which bands of the enemy had still to be dealt with. In those places there were forces under De Wet, Louis Botha, and Delarey, and, roughly speaking each commander could, by sweeping a large tract of country, bring together about 2,000 men.- Criticism was mainly directed upon the question of War Office contracts and the scandal in con- nection with the purchase of remounts.—Sir W Harcourt discussed the progress of the war, and maintained that the miscarriage of the War Office had been one of the main causes of the protraction of operations.—A proposal to reduce the vote in respect of remounts was rejected by 106 votes to

™LTITE~HWGXRIAN REMOUNTS.™ -J. Tuesday. In the House of Commons ypsterday, on the report of the vote of £5,000,000 for additional at my services, Mr Brodrick explained that all the questions relating to the Hungarian remount scandal discussed on Friday night arose not in regard to contracts in which the War Office was immediat3ly concerned but in regard to the sum of money expended by the Committee of Yeomanry officers on their own responsibility. As reflections had been cast on the capacity of the Inspector- General of Remounts, General Truman had asked for a military court of inquiry into the conduct of his department., and his request had been agreed to. Sir H Campbell-Bannerman suggested that an inquiry into the general question of the purchase of horses should be granted.—Mr Balfour, while agreeing that a survey of the whole question must be made without fear and without favour, said that this was not the time to hold it.-After pro- longed discussion the report was agreed to by 226 to 64.

INDIA AND FAMINE. Lord G Hamilton formally moved that the House approve of the several recommendations made in the report of the Famine Commission of 1901 for the benefit of the agricultural population of India. -Mr Caine contended that in order to cope with the problem of the poverty of India there should be a great scheme of irrigation and a re-adjust- ment of taxation. He asked for a diminution of civil and military expenditure.—Lord G Hamilton admitted that India was very poor, but he denied that the material condition of the people bad been going back during the last few years.-At midnight the debate stood adjourned.

DISESTABLISHMENT PARTY DEFEATED. Wednesday. In the House of Commons yesterday, Mr William Jones called attention to the question of the Established Church in Wales, and moved-" That in the best interests of the Welsh nation and of the Church the State Establishment of the Church of England in Wales should cease to exist." This was seconded by Mr A Thomas. Mr Asquith based his support of the motion upon the broad ground of national policy, stating that he still retained, with as much emphasis as ever, the opinions which he had previously expressed on the subject. Mr Ritchie opposed the motion on behalf of the Govern- ment, and Mr Vicary Gibbs and Mr Seely also spoke against it. Sir W Harcourt pointed to Mr Asquith's speech as a proof that the Liberal prin- ciples were not obliterated and that the Liberal party were sound on the question of religious equality. On a division the motion was rejected by 218 votes to 177; majority 41.

THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS. Mr Chamberlain informed Mr Channing that he hoped in a few days to issue a third Blue- Book containing the latest information relating to the concentration camps, including the mortality during January, which, he was glad to say, had greatly decreased.

WAR ITEMS. The Marquess of Londonderry made a special journey to Southampton on Saturday to say good- bye and to present to each man of the Durban Regiment going out a pipe and one pound of tobacco. The Wellington (New Zealand) correspondent ot the Times says:-One thousand Maoris have volun- teered for garrison or other dutv anywhere in the British dominions, relieving a similar number of British troops for war. If necessary 5,000 are available. They would much prefer active service, but, failing this, they are desirous of helping in some way, and will be much hurt if the offer is refused. A Windsor correspondent states that a letter re- ceived in that town from an officer of the Guards shows that a rumour in this country some time ago obtained currency later in South Africa, with the result that Lord Methuen assembled the men under his immediate command, and assured them that there was no truth in the report that he meditated returning to England. The General added that he intended to remain in South Africa, if necessary, until the War was over. Over 200 ex-Yeomen and Colonials, under the Command of Colonel Younghusband, leave Shorn- cliffe on Saturday, 8th inst, and embark at South- ampton for Month Africa. The contingent is known as the Veteran Corps," all the men having previ- ously seen service at the Front. The 4,000 Yeomen who were recently enlisted to relieve a number of troopers serving in South Africa, have now completed their training at Alder- shot, and are expected to depart for Capetown at an early date. Lieut L A E Price-Davies, V.C., D.S.O., 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps, was severely wounded in the chin and left shoulder near Ermelo on January 26th. Lieut Price-Davies, who is a brother of Mr S D Price-Davies of Marringtcn Hall, Chir- bury, has a remarkable record for his four years' service. Joining his regiment in February, 1898, he became lieutenant in October 1899, and proceeded to South Africa early in the campaign. He was present at the battle of Willo-n- Qrauge, and ob- tained mention in the despatches. In 1901 he gained both the D.S.O. and the V.C. for gallantry in the field. The Victoria Cross was awarded for a remarkable daring attempt which the young officer made to save the guns at Blood River Poort. He was seriously wounded on that occasion. The official despatch recorded that he rode to what seemed to be almost certain death without a moment's hesitation-"

JOHN I-IONII),s CRYSTAL PALACE MARKING INK Requires no Heating, Is size (with Linen Stretcher) 9d 6d size, 4td By Post, 10|d and 6d. COUNTY TIMES STATIONERY DEPARTMENT, WELSHPOOL. DIARIES FOR 1902 NOW ON SALE. DAVID ROWLANDS, (LATE S. SALTER), WELSHPOOL.