THE ATTITUDE OF THE BOERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 107, 6 May 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE ATTITUDE OF THE BOERS.

The Natal "Witness" in a leading article, says : — lt may be pointed oat — it is in fact plainly stated— that it la the 'attitude of the Dutch population of the Transvaal which baa paralysed the arm of the British Government in the prosecution of the Zulu war. Now, in respect of;, this mattery we would point out three things : First, that by wellinformed persona the agitation amongst : the Boers at the present juncture is regarded as being devoid of ■ any real earnestness, — devoid of any real intention of proceeding to; any open acts of ' hostility ; next, that if one: thing more : than another ia calculated to fan passive into active discontent, it is the threat of coercion by means of Imperial bayonets ; and in the third place we would point out that if any one thing more than another ia calculated to keep discontent in the Tranavaal in check, it is the vigorous prosecution with all the strength that can be got together of aotjve ; operations against the Zulus. We might even go further still, and suggest to the High Commissioner that it,, would be well, for, him to make himself perfectly ( certain with regard to the, temper . of .-the publio mind at home before he turns ipaaaive into active discontent in the Transvaal by the exhibition, of physical force. It is possible that the BrUishi public, when it comes to consider the matter impartially, may not {altogether believe in Manchester bunkum, and Cape gaard-B-fio. It is possible that the British public, when it has time to < consider the subject, may come to the conclusion that it would be better -to let the Transvaal go, even at the cost of the English money - spent in ■■ it, than to incur tenfold expenses in fighting Boers and Zulus at the same time. The British public maybe disposed -,to think that, in a crisis like the present it would be wiser to incur political, defeat than general disaster, and better to have the whole European community united against the common enemy, than to cling tooth and nail to an annexation which circumstances, are, proving, in reepoct of the military object of that annexation, to have been a practical mistake. We should be very sorry to say anything distasteful Ito the High Commissioner, of whose ability upon all possible occasions every one has had : so many proofs, but.it will do no harm at least to remind him that Africa is not India, and that his ads will be reviewed, not by a secret political committee but by a Liberal .party, burning to find a handle against the Ministry that has involved England in the expense of an anti-Busßian demonstration and an Afghan war. To secure peace and save expanse, are the two duties now set before him, and which the nation will expect him to perform, and it depends very much upon. his manner of performing these duties whether or not a career that has hitherto been successful will be successful to the eni.

A home correspondent of the Otago Daily Times gives the following account of how the news of the Zulu disaster was received in England:— The astonishment, rage, and dismay caused by the first telegrams announcing the reverse were naturally intense, and when the newa was flashed over the country many refused to believe it. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach was the first to hear it, and he was observed immediately to hurry across, in a rather undignified way for a Cabinet Minister, to the Treasury, with the telegram in his hand, to see Lord Beaconsfield. The Premier at once summoned a Cabinet Council, which met the same afternoon ; and the evening papera

announced not only 'the confirmation of bad news, but the resolve of the Cabinet at once to send powerful rein, forcementa to the Cape with all speed. The determination of Ministers so well chimed in with the popular feeling, that there was but one voice — that of satisfaction'—at the decision, All shades , of opinions united in declaring that the disgrace of our defeat must be at once wiped out, and Lord Cheltnsford so strengthened that no repetition of it on the smallest scale should be possible. On Change, in the clubs, and at every fireside, the pregnant words of the telegram were the one subject of conversation ; and, perhaps, since the days of the Indian Mutiny there has not been such universal deep feeling among all classes. And not in England only, bat in all the capitals of the continent, the battle of leandula was the absorbing topic, and the gallant conduct of the ill-fated 24th the talk of every mouth. The great heart of the nation was moved to its depth by this story of devoted, but fruitless valour, and cried aloud. More terrible was, and is, the grief and sorrow of the relations and families of the officers and men who fell on that fatal day, and the appalling circumstances of whose death makes their loss more acutely f felt than had j they fallen at different times, or in a fair and equal fight.

The monument to Victor Emmanuel which Italy desires to raise will cost not less than £2,000,000. In England the number of insolvencies in 1878 is act down at not less than 5000 greater than that of 1877. Gladstone's admirers propose to build a hospital to his memory that will coat £22,000. A city gentleman (says the Kingston Courier) has a beautiful canary bird which has been kept for some time in his readingroom, as the gentleman was very fond of hearing the bird sing. Now, it so happened that the canary's cage hung just above the chair in which the gentleman used to sit and smoke. As time wore on it was noticed that the bird ceased to sing altogether. Finally, one day the bird was observed wildly endeavouring to keep his perch,, and floundering about the cage as though dizzy and very weak. It occurred to the gentleman and his wife that perhaps the tobacco smoke might have something to do with the birds' strange behaviour, and it was taken into another room. The air seemed to have an effect. In ! a day or two it was heard singing, though in a weak and tremulous voice. After a week had gone by, it began to send forth notes of purity and clearness, and at the end of a fortnight it was itself again. "Nildesperandum" is one of the best mottoes ever adopted. When acted on, it eaves men from failure, from suicide, and from hopeless yielding to torturing maladies. The sick and suffering may now hope for restoration to health, for those invaluable and never failing remedies known aa " Ghollah's Great Indian Cubes," completely cure and eradicate Rheumatism, Gout, Sciatica, Neuralgia, Lumbago, Liver Complaints, Biliousness, Intermittent Fevers, &c. Ask for them at the Chemists.