THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1900.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 153, 24 May 1900, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1900.

There has been no reason to complain during the past few weeks that the war was dragging slowly on ; event has followed event so quickly that it is difficult to keep up with all the movements and at the same time to have an accurate general knowledge of the whole. Now that Mafeking is relieved, the army I will have to pause awhile to allow Lord Eoberts' plans to be altered to suit new circumstances. Then, an army is not kept going in the field on nothing, and an enormous quantity of supplies will be needed. Apart altogether from sentiment, the relief of Mafeking has an importance from a j strategical point of view. Colonel Plumer's force is now added to the relief column, and the column under General Hunter. r Phis force, which totals nearly 5000 men will be a serious menace to the enemy. With Lord Roberts | operating f aom the south, sweeping everything before him, and General Buller with 30,000 men attacking energetically from the other side, the Boer army must necessarily be split up. There is another reason, too, why we may expect a pause in the active hostilities. It is reported that the enemy have asked for a cessation of hostilities, and this report is not at all improbable. It is possible that they may sue for peace at once, but failing that, Lord Eoberts will give them every chance of doing it. The general situation is aa satisfactory as it can be. The Boers may make a stand at the Yaal .River, but Lord Boberts, having two strong , tlanking movements going on, Avill be able to easily break down the opposition of the enemy, divided up as they will be. There are many indications that they." are divided up in another sense of the term. It is not now likely 'that the Free Staters will fight any more, and even among the Trans vaalers themselves there are very strong evidences of dissension. Many of them are beginning to see that their cause is lost, and even those who were made blindly confident by their earlier successes, have had time and defeats enough to change their opinions. President Kruger appears to stand very much by himself in his attempt " to keep the war from fizzling out." The failure of the attempt to secure foreign intervention should convince even the most sanguine Boers of the futility of struggling any longer, and though common sense has never been a very marked feature of any of their actions, yet we think that there are indications that for this time at least they are prepared to listen to reason. Many think that the stand at the Vaal River will be the last organised resistance of the enemy, but others consider that they will sue for peace befor© any further large engagement is fought. We incline to the latter view, and only hope we prove light in our conclusions.

To-DAY will be celebrated by th« millions who inhabit the vast possessions of the British crown, as one of the principal days of the year, because, on this day, eightyona years ago* our Queen was born. Queen Victoria's reign is the longest on record, and, at least as far aa the British nation* is concerned, is the best on record. Specially trained as she was, by her mother, :for the duties of Queen, no one, in her early years, thought she would have reigned so well as she h.as done, or hare

shown such an example of right living to her subjects. Almost sixty-three years ago she ascended the English throne, at time when England was not so high up in the list of nations as she is to-day. What the British nation has become in those sixty-three years, is in a large measure due to our Queen. All her people rejoiced in 1887 on the occasion of the Queen's jubilee, and sang, "God save the Queen " and " Long may she -eign " with real earnestness.* The prayer was the same on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, and in the three years since then she has done more and more to earn the lov« and goodwill of her subjects. We have come to look on our jarood Queen Victoria as everlasting, and it would be well for the British Empire if she could cheat nature and live another hundred years. If Mafeking had still been invested by the Boers, the rejoicings of the Queen and her people on this day wouid have been much curtailed, but that glad j news having come to hand there is nothing to mar the joy which is felt right round the world that her gracious Majesty has been spared another year to rule over her willing people. Queen Victori \ must die, we all know, but we all wish that that dying may be delayed as long as possible, and there is not a man, woman, or child under Her Majesty's rule who does not really mean what he, or she is singing when they sing " God Save the Queen."