eting--is that we are not
gaining, but losing ground. There is nothing, in my opinion, more
evident than that, during the last six months, the tide has been setting
steadily against us, and in favour of the enemy.

"A year ago there were no blockhouses. We could cross and recross the
country as we wished, and harass the enemy at every turn. But now things
wear a very different aspect. We can pass the blockhouses by night
indeed, but never by day. They are likely to prove the ruin of our
commandos.

"Then, as regards food. We are told that there is food here, and food
there; but how are we to get at it? How are we to transport it from one
district to another? Outside the frontiers of our Republics there are
plenty of provisions, but it becomes daily more difficult to get them
into our hands. The cattle, for instance, that used to be at Ladysmith
have now been removed to Estcourt. Even the friendly Kaffirs, from whom
we are now able to obtain provisions, may quite possibly soon turn
against us. The time is coming when we shall be compelled to say,
'Hunger drives us to surrender.'

"The horses have been chased about so incessantly, and have suffered so
much from want of forage, that their strength is almost exhausted. They
are so weak that it is almost impossible to accomplish any long distance
with them.

"As to the Cape Colony, I had always understood that the Colonists were
going to rise _en bloc_, but General Smuts has just told us that there
is no chance of such a thing happening. And he speaks from personal
knowledge, having just returned from paying them a visit. Moreover, he
has seen our horses, and says that it is impossible for them to go into
the Colony, so it appears that our successes there are over. This is a
severe check indeed; but it could not have been otherwise. We have not
enough horses to enable us to give the Colonists effectual help, and
they themselves have been cowed by the heavy penalties imposed upon all
those who did rise. Many of those who are well disposed towards us dare
not join us now.

"Again, there is no chance of European intervention: not one of the
Powers will do anything for us. To see this it is only necessary to
peruse that correspondence between the Netherlands and England, which
was the cause of these negotiations. There we shall find that the Dutch
Minister says that our deputation is only accredited to Holland, whereas
it had been accredited by the two Republics to all the