settle the distribution of
fleets for all eventualities, to commission every ship in the navy and
to have all the fleets ready in their intended stations, so that only an
order by cable may be needed to set them to work; secondly, to have all
the coast defences manned and ready thirdly, to have the volunteer
brigades encamped in the defensive positions round London, for which
they are destined; and, lastly, but not least, to have the rest of the
forces at home encamped near great railway centres as field divisions of
regulars, field divisions of militia, and field divisions of volunteers,
with ammunition, transport and supplies attached to them. If these
measures had already been carried out there would be no intervention. If
they are now carried out without loss of time, intervention may be
prevented. If they are much longer postponed intervention becomes
probable; the great war may be expected, and no man can foretell whether
the British Empire, if again taken by surprise and unready, can weather
the storm.

THE COLLAPSE OF THE BOER POWER

_March 8th_, 1900

Lord Roberts yesterday defeated the Boers near Poplar's Drift. In order
to measure the importance of the event it may be well to begin by a
rough general survey of the condition of affairs.

There have long been signs that the Boer Power was subjected to a very
great strain by the effort made to hold, against ever-increasing British
forces, a number of points upon the circumference of a very large area.
The Boers were attacking Mafeking and Kimberley, and covering their
action at both points by forces intended to delay the relieving columns.
They were also endeavouring to support rebellion throughout a great
tract of country in the Cape Colony, extending from Prieska on the west
to the Basuto border on the east, and covering the rebels by parties
posted to resist the advance of Gatacre and French along the railways
from the south coast to the Orange River. These two groups of
enterprises were but the subordinate features of a campaign in which the
principal undertaking was the reduction of Ladysmith, which involved a
prolonged and stubborn resistance to the repeated assaults of Sir
Redvers Buller.

Thus the Boer Governments, or their commander-in-chief, set out at the
beginning to do many things at the same time. There were few British
troops in the country, and there was the possibility of great success,
at least in the shape of the occupation of t