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more than counterbalanced, by the many desertions of Free Staters and rebel colonials, which followed the defeat of Cronje.

OPPOSING FORCES.

In the lull which has followed the occupation of Bloemfontein, the rival armies, which before faced each other on both sides the theatre of war, continue to do so, but in greatly altered circumstances. The Boers have been reduced by nearly 20 per cent. of their fighting strength, while the British have not only replaced casualties, but also very greatly augmented their numbers, by volunteer enlistments in South Africa, and continuous arrivals from other parts of the Empire. Lord Roberts has with him at least 50,000 men, to oppose to some 30,000 which Botha is said to have got together at Kronstadt, and Sir Redvers Buller has a united army 40,000 strong, against which the enemy can hardly bring 10,000 into the field. On the other hand, the British still suffer the disadvantage of having two distinct armies, unable to co-operate tactically; whereas the Boers can move by interior lines, and thus concentrate at will. Probably the earliest operation of the near future will be the opening up of land communication between the main army under Lord Roberts, and its satellite under Buller, and the closing of the Natal Passes to the enemy.

As regards the war generally, the second stage has been notable for the wonderful promptitude of the British yeomanry, and of the home and colonial volunteers, in giving their services to the country, unconditionally, and in many cases at their own expense. It is to be hoped that the public will sufficiently appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifices thus made, and that the press will respond to the sentiment, by following up the career of the separate corps, with as much attention as is bestowed upon the doings of our regular regiments. In many ways the volunteer soldiers on active service deserve even more consideration than the regulars. Thomas Atkins has, as a rule, been a labourer; a soldier's pay and prospects are to him something; coarse fare is only what he has had from childhood. The volunteer, on the contrary, has had to throw up his professional or business prospects, without the

slightest hope of a quid pro quo, and he has much to suffer in the roughness of his unaccustomed environment. Not only this, but if, as is often the case, he belongs to the upper class, he has to lay aside his social rank completely in taking service as a private, and must feel the contrast when he compares his lot with that of his brothers and cousins, who, as officers in the army, are earning pay and promotion by the war, besides laying up a goodly store of honours and decorations.

These remarks particularly apply to many of the so called Colonial Corps raised in South Africa. In these the troopers are mostly the social equals of their officers, and a very large proportion are young Englishmen from the public schools. Many of them have qualified for Woolwich or Sandhurst, and others have served their trainings in the militia. In the recent dearth of suitable candidates for commissions, the War Office might, one would have thought, have remembered some of these young men, but unluckily the War Office has no memory except for its own worst traditions.

I must not conclude this article without reference to the most important event of the war outside the immediate sphere of military operations.

On 27th March General Joubert died at Pretoria, regretted alike by the English and the Boers. President Kruger was perhaps secretly pleased at the removal of his political rival, but even he must now feel the loss of the only man capable of carrying on the war with the slightest hope of success.

The Boers, though they admitted his unblemished patriotism, generally failed to appreciate the greatness of Joubert, and were offended at his opposition to the extreme war party. His influence, however, would have been always considerable, and had he lived a little longer he might have saved his country, as did the great Confederate, Robert Lee, when, seeing that the end of the civil war was certain, he refused to shed another drop of blood.

As to the British, we recognised in Joubert the man whose presence was a guarantee that the struggle in South Africa should not degenerate into savagery, and we looked to him as a possible peacemaker in days to come. Moreover, we esteemed

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him for his unfailing courtesy, and for his many acts of to the prisoners and to the wounded, so different f behaviour of many of his subordinates. For these thi because Englishmen can admire nobility of character, it may be found, we all, from the court to the cotta silently joined in the mourning for Piet Joubert, no Commandant-General of the Boer army, but as a true man, our old acquaintance and kind-hearted opponent.

SUMMARIES OF FOREIGN REVIEWS.

GERMANY.

THEOLOGISCHE STUDIEN UND KRITIKEN (No. 2, 1900).It is now fifty years since Dr. Dillman published his translation of the Book of Jubilees from the Ethiopic version, in Ewald's Jahrbucher. That was the first translation that had been given to the German public, and in view of that fact F. Bohn here offers an interesting review of what has since been done by scholars to make the Book of Jubilees better known and understood. In his article he contributes towards that end also. He discusses some of the more important questions literary and exegetic, which the work suggests. These questions are as to its original form, language, elements, date, and teaching. In its first form he thinks it belongs to the middle of the second century B.C., and was written in the Hebrew tongue by one who was thoroughly conversant with the thought and life of his people, and with their traditions and hopes. The work was added to and modified, however, by several hands afterwards.-Dr. Ebeling devotes a lengthy paper to the first article in Luther's Smaller Catechism, discussing the variations in its several texts from the Latin and Greek versions of the Symbolicum, Luther's comments on it, and the controversies which these matters have provoked since.-Julius Köhler furnishes a study on Johannes Falk, the man, and the character and siguificance of his work on the history of The Inner Mission.' It is not a biographical memoir of him that is here attempted. Herr Köhler endeavours rather to show the influence he exercised as a satirical and lyrical writer, and as a philanthropist.-Dr. Theodor Elsenhaus contributes a series of Beiträge zur Lehre vom Gewissen.' In a prefatory note he deals with the difficulty of finding an adequate scientific definition of conscience. He then in five sections proceeds to discuss conscience as an element of the spiritual life, and a factor in its operations and actions; and to point out how it might best be cultivated and disciplined so as to make it what deserves to be called, the Christian conscience. The other articles are 'Bemerkungen zum Briefwechsel der Reformatoren,' by Dr. Knaake; Einige Bemerkungen zur wahrhaft geschichtlichen Methode,' by Professor Paul Schwartzkopffand; a review of Doumergue's Jean Calvin; and of Gustav Wolf's Deutsche Geschichte in Zeitalter der Gegenreformation, Vol. I.

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DEUTSCHE RUNDSCHAU (Feb., March, April).-He Siegfried's novel, Ein Wohlthäter,' is concluded in the ary number, and the first instalment of another, Ein K Hellen,' by Herr Adelbert Meinhardt complete the fiction number.-M. von Brandt writes on the Crisis in South In his article he gives a pretty fair summary leading up to the issuing of the celebrated uimatum Transvaal Government. The writer, however, rega British interference with the Transvaal in its' treats those within its territory as unjustifiable, and so mana the British Government in the wrong. This is quite in with the general sentiment of Germany, and the Contine whole. Great Britain is represented as having been har sympathetic, and impolitic throughout, and we are told th Boers have good reason for their hatred of us. The religiouses Gefühl' of the Boers is pathetically dwelt upo the other side of their character is quietly left out of ac M. Von Brandt expressed, when he penned this paper, th that the United States Government would step in and mediation secure for the Republics, at least, their indepen -In the March number the same writer has a lengthy art Mr. Joseph Chamberlain. It is based on Mr. Jayes' recen on that Statesman in the series of The Public Men of T M. von Brandt's article is, however, merely a summary events and incidents of Mr. Chamberlain's career as a m business, as a municipal leader, and as a statesman, with appreciation of the many parts he has played. Our writer takes no sides as regards Mr. Chamberlain's share in the of the South African war, wisely remarking that the time yet come for passing a definite judgment on a question of kind; but he admits that there can be no reason for dou the honourableness of Mr. Chamberlain's conviction as unavoidableness of war, in the light of his views as t civilizing mission of England.-Paul Heyse continues in three numbers his interesting 'Zugenderinnerungen,' and i March number a tribute is paid to that writer on the occas his having attained his seventieth birth-day. In the Feb and April numbers, Philipp Zorn continues and complete account of the Peace Conference at the Hague, and its resu Anna von Helmholtz, whose death on December 1st crea feeling of wide regret and sympathy in many circles o Continent, is the subject of a kindly and reverent notice, has been contributed by a writer who signs it with the in 'W. D.-J. Reinke discourses in the February number o

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