1 BOER TRAITS. THEIR PRRSRNT CHARACTER AND PAST ACHIEVEMENTS. The Partner of the Transvaal WH derness Have a Stirring History Th Great Trek -How They Conquered the Zulus. "TV MONO all the white men now tlironaing Johannesburg anil J other part o( the Transvaal C in search of gold, writes a correspondent of the London Times, bow uisuy can ear with truth that the,r know anything of the Dutch farmer 'l Not one man in a hundred. They will neer at him, langh at his gutteral tongue and his heary, nnoooth ways, rail ut his Government; but as tor taking the trouble to acquire bis lan guage and find out something of the inner heart of the man, they will not -BURGHER SOLDIERS OP do it in their feverish search for for tune they have not the time. And yet this farmer of the wilder ness, rough and uncouth, and often surly and snspioious as he is, has a great and stirring history behind him in South Africa, of which he is and has a right to be proud. He and his have struggled, and trekked, and warred, and been massaored, and have offered in blood and purse and pas toral wealth these 200 years past. I doubt whether an equal number of English peasants, farmers, soldiers and settlers, if they had been planted at the Cape in 1652, as the early Datoh were, would have emerged from tho long etrnggle so little spoiled, and having lost so little of their National characteristics. The Dutch Afrikanders are still of pure European blood, they still cling with the simplest and sublimest faith to the literal teaching of their Bibles, 11 cherish with denn affafltinn thmr their herding and hunting and trek king in the old slow, unconquerable, dogged spirit of their anoestors, still tarn their faces north, and us their pastures grow small and crowded, trek for new lands with nndimmod hope and vigor. In the "Great Trek," as it is called, hundreds of farmers quitted Cape Colony, selling their farms for any thing they would fetch in a foroed market, and, with their families be stowed in their wagons and their fli tl flooks and herds around them, crossed the Orange Biver and sought new omes and pastures. The present re- lublios of tha Transvaal anil OrjinffA Sea State owe their origin to this movement. The history of the Great Trek, if it ever comes to be written, will furnish one ox the most inspiring of epic. These despised and slow-moving Dutch farmers, armed with only flintlock BOERS TRAVELING BY guns, 'alter suffering cruel reverses nd the bloodiest treachery, met and conquered the whole Zulu army, then at the height of its strength and mili tary discipline. Fewer than 450 Boers successfully resisted 12,000 of the fiercest Zulu warriors. At the close f tout Sunday morning battle, fought upon Deeember 16, 1838, 3000 Zulus lay dead round the Dutch laager ; the etreetn flowing by, ever sinoe called ' the Blood Biver, ran orsmson ; smd the power of Dingaan and his nation was for years broken. To this hpur tie Transvaal Dutch annually meet to celebrate "Diugaan'a Day," and re t humble thanks for their crown !'j mercy, that wonderful victory over t' saln host la their warfare with the Zulus, in T country sew called Natal, the I etch farmers tued that plan of bat lyrist their wagons in sqaars f -- J ilizitu ketitoftsitref since an invaluable aid against the over-powering - numbers of savage tribes. Only so lately as in t's Mot abele war this old Boer method was adopted) and by its use aided of course, immensely by Maxim guns the colonists of Mashonnland won their brilliant viotorles, and destroyed the long and cruel Matabete tyranny. About this same period 1830-'87 another great portion of the Great Trek made its wsy into the present territory of the Orange Free 8tate, and thenoe, crossing the Voal, sno oeeded, after some bloody and dis astrous reverses, in driving Moselikatae (father of Lobengula) beyond the Lim popo into the country now called Matabeleland. Moselikat-e was then the most redoubted native captain in South Africa, and his meu, almost all pnre-bred Zulus, who had migrated from Znlulnnd with him in a body,' were as fearless, ns fleroe, as cruel, and as highly trained as Chaka's and Din gain's finest warriors. Yet the Trek THE BOER RErUBLIO. nau vanquisnea uingaan, ana took possession of that fair and rich coun try now called Transvaal. One battle was fought in laager against Moselikatse's Matabele hordes. There were but forty grown Dutchmen in the oamp, but the women and even the children (President Ernger, then a boy, was, I believe, among the num ber) served in the defence, loading the long smooth-bore guns as fast as they were emptied, and the Boers finally beat off their savage enemy with great lots. After this fight reinforce ments 'came in and small bands of monnted farmers attaoked the Mata bele in their own kraals. In the last of these daring cam paigns 133 Boer) followed up and 'foil upon Moslikatse in person on the Marioo Biver. Mosklikatse commanded no fewer than 10,000 of his finest sol diers. Fierce as they were, however, they lacked horses and guns, and found themselves no raatoh for the monnted Dutch farmers, all fine game shots, and all imbued with an in vinoible determination. For more than a week the Boers, with nothing but biltong (sun dried game meat) to eat, and no bed but the bare veldt, harried and harassed the Matabele hosts. Aain and again the Matabele tried to entrap their aotive opponents, to bring them toolose quartets, when their stabbing assegais might be brought into play. But the mounted men always evaded them, and at length, after losing large numbers of warriors, Moselikatse gave up the eon test, retreating beyond the Limpopo, and left the whole vast territory of the Transvaal, which he had long held by the sheer terror of his name and arms, to the "Voor-Trekkert" We English, in a miserably mismanaged war, and after a shameful peace, have bad our bad momenta with the Trans vaal Boer. Bat, now that time has OX-CABT 15 THE TRANSVAAL. somewhat assnaged the bitter memories of Majuba Hill, those of as who know and appreciate the sterling qualities of the Boer character the stubborn determination, the simple yet sublime faith, the deep love of "one land," as they eall the country of their adoption cannot deny to these rude farmers their meed of praise. For years after the battles with the Zulu and Matabele tribes the Boers as a body settled themselves qnietly in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, peopling the oonntry, growing their crops, and amassing great flock and herds. The more adventurous spirits among themthe elephant hunter went annually into the hunting veldt, and wnen they bad denuded their own country of great game, trekked far afield u every direction in pursuit of ivory. It baa been the custom to tt"z tit vtr?; Cots witi a lack j courage. I cannot follow th imputa tion. The Afrikander Dutchman is, I will grant, inert and hard to move. Even in tho agitation among the Transvaal farmers, before the Boer war, in whiob, undoubtedly, a targe proportion of the popula tion viewed the British annexation with extreme anger and indignation, they were very slow to go "out" As in former stuggles, the vrouws did an immense deal in sorewing up their husbands to the fighting point. The Dutch wife has great influence over her man ; she is usually possessed of Indomitable spirit and determination i and in moments of danger and diffi culty she counts for a good deal in South African movements. When the Boers finally took the field in 1881, they fought well, as even we onrselves mnst admit. It is no light matter to take np arms suc cessfully against the strength of Brit ain as these farmers did. By a series of lnoky accidents, tho Boers found arrayed against them troops weak in numbers, mostly consisting of young and unseasoned soldiers, lod by a Gen eral who, after a series of extraordi nary blunders, paid with his own life the penalty of rashness and lack of judgment. At Laing's Nek and Ingogo Biver the Boers undoubtedly had our men at immense disadvantage, and by the help of their very excellent shooting scored their victories. But at Majuba Hill, where less than 150 Dutchmen stormed a mountain hold by 400 Brit ish troopt and defeated them with the loss of their General, six officers, and ninety men killers and a large number wounded, want of oourage can scarcely be charged against these ignorant, undrilled farLiers. They themselves stillflook upon that event in their simple way as more an not of God than of their own oourage. Nor, in tiie far more desperate fighting against the Zulus and Matabele during the Great Trek, can want of courage be urged against the frontier Boers. A KITE BAI.L00X. Interesting; Experiments by Our Weather Bureau's Chief. The meteorologists have admitted for many years that some knowl edge of the condition of the up per air will be very valuable as an aid to weatner prediction. ine upper air strata are peculiarly inacoesible in the case of an attempt to suspend me teorological initruments for many hours above any looal point, owing to sudden gusts and equally sudden PROFESSOR MOORE'S calm. A oaptive balloon during strong winds is apt to be disabled by the variable pressure npon its im mense globe of confined gas. The wind, if very powerful, may drive the tethered balloon downward aldewise and foroe the gas out of its neok, caus ing loss of buoyanoy. According to reoent drawings made in London, Professor Willis L. Moore, Chief of the United States Weather Bureau, is experimenting with a com bination of the balloon and the kite, by wbioh during dead calms the gas bags at the baok of the kite may carry it upward, while during strong winds the kite would take the pressure and protect the gas apparatns behind it. The Moore kite, as drawn, ha a tail, wbioh may ultimately be dis pensed with, as in the case of the kites devised by me in 1891, writes Will- iam A. Eddy in the New York World. ! Since flat kites of light construction, in mild winds, require little tail, it teems to follow that a gas-inflated kite will need very small tail weights to balance it if the wind is light In a strong wind a tail about 800 feet in length will be required. Professor Moore's proposed line of experiment is interesting and valuable, and if all the Weather Bureau stations are equipped with auoh an apparatus the predictions would be more exact Kites of light construction can maintain themselves aloft six days in seven at New York, and probably fonr day in seven at Cincinnati, where the wind is light, if night winds in both cities are inoluded in the esti mate. Bat Professor Moore's kite, if he ases gas, would doubtless make the record almost continuous. Sinoe there is often plenty of wind aloft and none at the surface of the earth, the fsot are only approximately known t the present. By it late census Mexico claim a population, of 14,000,000, and 199 "Mi Milt Mary KlnRslfy's Fat sua African Traveler. Miss Mary Klngnloy,' nieoo""of the clergyman-author, has been accorded rank with Livingstone, Speke, Grant, Burton, Cameron. - Johnson, Seloua and Stanley. She has just returned irom long journey of exploration in West Africa, and is much surprised to MISS MARf KTNOSLEt find herself famous. '- Miss Eingsley is a modest, diffident little woman in so ciety, however brave and assertive she may be in the jungle, and had no idea that she was a celebrity. Barring Mme. Ida Pfeffer, who traveled about the greater part of the earth alone, and Mrs. Frenoh-Sbeldon, of Amerioa. Miss Kingsley has made a record as an explorer unapproachable by any wo man. She traveled in Africa from Old Calabar tbrongh the Frenoh Gaboon, penetrating the gorilla oonntry of tho interior and proceeding up the Ogowe Biver to N'Djole. It is a dangerous waste region and borders the country of the Fangwes, who have no cemeteries. They not 'only eat their own dead but such stray strangers as they may for tunately find. Miss Kingsley was re garded by this hospitable folk as fetich, and was thns insured against forming part of the bill of fare of a Fangwe banquet. She had muoh dif ficulty to retain her eight or ten na tive attendants however, and it was only by strong threats of punishment by the French Government that she saved the lives of her men. She oame aoross a Nation of vicious dwarfs near REMARKABLE NEW KITE. the Fangwe. These were mote dan gerous than their man-eating neigh bors, but Miss Kingsley's party evaded the poisoned arrows and maintained the fall integrity of the muster roll. tier chief feats were the navigating of Lake N'Covi, hitherto unexplored, the orossing of the Sierra del Crietal Mountains, and'canoeing down the Kumbi River. During all her travels Miss Kingsley's health was in perfeot condition. General Longstreet't Account. General James Longstreet, the ex Confederate.veteran who took a prom inent part in the Civil War, has writ ten a history of that momentous straggle. It is called "From Man to Appomattox," and the Chi eago Times-Herald say that it is "a truthful, impartial and unfavored account of the Confederate side staotioi tad movement during th r," v FASHION'S REALM. WHAT H WORJf BY WOMM IS WEST WEATHER AND DRY. t Practical atetOoraforUbl Water proof Stvltsh Costume for Girl Bonnets Made of Black Velvet. THIS practical and comfortable top garment, illustrated in the large drawing, affords perfeot protection in stormy weather without unneoeMarjr weight or other tnoonvenience. The absence of sleeves (it being shaped in so-oalled "skele ton" design) renders it easily adjust ed or laid aside. Gray waterproof cloth is the material chosen in this in stance, the cape being lined through out with changeable blue and gold taffeta. The edges are plainly finished, and the cloak is closed all the way down the front with bone buttons, three of a smaller sire closing the cape near the top. Tho fronts are loose-fitting, and join'tbe body back by shoulder, nnder-arm seams, nnder-arm darts produoing the smooth adjust ment at the sides. The baok skirt por tions are widely lapped and joined to the lower edge of body, straps being provided at the side edges in which tape or ribbon is inserted to tie around the waist, and thus hold the baok in proper position. The baok can be left open or closed as preferred. Useful pockets with pointed laps are placed on each front, the edges being stitched in tailor fashion. The cape COMFORTABLE expends well below the hips, and is shaped with a dart on each ahouldi r, it being of fashionable, but not exag gerated width. The rolling collar fits thfaeck olosely, and can be raised if desired. Waterproof cloth in medium or light weight is usually ohosen for garments of this kind. The quantity of 64-inoh-wide materi al required to make this wattrproof for a lady having a 32-inoh bust meas ure is 6r yards ; for a 36-inoh size, 6 yards; for a 40-inch size, 6 yards; for a 42-inch size, 6 yards. A HANDSOUB VELVET BONNET. Thi bonnet is of black velvet adorned with black tips, aboveaorown of shot-pink and blue passementerie. The lining of the -poke brim is a VXLVBT BOKNST. particularly pretty soft shade of pink moire silk, and the long wide string are of th aam silk. A couple of pick moire rosette, too, nestle on the bait behind, where tb brim 1 Uat ip. I IV"' I ''I I -r I J'ii'o( "-ST "'ma J-v. oiiils' cosrrom. Fancy striped novetty goods, iha3sd in golden brown hues, are here stylish ly associated with tabao velvet, the) lip BTTMSTt OIKL8 C09TCHB. are shaped with single seams, gath ered at the top and arranged over oomfortably fitted linings, the wrists being completed by bands of Velvet. The circular skirt has the fullness arranged in box plaits at the baok, two on each side of theplaaket, that is made at the top of the oentre baok seam. Velvet, ribbon, gimp, satin, or Persian ribbon, bias bands of yoke being simulated by twine-col- WATERPROOF. ored lace over yellow satin. The mode is also suitable for dresses of linen batiste and ootton wash fabrios that are already being prepared for the ap proaching season, trimmed with in sertion and edging of embroidery. The full waist is made np over fitted linings on whioh the material is ar ranged smoothly at the top, the full ness at the lower edge being gathered at the waist line front and baole, droop ing in blouse style over the belt in front Small gilt button with but tonholes effect the closing in oentre back, and the neok is finished with a close standing collar of velvet The yoke is laid on over the front in square outline, edged by the bands oi velvet, the tide band being finished with point held by single, large, dull gilt filigree buttons. The gigot sleeves plaid, or striped silk or woolen mate rial, nan be used for deooration on dresses in this style. The added yoke can be omitted if not desired, the trimming giving the same effect Stylish faner plaids and olan tartans make pretty d reuses, trimmed with -dark velvet, in thi style, cheviot, camel's hair, cashmere and other woolens developing attractively. The quantity of 44-inch, wide mate rial required to make this dress for a girl 6 year old is 21 yards; for lO-yearold size, 31 yards; for a 12-year-old size, 3 yards. UOHATB BTTU, POPULAR. Mohair still retains its popularity a dress goods. It sheds dust so well, and Noah's flood couldn't hnrt it, and so it lingers for utility wear. Oddly enough the next favorite, or rathet the prime one, is the rough material, suoh a frieze, bouole and something called tourmaline, whioh the shop girl said was a Swiss word I Maybe it U. The fabrio is rough surfaced and loosely woven, and comes only in blaok. It is very thiok nd look like bouole bunting. ' BLACKBIRD OOWKS. One tee a remarkable number oi costumes showing combinations of white. Any nd every color is put with it and with an astonishingly good effect. Blaok and white has long been in vogue, and is still so muoh in favor that there are no end of costumes showing this combination. White ba a softening effect npou color in every oase and is especially charming when mad up with pretty soft grays, brown or soma of the pretty mixed good. - Horseradish a a medioine and eon diment 1 meutioued in th Egyptian records, 20C0 year B. 0. It u easily grown la almost vj part oi th world.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers