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Show . Hews of English Defeats ttiitbbeldjBy'gooemmetit L,omlon, Oct. 26. With unconscious humor, a Cape Town correspondent telegraphed yesterday: "The censorship, censor-ship, which is always a delicate matter, mat-ter, is working smoothly and without ! a hitch." j This hits exactly the state of affairs today. An ominous veil is still drawn over the movements of General Sir George Stewart White and General Yule. Beyond belated Ladysrnith dis-i dis-i patches concerning the Elandslaagte fight, which are Ftill filtering in, the British public is left in complete darkness dark-ness and to conjecture over "cooked" war office dispatches. The officials of ft m General John D. P. French, Chief of British Cavalry in South Africa. the war office last evening said that very few dispatches have arrived and that nothing further was to be expected expect-ed until morning. Since it is practically certain that General Yule has now effected a junction junc-tion with General White although this was not brought Tuesday night, as announced an-nounced by the Daily Mail, but some time on Wednesday and as both are now in a position of safety, conjecture concernt itself chiefly with the manner of General Yule's retreat. That it was hasty is evident. Was it disorderly? Was any considerable camp equipment abandoned? Was there any fighting on the way? Such questions and others like them, the public is anxiously asking. Since the receipt of General White's curious first description of the Lady smith fight, J in which the British lost 100 men, little F reliance can be placed on the official dispatches. While the concealment of the facts regarding General Yule's re treat can be amply justified on the ground of keeping the intelligence from the Boers, the hiding of the news re-ppecting re-ppecting the Hussars and fusilleers who were apparently captured in the battle of Glencoe, is severely criticized, no intimation in-timation even having been given that the officers were missing. The heavy losses of the British troops in facing only some 8,000 Boers, are commented upon as what rifle fire means today in the hands of even undisciplined un-disciplined men who can shoot fairly straight, and stand their ground. Com- f parisens are made with the first em ployment of the magazine rifle in the Hispano-Americano war, and it is considered con-sidered that the American losses at El Caney and San Juan would have been much heavier if the Spaniards had doggedly dog-gedly stood their ground like the Boers. General Sir Redvers Buller is ex pected to arrive at the Cape early next week, and the indications are that some troops have already arrived at the front and been in the fighting whose arrival has not yet been announced. There is every probability, therefore, that reinforcements are now moving up. This is calculated to hasten Commandant Com-mandant General Jouberfs attack on Ladysroith and news of a big battle is daily expected. About half a complete army corps is now afloat and a. lull has occurred in despatching the remainder of General Buller's forces, owing to some difficulty in obtaining troops. The mobilization and embarkation of 21,000 men, however, how-ever, have proceeded with the utmost smoothness and completeness, extorting admiration from even the severest critics of war office organization. Although irews has arrived that Gen eral Sir William Penn Symons is doing well, there is no indication as to his whereabouts. It is presumed that he is at Dundee in the hands of the Boers. Speaking at Dublin yesterday to the j departing troops. General Lord Freder- i ick Roberts of Kandahar said that however important previous campaigns in South Africa had appeared at the time, they dwindled into insignificance when compared with the great event in which the British troops were about to engage. Among the touching incidents of the field related. Captain Peyton, of the Manchester regiment, who was wounded wound-ed at Elandslaagte, says the wounded had to lie on the field throughout the bitter cold night, drenched by the rain. One man in his regiment placed his arms around Captain Peyton through the whole night to give him the warmth of his body. It appears that th Gordon Highlanders Highland-ers and the Manchesters bore themselves them-selves with reckless courage. To this Mas due the fact that they suffered so heavily. The iormer was Keen to wipe out the insults levelled at them after Majuba by the Boers, who taunted ' them with being Kaffirs in kilts. The Times publishes a dispatch from Namuwpoifrt. Cape Colony, saying it is rumored among the Dutch there that President Steyn received 50.000 for in-dueinc in-dueinc the Orange Free State to join the Transvaal. New and stringent orders were promulgated pro-mulgated yesterday with references to the defences at Gibraltar. The privilege privi-lege Englishmen have hitherto had of entering the gate without a pass is temporarily tem-porarily suspended. Nobody is allowed to enter or inspect the batteries. Even the famous St. Michaels cave is closed because it is required for the storage of arms and ammunition. For months sappers and miners have been engaged in constructing new and powerful batteries, bat-teries, and it is believed that the garrison gar-rison will be augmented. REPORTS ARE DOCTORED. English People Indignant at the Methods of Lord Wolseley. London, Oct 25. The coirmander-in-ehief, Field Marshal Lord Wolseley, has apparently now been convicted of doctoring" official reports from the front, and there is a strenuous demand on all sides for a reversion to the ear- Her practice, when the reports of General Gen-eral Sir Stewart White, the British commander in Natal, were given out textually as soon as received. The j commander-in-chiefs summary read in the house of commons yesterday spoke of General White having fought a successful suc-cessful action, whereas General White's own account puts an entire3y different complexion on the sittation, and reduces re-duces the movement to its proper vro-portions, vro-portions, and shows that further exciting ex-citing intelligence may be expected from the same quarter at any moment. It is quite evident -the war in Natal has only commenced, and that the Boers are by no means discouraged at losing the first two battles, and many experts are satisfied Ganeral Joubert is even now close to the heels of the British, Brit-ish, and that a decisive action may be fought today or tomorrow. The main tact that the British were forced to Rrwvrls the Natal triangle which the Boers naturally rightly claim as a conspicuous con-spicuous success, and which they may een emphasize by a proclamation an-onwn,?,rthern an-onwn,?,rthern Natal, is proving an unpalatable pin to the public, whose appetite has been whetted by the previous pre-vious successes, which had been represented repre-sented as being greater than they reaiiy were, as the determination and gal.antry of the Boers enabled them to quickly reorganize and achieve desired de-sired objects by other methods. Later estimates of the Boers losses at Elandslaagte give 300 killed. The'ir coolness, bravery and good aim can be judged from the fact that out of seventeen seven-teen or eighteen officers with the half battalion of Gordon Highlanders, four were killed and thirteen wounded, while the casualties among the rank and file were 27 per cent during less than three hours' fighting. Lieutenant Campbell of the Gordon Highlanders has since died from his wounds. A dispatch from Cpe Town today s-ays General White has engaged the Orange Free State Boers who were advancing ad-vancing on Ladysrnith, about seven miles northward, and that it was believed be-lieved the advance had been repelled. This is probably another version of yesterday's fighting as already known. Other dispatches from Cape Town say advices from Mafeking confirm the statement that fifty Boers were killed by the explpsion of two trucks of dynamite, dyna-mite, purposely sent out by Colonel Baden-Powell to draw the Boer fire. The offer of General Cronje, the Boer commander in the vicinity of Mafeking, to Colonel Baden-Powell to exchange General Jan Kock, Captured By the British. prisoners referred to Captain Nesbitt and others of the armored train wrecked wreck-ed at Kraaipan. Some significance is attached at Cape Town to the proclamation issued at Pretoria by the Transvaal government with the view to safeguard British property. The situation in the west is becoming becom-ing complicated. The Boer proclamation proclama-tion of annexation and the claims of a victory at Glencoe are likely to induce the Dutch to side with their countrymen country-men already in the field. It is also believed be-lieved the Dutch beyond Griquatown are only awaiting encouragement to declare for the Transvaal. Advices from Philipstown yesterday say the searchlights of the Kimberley defenses were visible the previous night and, therefore, Kimberley is still intact. Dispatches from Kimberley give details de-tails of the arrangements made by the British commander, Colonel Kekewiche, for the defense of the town. The meat consumption is limited to a pound, a fire brigade has been formed, but its members are prohibited from joining in the defense of the place, as their services are likely to be otherwise required. re-quired. A dispatch from Mazeru. dated Oct. 24, says: Commissioner Lagden- was then starting to meet Lerothodi and other Basuto chiefs at Patiatsus river, where the chiefs have assembled at the request of Lerothodi to pledge loyalty to the queen. A dispatch from Durban dated Oct. 22 tmys information has reached there from Metmoth, Zulu, that on Sunday a large Boer force was approaching. The inhabitants forthwith entered Fort Maxwell, anticipating an attack at dawn on Monday. According to a Brussels despatch, Dr. Leyds, the diplomatic agent of the Transvaal in Europe, has issued a statement that the Boers have now nearly 100,000 men in the field, made up as follows; Boer regulars. 35,000: artillery, ar-tillery, 1,250; police. 1,750: Orange Free State troops. 35.000; Natal Boers, 3,000; j Bechuanaland and Rhodesian Boers, 8,000; foreign legion. 600; Americans, 4.000; Germans. 6.000: Dutch. 2.000; Irish, 1,000; Scandinavians, 600; French, j Swiss and Italians, 200. The Jews, it appears, are doing police work. A special dispatch from Pretoria dated dat-ed Oct. 24 purports to give an interview inter-view with one of the highest Transvaal Trans-vaal executives, who is quoted as having hav-ing urged tfctU while the Boer successes were yet unimportant, there was still time for an amicable settlement, as he believed the Boers had been misled as to the real issue. ENGLISH IN" TIGHT PLACE. Alarming Reports Reach London From the Scene of Action. London, Oct. 24. No news yet received re-ceived tends to dispell apprehension caused by Lord Wolseley's brief summary sum-mary of the situation. A Pietermaritz-burg Pietermaritz-burg dispatch says that the censor now permits no message to be sent from the front. Other dispatches represent the Boers as boasting that Dundee is absolutely cut off, and assert that despite de-spite the British victories the situation is still uncertain. The Pretoria dispatch giving the report re-port of General Joubert to the government govern-ment evidently refers to the first battle bat-tle at Glencoe, and the reasons why Commandant Erasmus fai el to come to the assistance of Commandant Meyer cannot Vv? fathomed. Had he done so the British victory might have been still more dearly bought. Probably Commandant Meyer, having arrived at the rendezvous first, thought to get all the glory of wiping out the Britishers himself, and opened attack without waiting for the others. If so, the Boers suffered badly because of his hastiness. hasti-ness. . It appears certain, however, that the brilliant victory at Elandslaagte was productive of no effect for the relief of Glencoe and the very reticence and brevity of Lord WolseJey's communication communi-cation are only too ominous. It seems to be worded to prepare the public for bad news, and it is only too likely that I General Yule has been compelled to abandon the wounded prisoners at Dundee Dun-dee because his force is too weak to make the four and a half miles separating separat-ing Dundee from Glencoe. Probably General Yule believes he can better protect Dundee from an enemy advancing, from the northwest by concentrating all his available strength at Glencoe, where there are now 3,500 men and three batteries. In j the meantime efforts will be made to re-open the railway and to get reinforcements rein-forcements from Ladysrnith. It is expected that Commandant Erasmus has by this time joined Commandant Com-mandant General Joubert, and that their combined columns amounts to some 10,000 or 11,000 men, while the Free State Boers, now threatening Lady-smith Lady-smith from the east, and a column reported re-ported to be coming through Zululand, must nlso be reckoned with. In short. General Sir George White has been unable to follow up his successes, suc-cesses, and is obliged to remain at Ladysrnith without being able to restore re-store railway communication, which is probably broken at other points besides Elandslaagte. Thus the enemy, although their original origi-nal plan,- which was supposed to have been Colonel Schields, failed, may fairly be credited with having isolated General Gen-eral Yule's brigade and divided the British forces in Natal. General Yule may find himself in a tight place, needing need-ing all his experience in Indian and Burmese fights to extricate himself. It is quite evident that the war office has news which has been withheld from the public and, if the situation as here sketched is confirmed, Boer divisions may be expected at other frontier points. Up to midnight the war office was besieged with inquiries, the heavy lists of British losses causing much heartburning. heart-burning. Said a workincman who was reading the list: "If this is the price of suzerainty, good God, but we are paying in full." It is regarded as net impossible that General White may yet be compelled to concentrate all the Natal forces at Ladysmi-h and await the arrival of the arnry corps. MOVING ON KIMBERLEY. Boers Near ths Town, But Said to Ba Afraid to Make Attack. London, Oct. 25. The Daily Telegraph Tele-graph has the following from De Aar, Cape Colony, dated Monday evening: "The Transvaal government is about issuing a proclamation declaring the district north of the Vaal river, and including in-cluding Bechuanaland, to be Boer territory. terri-tory. Commandant Cronje. who has been twice repulsed at Mafeking, is said to be advancing on Kimberley and to be impressing men and seizing stores and ,munitions in British territory. He I left a small force investing Mafeking. The Free State Beers are moving westward west-ward in order to join him for an attack on Kimberley. "The dispatch riders who are coming down to the Orange river from Kimberley Kim-berley are performing thrilling feats. They ride through the Boer lines under cover of darkness, and get to the Orange river without taking any rest, save for a change of horses. The distance dis-tance is sixty miles. One rider, who got into Kimberley last Friday, was chased seventeen miles by Boers, narrowly nar-rowly escaping with his life. The same man returned safely with dispatches to Orange river today. When he reached a point thirty miles from Kimberley his horse fell and kicked two of his fingers against a rock, but despite this painful wound the gallant fellow made a good journey here. "He reports that the Boers are three miles from Kimberley, but are afraid to attack the place and are awaiting the arrival of Commandant Cronje. No Boers are to be seen south of Belmont. which is twenty miles north of the Orange river. The defeats in. Natal are taking ail the fight out of them and they will not attack the British troops, though they may defend a few positions. posi-tions. Indeed, it is believed here that the heaviest fighting of the war is over, except for a battle near Pretoria." ENGLAND WAS TOO HASTY. The Cueen's Bitter Regret at the the Large Loss of Life Sustained. New York, Oct. 24. A dispatch to the World from London, sa5"s: The ministers minis-ters and their supporters are now realizing real-izing that they plunged into the war with reckless haste, and the queen's messages in r which she speaks of "dearly bought victories" and "dreadful loss of life" indicate with a plainness which she has never before permitted to indulge in under like circumstances, her disapproval of the war. The British forces in Natal have already al-ready lost in killed or wounded nearly 500 men in three days fighting. The Gordon Highlanders lost only one officer offi-cer and five men killed in their famous attack on Dargai Heights in the Afridi campaign, while at Elandslaagte they had four officers killed and nine wounded, twenty men killed and thirty-three wounded. The Boers distinguished distin-guished and shoot the officers by reason rea-son of their carrying no rifies, their uniform uni-form being the same as that of the men. The squadron of Hussars and the section sec-tion of mounted infantry which pursued the Boers after the first fight at Glencoe Glen-coe (la6t Friday) are still missing. Prolongation Pro-longation of the war beyond British expectation ex-pectation is now regarded as certain. ANOTHER FOE FEARED. Why the English Channel Squadron Sailed For Gibraltar. New York, Oct 24. A dispatch to the Tribune from London says: The sailing of the channel squadron today for Gibraltar is now regarded by the keenest keen-est observers as an indication that some unexpected attack upon British interests in-terests is possible The magnitude of the preparations of the war, which are out of all proportion to the requirements require-ments of the military situation, can be adequately explained on the theory that the government suspected that some great power would be tempted to seize the opportunity for striking a sudden blow or carrying out a deeply cherished policy. The quarter from which 'such an attack at-tack of this kind may come is unmis-takeable. unmis-takeable. The Russian press has had license to criticise the English policy in South Africa, in the most acrid way, and a rumor that Herat may be occupied, oc-cupied, is alread5r in the air. British commercial interests in Persia are so large that a Russian seizure of the commercial com-mercial position in Western. Afghanistan Afghan-istan would be a serious stroke, aimed directly against free trade. That seems a more likely menace than the forcing of the Dardanelles by the Russian Black sea fleet. The movement of a powerful French fleet to the Levant colonies with the circulation of a rumor that the Russian advance may be resumed in Asia while England is pre-occupied at war in South Africa, It also fits in with the explanation of a secret agreement between be-tween England and Germany, which I have already given in previous dispatches. dis-patches. This was that England, in return re-turn for a free hand in South Africa, in settling' the Transvaal question, had agreed not to make any hostile use of her fleet if the Gennan emperor were to decide to follow up his visit to Jerusalem with a serious attempt to assume any position in Asia Minor. The channel squadron will not sail to the Mediterranean on account of any German menace. The relations of England and Germany are most cordial, and the emperor's visit next month is a plain indication that for practical reasons he is reconciled to' a policy which enables the British government gov-ernment to re-construct the Dutch republics re-publics and to bring them under the authority of the crown. Interference Threatened. New York. Oct. 24. A dispatch to the Herald from Berlin says: Telegrams from Brussels announce that in the Transvaal legation circle it is stated that France and Russia will not permit per-mit the annexation, of the Transvaal and Orange Free State to England. i The central committee of the German Red Cross society is sending surgeons, nurses, and complete ambulance materials ma-terials to the Transvaal by the East Africa line steajmer leaving Naples in November for Delegoa bay. The English Eng-lish Red Cross society, to whom offers of some assistance were made, declined them with thanks. t:r , ii .iiiiiiiu.i. i-... .. .j... 1 1 .ii. |