Show WHY ROBERTS REFUSED Reason He Declined to Spare Any Troops from South Africa London Julji Copyrighted by the Associated Press Lord Robertas declination de-clination to allow troops to be withdrawn with-drawn from South Africa for service In China is said Uo haAe come about this way The Secretary of State for Wai Lord Lansdowne cabled Lord Roberts asking if he could spare a diAlskm and Roberts replied Yes Lord Lansdowne then selected a number num-ber of favorite officers who have been I cooling their heals In the drawingrooms at home for billets with the force In the meanwhile Robertscabled suggesting suggest-ing that several of his tried commanders command-ers should accompany the division he was preparing adding that Ifan army COIPS was needed he would like to go himself These recommendations put Lord Lansdowne In an awkward fix Before he answered Lord Robertss suggestions = I sugges-tions the latter heard from prlvute sources that none of his seasoned S sea-soned Lieutenants were to go but that warriors who have fattened on the flesh pots of the city Avcre coming out to take all commands in the expedition whereupon the little man promptly wired London that It was impossible lo send any troops at all out of South Africa his previous offer be S ing based on imperfect information AVhereupon Lord Robe tss army rejoiced re-joiced and the War office was reluctantly reluct-antly obliged to abandon a scheme hereby it wan hoped to mollify many distinguished soldiers and timer relations rela-tions There Is no definite confirma tion of this but It Is told with considerable consid-erable circumstantiality The War office issued the following notice from Lord Roberts Pretoria July 7 Gen Buller arrived ar-rived this morning He looked very well and is apparently none the worse for the work he has gone through the past eight months S Another dispatch I has been received by the War office from Lord Roberts as follows Pretoria July 71he General commanding com-manding Ladysmlth telegraphs that f00 prisoners belonging to the Ypomanry and the Derbyshire have been put over the Natal border from Squrelary Reitzs advance party and haw reached Acton Homes en route for Ladysmith No officers accompanied the men Lord Roberts also transmits the fol lowing S Vlakfontoln July 7A convoy parsed Grayling Station today Before reaching a defile hVthe hills the Boers rfhelled the advancelng columns Thornycrofts men occupied the hills to the right of the narrow poj a keep lag the Boers back op a ridge to the left while the infantry deployed in I I plain sight and the artillery Occupied a position under the ridge The Boers worked their guns rapidly but the How i lexers replied with effect and drove back the Boers over I thy ridge The convoy passed safely and Avhen the force begun to retire thc Boers again advanced with a gun on tho ridge The British left field battery replied The I first shell forced the gun to retire I |