OCR Text |
Show be Scathing Tin of Boer 6uns London, Jan. 21, 2:50 a. m. The following fol-lowing dispatch from General Buller, dated Spearmans, Jan. 23, 6:50 p. m., has just been posted by the war office: "Warren holds the position he gained two days ago. In front of him, at about 1.400 yards, is the enemy's position, posi-tion, west of Spionkop. It is on higher ground than Warren's position, so it is impossible to see into it properly. "It can be approached only over bare open slopes, and the ridges held by Warren are so steep that guns cannot be placed on them. But we are shelling the enemy's position with howitzers and field artillery, placed on lower ground behind infantry. "The enemy is replying with Creosot and other artillery. In this duel the advantage rests with us, as we appear to be searching his trenches and his artillery fire is not causing us much loss. "An attempt will be made to seize Spionkop. the salient of which forms the enemy's position facing Trkhard's Drift and which divides it from the position facing Potgieter's Drift." General Buller's great turning move- ment, of which so much was expected, has come to a standstill. His carefully : worded message to the war office tell- i ing this, after a silence of two days, ! reads like an apology and an explanation. explana-tion. General Warren holds the ridges, but i British artillery is playing on the Boer positions, and the Boers are replying. The British infantry is separated by only 1,400 yards from the enemy, but an approach to the steep slopes, across the bare open, would expose the British Brit-ish to a fatal ri tie fire. General Buller's plans have reached their development. He declines to send his infantry across this zone against formidable positions by daylight, and discloses his purpose to assault the Spionkop heights during the night. This appears to be the key to the Boer defences. If he takes it and thus com- i manda the adjacent country, an im- j portant and possibly decisive step will j be accomplished. ! It seems that General Buller's dis- I patch reached the war office .rather j early in the night and was the subject ! of a prolonged conference between Lord ' Lansdowne, Mr. Balfour and several staff officials. A determination appears to have been reached not to give out i the message during the night," but to-.' ward 2 a. m. copies of the dispatch were made for distribution among the newspaper offices. These arrived too i late for extended comment. The Morning Post and the Standard touch lightly upon the unpleasant features fea-tures of the dispatch and take hope from the projected night attack, but altogether considered, the dispatch looks like a preparation for wors news. Parliament will meet in five days. The cabinet has been hoping for one rallying British success to cheer the country and to command generous support for fresh revenue measures. Among these will be probably an increase in-crease of the income to a shilling in the pound, but this would only pro- i vide tha cost of five weeks' hostilities. The dutiea on tobacco, alcohol, tea and coffee are likely to be raised. The i cabinet will meet at the end of the I week and discu:s the situation. Political considerations, both foreign and domestic, pres upon the military authorities the necessity of speedily accomplishing something. These authorities au-thorities may have been persuading General Buller to attempt his great I operation without adequate preparation. prepara-tion. This impression, whether true or not, is abroad. Apparently Lord Roberts has nothing noth-ing whatever to do with General Buller's operation. General Buller and the war office communicate with each other direct. Buller's scheme was conceived before Lord Roberts arrived i at Cape Town and its execution was begun on the day he landed. The fact that the judgment of Lord Roberts has not been brought to bear upon the movement does not add to public confidence. con-fidence. From Vienna comes the statement that the idea of the intervention of European powers- is gaining adherents in influential quarters. The Daily Mail's . correspondent regards the signs as unmistakeable, and mention especially suggestions printed in the Austro - Hungarian foreign office journals. Dispatches from Boer sources describe des-cribe the renewal of the bombardment j of Ladysmith as more heavy than i any previous firing, and as intended to discourage a . sortie, symptoms of preparations for egress from the town having been observed from the Boer positions. Special dispatches heliographed from Ladysmith on Monday say that the investment has not been relaxed and that the garrison has ceased to speculate specu-late regarding the precise date of deliverance. de-liverance. Tho position of the British forces outside of Natal is unchanged. The forward movement elsewhere appears to be waiting for reinforcements. The Daily Chronicle publishes the following heliographed message from Ladysmith, dated Jan. 22, by way of Swartzkop. Jan. 23: "Yesterday we could see British shells bursting close to the Boer camp on the plateau this side of Potgieter's Drift, but the camp still remains in position there today: "We heard very heavy firing all this morning. The bombardment here is slack, but the Boers' big gun on Mount Bulwana is still firing." |