Show TO BRITISH HOW GERMAN PRESS interprets EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA berlin april 9 the latest developments of the military situation in south africa are interpreted here as very unfortunate to the british the kreuz Zelt military writer says evidently lord troops have lost greatly in their fighting fitness moreover the enormous loss of horses renders the case desperate since the boers will evidently prevent reinforcements for cements reaching the article concludes as follows it is an admirable achievement perhaps an unprecedented masterpiece that 4 boers have not only managed to hinder for weeks the march 0 a fivefold army but have also contrived to damage the british communications seriously prof in the deutsche revue answers the recent pro english argument of prof max mueller ho condemns the south african war as unjust and concludes as follows in En glands glorious history a new page Is upturned namely the work of an executioner against the belated followers of william ten the comments of the press epou prof declarations are those of an unqualified endorsement indorsement Indor the Tage blatt says every word prof has written is endorsed by a nation of april 9 beaty cannonading canno commenced this moraine in the vicinity of bethoulle Bet hulle orange free state april 9 it is expected itha boers will endeavor to retake and destroy the bridge over the orange river consequently extraordinary precautions have been taken A force of boers is located twelve allea cast As a matter of fact the boers hold the free state eastward of the railroad and are greatly encouraged by their successes at bure and korn Bulu april 3 col plumer engaged the boers between bama and march 31 the boers appeared in considerable force six miles from and to prevent being outflanked out flanked on both sides plumer had to oa Ramath labama subsequently retiring to bis base camp the engagement lasted three hours and the retirement was well carried out in good order under a heavy fire the above dispatch is the british version of the defeat of col blumers Pl umers force as announced april 6 in a special dispatch from lourenco marques which said sharp occurred april 2 in the neighborhood of mafe kang it was added that tho garrison made corties sorties while col Piu mere cavalry attacked the boers at bama after three hours it is asserted the british wore repulsed twenty of blumers Pl umers men were found dead on the field and six others made prisoners the federal losses were said to be email sunday april 1 yesterday col plumer with two hundred and seventy mounted men and a few infantry and one maxim gun arrived at Ramath labama where he left the dismounted men and proceeded along the railroad to within sight of mateling Mat eking the advance guard under col white encountered a large body of boors and almost simultaneously the left and right flanks were attached and sharp fighting followed the boers were in crescent formation and outnumbered the british two to one they advanced with skill and stubbornness born ness and persistently endeavored to encircle the british after holding his ground tor an hour col plumer retired with the boers slowly following up the fighting continued throughout the ten miles retreat to Ramath labama where the british maxim gun was brought into play after a stiff fight col plumer reached his camp the british casualties were killed three and seven men wounded three officers and 24 men missing 11 the boer loss was serious at the conclusion of the right gen informed col baden powell that he had some british wounded and both baden powell and plumer sent ambulances the boers were also busy sunday collecting their dead and wounded most of the british wounded were only slightly hurt col plumer was wounded but was able to carry out his duties while the ambulance was still at Ramath labama april 2 gen with eight hundred men and three guns arrived there and finding no british troops in the vicinity returned to mafeking Mafe king it is reported that the advance guard of lord Met huens relief force has left fryburg tor mafeking Mafe king the above is another british version odthe defeat of col plumer pretoria monday april 9 advises advices from mateling Mat eking say a band of armed kaffits left mafeking Mafe king through the burghers lines during the night of april 5 and were followed and surrounded in the bush when they were shelled by a mallm gun the boers then stormed the kaffir position killing 31 the fought stubbornly skirmishes are reported at biggara berg and in the free state mostly between patrols Bulu march 31 col baden powell wires from mateling Mat eking under date of march 31 confirming the report that the boers had been pushed back BO far that the town was comparatively out ot range of musketry he concludes with saying all promises well for eventually cutting off this force of the enemy it we can hold here new york april 11 A dispatch to the tribune from london says by the grace of the censor the military situation is confusing but it is not an unintelligible maze the british inaction in the free state and natal Is not caused by an impasse like that resulting at chieveley Chie veley modder river and from the reverses of december it Is a halt rendered necessary by a preparation for an irresistible movement into the transvaal lord roberts and sir redvers buller will advance when transport and equipment are in readiness and they will operate simultaneously and not be diverted from their goals by attempts of boer raiders to scatter their forces this is the view of close observers in touch with the war office who assert that the british communications are not in danger and that the offensive operations against the railway lines are not serious they add that lord roberts will pay as little heed to the raider in the southern and eaarl districts of the free state as he did to the dutch operations around colenberg lesberg Co at the opening of the campaign but will strike northward toward hia own objective point with the certainty that the field south of Bloem fontein will be cleared by his own advances they also affirm that some fresh surprise will be planned by which general warrens division will be brought into the free state over ohp mountains in operation cooperation co wah general franchs frenchs Frenc hs cavalry brigades but they neglect to give practical evidence in support ot their conjectures press dispatches make it clear that there has been fighting tor two days at lepener where general brabant with the colonial forces has been attacked by three boer commandos with several guns the result ot mondays artillery practice was favorable to the colonial troops but yesterdays attack was more severe and determined gen brabants forces are reported to be well supplied with provisions and ammunition and in occupation 0 a strong position the are greatly excited by ithe boer operations on edge of their territory and it is most difficult for the british agent to hold them under restraint the nearest point garrisoned by british troops Is allway north but lepener is apparently patently ly isolated and completely surrounded by the boers there is no confirmation of the that a large boer force Is marching toward spring fonteen and there is no proof that the railway or telegraphic communication has been broken south of feln sir henry rundell and the advance guard of the eighth division are now reported to be heading tor springton feln instead of kimberley it this be true mateling Mat eking will be compelled to shift tor itself until lord roberts com the concentration of the boerl forces by an invasion of the transvaal although the latest dispatches show that the garrison is convinced that a relief column is on the way from kimberley the towns of the free state through which gen clements recently marched are showing ot uneasiness ano revolt but the alarmiste alarmists alar mists are not justified in their assertions that lord roberts army is in danger of being cut off from its base of supplies the inventions vent ions with chich tho papers arc filled are based upon tho absurd exaggeration of the strength of the boer raiders heavy cannonading canno Is reported from and sunday river but there is no decisive news from the boer peace commission has arrived in europe where it will be coolly received at every continental capital whatever popular sympathy there may be for the dutch cause no european government is prepared to declare war on great britain nor to undertake to dispatch an army of several hundred thousand men to south africa these are the only conditions under which intervention would serve any practical purpose after the explicit warnings given by tho british government it is expected in diplomatic circles that fischer wol maranes and will make a short stay on th e continent and will cross the atlantic in h ope of drawing the americans with the help of into some kind of ambuscade 1 |