OCR Text |
Show BRITISH DEFEAT AT Sl'JOXKOP: BHITI8H tllCIIOSS TROULA AF-SKVUflK AF-SKVUflK HBVHHBU8, llrn.rl Warren Vr-. lit llrllre, latlag 1,00 lima ml tVi.iin.lf.l lb ll.l.l-lj.lj.n.llh In lira- -rl lilrall. (len. Iluller, In a dispatch tu the War oRlce January III, tnlwi that Hplonkop wa abandoned on account ot lack ol waler.lnabillty lu bring artillery ther and tho heavy Iloer Arc. Ileglreant list of cnuwltles. Ills whole forci withdrew south of the Tugrla rlvc with the evident Intention of reaching Lndysmllli by another route. Den. HnllcreayaUrn.Warrcn'a troopi hato retreated south of the Tugels river. The Doers say the llritlsh lost 150 kHIed Wednesday. It Is believed thi Includt the wounded. The Iloer sIm claim that idOof the KnglUh troop surrendered I Hplonkop. A dispatch from liner Head Laager, Ladysmllh, says: "The llritlsh dead left on the bttleOeld numbered 1300.' The week hat opened with the utmost ut-most gloon for the llritlsh public and the reaction I all the stronger becaust of the high hopes that were reposed In (len. Duller' turning movrment and of hi announcement that there would be no "turning back." In the very moment when Dr. Leydi I being received a an honored guest In the highest circle on the continent, tlrest Ilrltaln has to face the worst disaster In a campaign thu far disastrous. disas-trous. Open talk is heard uf the absolute abso-lute necessity ot abandoning Lsdy-smith Lsdy-smith to its fate, while Lord Hubert should allele lu the original plun of an sdrsuc over the Orauge river upon llloeinfunteln. To Ldymltli the dlapolntmcnt mast be very bitter. A dispatch from the Uocr Lsagcr near the town de-tribes de-tribes the town as "very evidently preparing n desperate coup In order tu ffeet a Junction with Hen. Duller' kilvauclng army." It msy be regarded a a certainly Ikit, In the confident hoie of early relict. Kir (leorge White Iia lately Uta Issuing extra rations and thi (set has given rite loan exaggerated: Idrs at to the length of time the pro-vliloni pro-vliloni would last. Eltu should It be decided to tend (Its. Duller rrlnforcemenlt aud to at-leapt at-leapt tu reach Ladysmtth by a move-mttl move-mttl through tha still mora difficult country east ot Colenso, It Is extremely doubtful whether the garrison could holdout long enough nt such a move-at move-at would occupy At least a month. |