The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-31

received a dispatch from Gen. White
commanding the British forces at
Ladysmith. reporting that the Royal
Irish Fusiliers. No. 10 Mounted battery
and the Worcestershire regiment were
surrounded in the hills by the Beers,
and after losing heavily, obliged to
capitulate. Gen. White adds that the
casualties have not yet been ascertain-
ed.
GEN. WHITES DISPATCH.
Following is the text OF Gen. Whites
dispatch To the war office:
"Ladysmith. oct. 3l.--10:35 a. MI
have TO report a disaster To the column
sent by me To take a position on hill
to guard the left flank of the troops.
In the operations today the Royal Irish
Fusihers. No. 10 Mounted battery and
the Worcestershire regiment were SUR
rounded in the hills and after losing
heavily had to capitulate. The casu-
aities have not yet been ascertained
"A man Of the Fusliers employed as
hospital orderly came in under flag
OF truce with a letter from the survi-
vors of the column. who asked for as
sistance to bury the dead | fear there
Us no doubt of the truth OF the report.
/ formed a plan. in the carrying out
OF which the disaster occurred, and
am alone responsible for the plan.
There is no blame whatever to rhe
troops, as the position was untenable."
Gen. White in a subsequent dispatch
says:
OFFICERS CAPTURED.
The following is a list of the officers
taken prisoners today: staff Maj. Adye,
Irish Fusiiers; Col. Carleton, Mai.
Mum. Mai Kincaid, Capt Burrow,
Lieut. Southey. Lieut. Phillips, Lieut..
McGregor. Lieut.. Holmes. Lieut.. Kelly,
Lieut.. Donor, Lieut.. Kentich. Lieut..
Kinahan, Lieut.. Jeudwine. Chaplain
Matthews.
or the above Capts. Rice aral Silver
and Lieut.. Donor were wounded.
Worcestershire regiment, Maj. Hum
phrey, Maj Capel-Cure. Maj. Wallace,
Capt. Duncan, Capt. Connor. Lieut..
Bryant, Lieut.. Nisbett. Lieut.. Ingham.
Lieut.. Davy. Lieut.. Temple, Lieut.. Ra-
dice. Lieut.. Breul. Lieut.. Hill, Lieut..
Short, Lieut. Smith. Lieut.. Mckenzie.
Lieut., Beazie. Lieut.. Gray, Lieut.. Knox.
OF the above Capts. Duncan and Con-
nor were wounded.
Royal artillery Maj. Bryant.
Mounted battery. Lieut.. Wheelock,
Lieut. Nugent, Lieut.. Moore. Lieut..
Webb.
AL NOT YET KNOWN.
While reverses were not unexpecte1.
no Englisbman believed that anything
IKE the blow Gen. Joubert delivered TO
Gen. Whites 70, Ces yesterday thredteh-
ed the British arms I'm Slutl Africa,
and apparently. the full extent of the
disaster is not yet acknowledged.
Inquiry at the war office seems 20 in
dicate that the military dispatches con-
t8jn othe particulars which il rs DEEM
nI 10 oh ff,1t aftHt 81 oil
but the Sc i1us nature of which Is not
disguised. The story as alrea ly known,
however. is sufficiently. bad The loss
in effective lhen must be app ali.ng TO
general who is practically surrounded.
Two OF the firest British reg.ments and
mule battery deducted from the
Ladysmith garrison weakens 4, about
fifth of its total strength and alters
the whole situation very materially in
favor Of the Beers. who once again
have shown themselves stern fighters
and military strategists OF su )erio~ Or
der.
COST TO THE BRITISH.
The disaster cost the British from
1900 TO 1000 men and six seven-pound
screw guns, and as the Boer artillery is
already stronger than the British the
capture Of these guns will be a great
help to the Beers Apart from the inn
mediate loss In electives. which will se-
riously cripple General Whites opera
tons, the British defeat must have a
most depressing effect on the balance
NJ the Ladysmith force, while II may
be expected 20 have much weight with
the Bogs who are wavering as to which
side 60 support.
Further news must ba awaited before
IL Is attempted 90 attach the blame
where it belongs. General White man.
fully accepts all the dlscredit attaching
TO the disaster. which. apparently, we.
at least partially due TO the stamped
ing Of the mules with the guns.
From the list Il will be seen that
forty-two officers were made prisoners,
besides "a newspaper correspondent. Mr..
j. Hyde.
CAUSED D1sMAY.
The news was received with dismay.
There was a rush TO the war office
which. by noon was surrounded by prl-
vatc carriages and hansOms while many
OF the humber class of people came on
foot an waiting and watching FOR names
90 be given out. At the government OF
fees no effort was made % cOnceal the
feeling az dismay prevailing. IN ot1-
cial said 20 n representative Of The AS
sOciated Press. 1T is inexpirlDle am
am sorry 10 sav that its moral effect
IS inestimable. We have lost heavily ~
many wars and have had regiments al
most wiped out. but 10 have regiments
ca ptured and nv the Beers Is terrible
The manliness OF General whites