Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-12-30
OBJgCTING TO The CENSOR
London Wants More Detailed News
From The Capa.
Beers UnquesIOnably Have Ballers Guns =
Ladysmih May Fall at auy Time DlIH.
cullits Arise al Petersburg.

New York, Dec. FLA dispatch to
the Tribune from London, says:
There is practically no fresh news
from the seat of war Further details
of the battle of Colenso continue to
dribble in, but ON the whole they do
not add much information.
The Posts correspondent affirms
positively that the Beers captured ten
British field guns. Col. Butler, COM
handing the Devon regiment, with
three officers and forty men were sur
rounded and all were taken prisoners
by the Beers while looking for wound
ed men under q flag of truce.
According to the Chronicles cor
respondent the British mounted infan-
try end irregular corps, with two bat
teries of artillery managed TO take
the Colenso road bridge and eventually
cross the river, but the Boer rifle fire
prevented them from pushing on, and
the battery was abandoned Seeming
ly the guns were lost on the north side
of the Tugela and II so. there Is little
doubt that they were recaptured.
The Times says that people who
know the country consider the Boer
position the strongest In Natal.
Mr.. Burleigh in the Telegraph says
the Beers are digging more trenches
nearer the river and employing a creu-
sot gun to shell the British camp.
There is still no news of Lord Meth
uen. His communications have been
cut or else the cenSors are determined
to allow no information as to his do
ings to reach the outer world. Some
sensation has been caused in diploma
TIC circles in st. Petersburg by state
ment that the British ambassador
there had private audience with the
Car in connection with events In
South Africa.
The chief cause of the uneasiness
which brings back the shadow to Eng
lish faces Is suspicion that the Lady
smith garrison is short OF ammunition
and incapable OF prolonged defense.
The War Office does not admit that
Ladysmith Is In serious danger or
snort of ammunition. but the censor
ship somehow has allowed these
alarming reports to reach England.
| rhe censor, II is apparent. sometimes
| falls asleep or Is drugged by too can
| lid and too inquisitive friends
Dispatches from Colenso are still
coming in, but every one bears evil
dence of rough treatment from the
censorship. 1t is impracticablo either
| 10 reconcile these disjointed. fragmen-
| AIRY accounts. one with another. or to
| ,Spiain tre discrepancies between
| .nen ana General Buffers report. One
| .ournnl after another Is forced to de-
scribe their own correspondents dis
iatches as unintelligible and .hcrc are
strong expressions Of disapproyal OF
he ruthless manner In which the cen
sor mutiiates the carefully written
,ress dispatches after the battles ar,
fought There are at least dozen
questions of fact which remain unset.
tied six days after this battle occurred
The most important of these relate t.
he comparative ranges OF the Boel
md British guns, and the circumstan.
ces in which Longs battery was lost
i;nglishmen are anxious to know
whether Buffers army, with "A numeri'
cal superiority In guns and with q
higher degree of skill In the service ol
them, was without adequate protec
ton owing to the fact that II was out
classed by the Boer artillery. Their,
are n hundred details which the pub
lie Is eager to learn about the chic
battle of the war and every CORES
pendent Is gagged and bound and shu
off from clear. descriptive work. Thu
English press Is much more docile ant
submissive than the American pres
would be In similar circumstances, bu
1t is showing signs Of irritation and 4
on the point of asking whetaer tn
war In South Africa Is a private enter
prise conducted for the purpose O
shielding regulations of favorites Il
the held and red tape martinets In tn
War ONCE.
Boer accounts of the Colenso battl
are modest and convey the impression
..at the Dutch burgherS are not I'm
duly elated by their victory ON the Tu
gela.