The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-27
FIGHTING AT LADYSMITH.
sEN,WHITB REPORTS LOSS or EIaHT
KILLED AND FIFTEEN WOUNDED.


for the Town-Provisions AmpIe-Mnin
Situation in south Africa UNCHANGED
some Encouragins News Regarding the
Action Of the Dutch of Cape Colony. !
sp,cial Cabs D,,pa'A to THH Sun.
Io>rox. Dec 27-There ia no change In the
main situation In South Africa. but both forces !
are husily STRENGTHENING their positions and |
collecting their resources.
The greater rnrt of the British Fifth Army |
pvs ru has reached Care Town. TIE
best opinion confirms the expec,a-
ticn referred to In Saturdays des- |
ratches to The Sun that everything
will halt until Gen. Lord Roberts arrives
though the Care Town correspondents are be-
ginning to hint that some large movement will
be accomp shed very shortly.
The War ONCE has issued further list OF
casualties at Ladysmith. indicating that there
was lighting there on Dec. %. The list places
the Killed. at eight and the wounded at
nfte, n the latter including Lieut. Col. J. Y. VI.
faarett an four other officers OF the Fifth
lKoyai Irish Lancers.
A despatch from Chieyeley Camp says that
OH bee. ~. the Borrs surprised a picket OF
hus-ars to the eastwarI Of the camp. Two OF
ths British and seven Of their horses were
killed
Hs.lCy llU metAHStt arc seen lTc-
oueuty between LaGysm tn ana Pietermaritz-
burg. but no details are voucbsaied OF what Is
harreuihg newspaper correspondent at
Pietermari zburg. in y despatch dated Dec.
20 reports that a helograph message
FROM Laiysmith aid: Anxiety on our ac-
oouLt Ia needless Provisions are ample. Tho
health ~ the tropps. cons derIng the season, 10
good and their spirits are excellent. The task
before us does not exceed our resources
The Ddiiv Ntrs's CORES pendent At Lady
smith cent Photograph message on Deo Is.
reporting another" sorte by Gen. Hunter.
the result OF which was the destruction OF Q
how ger. q Maxim gun and Creusot. This
seems to be belated report OF the sortie that
occurred OF Dec. 4
= Ia occupation OF Dor -scht by Major Dali
gety's force OF mounted police, who are COOPER
Ating " IN Gen. Gatacre. Ia treated by some OF
the newspapers "a being OF considerable i'm
por,ance but nothing 10 known beyond the
bald oniciai announcem' Mt Of the fact
There Ia nothing later than Dec 20 regard
in- the disnicctIon in Cape Colony. The alb
seprn ~ anything very alarming encourage
he, ut view here
The snrnad OF various forms o. horse disease
IN all directions IL rec gniZed as Sc ions. lit
IL true. as Is reported. that Commandant
CrunIes horses are suffering severely. II
may oe presumed that Gen. hethuen's
animals have not escaped. Willis those Of
Generals Gatacre AID Butler are known TO be
affected, while the mule remounts at Stsllen-
bosch have been attacked by CLAN Iers.
The Telsoruphs correspon lent NJ Chieveley.
In a despatch dated Dec. 20. says that the Beers
have constructed q teInrorary bridge across
tho Tugela River near Peters Station.
and from that place have sen, COM
mando. which Is now building entrenchm an T.
on Mount Ilandwana and tho hills further
east The correspondent supports tho previous
British statements OF heavy Boar losses on
Dec. Is. He says that certainly more than 300
were lied.
The oosr movement to the eastward OF
chieveey indicates dnlgent effort to prevent
Gen Butler from carrying out Hsnking move
ment IL that direction.
Many OF tho men who wers wounded at Co.
leLso have already left DurUan anil + et.rnar-
hlburS to reIoin their commands with Cen
Butler. This further test'nes TO the Glenn
ness Of the wounds inflicted by Mauser bullets
and to good hospital trca men:.
Tho British naval contingent was on Dnc 20
again hombardlnR tho Boer position north OF
the TrGs,A River. The shell. which wrecked
the roai bridge on Dsc. - probably struck a
Boer nine as the damage done exceeded that
which could have been inflicted By a single
shell.
i ne IUuSIs COtTehpDUucnE ~ hTuuutl, tciS-
graphing under date OF d o. 20. says; The
force here. consisting mostly OF cavalry aud
horse artillery. have successfully oheckmated
amuch larger force OF Beers about Cole sberg.
The military situation demands a large In
crease In the cavalry. Experience here shows
that the Beers greatly broad cavalry with horse
artillery. The Bofr positions hero are strong
and Al assault Would invo,ve terrible losse-.
but either flank could be readily turned
and retreat cut OF II our cavalry were suifio-
entIV numerous and the horses 1T. The
BoeIs would then 10 forced to attack the Brit
ish In their position or disperse. Loyal Beers
say the enemy has gained lew recruits In this
neighborhood"
Sterkstroom despatch TO the Times.
bearing date Of Dec. "a. declares that. though
the British m sfortunes have encouraged many
way'rsrs /, Join the Beers, their numbers
hav" been much eIagg rated. Tho despatch
adds:
1T Is not loyalty. but fear. that prevents a
general rising. The local members OF the
A'rIknudcr Bond are disloyal TO man and the
Boer population are so with rare exceptions.
Tie Free State and Transvaal are nevertheless
disappointed by the number OF colonists " no
have actually taken M arms
"Of The districts northward OF the Storm berg
Mountains the following are reported to be
utterly dsloyal; Barry Fast. Lady Grey. ALI
wa North. NenterstAd. Coles org BurRhers-
dorp, SteynsberR. Molteno. Sterkstroom and
most OF Wodehousn.
Southwark the disloyal districts are
Graaf Reinet. MidielburR. Cradock and
the neighDorhooi NJ ROed Hook md
Nostit llock, while Tarkastad. Vie.
torih Fast and Stockenstrom are very
doubtful. and Cathcart Is or the fence. From
Qn""n-,pwn q the coast. with tho exception OIL
the foregoing districts, the country 10 enthusi'
asti"alv loya owing to the immense prepond
erhnre o. the British.
The handspring II colonial Boer loyalty il
Illustrated by the following example: A
Dutcnman who sent two Of his sons to the
Iransvaal AT the time NJ the Jameson raid wher
t-k"' what 70 wo' IN 10 in 1880. said. nothing.
Being reminded that blood IL thicker thar
wafer, he replied II must run thnnersthi'
tm' do not mean 10 risk my farm"
The TnfsS Modder River correspondent
o.riil"s tn" Dutch to the WESTWARD
q tho republics aS still being In suspense
sl.. Il. fIa d Han