The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-27
IRRITATION.
British Public Is Annoyed and
Depressed
BY the First Results of the At
rican War.
| WASTE OF LIFE.
Early Confidence Has Received
a Rude Shock.
Stage of Explanation and Apol-
Ogy Has Been Reached.

New York. Oct. PA dispatch to the
Tribune from London. says:
A curious cross-current of irrltatlon
and depression is noticeable in London
The chief cause is the sad news that
Gen. Symons is dead Medical men ana
the officials have placed little hope III
the slight rally reported in his condl-
tion but the public mind was more mer-
curiaI and Mr.. Wyndham's announce
ment of the end was received IN the
house of commons with a sudden start
and in silence all the members except
a small group of frreconcilables uncov-
ering and by the whole country with
sorrow and disappointment Ihe Ieei-
ing of public irritation was more suptle
and not wholly eXpltcable on the
ground of the capture of the Hussars-
There was a conviction that the cour-
age and skill of the British troops
which have Drawn forth enCOm1unS from
the English press have been doubttulIy
expended in the engagements OF Glen
coe and Elandslaagte when 1t was un-
certain that it was necessary to defend
these points which have been abandon
ed by the concentration OF the troops
at Ladysmith.
The depression caused by the war
news in many circles is an unreasonlng
reaction against confidence Inc
field force in Natal has not met with
disaster It has won three battles and
has greatly increased its fighting power
by the concentration of its forces and
the abandonment of an unsc1entltc
plan of defensive operations. CnpieaS-
ant as it may be for clubmen to near
that a squadron of Hussars Is IN Rre-
tOria like DR.. Jameson under guard;
that the guns reported to have been
captured at Glencoe were not taken;
thae the wounded were left behind at
Glencoe, and that killed, wounded and
missing in three battles number nearly
% dor ar-rr1
mains true that the British have won
every great battle although they have
been greatly Outnumbered by the enc
my. Structures upon the war office Tor
issuing deceptive bulletins are unjust
The authorities acted properly IN sup
pressing information when retreat
was ordered from Dundee and even in
creating the erroneous impression that
Glencoe was the point of concentrate
instead of Ladysmith. Lord WOlse1ey'5
commentaries upon the d1Spatcnes
which it was imprudent to publish
were not as lucid as CaeSerS military
notes but they served the purpose of
filling the pauses until the junction OF
the two forces could be effected. The
main fact is that Gen. Yule's retreat
was rendered unavoidable by the bad
plan of military defense which had
been been adopted by Gen. Symons be
fore Cen Whites arrival in response
to the urgent solicitations of the col
onial authorities in Natal
Your correspondent is Informed on
high authority that the military stan
considered Ladysmith IS the real posi-
ton OF defense and heavily fortified it,
but that they only expected to hold
Glencoe temporarily. They did not in
trench the camp strongly and antcipa-
ted a withdrawal from it in the pres
ence of overwhelming numbers
While this explanation is made after
the retreat and consequently is open to
suspicion of being labOred apology, 1t
is probably correct. Certainly the war
criticised
rigid censorship Of news when the ne
Cessity for it has been proved by Cen
ditions which rendered publicity dan
ditions which rendered puchcity dan
gerOus.
On the other hand the foreign mill
tary critics now in London praise the
British performance as not only ad-
mirable in design and execution but in
the features of well considered whole,
since the Importance of an early dem
onstratiOn of the British fighting quail
ity must have influenced powerfully
the Boer generals and men. Politically,
moreover. the effect is daily apparent
in the modified behavior of the Cape
Dutch.
DR.. Leyds is busily contradicting the
rumOr of a probable attempt of the
Transvaal to capituIate on the best
terms it can get. It is learned from a
truStW worthy source that the statement
of the great numbers of Boer forces
given in the foreign and to some extent
in the English press and attributable
To AENuS uau q purpose DenlQQ II. HIS
object is believed to be an attempt
by exaggerating the military
power of the Beers still to be
reckoned with, to induce England in
the event of Gen Whites being de-
feated by JOubert's army which un-
doubtedly outnumbers the Natal field
force in the proportion of five to three
into accepting some sort of a compro-
mise by which the inevitable humilia-
uOn of the TransvaaI may be much
lessened- The strength of the Boer
forces is known at the colonial office.
where 1T was pointed out that Ievds'
contention that the Free States had as
600 men in the field is obviously untrue
since there was no such number of men
capable of bearing arms.
Gen. JOubert now receives more
credit than he probably deserves for
brilliant tactics His general plan of
attack was admirable but its execu-
ton was poor, and the retreat ting force
was allowed to retire almost without
observation and certainly vithout in
terference. No ADVANTAGE was taken of
the opportunity Of harassing it in the
IeIreat and overwhelming it in the
open country.
NEVER SAW SUCH A FIGHT.
London, Oct. PA disDatch from
btfecht Transvaal says: The fgbting
at Glencoe lasted nine hours Tbe
purshers say there never Witnessed
such a hght- General Lucius Meyers
1ofce OF 5.OgO men with eighty-six guns
was several times repulsed.'
Belated DISPATCHES from rr,,1; IT,.
partially elucidate the situation on tbs
RhooeSian border. It appears thar COL
onel runner ascertained that all the
Soulpauspefg Boers, numbering several
hundred men, mustered under Piet lou
bert, at the Black river ana Drocee6e1
to 1lmpOp0 river, where thev arrived
October 16, accompanied bv a 0l,noba-
IS armed Shangan and Zoutpansberg