Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-19
EXPERT VIEW OF THE SITUATION.
Serious PredicameRt Of England is
Scarcely Realized by the British.

Serious Predicnment of England is
Scarcely Realized by the British.
Copyright, 1899, by Press Publishing Coy
LONDON, Dec. 1S.-(New York World Ca
blegram-Special Telegram 1.-The Posts
military expert says:
"The gravity OF the situation has hardly
yet been fully grasped either by the govern
ment or public. 1t becomes my painful duty
to attempt to show how things actually
stand with the British empire at this mo-
ment.
I'm Natal General White is surrounded
by a superior force and General Butler finds
between himself and Ladysmith force
which has proved strong enough to stop
him.
In the western theater OF the war there
are Baden Powell and Mafeking invested
with Generals Methuen and Gatacre stopped
by superior numbers. General French is
holding his ground in the region where the
Boer forces are small, and the railway from
Capetown to Orange river is held by small
garrisons at important points.
THE fifth division has begun to arrive
The vital question is, what is to be done
with it? If an attempt is made to help at
all the points where there is danger or
urgent need for reinforcements the 10000
men of the division will be fritted away
without producing any perceptble effect
anywhere, but if the whole division is di-
dected to any one spot it may there turn
the balance in favor of the British arms.
Besides the three generals in the field,
whose recent repulses prove that they need
TO be reinforced, there is a rebellion in Cape
Colony to be considered. Here, then, are
four pressing calls on the division. In Natal
pi,,f, JaDp for
victory would have the greatest results, for
It would leave in the hands OF Butler and
White the most effective force. Suppose the
troops of the Fifth division should be
equandered in details or devoted TO some
new enterprise with no worse luck than has
attended the British arms during the last
two months. The end of January is the
earliest date at which the Sixth division can
be ready to act. The loss of Ladysmith and
General Whites forces, and the consequent
attack on General Butler by the whole Beer
force in Natal would cause a spread of the
rising in Cape Colony to a point at whi III
the Beers would be able to invest General
Methuen, who would then be, with railways
cut. hundreds of miles from relief.
with the Fifth division landing and the
Sixth Seventh and possibly the Eighth in
preparation the first thing TO be considered
is the safety of the base and communica-
tions for Great Britain and sea road to
South Africa in the event of a quarrel with
a power or the powers.
AT this moment what would happen If
there would be conflict for command Of the
sea During its progress the sea would be
unsafe for transport communications with
South Africa, which would then be inter
rupted at a critical moment and success
there might be rendered impossible and dis
aster inevitable.
"A quarrel may come any day without any
British intention to have cne. The gov-rnr ent
should by this time have learned that a war
may be forced on it and the mere fact that
the consequences would be disagreeable does
not make it less probable, The first meas
ure of precauton is to have the navy ready.
II all precautions are taken the danger OF
foreign interference will be reduced"