The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-11-17
BRITISH REPULSE BOERS.
GEN. WHITE MAKES SUCCESSFUL
SORTIES.
Now Believed That He Can Hold Lady
smith Until Reinforcements Arrive.
These on the Way.

LONDON, November 9.-The Beers
completed the investment of Ladysmith
November 2, and began shelling the
town. The naval detachment from the
Powerful did excellent work for the
British dismounting some of the Beers
guns.
Gen. White sent out a strong detach-
ment of infantry and cavalry toward
Tatham's farm about ten miles to the
northwest, near Bester's, and apparent
ly achieved surprise, the Beers being
caught on the open veldt and cut to
pieces, and their camp captured En-
cOuraged by this success General White
decided to risk an even more important
engagement on the following day.
which was again justified by success.
General White had ascertained that
the Beers were attacking Colenso, but
he was not aware of the British retire
ment. He had determined, therefore,
to attack the Beers in the rear, thus
hoping to achieve the double object of
drawing off an attack upon the weak
garrison of ColensO and possibly of re-
opening communication southwark.
The Beers had advanced southwark
until they had occupied the hills north
of Tugela river and dominating COlen-
so on the other side of the stream. The
! hills slope to a plain that reaches to
/ the banks of the Tugela.
| IeHeTdl WHITE = ulNlSlOD CduBnI lne
Beers in the rear and after the hills
| had been shelled the British infantry
| stormed the position. Meanwhile the
! British cavalry swept round the hills,
and as the retreating enemy descended
| into the plains with British bayonets
| behind and the river in front of them
| they were charged by the cavalry and
| seem to have perished almost to a man.
! The British then returned to Ladysmith
without coming into touch with the
| Colenso garrison, which had retired to
| Estcourt
1t is reported that the Beers lost 800
in killed and wounded and captured in
Thursdays battle on Tatham's farm,
near Ladysmith.
! The force which left Estcourt Monday
has doubtless reoccupied Colenso and
possibly is now advancing cautiously
up the railroad toward Ladysmith,
| General Whites sorte of Friday almost
to the banks of the Tugela river, en-
couraging its commander in the hope
of joining hands with him.
General Joubert, the latest adVices
would indicate, drew in his horns after
| Fridays engagement, and has since
Withdrawn the southern BOer contin-
gent, leaving only outposts on the line
from Ladysmith to Colenso. The Beers
who occupied Colenso about the middle
| of last week retired without damaging
Bulwer bridge over the Tugela river, or
the railroad as far north as the village
of Nelthorpe, seven miles south of La
dysmith. Evidently they nurse hope
of eventually utilizing both in their de-
scent on Pietermaritzburg. Meanwhile
the British are also able to use both,
as they have already done, in running
up an armored train, which may at the
present moment be covering the ad-
vance of the EstcOurt forces
Al EstcOurt and Pietermaritzburg
the defensive works have been greatly
strengthened within the last few days
and they are now believed capable of
holding their own against any BOer
force which General Joubert would at
the present juncture risk sending
against either town. Both are likely
to be strengthened before the week is
out by a further naval force and even
by the first detachment of General Bull
ler's army corps.
The situation looks brighter at Mafe-
king, where the Beers are apparently
disheartened at the unexpected resist
ance, a large body of their force haV-
ing been detached to the south to assist
in the investment of Kimberly around
which the Gordon Is drawing tighter.
Evidently the Beers intend to make a
concentrated effort to capture Kimber-
ley and their arch enemy, Cecil Rhodes.
The reported departure of Boer con-
! tingent from Pretoria, with German
artillery gamers, moving in a SOuther-
| " direction, is taken to mean co-opera-
tiOH in the invasion of the northern part
| OF cape Colony, an undertaking which
has thus far not progressed very rap
idly.
Reports of treacherous use of the
white flag by the Beers, coming from
! native sources, are not received with
complete credulty, but at the same
time their reiteration is making unfav-
orable impression. one paper asks sar-
castically whether President Krueger's
reference i'm his message to America to
| Staggering humanity" meant the use
of the Boer white flag.
To the eyes of military experts the
darkest page of the war is now being
written. But even that is illuminated
with bright passages, such as General
Whites victorious sorties. If he can
keep the British flag flying over Lady
smith until he is relieved, the campaign
Will turn a fresh page and with the
advance OF Sir Redvers Buffers force
the British public is promised more
cheerful reading.
This feeling of relief inspired by re-
cent good tidings is nevertheless tinged
by certain anxiety lest General White
should again make some fatal miscal-
culatlon, involving a repetition of the
Nlcholsen's Mex disaster. Her majesty !
does not share this anxiety and appar-
entity is sangune of his ability to pull
through successfully 1t is asserted
that she has written to Lady White ex-
pressing sympathy with her husband
in the trials and difficulties he is now
experiencing and assuring Lady White |
OF her own undiminished confidence in |
his generalship. The purport of this |
letter has been cabled to General White |
by the Marquis of Lansdowne.
LONDON, November 9.-NOne of the |
troopships are yet reported as arriving |
at Cape Town. 1t is believed however |
that six of them with $500 troops |
aboard have been met by dispatch |
boats and are proceeding to Durham |
which Is much nearer the scene of war. |