The Irish standard., 1899-12-16
THE WAR IN CAPB COLONY.

be able to inform our readers that the
war in South Africa is progressing finely
for the Beers. Since our last issue the
British have fought and lost two bat
ties. First, General Gatacre suffered de-
feat at Stormberg for which he blames
the native guides instead of the mules,
as at Nicholson's Mex. Six hundred and
seventy-two British prisoners were TAX
en- and three guns were captured. How
many were killed and wounded is not
given, but the loss is believed to be
heavy. There is woe and lamentation
in England, and Gatacre has been Sc
verely censured, especially by the Earl
of Durham, who says that he should
never have been intrusted with South
African command, because he had pre-
viously overworked his men in the ON
durham campaign.
A few days after the inglorious dis
comfture OF Gatacre the news arrived
that General Methuen, who had been so
badly crippled at Modder River, had
suffered serious repulse at Mayors
fontein and had sought refuge in trench
es. The loss is exceedingly heavy. The
official report gives the total of killed,
wounded and missing as 832. There
were fifteen officers killed and four
wounded; five are missing and one is
known to have been captured. Me-
thuen's forces amounted to 10000, while
the Beers forces are said to have been
$4,000. The British are beginning to
lose confidence in Methuen's military
skill, and their chief reliance is now in
Buffers generalship, but he may, and
possibly will, disappoint them. We have
always claimed that the ability of Brit
lsh generals is over-estimated by the
Anglo-Saxon press on both sides of the
Atlantic. Thus far they have not dis
played any military skill of high or
der. The war has hardly yet begun,
and it will cost the British dearly be-
fore they enter Boer territory. The en-
tire loss sustained on British soil I'D to
time OF writing must be close on 5000
in killed, wounded and prisoners. The
following description of the latest battle
is given by the special correspondent Of
the New York Journal:
Two days OF the fercest fighting in
Methuen's advance on Kimberley has
ended in the Beers checking him just
beyond Modder river with rifle fire so
hot that British troops melted away be-
fore the deadly hail. The description OF
the battle makes it certain that the
casualties will be the heaviest of any of
Methuen's three battles. The long con-
test began early Sunday morning, when
the British artillery, aided by the guns
of the naval brigade's lyddite shells,
opened a furious cannonading on the
Boer position. All day long rain of
shells poured upon the trenches. The
Beers replied with spirit. The artillery
duel ragged hour after hour, the troops
being held in leash ready to charge the
instant the Boer artillery could be ST.
fenced. No chance was given to rush
Monday. But next morning the Boer
fire slackened by degrees and at noon
Methuen ordered charge. Up the hills
went the men with rush, covered by
the fire of every gun of the British bat
teries. But all the terrible Smelling of
their trenches had not driven the Beers
from their position. Undismayed by the
havoc wrought by the British shells,
even forgetting the dreaded burst
ing of the lyddite shells, they
chung to the trenches doggedly and
as the British troops moved up the hills
and their protecting fire ceased, the
Beers opened up such rifle fire as
could not be withstood. From the
trenches and front of each flank the un-
seen foe poured their murderous fire.
Men dropped on every side, the line
wavered moment-then, spurred on by
the officers, dashed forward again with
unflinching spirit. Human bravery,
however, could not stand under such
a fusilade. Again the line halted, the
ground sprinkled with dead and dying.
From the trenches and hillsides still
came the incessant hail of lead. This
time the advance was checked for good.
The troops were compelled to retire,
leaving the Beers masters of the field.