The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-19
.BULLER IS REPORTED TO HAVE
CROSSED THE TJGELA RIVER
A Stiff Fight With the Boers-Heavy Renforcements
Will Soon Be on the Way From India and Eng
land-Vounteers Responding With Alac-
rty-A Fifth Division on the
Way to Aid Methuen.

London, Dec. 1880 a. m.-The
Daily Mail hears from hitherto reliable
correspondents that General Butler,
after stiff fight, crossed the Tugela
river. The correspondent also states
| that General Methuens communica-
| tions are cut.
| The war office has been in communi-
| cation with General Sir William Lock-
hard, commander in chief in India,
with view of ascertaining what troops
| can be spared from his forces, and it
is understood that as a result Of these
| inquiries a force will almost immedi-
| ately leave Bombay for Durham, in
cluding four regiments of seasoned
troops, with an ammunition column
| and brigade of artillery, including
| horse and field batteries 1t Is hoped
this force will reinforce General Butler
within month.
The Duke of Connaught visited the
| war office yesterday Since the ap-
| pointment of Lord Roberts as COM
mander in chief in South Africa the
/ question of rank no longer bars the
duke from going from the front, and
| as he has strong desire to go, it Is
| believed that only the queens reluct-
| ance stands in the way. 1t is not un-
| likely that this will be overcome.
Lord Chesham, commanding officer
| of the Royal Buckingham Yeomanry,
has been authorized to organize force
/ of 5000 yeomanry who will proceed to
| the Cape. The yeomanry forces sent
out will be drafted so as to work to-
| gether with the mounted infantry and
| mounted militia from Canada and Aus
tralia 1t is understood that the volun-
| teers selected will not form a separate
| corps, but will join their linked bat
| talions of the regular forces in South
+ Africa.
Throughout the country volunteers
| are responding with the utmost alacrity
| to the official notices. Lord Lonsdale
| says he believes the government will
only accept from 20 to SO men from
each yeomanry regiment. 1t is asserted
that many officers of the volunteer reg
iments are offering to go as troopers,
| if not accepted as officers
The Times says editorially:
Lord Roberts will have absolutely
| free hand and may be expected to
resume the original plan of campaign
| abandoned by General Butler under the
| necessity of relieving Ladysmith."
According to dispatch from Cape
/ Town. General Sir Charles Warren and
his staff have started for De Aar. This
seems to indicate that the fifth division
will be sent to reinforce Lord Methuen,
| a decision which will meet with general
approval, as the opinion is almost ev-
eryWhere held that it would be useless
! TO waste any more time by frittering
away men between the various col
umns.
The Morning Post, in a rather alarm
ist article, remarks upon the difficulty
OF deciding such a crucial matter. and
| says:
Beside three generals in the field
all of whom need to be reinforced,
! there is the rebellion in Cape COLONY
/ pressing calls on the Fifth division.
| The trouble is, who is to decide, and
| on what .principle?"
The Morning Post, reviewing he
various positions of the beleaguered
| commanders and garrisons, asserts
that the relief of Ladysmith is the
most important emergency, and that a
| victory in Natal would change the
whole face of affairs. 1t also points
out the urgent need of having the navy
IN readiness to move at any moment
| to protect the line of communications
with South Africa, suggesting that "a
! quarrel with some foreign power might
| come any day without any British in
| tention 20 have one
The Daily News, commenting upon
| the spontaneous response to the gov
ernment's appeal for volunteers from
all parts of the empire, says the most
remarkable scene of all recorded from
| the United States was the demonstra-
| tion in favor of the British in the
| church of the Messiah, in New York
city, during the discourse of Rev Minnt
/ j. Savage on Sunday
The inquiries among the Liverpool
| ship owners show that TRANSFORMATION
| for $4,000 men with horses and equip
| ment can be ready before the men are
prepared to start The government has
| chartered the Peninsular & Oriental
/ Steam Navigation company's steamer
| Assaye, and the Ghorka of the Union
| line.
G. B. Robinson, the South African
| millionaire, writes to the Daily Chron-
| icle, reasserting that the Beers have
unlimited supplies of ammunition and
| ample stores of food, and declaring
| that all statements to the contrary
! should be ignored.
| No further news has been received
| from Cape Town. but the Cape Argus
| has a despatch from a correspondent
| describing the battle at the Tugela
| river, who says:
General Barton carried the villa ge
| of Colenso at the point of the bayonet
| and under a raking fire.
| The few accounts Of the battle that
| are yet to hand fail to give an ac-
| curate idea. but the statement that
| General Clery commanded destroys the
| current idea that he was engaged in
some turning movement and that the