New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-27

BRITISH SUFFER FROM DISEASE AND
FROM THE BOMBARDMENT-BCL-
LERS WORK URGENT
fCopyright: 1899: BY The New-York 1rioune'I
Inr c.n1r TO THE TRIBUNE.

tCopyright; 1899: BY The New-forK lrlou"e'I
IRy CABLE TO THE TRIBuNE.l
London. Dec. q, / a. ma belated Christmas
message from Ladysmith was posted IN the war
C,e7ce Yesterday afternoon. 1t three days
ossua,tv list with four deaths from fever and
dvsentery. three men wounded. apparently from
shell fire and on a separate entry ten NIleo anu
sixteen wounded in what looked like sorue oi
reconnaissance last Friday, in which were en-
Gagged the 5th Lancers, who fought so well at
Flandslaagte and the remnants OF the gloucester
Regiment and the 10th Mountain Battery "hich
we're entrapped at NichOlsons Mex. Ihere were
M details and It was possible that British
gun had burst or that the enemys gun hre "au
beon sufHcientIy accurate that day to account
tor en- large a casualty list; but the optimists
ohosa "a infer that General Whites men had
h<a, again showing their mette by venturlng
outside their lines especially as Lieutenant
Co,one, Fawcatt. Of the 9th Lancers. the ofhcer
o,narentlv in command. was severely wounded
rbis regiment was stationed at Pietermarlt%-
,ure before the opening of the war ana mas
lost heavily in officers during the campaign III
Natal ..,
U,betber the I.adysmith garrison is nghtins
qsI,antlv outside or is exposed to closer anu
moro destructive fire from the enemy su''
tbese casualty lists. with their fatal casts VI
tvntoid fever are eloquent appeals TO the Din
,sb army beyond the Angela 10 rescue II aS
sneedilv as possible from prolongaton oi '"'
siege The relief Of Ladysmith mas oeooi'i'
General Buffers first objective point anu etN
thing else has been sacrificed 10 attain '""' W.
ject Ill,
The censorship has operated to CONFUSE iIiiii-
tarv writers here, who are unable to tell "here
fS nd
with the five battalions Of the F1tth DIVISION
s,rca their arrival at Cape Town The hulK OF
.ho. force with the batteries, however VIII
rrobabIv turn up in due time on the Iugela
with Warren in command.
SIEGE GUNS AT THE CAPE.
There is no trustworthy news from Butler
army and the military writer's are weary Oh
the thankless business Of planning his cam
To- |or him at a distance of 5000 miles.
as,ecialIv when the frontal attack seems the
orlv resource Of British strategy in the held'
Tbore Is general agreement however, among
the military men that effort to force the
massage Of the river will not be attempted the
second time near Colenso until full control OF
the southern bank has been secured The ar
rival OF the siege train is reported at last Ut
Cane Town The military authorities nave at
last supplied their army in Africa with dozen
,aoyv guns after the Beers have been dragging
siege guns from the Pretoria forts over upper
Natal and across the veldt to Magersfonteln
I'D N,afeking and outclassing the British horse
and field artillery. 1t is not yet clear whether
Geneva, Nethuen or General Butler will make
use Of these guns in attacking the strongly
fortified positions in front Of them.
The war Office also gave out a Christmas
rnessaoe from Cape Town which evidently
meant for Lord Lansdowne and General Wolse-
lev but Was posted in order 10 relieve public
uneasiness General Forester Walker reported
that there was no change on the Modder River,
where Metbuen was well intrenched and un-
disturbed and that Dordrecht had been occupied
nv 15O Cane Police the Beers having retreated.
Summaries like this are received nightly at the
War Office but are not made public because the
officials consider II their privilege to know some
things which the newspapers cannot supply
The exceptional publicity given TO THIS summary
is proof that the War Office can furnish every
day, II II chooses definite Information ABOUT 'he
campaign which will not be OF any vaiue 10 'he
enemy II telegraphed back TO south AFRICA YET
will help TO clear the air at nome where 'he
newspaper readers are confused by oeiateo ais
MATCHES fully week old. bearing marks OF the
censor's blue pencil General CronJe khe"
Christmas night that General Methuen was wen
,ntrenched on Modder River. and the Free state
leaders confronting General Gatacre were also
aware that Dalgetty had occupied Dordrecht'
and there was no reason why English readers
who were following the fortunes of their soldiers
with intense interest. should not nave oeen
taken into the confidence of the War once ano
allowed these two glimpses Of the situation IN
the west and south. Similar information couio
he provided officially every day by the war
ONCE and 1t would be much more wholesome
diet than the newspapers are allowed to supply
under the restraints Of the censorship. the mil
,tarv authorities having gagged and bouhd tne
sneciaI correspondents and news agencies nave
considered their responsibilities to the puOne