Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-22
BRITISH MUST
Be ON GUARD.
Danger that the Advance will be
Entrapped by Beers
ESTC0URT Is SURROUNDED.
Communication Cut speculntions
Of the Campaign Naval aud
Military Disputes.

niumry disputes
New York. Nov "a dispatch to
the Tribune from London says:
The war for which Lord Salisbury
opened the way and cleared the ground
by a secret understanding with the Ger
man emperor has reached the transit
ton stage between a Dutch attack
thWarted by the successful defense Of
Ladysmlth, Mafeking and Kimberley
and British offensive operations, now
opening on large scale. There was a
renewal yesterday Of elastic rumors OF
a disastrous repulse Of the Beers at
Ladysmlth on Wednesday, but these
have been deprecated In advance by
definite news that Gen. Whites army
mad remained inactive so late as Fri
day There were vague reports that
Jouberts forces had raised the siege,
gone south and cut OF Estcourt from
the sea, but these lacked confirmation.
The siege Of l.adysmith had evidently
failed, but the resources Of BOsr craft
had not been exhausted, and both White
and Clery needed to be on their guard
against being entrapped az the last mo-
ment, when the union Of their forces
only required caution and patience.
This was the undertOne OF talk at the
war Office and among the military stan,
and hOpe was expressed that White
would remain quiet and Clery would
not allow himself to be hurried. While
the facts Of the military situation In
lower Natal are carefully concealed,
il Is plain that Clery will have IN the
course Of a few days a force Of 1000
or 1900 troops, including the naval
brigade and the buttaliOns which were
on the ground before achievements be-
gan 10 arrive at Durham. These viii in
clude three brlgades Of the first, second,
and third divisions, and the second
Somerset light Infantry, which LETT
Capetown yesterday.
Both Clery and Hlldyard have been
connected with the staff college and are
considered among the best tactlclans OF
the British army, They have been
great faVoritgs with Lord Wolseley.
and understand the minutest details Of
military tactics OF strategy as taught In
the technical schools.
schools.
While the campaign In Natal is
wrapped In mystery and darkness, so
much light Is thrown on the movement
toward Kimberley that some leading
military writer's decline 10 believe that
IL will come on. as freely advertised.
Lord Methuen has two brigades, in
Guiding the guards regiment Of lancers,
several batteries and a naval c0ntin-
gent. and apparently the Highland
brigade. under Wauchoge, VIII join
him. There will be- a body Of nearly
i5.O0O men. skeotics assert that the
censor would not allow the press dis
patches 10 90 through II Kimberley
were The real destination Of the col
umn, and expect that It viii occupy
both banks Of the orange river and
draw OF the Dutch troops from cape
Colony
Other writers in todays journals
urge that the advance guard has gone
too far to support that theory, and that
Kimberley may be IN greater straits
than the public supposes, and that Gen.
Butler knows that the relief column
must march speedily. The censorship
In that quarter has evidently been re-
Taxed from some secret motive which
is not readily understood.
General Gatacre is evidently expect
ed 20 play an important part In the
advance upon BlOemfontein from East
London, IN connection with Methuen
operations, hut his force Is now small
Three divisions have been completely
recast without regard 10 red tape.
Naval officers are annoyed by critl-
cism Of the admiralty for arranging sea
transport by slow ships. and are re-
torting that the situation has been
saved by the nayy's guns They con-
tend that the war Office was ignorant Of
the artillery resources Of the Beers, and
allowed Ladysmith to be selected as a
camp without providing guns equal In
range 10 those mounted against IL on
the outlying hills. but that the effect Of
this blunder was counteracted by the
naval l2-pounders sent from the ships
In the nick OF time. This cannot be de-
MED, nor can II he questioned that the
naval guns on lmproyised carriages
have transformed the situation at Est
court and on Orange river.
A point which Engishmen not con-
neCted with the rival services perceive
Is that the resources VI the British
government for carrying on war al a
long distance inland are enormously in
creased by the active cooperation %
the army and navy In the present cam
paign. The blueiackets now on eX-
hibition al Ladysmith, Estcourt and
the Orange river are like the Sepoys
displayed at Malta by Lord Beacons-
Geld, as a practical reminder to Rus
STA that there was more than one way
Of fighting a big campaign.