The record-union., 1899-11-25
Revised by British Officials Before Gven
Out TO the Public.
All Rumors of Another Sortie From
Ladysmith and of the Defeat Of
the Beers Efectual1y Disposed
of by a Dispatch From General
White-The Situation at Mafa-
king Regarded With Anxiety.

the special DISPATCHES describing the
battle of Belmont bear stereotypeu
character proving that the hands OF
the censor has been at work upon them.
They are too incoherent to enable the
reader to form an accurate idea OF the
event, or. to place a proper estimate
upon the value of the victory. All the
accounts agree respecting the splenolo
fighting qualities exhibited ON potn
sides Nothing could have exceeded
the courage and pluck of the British
infantry in the face of the terr1hc Hre,
while the Boer guns We're splendldly
served the gunners standing to them
with dogged determination, exposing
themselves until the very last moment,
and only becoming wild and inaccurate
in their aim during the final deadly
charge of the British infantry.
All admit however, that the victory
could not be properly followed up and
utilized, owing to the want of sufficient
cavalry The pursuit of the defeated
enemy by the Fifth Lancers was evi-
IDENTIFY not very effective, and, curiously
enough, while the correspondents re-
port the capture of Boer guns, Lord
Methuen's own report omitS any men
tion of such an achievement.
One statement SAYS: ''The remnant
of the Boer army sought to escape to-
ward the Orange Free State territory"
As all evidence tends to show that the
enemy's retirement was orderly, he will
doubtless be heard of elsewhere.
The correspondent of the Times at
Belmont says: After the battle the
laager was burned and ammunition de-
stroyed. Cavalry and mounted infan-
try on both fianks pursued the enemy.
but were unable to overtake the re-
treating Beers, who got away with their
transport The Boer rout was complete,
and their losses are believed TO equal
ours. They used some dunn dunn bull
let's. Everything was in their favor 1t
is rumored that there have been some
threats to assassinate recalcitrant
Burghers, who are tired of war and
DESERVING
to assume that the Boer guns were
not captured The striking proof af-
forded of the excellent material General
Methuen has in his brigades is. how
ever, a matter of great satisfaction in
London.
There is an unconfirmed rumor that
camp contains evidence of reasonable
communication between the Beers and
the Dutch colonists
General Whites dispatch of Wednes-
day effectually disposes of all rumors of
another sortie from Ladysmith and of
the defeat of the Beers The situation
in Natal remains unchanged. the sortie
from Estcourt to Willow Grange having
little effect
The position of Mafeking is begin
ming to be regarded with anxiety, in
view of the impossibility of Lord Me
thuen being able to relieve the town
for some time to come.
Throngs of people were waiting at the
War Office last evening until a late hour
for the lists of those killed, wounded
or missing in the battle of Belmont.
3 Nothing was published in addition to
General Methuen's first dispatch.
Buffers destination is kept a strict
secret at Cape Town, some reports say
ing that he has gone north and 9TH
ers that he has gone to Durham, as
already cabled.
A dispatch to the Times from Mood
River gives the British casualties in the
Willow Grange affair as three killed
and forty-four wounded This is the
first news of such a heavy loss, and,
If correct. suggests repetition of Cen
eral Whites unfortunate action of Oc-
tober 30th
The Pietermaritzburg correspondent
of the Daily Mail,' describing the
same sortie, says: 1.-THE British sur
prised the Beers, carried their position,
captured all their equipment, and re-
turned to Estcourt in safety. General
Hildyard was very we'll satisfied with
their work.
The Daily Mails" correspondent at
Nauwpoort says: AN open, unsigned
letter smuggled through from Colesburg
says Commandant Brobbler has arrest
ed ten prominent Englishment, and
threatens to shoot them if any harm
is done to Van Renzberg, leader of the
Colesburg rebels, who was captured by
the British and is to be tried for trea-
son.
LONDON, Nov. "A. = The pathetic
LONDON, Nov. 24.-The Pathetic
scenes which marked the days follow
ing the engagement between the British
and Beers at Glencoe and Nicholsens
Mex found their counterpart at the War
Office here to-day. Long before the
doors of the War Office opened the
troubled and anxious women and men
in all stations in life were assembled,
and when the inquiries were finally ad-
mitted, their anxious questions showed
they feared that yesterday evening s
official bulletin, though black enough.
had not recorded the full story of the
British losses at Belmont.
Up to noon the Government officials
had issued no further dispatches, and
so the nervous distrust of the public
remains unalleviated. General Meth
uen's message leaves a great deal to
be explained. According to all previous
facts obtainable as to the relative
strength of the forces, the Beers must
have been in a decided minority, yet
the total British loss. 220 killed, wound
! ed and missing, proves the effectiveness
of their resistance, and amply justifies
General Methuen's tribute to the cour-
age and skill with which the Burghers
fought The fact that no guns and only
forty prisoners were captured by the