The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-20
HE LOSES BETWEEN SIX AND
SEVEN HUNDRED SOLDIERS
Hawaii In Congress s-Bob Wilcox Announces Him
self Candidate for Governor
Gable Bills.

ing the retreat. thus drawing a portion
of the Beers fire.
, Apparently. the British were set on
an impossible task and were treacher-
ously guided After a trying march
and being under arms sixteen hours,
they attacked the wrong part of the
Boer position, where the hill was i'm
pregnable, and the burghers were es-
tima,ed to number 5000 men instead of
$500, as the spies had reported
There is little in the story to miti-
gate the intense humiliation caused
by the episode, which was almost an
exact counterpart of the battle of Nj
cholson's Mex
Ihe war office was baSeged with
anxious relatives and the successive
editions OF the newspapers were eager
ly scanned. Men and women were
| equally persistent in pleading for i'm
formation but the authorities either do
not possess any or are not prepared to
/ publish it at present
Teh affair has caused the most de-
pressing influence everywhere, not ex-
cepting the Stock Exchange, where
consols were at the lowest price in
many years. and South African securi-
ties slumped, not 50 much on account
OF the military reverse, which is re-
trleyable, but owing to the profound
apprehension as to its political effect
No great surprise would now be felt
If General Gatacra's reverse resulted
in Cape Colony becoming af1ame from
end to end
CAPTURED A BOER HOWITZER.
LONDON, Dec. 12-The War Office
publishes the following dispatch from
General Butler:
Dispatch from General White, dated
December 18th, says: Last night
Colonel Metcalfe and 500 of the Second
Rifle Brigade SORTED to capture a Boer
howitzer on a hill. They reached the
crest without being discovered drove
off the enemy, and then destroyed the
hOwitzer with gun cotton When re-
turning Metcalfe found his retreat
barred by the Beers, but he forced his
way through, using the bayonet free
ly The BOer losses were considerable
The British losses were as follows:
Lieutenant Ferguson and eleven men
killed; Captain Paley, Second Lieuten-
ant Davenport, Second Lieutenant
Bond and forty-one men wounded: six
men captured who had remained behind
in charge of the wounded"
FIGHTING NEAR THE MODDER.
CAPE TOWN, Dee. 12.-It is report
ed that heavy fighting was heard all
day yesterday in the direction of Mod
der river.
PRETORIA. Dee. Il, via LourenZo
Marquez.-The Beers captured three
British guns in the fight with General
Gatacre's forces at Stormberg.
The sOrtie at Kimberley last Satur-
day was an attempt to take the Boer
position at Kampderdam and to secure
the WaterWOrks. All the British shots
fell short. Details are expected from
the Boer outposts in the direction of
MOdder river. There is a report that
the British are advancing on the plain,
and heavy fighting is anticipated. Gen
eral Prinz Loo and General Cronje COM
manded the Boer forces.
MODDER RIVER, Sunday evening,
Dec. 10.-The naval 4.7-inch gun again |
took up a position north of the camp
this afternoon, while the howitzer bat
terry was posted southeast on the left
Of the Beers. Both opened a hot fire
with lyddite shells and shrapnel, to |
which the Beers sharply replied with |
dozen guns, thus unmasking their po- |
sition, which was the object Of the |
British maneuver. After an hours |
firing the Boer guns were silenced. The |
hOwitZers searched the trenches and |
then threw shell after shell upon the |
hills, the explosion of the lyddite caus-
ing the whole ground over an exten-
sive area to rise in the air in dense, |
brown clouds. A Boer long gun was
It now appears that the Beers intend |
hat the next fight is to take place at
Apparently Spytfon-
.ein is not defended, or the Beers are
to unmask their position
here, as the replies Of the Boer artil-
cry were all from guns at Magersfon-
elm