The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-26

Lohdon, Oct. 26.-With unconscious
humor Cape Town correspondent tel
egraphed yesterday: THE censorship,
which is always a delicate matter, is
working smoothly and without
hitch"
This exactly hits off the state of af-
fairs to-day. An ominous veil is still
drawn over the movements of Sir
George Stewart White and General
Yuie. Beyond belated Ladysmith dis
patches concerning the Elandslaagte
fight, which are still filtering in, the
British public is left in complete dark
ness and to conjecture over Cooked
war office dispatches. The officials of
the war Office last evening said that
very few dispatches have arrived and
that nothing further was to be expected
until morning.
Since it is practically certain that
General Yule has now effected juno
ton with General White-although this
was not brought about Tuesday night
as announced by the Daily Mail, but
some time on Wednesday. and as both
are now in a position. of safety. con-
lecture concerns itself chiefly with the
manner of General Yule's retreat. That
it was hasty is evident Was it dis
orderly? Was any considerable camp
equipment abandoned? Was there any
fighting on the way? Such questions
and others like them the public is
anxiously asking. Since the reception
Of General Whites curious first de-
scription Of the Ladysmith fight, in
which the British lost a hundred men,
little reliance can be placed on the of
fetal dispatches. While the conceal
ment of the facts regarding General
Yule's retreat can be amply justified
on the ground OF keeping the intelli-
gence from the Beers, the hiding Of the
news respecting the hussars and fusil-
ierS who were apparently captured IN
the battle of Glencoe is severely criti-
| cised, no intimation even having been
given that the officers We're missing.
The heavy losses of the British troops
in facing only 5000 Beers are COM
mented upon as to what rifle fire means
| to-day in the hand of even undiscip-
lined men who can shoot fairly straight
and stand their ground. Comparisons
| are made with the first employment of
the magazine rifle in the Hispano-
American war, and it Is considered
| that the American losses at Ell Caney
and San Juan would have been mucn
! heavier If the Spaniards had doggedly
stood their ground like the Beers.
| General Sir Redvers Butler is eX-
| pected to arrive at the Cape early
next week and the indications are that
| some troops have already arrived at
| the front and been in the fighting
whose arrival has not yet been an
| nounced. There is every probability,
| therefore. that reinforcements are now
moving up This is calculated to hasten
| Commandant General Joubert's at
tack on Ladysmith, and news of big
| battle is expected daily.
| About half a complete army corps
| is now afoat and a lull has occurred
in dispatching the remainder of Cen
eral Buffers forces owing to some diff
| ficulty in obtaining transports The
mobilization and embarkation of 21,-
| 600 men, however. have proceeded
| with the utmost smoothness and COM
| pleteness, extorting admiration from
even the severest critics of war office
organization. Although news has ar
rived that General George William
Penn symons is doing we'll, there is
no indication as to his whereabouts,
1t is presumed that he is at Dundee
in the hands of the Beers.
Speaking at Dublin yesterday to the
departing troops, General Lord Fred
erick Roberts OF Kandahar said that
| however important previous campaigns
in South Africa had appeared at the
time they dwindled into insignifi-
|
event in which the British troops were
| about to engage.
Among the touching incidents of the
field related. Captain Peyton of the
| Manchester regiment, who was wound
| ed at Elandslaagte, says the wounded
! had to lie on the field throughout the
| bitter cold night, drenched by the
rain One man in his regiment placed
his arms around Captain Peyton
the whole night to give him the
warmth of his body.
1t appears that the Gordon High
landers and the Manchesters bore
| themselves with reckless courage. To
this was due the fact that they suf-
fered so heavily. The former was
keen to wipe out the insults leveled
at them after Majuba by the Beers,
who taunted them with being kafiirs
| in kits.
The Times publishes a dispatch from
| Namuwpoort, Cape Colony, saying it
is rumored among the Dutch there
| that President Steyn received S5O000
| for inducing the Orange Free State
to join the Transvaal.
New and stringent orders We're pro-
mulgated yesterday with reference to
the defenses at Gibraltar. The privi-
lege Englishmen have hitherto had of
entering the gate without a pass is
temporarily suspended. Nobody is al
lowed to enter or inspect the batter
les. Even the famous ST. Michael's
cave is closed because it is required
| for the storage of arms and ammuni-
| tlon. For months sappers and miners
nave been engaged in constructing
new and powerful batteries and it is
believed that the garrison will be aug
| mented.
The Times, commenting editorially
| the ruD10r int