New-York tribune., 1899-12-24


with the Beers. nearly twenty years ago In
that campaign. in the campaign now in prog
ress. the British troops sustained a number &
reverses, and in each instance they werI due
to a disregard for the safeguard afforded by
skirmshers and scouts, which enabled the Bocrs
to ambush them. Even a single patrol would
have made it impossible for the Beers 10 sur
prise and annihilate the 9th Infantry at
Bronkerspruit in 1881 and Majuba Fill the
most crushing Of all disasters Of the former war
with the Transvaal. Likewise due the
fact that General Collcy drawn into an
ambuscaie which would have been unmashed
had there been any adequate reconnoitring.
The English regular cavalry is well capable ~
acting as the eyes Of any military expedition
and is held by foreign experts to be even more
servicealle than the British infantry More
over. in the irregular cavalry forces raised in
South Africa the English commanders possess
a force Of scouts which will bear comparison
to those who furnished such splendid assistance
to the United States cavalry in the military
operations in this country against the Indians.
LORD LANsDOWNE's SHORTCOMINGS
But the fault does not lie exclusively with the
commanding officers in the field One and all Of
them have been frehtfully handicapped by the
military and civilian heads Of the War Depart
ment in London It IS difficult 10 find any
words OF condemnation sufficiently strong for
Lord LansloWne. the Secretary If state for
War, who appears to be the person principally
responsible for the altogether amazing neglect
to send out any artillery by the first twenty
transports conveying troops to South Africa
Germany defeated France in the war Of 1870
mainly owing to the vast superiority Of her
ordnance which is now universally acknowl-
yet In spite Of this twenty shipoads # troops
were sent out without any artillery. This might
have been pardonable had there been any guns
of the modern type at the Cape or in Natal But
although the present war has been regarded in
England as inevitable for more than year and
IN spite Of the fact that heavy pieces Of artillery
are regarded as used for defensive rather than
offensive purposes. and such could not have
been regarded by the Beers as constituting a
menace to peace. there were no cannon avail
able for the English commanders except the
few naval quick-iirers which. thanks TO the en-
terprise and ingenuity Of the navy-not Of the
army-had been disemharked at the Cape and
at Durham, and brought up country by rail
In fact throughout the present campaign the
English have been frightfuy handicapped by
the lack Of artillery and 10y the fact that the
few guns which they possess We're altogether
outclassed in weight and in range by those OF
the Beers It is solely owing to lack u artillery
of the right kind that General Sir George White
has been besieged at Ladysmith, instead Of be-
ing able to take the offensive; and nothing can
portray matters more clearly than the letter
written a month ago by an officer, which stated
that "our position is strong long can
hold the hills but if the Beers get their artillery
nearer they will wipe US out in few hours
have no guns to speak Of ourselves. We have
been telegraphing for them in vain, but the Off
cials at home and at Cape Town do not seem TO
understand the position"
This was sent day before Ladysmith was
shut off to the outer world by the Beers. and If
the place falls. and General White, with his little
army Of 5000 men is compelled to surrender, II
will be due entirely to the absence Of the neces
sary guns. a fault for which the officials at the
War Department. rather than himself should
be blamed.
A BUREAU OF IGNORANCE.
But Of all the branches Of the War Depari iment
in London which are the most severely to blame
for the reverses sustained by the British since
the beginning Of the present war the one To
which belongs the heaviest burden Of response
bnty is undoubtedly the so-called Military In
tegence Department Not merely the various
Cabinet Ministers. but the Secretary Of war,
Lord Lansdowne. and even the generalissimo
Of the British army Field Marshal Lord Wolse-
ley. have openly admitted in public speeches
that they were altogether amazed 10y the extent
Of the military resources OF the Transvaal and
the Orange Free State They do not hesitate
TO admit the fact that until now they have been
profoundly ignorant Of the military conditions
Of the two South African republics, and above
all. they profess ignorance as to the magnit-
cent eduinment OF artillery which the Trans