The evening times., 1899-11-04
ENGLISH AND BoER FIGHTERS
The Disaster to Sir George Pomeroy
Galley.
(From the London Standard.

(from tho London Standard.)
AS to the strength of the Beers. 1t is
hard TO estimate their numbers. In deal
ing with regular army such calculation
are possible, but with irregulars the neces-
sary data are absent. 1t is, however. i'm
probable that there are more than ten
TO twelve thousand men at present threat
ening our border in Natal. To NEST them
We appear already to have in the CO ony
nearly sixteen thousand regular troops
and about two thousand volunteers of va
rious descriptions. The force is mainly
concentrated in two places, Ladysmith and
Dundee, which are connected by railway
From the former camp such of the passes
over the Drakensbergs as are impor ant
for us to hold are vigilantly watched.
From Dundee an equally rigorous watch is
kept upon every spot from which the enc
my could attack the eastern border OF tie
colony.
The troops are highly trained and sea-
.soned soldiers. the officers are as good as
the men, the stan are picked for their
knowledge of all descriptions OF warfare,
and the generals have proved their ability
in battle in various parts of the wor d.
There is no chance OF any repetition OF the
terrible tactical mistakes perpetrated, not
by the junior officers. at the affairs of
Laings Mex and Majuba Hill, where not
only many valuable lives. but priceless
British prestige, were sacrificed by abso-
lutte ignorance of the art OF handling troops
under fire.
The true history OF these encounters
they cannot be called battles-has yet to
be written; but even in Sir William But
ler's life of Sir George Pomeroy Co.ley. in
which the author holds brief for his hero,
and tries, with brilliant genius but with
out success. to rehabilitate his military
reputation, justice is done to the courage
of the rank and file and Of the officers.
Every Boer success against us has been
the result OF our own mistakes At Boom
platz. IN the country now known as the
Orange Free State, between a considerable
body OF burghers and an inferior number
of British troops, the result was very 6if-
ferent. The veteran general, Sir Harry
Smith. the conqueror of Aliwal, was then
was in command of the little British COL
umn. His knowledge Of tactics and of war
more than compensated for the inferiority
both in numbers and craftsmanship of his
troops, and after severe fight the Beers
were driven. completely defeated, from
their position along the road on which they
had attempted to surprise the British COL
umn.
1t must be remembered that with this
exception the Beers have hardly ever
fought in a battle in which they have seen
their dead. They are used to combats in
which Beers have killed other men. but
have not been killed themselves. They
have no experience OF modern artillery, and
their own gunners. though doubtless brave
mentor the Dutch have ever proved
splendid fighters both on land
and sea-cannot have the requisite amount
Of training to make them formidable in the
field. To underrate them as enemies would
be foolish. but to consider them likely to
inconvenience the garrison of Ma
tai would be absurd It IS doubtless annoy
ing to have been compelled, even for a mo-
ment. to give up the attempt to defend
every inch of the British Empire from in
suit But 1t must be remembered that our
from the apex Of the Natal tri-
angle is but temporary, and that if the
movement succeeds in inducing the Beers
to fight pitched battle the inevitable re-
suit Of such an encounter will be to bring
the war to speedy termination.