The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-04
ANGLO-B0ER WAR SITUATION
HOLDING GOFMAFEKING 4 SERIOUS TACTICAL MISTAKE.
Details of MOdder River Battle Sti)l Held Bnck-LOrd Methuen Again In the Field-WhOle Cape Town Border as to Whether Bridge Over Tho Tugela Has Been Destroyed.
Has Been Destroyed.

London, Dec 4, 4:30 a. m.-The week opens without a word of news such as the British public is so anXiously
 awaiting. With a larger army in the field than the country ever before mob-
 ilized it can only be said that the loss
 of $500 men. entailed before tAe enemy's
 borders have been crossed is serious
 matter and while there is no feeling of
 despondency as to the eventual result of
 the war it is regretfully admitted on
 all sides that the strength of the Boer
 resistance has been woefully uuder-
 rated. It is now seen that the attempt
 to hold useless position at Mateklng
 was a serious tactical mistake as was
 also the endeavor to keep the large
 civil population at Kimberley.
 Perhaps the brightest spot for English
 readers to-day is the announcement
 that President Mckinley has desig-
 mated the son of Secretary Hay to sue
 ceed MT. Macrum in Pretoria The Daily Telegraph says: This appoint
 ment is a graceful concession on the part of the United States government to British feeling. Our countrymen' 3 interests will be safe in the hands of the new consul"
 South African news is now six days in arrears, The censorship does not yet permit details of the Modder river bat tie to be transmitted. Some vague statements have been published in the Cape Town papers and according to these, the Boers numbered 5000 men and were entrenched on both banks of the stream, although mostly on the northern bank. The British, according to these accounts, drove the enemy across the river, compelling them to retreat and established themselves on both banks These details, however, are too meagre to enable an accurate idea of the engagement to be formed.
 A dispatch has reached London an- that Lord Methuen is again in the field, and it is also said that Count Glechen, who was wounded in the fighting at Modder river, was struck by bullet in the neck.
 Serious news comes from the northern sections of Cape Colony. The whole border district between Colesberg and Burghersdorph has declared for the Boers In Venterstad alone more than two thousand have joined the rebellion. The farmers have formed comman- deering committee and they talk confi- dently of triumphant march on Cape Town. General Buffers proclamation has been torn down and trampled upon, md the loyalists are bidden to hurry to Cape Town to prepare coffee for the 'ebels.
 The official list shows that a modifi- cation has been made in the command If the sixth division. Instead of Lfeu- .enant General Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke the commander will be Major General Thomas Kelly Kenny, inspec- or-g general of auxiliary forces and re- ,ruiting with Major General Knox and General Clements as brigade commanders General KellyKenny has lad no South African experience.
 With regard to Natal it is still doubt ul whether the bridge over the Tugela It Colenso has been destroyed. There s a report that the British drove the 3oers off while attempting to destroy t, but the probability is that the struc ure was mined and fired afterward. ! According to a dispatch from Filters lraa1, dated Tuesday, November 2S, the . 3oers were then attempting turning movements from Steynsburg and the istricts north of Steerkstrom in co-op- ration with the rebels, by way of Ma aisburg and Tarkastad, against Gen ral Gatacre's column. The wreck of { he troopship Ismore may result in the lss of $50 horses