New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-20
rur RR,TTsH PLAN or CAMPAIGN.

nrass dispatch purpOrts to give some uetaHs
~ the British plan Of campaign IN Sou'n
,frico relating TO the place Of landing troops
and tho line Of advance upon the Beers we
10 NOT know upon what authority the dispatch
&c based but the plan outlined In 1t seems emil
rort,v reasonable. II IS. indeed In exact nc
ord with what was suggested in these col
umns some time ago as, on the score OF aNai-
ohu,,v and effectiveness. the course the British
were most likely to pursue. According TO tnls
announcement. the troops about 10 start FOR
South Africa will not be landed at Cape Town
nor NJ Durham. but in the neighborhood OF
,coo Rov-to wit at Port Elizabeth. Port Al
fred and East London. The reason given i
tbat Cane Town and Durham are already over
crowded with refugees. That Is douD'lesS ""''
But there are other reasons
Cane Town IS too far from the seat OF war II
Is ~ miles from Cape Town to the frontier on
tho Orange River and 104O miles TO Pretoria.
And the railroad at and beyond the Orange
River has been destroyed by the Beers. Durpan
,s nearest of all to the seat Of war. II IS only
$50 miles from Ladysmith and OIL from IRE
torio Rut to get from II through Natal mo
either the Orange state or the lrahSVaal " -
necessary 10 cross the steep and loIty Drahehs-
berg the passes Of which are already IN the
hands of the Beers There remains the third
conrse. by way Of the Algoa Bay route Ohe
railroad runs from Port Elizabeth rght up 10
Rloemfontein and Pretoria. with a hranch 10
De AR on the Cape TOwn-Kmberley- BuluWaYO
line Another runs from East London up 10 'le
Port Elizabeth lire Just beyond the orange
River with a branch from Burghersdorp 10
,Ival North. on the Orange frontier And n
third runs from Port Alfred formerly Barth-
urst between these two connecting win
thon, hoth. Mt ROsmead and at Stormherg.
Uoro tben orp three railroad lines. all In Brit
ish hands. ready 10 convey troops straight 10
the Orange frontier AT three points, Norval
POINT 3os miles: Bcthulic 800 miles, and Aliwal
North. 800 miles from the coast
From those points the advance Will be easy
There will bc no Drakensberg to cross bu'
only the Orange River. Then they will be on
tbc open plains of the Orange state, WIN
Rloomfontcin only 125 miles away. and Pre-
toria 300 miles beyond An advance IN that
direction would give the British their own
choice Of ground for fighting upon. And II
would IN the surest and quickest manner com
pel the Beers to call in their troops from NataI
and Rechuanaland and GriQualand. for the do
fence Of their own capitals If this shall In
deed nrove 10 be the British plan, as now seems
most nrohahle. the Orange alliance Will prove
n he serious handicap TO the TranSvaaL IN
osmnch as II will open the easiest and direct
est road from the coast TO Pretoria. Had Inc
Orange State remained neutral Sir Redver'
Rurer would have had 10 fight his way over
| the Drakensberg or up the long road through
| GrlQualand. and then give battle on the hoors
chosen ground In casting in It's lot with me
/ Transvaal the Orange Free state has ta'ih
tated the ruin Of the Transyaal and has IN
volved itself In that ruin.