The times., 1899-12-07
PninfuI suspense in England.


Sir Redvers Butler has his heel on the ca
bic and what little he allows to pass it is
mostly Ct the ancient history sort. John
Bull therefore is surly and wants 10 know,
you know" but ne viii have TO go with
out information like the rest of US until
the gsneral-in- chief is ready TO impart it,
In a marked way the English military
writers today are in agreement with the
forecast Of this journal in regard TO the
probable character OF the operations now
in progress on the Tugela River line. They
surmise that Sir Francis CleTy is feinting
against the Beers at points beyond and on
both sides of Weenen. As the British forces
appear 10 have been considerably re-en-
forced, it is likely that Butler has at least
two columns mobile, working along the
river. 1t is a reasonable presumption that
JOubert has not an army large enough si
multansousIy to cover every danger point
on line forty miles long at least. We
fancy that not only Clery, and Dundonald
with his cavalry brigade are engaged in
strategicaI movements, but that Lyttleton
also may be detached and carrying out a
separate part OF the plan.
If Butler can cross the Tugela, say be-
yond Weenen, and thus turn the Boer left,
without too tremendous a sacrifice of men,
then he should have an advantage that
ought TO decide the fate of Ladysnith and
the campaign favorably to the relieving
column. He could then attack Joubert on
the east side Of Colenso, while Hildyard,
leaving some force on its front across the
river, might swing around on the Dewdrop
road to the west, engage the Boer right,
and make it possible for White to effect
sortie in force against Joubert's rear. The
passage of the Tugela is TO be the crux of
the situation, according to military opinion.
Some days ago we yentured to express
a doubt that Cronje's command would
necessarily fall back as far as Spytfontein
before giving Lord Methuen another fight.
Our reason was that il would seem bad
generalship on the part of Cronje to make
his next stand at a place near enough to
Kimberley to probably bring its garrison
into action in support of Methuen, if good
ground for defence could be found nearer
Modder River The doubt appears to b.
Ju5AtllNA ug AnE lCltOlL Au1N tiE Din
ish Lancers have come in touch with the
Beers entrenched in range of hills six
miles north of the present British posi-
ton; doubtless at Metgr Siding where we
imagined Cronje might halt. This place is
midway between Modder and Spytfontein,
and fully eighteen miles south of Kimber-
ley.
,F,I boTI For
week or ten days longer without extreme
difficulty, there is some opinion in London
that Methuen viii not attempt TO force
another fight until Butler is ready to strike
Joubert on the Tugela. The basis for this
idea is that if Cronje were defeated it
would release whatever force he might
have remaining. and he could move it over
/ to re-enforce the Beers in Natal. This
may be a bright conception, but it does not
strike us as one that viii sean.
We are not prepared to say that Lord
Methuen has been checked and badly out
generated. When he is in a position to
tell the whole story, things may look diff
ferently .to. their present aspect. But just
now appearances are not in his favor.
+ Cronje reports a Boer victory at Modder
( River. Since Methuen has not made a step
I in advance since the battle nine days ago,
/ and certainly met with staggering losses,
1 Cronie's view of the result must be re-
/ garded IS approximately right. In the
/ light Of present knowledge, we should say
Z as we suggested tentatively when the
/ first news Of the engagement arrived-that
/ Cronie repeated the grand tactics Of Gen
eraI Thomas at Franklin and Nashville
/ He selected his stand in the ridges al
Metgr, and at the same time prepared to
dispute the passage Of the Nodder; argu-
ing that the damage he could infiict on
Methuen at the latter. would greatly weak
en- him for the purposes of attack on The
former.
This was indeed such an obvious thing
for the Boer general TO do, that we can
not believe his opponent did not expect
/ it, But Methuen's situation is perhap!
otherwise complicated. 1t is said that
the commands Of Duplessis and Delar'
rave, are at Jacobsdal therefore threaten.
ing the British right; and that another
Beer force IS somewhere around Bosct
Pan or Sand Drift opposite Methuen's left
So it will be seen that the conditions as
they are represented in our dispatches
do not encourage the idea that the Kim
berley relieving column has any walkovel
before it in the twenty-five miles it ye
has to cover before reaching its goal
The Message on EmbaImed Beef.