The evening times., 1899-12-22
THE SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION.


stoppage of all press Service between South
Africa and England and for the peculiar
| courss of several London dailies in close re-
| lations with the government. What are
more than suspected as deliberate attempts
| to mislead the public in regard to the
South African situation apparently have
bsen made by these papers yesterday and
today. While, for instance. 1t is believed
in wsll-informed circles that Lord Methu-
| ems means Of communication with the
Cape have been completely cut of since
Saturday last. a despatch from him refer
| ring to correspondence with General
| Cronje, concerning the irregular capture
and detention of Lieutenant Chandos Pole
Cell. is published under date OF December
! twentieth when it seems to be morally cer-
| tain that the War Office received 1t on the
seventeenth. Evidences of a desire to sup
| press or to doctor information is tending to
spread feeling Of alarm throughout the
United Kingdom which may be out of pro-
| portion to the gravity OF the intelligence
impOunded by the authorities.
1t cannot he denied that one OF the ef-
fects OF this policy is to create the most
pessimistic opinion as to the situation OF
Lord Methuen's command. The London
! military writers are not being encouraged
TO write freely or frankly of what they de-
duce from the conditions presumed to ex
ist or to have existed last Saturday to the
north of Modder River; but it is plain
that they have all come TO agree pretty
oil ,.;tb
columns during the past week. and TO look
upon Methuen's chances for useful action
as extremely blue II not likely to be hope
less for some time TO come. But they do
not tell the whole story as reports of the
situation have represented il as a military
proposition. Whether ingenuously or not.
some of them are insisting that Methuen
should retreat at once to the Orange River.
ignoring what We think is more than a
possibility that he might not be even able
to recross the Modder successfully, as he
appeared to be cireumstanced at the end
OF last week. We Will not repeat the argu-
ments in support of this view as they are
already familiar to readers of The Times
Any attempt TO discuss Methuen's position
is reason for the surmise that events OF
Importance may have happened at Mcgars-
fontein or Modder since Sunday, and there
is nothing We can add to what has been
said. until what has occurred II anything.
can be learned. Both French and Gatacre
still appear to be held strongly In check.
and there is no news from Sir Charles
warren. ha h
way to or perhaps already at De Aar. and
able, or soon to be able, to create a diver
sion. or otherwise help Methuen By an ad-
vance up the railway to Orange River
But as TO these and like things il would
be unwise to risk even conjectures in the
fog which covers the Whole western field
We are equally without knowledge of the
situation in Sir Redvers Buffers neighbor-
hood. We do not even know the details OF
the Tugeia River battle, in spite of all the
fragmentary, censored, and clipped news
stories that have been printed regarding
it, Naturally, We are still more in the
dark as to what has occurred since the
hight. The latest reports of an Ineligible
nature Indicated that Butler had been COM
PEELED to fall back on Cheveley TO get out
of range of the Boer artillery From any
point of view such necessity must te
considered depressing to the hope for the
relief of Ladysmith; and again, ii might
possibly mean that Joubert had assumed
the offensive and occupied the south bank
of the Tugela. A suspicion to that effect
may have been justified in the statement
that Butler had sent a brigade TO F'rere in
his mar, to resist possible flank attack
from the east. IL such a thing was
threatened, il would seem to indicate that
the British right bad been withdrawn from
Weenens, and that the relieving column
was principally engaged in protecting the
railway communications. Assuming that
he had sufficient force. it would be en-
tirely consistent with Boer tactics for |
Joubert, after hammering Butler in front. |
against him there. This has been accom-
plished by the Transvaal generals more |
than once, and. it is to be apprehended. |
most recently by Cronje in his operations |
against Methuen.
The fate of Ladysmith hangs in the bal |
ance while Butler is stalled at Cheveley. |
The English professional critics incline to |
the idea that Sir George White who is be-
lieved to be short of ammunition, will |
make break for the south and try to cut |
his way out. He may, indeed. attempt |
such a movement. but the probabilities !
that it would be successful do not seem
any brighter than when We discussed them
yesterday. 1t is assumed by some of the
writer's that Butler could assist by hard
hit at the Boer right. Perhaps he could,
but if he had any well-deined object in
view when he attacked the Co,enso fords
the other day, it must have been just that,
and if he failed then, the natural deduction
would seem to be that he could not do
better now, especially after the loss of
eleven hundred men and eleven guns.
the luck OF war is queer factor,
and has its runs in ways past finding out
In watching a campaign, especially from
he other side of the world. it will not 90
20 be too certain or dosmatic about any
hing.
Hanged for Burning Coal.