The evening times., 1899-11-25
Methuen's victory Real.

Further details of Lord Methuen's fight
at Belmont 90 to show that its result was
| q substantial victory for the British
| forces. We are also placed in possession
4 OF other information calculated to justify
| the opinion that the situation in the direc-
| tOn OF Kimberley has changed for the
| better. Methuen is now reported to have
| seven thousand troops in his column,
nearly double the number that could be
| figured out from the dispatches prior TO
| the engagement. This fact alone is highly
| favorable to his mission and, il French
can manage TO keep Methuen's rear AMI
| communications clear by harrying the
| Boer forces in the neighborhood of Coles
| burg and along the Orange River line.
there is no apparent reason why the KIM
/ berley relieving column should not make
steady progress toward its goal. II is like
| ly 10 point straight for the beieaguered
garrison. owing to the serious conditions
of the siege. That purpose may not con-
| fiict with the probability of an incidental
turning movement by way of Modders
River. where there will certainly be an
| other encounter, and Jacobsdal. Military
| conditions on the railway line will deter
mine Lord Methuen as to that.
There is another circumstance which is
much in favor OF the advancing column.
Methuen is fortunate in being confronted
by Free Staters instead of Transvas! rifle
men. When the Guards stormed the
heights east of Belmont. their casualties
should Rave been at least five times what
they were. if they lad been opposed by a
force identicaliy like that which defended
Smiths Hill al Dundae, or the kopjes at
Elandslaaete. In the affair al Belmont the
Beer rife practice must have been Inferior
Considering the nature of the ground as
saulted. the numbers and artillery defend
| ing it. We must revise our first opinion Of the
| fghI based upon Methueu's rather confus-
ing despatch. and consider that the casual
ty list of two hundred and twenty-six out
of seven thousand was light compared
with the results apparently achieved. Bel
mont may have marked the turning of the
tide OF battle in the western field.
II needs turning badly, as far as the Brit
ish are concerned. for the situation at Kim
berley while perhaps not desperate is not
locally promising. But Kimberley is as
safe as bank vault compared with Mafe-
king the defence of which may be likened
to that of Lucknow. All the inhabitants
are compelled to hide in bombproofs un-
dergrOund and fevers and dysentery are
beginning to rayage the town. This must
be taken as a serious handicap to Baden
Powell as his effective strength will of
course be seriously reduced by any epidem-
ic in his camp. II is reported that the
Beers are steadily pushing their parallel
trenches closer and closer. and the time is
easily computable when they will be near
enough to enfilade the position. and render
further resistance useless. How soon this
may happen We do not know, but relief is
much farther off than the devoted garrison
and its brilliant commander have been ex-
pecting. Unless Methuens operations
against Kimberley should create a diver
sion in Baden-Powell's favor. by drawing
large part of Cronje's men south. We are
compelled to fear that he will have to
surrender before the time when help could
reach him.