The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-14
FEARS FOR THE WORST.
Methuen's Defeat May Have Been
More Serious Than He Admits.

London, Dec. 13.-General Methuen
as expected followed up his artillery at
tack with a general assault on the Boer
positions on Monday, and his report
shows that the anxiety of the public
regarding the result occasioned by the
ominous silence Of the war office was
amply justified.
The engagement was evidently of
s considerable magnitude, and the list of
the killed and wounded will be pro-
portiOnate, without the COMPENSATION
which a victory would have brought if
indeed, the affair does turn out TO be
a more serious defeat than General
Metiuen admits.
The Highlanders, it is believed. must
have storIned the Boer position more
than once. while the fact that the
guards We're ordered to support the
HighlanderS' rear looks as though the
Beers may even have outfanked their
attackers One report says that General
Cronje attacked the British.
The only compensation the British
have been able to discover in the dis
Eeartening story is in General Meth
uen's statement that he maintains his
position close to the Beers, arousing a
hope that he will retrieve the situa-
ton
1t is apparent that the bombardment
on Saturday and Sunday did not shake
the Beers grip on their position, and it
seems certain that they merely with
drew their guns and riflemen under
cover while General Methuen INDUCED
in the usual artillery preliminaries
Monday. and that when the British
guns were obliged to cease firing. owing
u the danger of hitting the advancing
troops. the Beers speedily reoccupied
their trenches and overwhelmed the
Highianders with a terrible fire, prob
hlV NJ fhic Inv n o. 10 lr
on the British right flank and rear.
Alarm is beginning to be expressed
in many quarters as to the situation of
General Methuen. As the Westminster
Gazette says:
IF England ever needed a, victory, it
3 is now, and il is TO Butler the soldier
strong, cool headed and reticent-that
the country looks for this victory"
The other papers are abusing the
government for its ''complacent optim-
ism and inability to grasp the strength
of the opposition ii has to overcome in
South Africa.
Considerable significance attaches TO
General Methuen's statement that he is
entrenching himself, indicating fear
that the Beers may follow up their ad-
vantage. adopt the offensive and attack
him. Indeed. the gravity of the situa-
ton, from the British point of view.
can hardly be overeStimated. General
-hCtiANA4 = iOliS lliE- VI
TO De Aar are most vulnerable. Should
they be cut. General Methuen will find
himself in q very tight place, if only
from lack of supplies.
The news of the British reverse had
4 bad effect on the stock exchange,
haffirs and Rand mines dropped 215
points, and De Beers dropped &c.
The latest advices from General Cat
aero show that no anxiety is felt for
the safety of his remaining troops. who
have been withdrawn to good positions
along the railroad south of Molteno. 1t
is said Bushmans Hook is impregna-
BILE
IRE Beers decline to furnish the
names OF the killed or wounded They
sly they buried the dead, and are send
ing the prisoners to Rloemfontein The
Beer loss ON Sunday is reported to have
been four killed and nine wounded
PROBABLY this is correct, as no genuine
troops, who We're completely surprised
while in column. The British appar-
entity simply rushed up the nearest hill.
without orders or knowing where the
enemy Vas. II also appears that the
British We're SO exhausted that they
we're unable to accomplish anything
they had been on the move since
a. m. Sunday. travelling by train in
open trucks in the broiling sun 70 Mol
teno. After an hours rest they pro-
ceeced on an hours march over the
most difficult and unknown country.
General Buffers advance in the d.
rertion of Colenso seems to have actu-
ally commenced. The military attaches
have LETT Cape Town 10 join General
Ruller. via Durham. General White re-
ports. under ia.e of Tuesday. December |
14 that there are thirty-two cases or (
eneeric fever at Ladysmith
There are renewed reports OF cahi-
ne4 crisis az Cape Town. where il is
said Governor Miner is about TO act. /
iii consequence Of the disclosures in
velving the ministrl''s loyalty
The White Star line steamer Majestic
sailed from Liverpool today for South
q fsica with 1000 troops on board The
White Star line steamer Cymric has
been chartered for use as a trans
pert