The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-02-10
BUTLER FAILS AGAIN.
Beers Force the Britons to Recross
the Tugela Once More.
VAAL KRANTZ IMPRACTIOABLE,

The Guns There We're Needed I,
Support a Further Advance-Th,
British Public Is Prepared For Dat
| News-MecDonaId's Retirement.
London, Feb. 10.-London accept.
as true the Boer statement that Gen.
eral Butler has failed again. These
statements were passed by the British
censor at Alden, and are read in the
light of Mr.. Balfour's announcement in
the commons that General Butler is
not pressing his advance.
The telegram of Buffers failure is
dated Head Boer Lager, Ladysmith,
Feb. s, and Is as follows:
1.-THE British, who were in possess
sion of the kopje at Molens Drift,
abandoned it after a bombardment by
Boer cannon this morning and retired
across the Tugela river to their for
mer position. A desultory cannonade
is proceeding at the Tugela this morn
Ing, but otherwise everything is quiet"
Mr.. Winston Churchill wires that
Vaal Krantz was impracticable, for the
guns there were needed to support
further advance. His cablegram leaves
General Butler on Tuesday night send
ing fresh brigade to relieve the third
holders of Vaal Krantz.
The descriptive writer's with General
Butler were allowed a rather free hand
again In explaining the ugly position
which the British held and the natural
obstacles which had to be overcome.
So 1t Is easy to infer that, with Boer
riflemen and artillery defending them,
these hills, ravines and jungles have
not been overcome, and thus the pub
lie is prepared in advance for badnews.
Kilograms from Ladysmith, dated
Monday, describe the effect General
Buffers cannonade had on the worn
garrison. Hope ran high that the
long period of inactivity and tedium
was drawing to close. The crash of
guns was almost continuous for ten
hours, and at times it seemed as If as
many as 20 shells burst in a minute.
The Boers, preparing always for the
possibility of defeat, were driving
herds and sending long wagon trains
towards the Drakensberg passes. In
tense darkness and silence followed,
broken only by frogs croaking and the
occasional blaze Of starshells, sur
rounding the town with a circle of
light, to prevent the unobserved ap-
proach Of the enemy. A series of Brit
ish mines, laid for the Beers, exploded
accidentally, shaking and alarming the
city and camp.
General MacDonald's retirement
puzzles the military commentators.
The theory that finds acceptance is
that 1t was ordered by Lord Roberts,
and that both General Buffers and
General MacDonald's operations were
by the direction of the commander-in-
chief, in order to occupy the Beers at
widely separated points. SO they would
be unable to transfer any portion Of
their forces to oppose the projected
central advance.
Mr.. Charles Williams, a military
writer who is understood to be in
relations with Lord Wose-
ley, says that beyond doubt the most
opinion in London re-
CARDS 1t as probable that an endeavor
will be made to force the line of the
Orange river before Wednesday next,
possibly by Monday.
The Times. dealing with the military
situation, says: "lf General Butler has
allied 1t seems unlikely that another
lttempt will be made. The terrible
initial strategic mistake of abandoning
he principal objective for subsidiary
peration still overweights the cam
aign. But the time approaches when
Is baneful influence will cease to fetter
ur action. The great issues of the
'ar will not be decided in Natal" Cen
raj MacDonald's retirement The
lines considers "inexplicable."
A dispatch to The Daily Mail from
ietermaritzburg says that Lady Ran
olph Churchill has visited Chieveley
amp.
The Daily Telegraph announces that
eneral Sir Francis Clery is on the
ay to England invalided.