The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-12-28

ing in a British victory, is cure
here. According to the story the fight
ing began at daybreak today and last
ed for several hours. The Beers, who
numbered from 1900 to 1900 men
were surrounded at the Orange river
and totally defeated with very heavy
losses in killed and wounded. a mum.
Der of Beers, it is added, were cap.
tured.
DEWET'S FIERCE ATTACK.
MASERU, Dec. lit appears thai
Dewet's forces were twice repulseC
before breaking through the British
lines in the neighborhood of Thaban.
chu. In the third attack, Dewet led il
person. With few determined meE
he charged and broke the British lines
the rest of the commando following
He was forced however, to leave in
the hands of the British a 15-pounder
and fifteen wagons with ammunition
and stores
Commandant Haasbroeke, with a
commando and two guns, tried to get
through Springkantsck, but was driven
back, losing forty men.
NEW YORK, Dec ia dispatch
to the Tribune from London says:
lie ItltdSt VI pIlSOItl anu Olubl
Sincidents reported by General Kitche-
ner fail 10 reassure the public. The last
phase of the campaign is remarkable
for the miscalculations on the British
side, and excited many outbursts of
candor. The staying power of the
Beers has been underestimate, and
their preparations for continuing hos
tile operations in the extremity of
lu nf
stores of ammunition have not been
taken into account. There has been a
futile discussion for months on the
requirements of the police work and
fox hunting, and suddenly Nicholson's
Mex has been reproduced within forty
miles OF Pretoria, with an isolated
command surrounded and forced to
surrender after it's ammunition had
been exhausted, and with the main
body retiring without making an ef-
fective effort to retrieve the disaster.
General Clements explanation that the
Northumberland Fusileers were short
of ammunition makes every English
man grit his teeth The collapse of
the Boer cause has been assumed as
the inevitable consequence of the eX-
haustion of war material, and here is
the Fighting Fifth" without powder
and shot, compelled to surrender. The
generals now receiving the congrat-
ulations of their friends upon their
return frankly confess that they have
an uncomfortable feeling in being
toasted and feasted. Lord Dundonald
said before the public banquet at the
Hotel Cecil that he could not help re-
GREETING his premature return, since
the war evidently had not ended and
a soldiers place was at the front
General Pole Carew, who is over
whelmed with the kindness of Devon
shire friends, probably finds it equally
difficult to reconcile his soldierly sense
of duty with a full appreciation of the
delights of home hospitality. Lord
Methuen's friends are emphasizing the
fact that while he has been more
sharply criticized than any other gen
eral except Gatacre, he has at least
remained on the fighting line, bent on
seeing the job through De Wet and
Delarey are spelling in advance the
stately Thanksgiving service I'M honor
of Lord Roberts return. The book
writers have also been taken back by
the recrudeScence of hostllities which |
cannot be minimized as guerilla war
fare. DIR. Conan Doyle who has writ |
ten what was considered a complete
history of the BOer war, anXiously
waited during Lord Dundonald's S
speech at the Nagabonds dinner for
some explanation of the revival OF
hostilities, which seem TO involve the
necessity of additional chapters, if not
a fresh volume. The war correspon
dents were equally i'll at ease on the
same occasion. Among them was Ju
lian Ralph, with an article over his
signature in the Spectator, on a hy-
pothetical question OF the censorship
dispatches, but with the admission on
his lips that the newspapers had made
a mistake In Withdrawing their men
from the field prematurely, and in
leaving some OF the most interesting
exploits and events of the war un-
recorded,
The latest editions OF the newspapers
all comment upon the seriousness OF
the defeat which befel the British
force under Clements last Thursday
The Telegraph considers that the re-
verse was only rendered possible by
the carelessness OF those In command
aud that a heavy responsibility rests
upon some one for negleotng % soc
that the troops We're In position toI
hold the hill against all comers, |
lir0adw0od's conduct seems ineNplloa- |
hle and people are asking why there |
was no cooperation between him ana .
Clements Tho authorities are quite |
alive % tha uglln6sa pf the present
situation ln South Africa, and addl'
ilonai contingent Ut 900 mounted ln
nntry VIII shortly he aent out Gen
oral Kitchener u ls stated 10 " DO
allowed an absolutely frto hama
BRITISH WE'RE HAQaEp
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