The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-05-11

ere We'll
Rob, Report to b. on.
/ LONDON Mas I. t.bbp M --rbe fol.
/ loWlnr dapalrh h8H hprn sent bY Lord
NHr.I.a t1 the War once.
"BtuENfDNTEIN. Apfl ao--1h0
H.rH H1ir very persistent attacks
Htuuud IhabanChu Saturday and sun
day But the position which the
/ E.ghth tRundles) division holds II
strong and he had the assistance of
G0rdons and DiUksOna brigades, the
cavalry under French and Smith-Dor-
rlrns infantry brigade and a body OF
/ mounted infantry under Ian Hamilton.
I pole-Carew's division returned from
Dewetsdorp yesterday"
Lord Roberts also reports additional
casualties sustained during the Gghting
of April "a around Thabanchu, con-
sisting OF Lieutenant Geary and two
enlisted men killed and one officer and
three enlisted men wounded.
Neither the commander-l -ln-chief's nor
the correspondents dispatches throw
any light upon the plans being adopted
20 Dust the Beers from the neighbor-
hood OF Thabanchu and how long be-
fore a determined effort Will be made
to reassert British superiority Is only
matter of surmise. In the meantime
the Beers are remarkably aggressive,
especially In face of the large force
facing them. A special from Thaban-
chu dated yesterday says they made
daring attempt to cut off a British
convoy which got into ground between
Thabanchu and Dewetsdorp, opening
fire from the adjacent hills. In the
nick of time General Brabason, with a
etY nf N q
from Wepener, arrived on the scene
aud extricated the convoy.
The same special correspondent de-
scribes the dispositions of the force at
Thabanchu as follows:
General Rundle Is covering the ad-
vanced camp facing the Beers posi-
tion to the east where they are strong
ly entrenched. General Ian Hamilton
and General Smith-Dorrien occupy
strong positions on the road to tne
north"
Another dispatch says that colonel
under General Hamilton located the
Beers to the northwest and an artil-
lery duel ensued without result.
All accounts tell of much artillery
firing with scarcely any casualties. 1t
Is hardly likely that two such forces
can much longer patiently face each
other without more stirring occur
rences. General Brabants column is
expected to join General French short
ly number of Beers are reported to
have been seen retiring north, but this
Is scarcely authoritative. Stringent
measures are being adopted to prevent
the Boer Guerillas from securing sup
plies from other centers.
The little news from Thabanchu is
oil all IN
lament has been summoned for June
%.
At the conclusion OF General Sir
George Whites visit to Windsor today,
Queen Victoria decorated the defender
of Ladysmith with the cross and star
of the Royal Victorian order Her
Majesty and the soldier had a lengthy
conference.
1t Is learned that the Queen was
more angry than for years over the
publication of the Splon Kop dispatch
es
Why Roberts Delays.
LONDON, April 26.-In the House of
Commons to-day George Wyndham,
Parliamentary Secretary of the War
Office, replying to questions, declared
that Lord Roberts had made no com
mant whatever on General Lord
Methuen's Magersfontein operations.
Neither, he continued, did Lord Rob
erts' dispatches indicate that the ad-
vance was either retarded or modified
by the scarcity of remounts. At the
same time, the Secretary declared, 1t
was true that the expenditures of horse
flesh had exceeded all the estimates,
and that the War Office had invariably
exceeded the acquisitions from South
Africa The difficulty in procuring
ships had handicapped the authorities,
but already this year they had sent out
2704i horses and 1888 mules as re-
mounts, In addition to those accom-
panying the troops, and by the end OF
May the remounts delivered would
number $4,000 horses and $4,000 mules.
Steps had also been taken TO supply the
necessary rolling stock for the rail-
roads. But as far as the Government |
was aware, the military problem before |
Lord Roberts had not turned on the
question of remounts or rolling stock. |
but on the fact that Lord Roberts had |
shifted his base from Cape Town TO
Bloemfontain, thus necessitating the |
recapturing and repair of the railroad |
and the clearing of the line of COM
on a single track with rise OF $500
feet
Regarding the relief of Mafeking,
which all had at heart, the Secretary
said the House would realize that 1
speedy relief would not be aided by di-
vulging the objective of any of Lord
Roberts forces.
LONDON, April 27.-Wyndham's ex-
PLANTATION in the House of Commons
yesterday has aroused considerable
especially his statement that
Lord Roberts has been delayed by the
of defeating detached forces
of the enemy which threatened his
communication from Cape Town and
Port Elizabeth and which blocked them
from East London. The only intima-
ton hitherto received that the East .
line was blocked had been dis
credited This was the Boer report .
that the bridge at Bethulle had been
blown up.
All discussion of the Spion Kop dis
patches has been postponed until May
22d,