The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-27
ENGLAND
TURN NOW
Rumored Defeat of the
Boer Troops.
HOW DEWET CONQUERED
Details of Battle Which Resulted So
DisastrousIy to Clements
Force.

| tVtSOs
! LONDON, Dec. II, p. m.-The re-
port of another severe battle, result
ing in British victory. is current
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 1000 men,
were surrounded at the Orange river
and totally defeated with very heavy
losses in killed and wounded A num-
Der of Beers, it is added. were cap
tured.
DEWETS FIERCE ATTACK.
MASERU, Dec. lit appears that
Dewet's forces were twice repulsed
before breaking through the British
lines in the neighborhood of Thaban-
chu. In the third attack, Dewet led in
person. With a few determined men
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 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:
The release of prisoners and other
incidents reported by General Kitche-
, ner fail to 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 underestimated, and
their preparations for continuing hos
I tile operations in the extremity Of
their fortunes by means of buriet
5 stores of ammunition have not beer
taken into account. There has been
futile discussion for months on thu
requirements of the police work ant
fox hunting, and suddenly Nicholson
f Mex has been reproduced within fort.
D miles of Pretoria, with an isolate'
: command surrounded and forced L
surrender after its ammunition ha
been exhausted, and with the mai
: body retiring without making an ef
: fective effort to retrieve the disaster
s General Clements explanation that tn
: Northumberland Fusileers were shor
a man grit his teeth. The collapse {
!, kthe Boer cause has been assumed a
,r the inevitable consequence of the eI
It haustion of war material, and here
10 the Fighting Fifth" without powde
r and shot, compelled to surrender. TT
ls generals now receiving the congra
- ! ulations of their friends upon the
ID return frankly confess that they hay
of an uncomfortable feeling in beiI
u toasted and feasted. Lord Dundonai
said before the public banquet at tt
Hotel Cecil that he could not help r
or GREETING his premature return, sin
er the war evidently had not ended, al
er soldiers place was at the froI
~ General Pole Carew, who is owe
~ whelmed with the kindness of Devo
rs shire friends, probably finds it equal
It's difficult to reconcile his soldierly sen
"a of duty with a full appreciation of t
he delights of home hospitality. LO
Methuen's friends are emphasizing t
~ fact that while he has been mo
o. sharply criticized than any other ge
mt eral except Gatacre, he has at lea
" remained on the fighting line, bent
-e- seeing the job through. De Wet a
ny Delarey are spelling in advance t
o. stately Thanksgiving service in hon
vu ,r of Lord Roberts return. The boo
IN writer's have also been taken back
ir- the recrudescence of hostilities, whi
Dr. cannot be minimiZed as guerilla W;
he fare. DR.. Conan Doyle, who has WI
nd ten what was considered a compile
Ia history of the Boer war, anxiou.
,sr waited during Lord Dundonal
speech at the Vagabonds' dinner
lat some explanation of the revival
es hostilities, which seem to involve
rm necessity of additional chapters, if !
ort fresh volume The war correspl
oa a dents were equally i'll at ease On [
the same occasion. Among them was .
ery liam Ralph, with an article over
IN signature in the Spectator, on a
on pothetical question of the censors
dispatches, but with the admission
III, IN his lips that the newspapers had m.
In a mistake in withdrawing their n
ect from the field prematurely, and
ing leaving some of the most interest
exploits and events of the war
an recorded.
ory TN la+a.. oa;.io 80 A.
art all comment upon the seriousness
the the defeat which befel1 the Brll
loes force under Clements last Thursd
ade The Telegraph considers that the
aV- verse was only rendered possible
the carelessness of those In comm
and that a heavy responsibility II
into upon some one for neglecting 10
Iuse tba+ tba +roons were in position
osts - - ,f,I ,gainr, all com
Igh- noiu eHe - -. eaa,,, sinaxn1
bic. and PEOPLE are asking why tf
was no cooperation between him