Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-09

LONDON, February S.-P-esumably
Gen. Butler is fighting. again to-day in
his third attempt to relieve Ladysmith,
and news of the greatest import may
arrive at any moment. Yet here there
is o doubt than exultation, for, even
if the recollection of Gen. Buffers two
disastrous failures after suspicious
starts were not keen in the minds of
the public, the list Of casualties pub
1ished to-day would be a sufficient re-
minder Of the tremendous difficulties of
his task.
His occupation of Wall Krantz, the
key to the lower ridges, while a gallant
achievement, by no means signifies that
he and Gen. White win inevitably join
hands. Before Gen. Butler there are
several days of hard fighting, and any
attempt to forecast the result would be
valueless. If based on precedent, which
a hardly be done in warfare, it would
be bound to be in favor of the Beers,
for, apparently, the conditions have not
materially altered since the last fruit
less attempt. On the other hand, the
British troops are smarting under de-
feat and will undoubtedly be nerved to
more desperate efforts than ever before,
and if furious gallantry can carry Gen
Butler over the kopjes that face him.
Ladysmith will be relieved within a
week. But, so far, British bravery has
been, in the main, woefully misguided.
1t is more than likely that Gen. Bar
ton, at Chieveley, may be strong enough
to advance on the Tugela and render
valuable assistance from the southeast,
while the beleaguered garrison itself,
according to the latest dispatches,
should be able to create a potential d.
version when Gen. Butler has overcome
the initial difficulties which lie In the
kopjes Immediately north of the Tugela.
Gen Butler has cabled to the war
Office that the approximate British cas-
ualties in the fighting at Potgierters
Drift, UP to noon Tuesday, are: Off
GERS, two killed and fifteen wounded;
non-commissioned officers and men, 216
killed and wounded.
The officers killed were Major john
son Smyth and Lieut.. Shafto, both of
the Durham Light Infantry. The Off
GERS wounded include Col. Fitzgerald,
of the Durham Light Infantry, and Col.
A. ]. Montgomery, of the Royal Ar
tillery, and Lieut.. Sir T. A. A. Cunning
ham, of the Rifle Brigade.
Turning from the t~ranscendent in
terest in Ladysmith, the whole wal
area presents a scene of important ac-
tivity. The Boer attack of Gen. Cat
acres forces, reported February Z,
fizzled out, the artillery of the burgh-
ers, after Smelling the camp, retiring
upon the arrival of British reinforce
ments. The affair scarcely warrants
being called a skirmish. The British
casualties were one man killed and
four men wounded.
The latest advices from Sterkstrom
announce that Gen. Gatacre's cavalry
is in pursuit of the Beers. While moth
ing has resulted from this affair, it in
dicates that the b%urghers are fully
alive to the Importance of the concen-
tration which is On the verge of oc-
curing between Gems. Gatacre, Kelly
hesitate to take the aggressive against
established positions IN an attempt
to thwart it, though it is believed that
a sufficiently large body of troops will
soon be massed at Colesberg to en-
sure the unopposed advance of the in
vading army when it is ready to start.
That it is not prepared for this move
at present, and that all this activity
is merely preliminary to what is known
as Field Marshal Lord Roberts main
movement is evidenced by a dispatch
from Cape Town, under date of Febru-
airy z, announcing that the director of
transport was advertising for OK wag-
ons and drivers. Without these IL
would be hopeless to think Of carrying
on the invasion. and it must be a
month more before they are ready.
Another preliminary is that Gen. Rob-
erts has just sanctioned the formation
of a new colonial yeomanry consisting
of a troop of 100 men for each dis
trict of the colony, to protect the loyal
farmers. This force will be differed
from among the local yeomen.
Gen. McDonald's activity, combined
with the belief that the Colesberg
movement is to drag off a portion of
the Free State force, has given rise
TO the hope that Gen. Methuen will
shortly be enabled to make a success
full attack resulting in the relief of
Kimberley. while the gradually thin
ming forces surrounding Mafeking will
altogether melt away.