Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-01-11
The CASUALTY LIST
At Ladysmith Is Awaited With
Greatest Anxiety.
Gen. Lord Roberts and Gen. Kitchener
Arrive at Cape Town.
English Home Government Endurinu Perfect
Storm Of Abuse.

| London. Jan Ill A. M-During the
| interlude of apparent military inactiv-
| ity and official secrecy Lord Roberts
and Lord Kitchener have arrived at
the seat of war. 1t is assumed that
| their clearer vision. supported by $4,000
fresh men who are due to arrive i'm
South Africa, within 80 days, will alter
the situation and that the fourth month
of the campaign will witness the be-
ginning of victories for the British
| arms. They. are not however, expect
ed to produce definite results for some
days, but their mere presence will re-
store the shaken confidence of the men
at the front in their generals.
Lord Roberts finds 10000 men on the
defensive or watching for an opening
Lord Methuen's health, according to
the Daily Mail, has broken down and
the field marshal may relieve him.
Possibly some others will be relieved
q important commands. There is GER
tainly plenty .of rank in evidence in
South Africa. In addition to the field
marshal there are two full generals.
four lieutenant generals and II or IA
major generals.
There is an uneasy Suspicion that
when the Ladysmith casualties are an
nounced they will be disheartening and
will partially destroy the patriotic glow
produced by Gen. Whites victory"
The list of victims of disease issued
by the war office gives % deaths from
enteric fever and dysentery in Lady
smith in four days. revealing the fact
that the besieged are existing amid bad
sanitary conditions.
The Standard summarizes the gener-
al situation thus: We'll. the campaign
has lasted three months. We have
something like 1000 troops in South
Africa. With this huge army distribu-
ted over the country we are still to see
large portions of both colonies in the
hands of the enemy.
we have driven the invaders back
at no single point. We are actually
further from the hostile frontiers than
we We're on the day that the ultimatum
was delivered. The work which minis
ters believed could be effctually per-
formed with % 900 men has not been
done and not even been begun by four
or five times that number. Can any
one fail to admit that this evidence of
grave miscalculation of forces and
facts"
The war office has authorized a spec
ialy yeomanry corps. Every trooper
joining will pay for his own kit and
mount. for transport and for all other
expenses until his arrival in South
Africa and will then give his services
to his country and pay for the privilege
into the fund for widows and orphans
to amount he would receive as a troop
er Several influential gentlemen have
already enrolled
The authorities have urged the COM
mttee of the yeomanry hospital fund
to provide for $50 instead Of $50 beds
and the committee is appealing for at
least $500, 900 more.
The Times in an editorial criticising
at great length the governments con-
duct Of the war, alludes to the stupid
and perverse mistakes" that have been
made and demands that the practice
of the non-revelation of facts he
abandoned 1t insists strongly upon
knowing 'the truth and the whole truth
about the situation" and finds fault
with Mr.. Balfour's defence pieCemeal.
London. Jan. IA dispatch to the
Daily Telegraph dated Jan. s. at noon.
from Frere Camp. says: Firing from
the Boer positions around LadySn1th
began early, today. 1t still continues,
but the cannonading is light and irreg-
ular'
The Durham correspondent of the
Standard telegraphing. Tuesday. says
that 1900 Indian stretcher- bearers
started for the front. the previous
night. and that their departure was re-
garded in Durham as indicative of a
renewal Of the fighting.
The Standard has received the fol-
lowing dated. Jan. 8, from its special
correspondent al Frere Camp: Il hear,
on good authority. that President Kru-
ger sent word to the Boer headquarters
asking why Ladysmith had not been
attacked and that the reply was: We
should lose too many men, His
answer to this excuse was the sugges-
lion that the Free Staters might be put
in the fore front. This hint was taken
and the attack delivered.
''President Kruger's advice was so
far good that the Free Staters behaved
better than the Transvaalers have
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