Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-02-02

picking up Gatacre's and French's force..
That some such plan is being prepared is
suggested by the confirmation today of the
report that the sixth division kelly Ken
ny's). about 5000 Of all arms, has been
moved up Cape Colony 70 Thebus, town
which il described as situated between
Sterkstroom aud Rinsberg, the headquar-
ters respectively Of Gatscre and French.
These three commands united would give,
according TO the best information available,
only about % 600 men, a force inadequate
for such campaign, yet still nucleus.
Methuen has held , 900 Of the hest troops
in the British army idle at Modder River
for over 40 days and the plan may include
the junction Of these troops with a central
column on a march into the Free State.
Reinforcems nts are also continually
available, With the troops due to arrive
next month Roberts may think himself
strong enough To try this large operation
Combining the forces under Generals Me-
thuen, French and Gatacre, and adding
to them the arriving troops, Lord Roberts
would have 20 600 men for the invasion of
the Free State, with 40 600 to $1,000 guard
ing communications and AZ, 00O keeping the
Beers before Ladysmith engaged. Twenty
thousand two hundred and twenty-five
men and 80 guns are at sea; IL 900 infan-
try, 5000 cavalry, including 5000 yeomen,
are practically ready TO embark. There
fore the government, without doing more,
can place at the disposal of Lord Roberts
40, 600 additional men and 1855 guns. The
further purposes of { war office are sup
posed to embrace somewhere in the neigh
borhood of 80, 600 more men.
The present situation is something like
this: Gen. Butler operating with an army
of upwards Of 40 600 has twice failed to
force his way to the relief of Ladysmith.
suffering total loss of up yards of 1000
men. He is at present holding the south
bank of the Tugea Lord Methuen with
about II 600 has advanced to within %
miles of beleaguered Kimberley Belmont.
Gras Pan and Modder River cost 1867
lives, and at Magersfontein, where his
progress was stopped, he lost 963 more
men. He has been at standstill 40 days.
Kimberley's siege has lasted l06 days, and
there is apparently as little chance of relief
| for some time to come.
Gatacre met with serious accident at
Stormberg, losing about 1000 men Since
Dec. 10 there has been no change in the
| situation so far as he is concerned. Gen.
French, with headquarters TO the west of
his colleague in northern Cape Colony, has
a clearer record IN South Africa than any
other British commanding officer. He has
| kept Methuen's communications safe pre-
served the railway connection with East
| London, and threatens the retreat of a
Boer force at Colesberg. Mafeking was
invested Oct. IA, and since that date Col.
Baden-Powell, with 1900 irregulars, has
kept at bay Boer force with a varying
strength of from 2000 to 5000 men.
To sum up: The war has lasted 1l2
| hn II
wounded and missing upwards of 5000
A conservative estimate places the Boer
losses at 2000. In Pretoria there are more
than $500 British prisouers at Cape Town
there are 500 Boer prisoners. At Nichol
sons Mex about 500 British officers and
men and two thirds of a mountain battery
were captured, and some $50 prisoners and
two guns fell into the hands of the Beers
at Stormberg, Eleven guns were taken
by the Beers at Coenso.
Gen. Butler was quoted in dispatches re-
ceived Tuesday night as telling his troops
that he expected to be in Ladysmith in a
week, despite the check at Spion Kop.
This statement was reinforced to a certain
extent, by Winston Churchilrs despatch.
written Saturday night but not received
until Wednesday, saying Spion Kop was
not disaster, but rather a Judgment in
an enemys works which proved untenable.
Had Butler not followed Thorneycroft's
forced abandonment of Spion Kop by re-
treating Warren's division across the Tuge-
la, thus abandoning without compulsion the
advanced positions gained, and by despond-
ent dispatches home stating that the Boer
right was too strong to be turned. belief
might gain more credence that Butler was
not fully checked, but had some other
operation in mind.
From sorely disappointed Ladvsmitb
comes brave message that the town "can
hold on, that the troops are cheerful and
that disease is disappearing. Still it must
not be disguised that the situation of
White is little short of desperate The
town, according to Whites own despatcb
OF six weeks ago, has food for not more
than two weeks, and typhoid which has
gained Judgment in besieged town can
not be turned out of its entrenchments hv
the bayonet. The despatch from Lady.
smith concludes by stating that the he.
slegers are being reinforced from tbs
Transvaal and from the force confrontino
Butler. This is evidence that an assault oS
the town, which military critics have nra.
dicted would follow Buffers check IL IL
preparation and may be delivered within !
few DAYS, in