The evening times., 1900-02-14
4 MIXED situation.

Perhaps il would be we'll to await fur
ther details before forming any opinion as 1
TO the value Of the news from South Africa
today. On the face of the returns we
should say that the immediate outlook is /
not favorable to the British. though the I
partisans Of the famous and much-lcVed /
Lord Roberts are declaring that the |
entire picture. as presented in the de- |
spatches. is one which clearly depicts the I
brilliant and successful strategy OF their |
favOrite.
As bare matters Of fact it appears that the
Beers have driven in Clements Outposts
at Rensburg and what is quite as inpcr-
tant have shelled the British out of Coles
Kop. an emineuce which we have been told
dominated the whole Boer position. There
is something OF sinister significance in tbs
episode. French took possession Of the kop
some time ago. and We may assume that he
entrenched Il scientifically and emplaced
his best guns. as il was considered the key
Of the situation. The Beers plant
torty-pOunder on a small hill nine thousand
yards away and shortly make Coles kop
untenable The British have no ordnance
competent to reply to such messages, or,
il they have. they do not know how 20
handle il. They have uniformly been un-
able 10 she'll their antagonists out of any
thing. but quite as regularly have been
ousted themselves. Striking illustrations
are furnished i'm the instances of Spiou Kop
and Krautz Kloof.
II is said that Count de VillebOis- -MareuH
is in personal command Of the Beers az
ColesberE and We are inclined to credit
The report II was announced that he had
left Natal for the Free State Immediately
after the fight al Spi0u Eop II he is on
the Orange line 10 will take clever
general TO match him and Lord Roberts no
doubt thinks so. 70 is possible that Hitche-
ner Is ON the ground Tie has not turned
up elsewhere as far as We have been able
10 learn. He or somebody needs 10 be busy
in the district under consideration. Prob
ably the British force i'm the locality has
been weakened to some extent by the with
draVaI of FrenChS cavalry. II so the Boer
commander has responded TO that move
meut appropriately by taking the offensive.
and initiating a movement which decidedly
menaces Lord Roberts base line i'm gen
eral. and the strategic quadrilateral i'm
particular. With the British line pushed
back To- Rensburg the Beers would appear
10 he iu complete control again Of the Nor
vaIs Punt crossing Of the Orange River,
"A consummation which may be quite i'm
consonance with Roberts plans. but con-
veys anything but that impression. Con-
sIdered en- bloc the most recent develop
ments in Northern Cape Colony look very
much as If they might lead 10 serious
delay in the evolution of Lord Roberts
forward movement. Yet ir must be- ad-
mitted that appearances may be deceptive.
and that the Marshal's friends NAV De
right in asserting that ne has outwitted his
adversary in calling off considerable
force from Nararsfontein for operations i'm
Cape Colony.
Our information from Natal is not
especially encouraging TO British hopes.
The critics are taking what comfort they
can from the theory that Buffers recent
movements have been merely sham battles
designed to keep Joubert occupied while
Roberts was getting ready for business in
the west Sir Redvers is reported At
Cheveley. We do not hear that he has
Withdrawn his army from the upper Tu-
Etld. Dll TT u dHinibAfo lH i-oHu'u -Hdt
such may be the fact We should not be
surprised to learn that he had cousid-
cred his line TOO long. and had drawn il
i'm. even If he did not think it necessary
to retire his left below Springfield. II is
reasonably certain that Butler had tS
count upon a severe stack upon his right
threatening his communications, as a re-
suit of his reverses at Spion KCp anl
Krantz Kloof, and his presence at Cheve
ley at this time was 10 be expected. Ont
can only skim over the little scraps O
news allowed to pass the censor, an
guess The facts and conditions upo
which intelligent military opinions an
theories might be based are kept mos
thoroughly suppressed by the BIitis
headquarters