The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-08
More Cheerful Rumor.

More Cheerful Rumor.
LONDON, Feb. 1, 4:30 p. Matt
ernOon Service. 1.-The st. James Ga
zette says it is reported on good au-
thority that General Butler has again
crossed the Tugela river at three places
and that fighting has been proceeding
all day long.
Escaped Just in Time.
NEW YORK, Feb. 1.-Advices from
Spearman's Camp say that General
Warren's retreating force crossed the
Tugela river without loss of single
man, but got away none too soon, a
Boer 15-pounder firing at the cavalry
column as it was retiring. The Beers
are mounting another big gun to fire
on Ladysmith.
Men who were on the fighting line at
Spion Kop describe the fierceness of
the Boer attack and terrific havoc
wrought by the enemy's shells. When
the Beers were first seen they were
1000 yards away. They then descend
ed into a hollow. When next it was
possible to see them they were only
seventy yards off and the foremost
British line sought shelter behind the
rocks,
At this stage the first Boer shell
burst and the order was given for one
regiment to retire to the edge of the
kopje, where there was more cover
The order was misconstrued by some
Iof the foremost trenches, who fell back
The Beers seized this opportunity and
rushed at the trenches, capturing a
few men. This mistake was soon OBJ
served, a bayonet charge followed and
the Beers fed. Two Of the Boer Max.
im-Nordenfeldts commenced to DROP
shells among the British, doing ter.
rible damage. The Boer rif1emen, no
ticing the havoc wrought, Attempted
to creep close up on two occasions, on.
ly to be driven back with loss. AS
they retreated, they appealed to the
British to surrender. The response
was volley. The formation of tn,
hilltop is like table, a mile long anC
quarter Of mile broad. The shortel
side alone was available for rifle fire
The firing party which responded tt
the Boer attack was necessarily small
The remainder of the British fore
was scattered about seeking shelter
A Weak Ministry.
LONDON, Feb. 1, $50 p. m.-(Aft
ernoon Service.)-In the absence O
exciting war news, the nation and tn
newspapers have had time to diseove
the utter lack of relation existing be
tween the feeling of the people an
the temper of the Government as dem
onstrated in Parliament, where, in
stead of relieving the grave anxiety c
3 the country by the declaration of meas
ures it is proposed to take in behalf c
the national safety, the Ministers cor
tinue to demonstrate their inability
grasp the situation byA beating the al
with recriminations, self-accusator
defense and chickering's as to the d.
, gree of responsibility attachable I
the respective departments of the Coy
eminent. The disgust, almost despai
noticeable on all sides, is voiced by tt
ultra-ministerial organ, the Glob
I which says: "The heart of the en-
pire seems paralyzed, while its exuren
tiles are in full vigor. Thus far on
one statesman in the front rank h;
struck the right note, and that is Lol
Rosebery."
The actual news from South Afri,
is of little interest. General Bull
maintained silence as to his futu
II movements, but it is generally su
III posed he is maturing another attem
to reach Ladysmith.
III A letter appears today from II
noverian officer formerly of the Tive
ty-second German Infantry but nc
among the military advisers of t
Beers which says that nearly 100
= trained European soldiers, includil
- quite 300 officers, are among the Boel
Referring to the military situation
Ladysmith, the officer says: "Owi
to the strength of our position on a C
Gle of nights like Sedan, we cannot
"a brushed aside except by a relief C,
umn outnumbering us to l."
Owing to the discovery that colt
khaki is insufficient protection
troops sleeping on the South Afric
= plains, the Government is starting
re-clothe the forces in the field W
N wooden khaki, and has already order
NJ $4,000 suits in Glasgow alone.
TRANsvAAL NOTES.
Brief GIimpses of the Anglo-Bt
Campaign.