Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-04-28
From The Seat Of War
Associated Press Special,

seems 10 ne on tne eve OF MAKING nlt
main advance towards Pretoria. I'm.
less all the usual reliable sources OF
| information and all the indications
struggled past the censor are at fault
the British army within a few days
will he marching northwaTd.
After many premature and inbound
| ed reports that have purported to tell
| of this move there Is naturally even
in the best informed quarters con-
siderable hesitancy In settling upon
the day Lord Roberts is likely to leave
Bloemfontein. but there Is a settled i'm
preston that Il will occur either at the
end of this week or the beginning of
next.
The long. weary wait in the Free
State capital has apparently effected
o much needed rehabilitation, though
It is probable Lord Roberts would still
further have delayed his advance had
not the Boer activity forced him to put
his forces in such position that unless
they quickly proceed northward the
strategic advantage will be lost.
Tn ecritics agree in the suppositioD
that the advance will be made in para
IIel columns with broad front west OF
he railroad, the third and eighth di-
visions sweeping northward to the
extreme northwest, the entire force
amounting to $4,000 men.
Exactly what part General Butler
will take is still secret, which no one
is able to probe.
From the seat of war, there Is sig
nilicant silence. From The Hague
comes the news that the Boer delegates
refuse to make public the object of
their mission. They hope to be re-
ceived by Queen Wilhelmina, but moth
ing i'm this direction has yet been do
cided upon.
ASSOCIATED Press Special)
Maseru, Basutoland, Monday, April
l6.-The Beers for two days past have
been displaying great activity along
the Reddersburg and RouXville road.
Their scouts report that the British are
advancing on those places to the reliel
of Wepener and the Burghers conse-
quently are divided whether to remain
or to retire. a majority of them de-
sire to abandon the investments OF
Wepener. fearing to be cut off, while
the minority, led by Commandant
olivier, are reluctant to move as long
as there is n chance to capture Colonel
Dalget's garrison.
Scouts have just reported rifle firing
in the direction of Thauanchu.
London, April 1.-THE Daily Mail
has the following from Lady Sarah
Wilson, dated Mafeking, April 9Th. The
pinch of hunger is beginning to be felt
| and relief seems more distant than
| ever.
Since March 3lst there has been nc
| Smelling until today, Commandant
Snyman having taken his burghers tC
| bar Colonel Plumer's road. Today
however, he returned and the lombard.
ment was renewed. The military au'
thorities says the British artillery has
nothing to compare with the guns nov
in use by the Beers.
London, April 1.-THE War Office
tonight published in the Gazette q
dispatch from Lord Roberts, dated Feb
ruary 10, submitting General Buller's
| dispatches describing the Spion KoI
| and other operations from January II
| to January "a. Lord Roberts deals
severely with General Warren and
some others. Even General Butler docs
| not escape. Lord Roberts complains
that the plan of operations is not
clearly described in the dispatches
After sketching General Buffers inten-
| tons, as communicated to Sir Charles
Warren, who commanded the whole
force, Lord Roberts points out that
| General Warren seems to have con-
cluded after consultation with his Off
GERS that the thanking movement order
Oh h,y nt,1l ir,,n Hoo.
BILE, and therefore so changed the plan
of advance as to necessitate tho cap
ture and retention OF Spion Kop. Lord
Roberts continues:
AS Warren considered il impossible
to make the wide thanking movement
which was recommended, If not actu-
ally prescribed, in the secret instruc-
tions, he should forthwith have &C
qualnted Butler with the course he pro-
posed to adopt. There Is nothing 10
show whether he did so or not. But
it is only fair to Warren to point out
that Butler appears throughout to have
been aware of what was happening.
Regarding the withdrawal from
Spion Kop, the retention Of which had
become essential to the relief Of Lady
smith, Lord Roberts says:
IL regret to be unable to concur with
Butler in thinking Thornycroft exer-
cised wise discretion in ordering the
troops to retire. / am of the opinion
that Thornycroft's assumption of re-
sponsibility and authority was wholly
ineXcusable. During the night the
enemy fire could not have been for
miuable, and 1t would not have taken
more than two or three hours for
Thornycroft to communicate by mes
senger with Major General Coke or
Warren. Coke appears to have left
Spion Kop at $3.50 p. m, for the pur-
pose Of consulting with Warren. Up
to that time the idea of withdrawal had
| not been entertained. Yet almost i'm
mediately after Cokes departure
Thornycroft issued the order, without
reference to superior authority, which
upset the whole plan OF operations and
rendered unayailing the sacrifices made
to carry II into effect. On the Other