The Wilmington daily Republican., 1900-02-01
BRITISH CASUALTIES
They Grow Larger as the Official
,... Lists Reach London.
TIE DISASTER AT sPIoN KoP.
1t II the Greatest, With One Excep-
tiOn, That the British Forces Ever
Suffercd-The Beers to Drown Out
the Occupants Of Ladysmith.

tion, That the British Forces Ever
sufrered-The Beers to Drown Out
the Occupants OF Ladysmith.
London, Feb. 1.-The supplemental
lists of British casualties fill two col
umns in nonpareil type in the morn
ing papers, making 1900 reported thus
far for General Buffers operations
north of the Tugela. The Daily Chron-
icle estimates that the total exceeds
1000. The 40 per cent loss at Spion
Kop is greater than any British force
ever suffered, except possibly at AL
buera, Spain. in 1911.
The admiralty has warned all half
pay naval officers to hold themselves
In readiness for service. This, with
the fact that able seamen not thorough
ly experienced have been withdrawn
from the channel squadron, is taken
to indicate the early mobilization of
the reserve fleet.
AT meeting Of the army and navy
members of the house of commons
yesterday resolution expressing alb
solute confidence In whatever the gov
ernment thought necessary command
ed only two votes Instead Of this
resolution was adopted calling for the
immediate formation of home de-
fense force.
The correspondent of The Times at
Lourenzc Marques, telegraphing yes
terday, says:
Information has been received here
from the Transvaal that the war de-
partment, convinced that 1t would be
useless to storm Ladysmith and that
the bombaldment will continue inef-
fective, has decided upon change of
tactics. Huge quantities of timber and
sandbags and hundreds of kaffirs have
been sent from johannesburg and Pre-
toria for the purpose of damming Kip
river some miles below Ladysmith,
the idea being to flood tine town and
to drive the soldiers and Inhabitants
out Of the bomb proof castle, so as
to expose them to shell fire.
The Portuguese authorities are at
last exercising strleter surveillance.
The governor has notified the c0nsuls
that they must personally guarantee
that applicants for passports are not
going to assist the Boer army before
passports will be granted. 1t is ru-
mored that he has also conveyed
hint to Herr Potts, the Transvaal con-
sui, Of serious consequences II he con-
tinues to infringe the neutrality Of the
port.
The Cape Town correspondent of
The Daily News says: Evidence is ac-
cumulating that something beyond a
tacit understanding existed between
the Boer executives and the inner cir
Gle of the Afrikander bond concerning
what should follow the ripening rebel
lion at the outbreak of war. Fully
5000 colonial. Dutchmen have Joined
the enemy. The Beers, however, be-
lieve that this number would be null
tiplied tenfold. Consequently the AZ
rikander bond is now execrated at
Pretoria and Bloemfontein.
A dispatch to The Times from Pie
termaritzburg, dated Sunday last, says:
Colonial Thorneycroft had narrow
escape last week. He went to meet a
Boer flag Of truce, which asked par
ley but having become suspicious he
told the Boer commandant that he
would not parley. Both retired, and
the Beers fired volley, the colonel
only escaping in consequence of the =.
Boers' bad shooting.
Spencer Wilkinson, In The Morning
Post today. discussing the military sit
uation. takes 1t for granted that Gen.
eral Butler intends to make another
attempt to relieve Ladysmith. He
seizes the occasion to express the
aafnot odv ,tra ton frr tho d,upfJoce
spirit of the British army and regret
that the main thing is lacking, namely
proper leadership. He says: "The
whole manhood Of the nation is moved
by the same spirit as stirs the troops
on the Tugela. Cannot the govern
ment pluck up heart to lead like men
q nation of men. to drop the past and
to plan on proper scale, arming the
empire for whatever struggle may be
in store?"