Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-01-12
WARS COST SCREAT
British Losses in Killed, Wounded
and Missing Nearly 5000.
FIGURES FROM LATEST ESTIMATES.
Wnr Office Fails to Give Out News OF
the Situation = Public Is Anx-
fousl!' Admitting Further
Information.

Loiaoi, Jan. lU.-Great Britain S
losses since the war began are fast APP
proaching 5000. A. war office com
pllatlon of casualties, issued Monday
evening, shows a total of 1878, cor
killed, 1878 wounded and 2.511 miss-
ing. These do not include 14o who
nave succumbed to disease nor the
casualties at Ladysmith last Satur-
day.
Gives Out No News.
London, Jan. 10.-The war office has
not contributed the least particular
as to what is taking place in Natal
since Sunday. Neither has it allowed
the dispatches of correspondents to
get though. Consequently the facts
Of the situation are replaced by con-
lectures; and the Impotence of the
public pours itself into discussion
OF the conduct of the war, and of
what might have been done or ought
now to be done.
Awaits Information.
London, Jan. 1o.-Further news of
Gen. Whites victory is anNiously await
ed, as it is generally realized that there
was little warrant for the exultation
which followed the announcement of
his repulse of the Beers
The remarkable revolution of Boer
tactics has been another complete sur
prise to the British, who had not reck-
oned on the weakened garrison ofLady-
smith being subjected to such cour-
ageous assault, and it is realized that
Gen. Whites troops cannot be expected
to greatly prolong such an arduous
defense. In some quarters it is con-
sidered unaccountable that Gen. Bull
Ter did not press his attempt to effect
a passage of the Tugela river while the
Beers were. engaged northwards, and
the comments on his apparent supine-
ness are nowise complimentary.
Colonial Troops Win Warm Praise.
The colonial troops continue to earn
warm praise on all sides, the latest ex-
ample of their effective work being re-
corded in the dispatch to the London
Times dated January 6 from the Mod
der river, cabled to the press, which
said that the news from Belmont
showed that the Canadians and Queens
landers had been so energetic in that
vicinity that the Beers had been COM
PEELED to desert large belt of the Or
ange Free State territory across the
border.
Queen Says No.
London, Jan. 1O.-King Leopold, ac-
cording to the Brussels correspondent
of the Daily Mail, recently inquired of
Queen Victoria whether an opportune
moment for mediation had arrived, but
received reply in the negative.
Putting Their Heads Together.
London, Jan. 1O.-There is some
reason to believe that the United States
and German embassies are trying to
to find common basis on which they
can cooperate in pressing their re-
spective demands against Great Brit
ain for the Delagoa bay seizures. A
high official of the German embassy
had a long conference Tuesday at the
American embassy, and the diplomats
are believed to have discussed the
steps each country has already taken,
and the best future procedure.
Cannot Represent the British.
New York, Jan. 1o.-A special from
Washington says: The Transvaal gov
eminent has informed the United
states that w. Stanley Hollis, American
consul at Pretoria, will not be per-
mitted to represent British interests in
the republic during the war, it being
against the Transvaal's policy to per-
nit any British representative in its
territory Consul Hollis however will
be permitted to care for British prison
ers of war confined in Pretoria, in his
personal capacity.