The age-herald., 1900-02-22
ROBERTS MESSAGE
 CAUSES ANXIETY Gives No Information as to Re-
 suit of Fighting 60llFRss REPORT A VICTORY Correspondent Writing from Cape Town Advises Englishmen Not to be
 Over Joyful as the War
 is Not Yet Over
60llER2ss REPORT A VICTORY

London, February 22.-4 a. m-Lord Rob-
 erts' list of 49 killed and wounded officers.
 including two generals, in the engagements
 up to Sunday evening, causes anxiety, es-
 peciaIy as in the officers list neither the
 losses of the Welsh or Essex regiments nor
 those of the mounted infantry are included.
 This is about the number that fell at Co.,
 lensof. where the non-commissioned officers
 and men brought the total losses to 90.
 It is considered strange that when send
 ing his casualties Lord Roberts gives no
 information as to the result of the fighting.
 If he has sent such report the war of
 flee is withholding it. Moreover. nothing is
 known as to what took place Monday,
 Tuesday and yesterday. This absence of
 details from Lord Roberts dispatches con
 trasted with his rather full narratives dur
 ing the first part of his operations, pro-
 duces uneasiness among military observ-
 CTS. All the comments in the morning
 newspapers, both editorial and critical, are threaded with the disturbing suggestion
 that despite fighting hard, General Cronje
 has been able to beat off his pursuers, has escaped, and is being reinforced by rail from Ladysmith and by the forces on foot and horseback from northern Cape Colony, as we'll as the late beleaguers of Kimber- ley.
 Corr, spondents are silent
 As the correspondents with Lord Roberts are silent uhe telegrams from Boer sources receive some countenance The latter aver that General Cronje, while the British were endeavorins to surround him between Paardeberg and Koodoosrand, received re- 1 ipfr~cements under Dewet and that to- gether the Boer commanders fought the ,- t4sn to standstil.
 However all this may be, public opinion here will not be treasured until the war | office issues explicit statements of suc- | cesses, which of course, would clear away | the gathering doubts respecting the unin- i terruptedness of Lord Roberts forward | movement. No one doubts his ultimate !, success> but there Is fear of temporary l disappointment and that a lot of hard 1 fighting is yet ahead of the British. | The latest report regarding General | Butler circulated in the house of com l mons last evening was that an agent of the Debeers company has received cable gram from Capetown which must have passed the censor to the effect that Gen. eral Barton's fusileer brigade had reached the lilts commanding Ladysmith. Quite apart from this, however, and from every other rumor, the early relief of the be- leaguered garrison is thought inevitable. Many distinguished persons on the way home from theaters and clubs called at il1e war office to inquire for news. The ladies' lobby was open until midnight The arrival at the war office of several prominent officials after II o'colck gave substance to report that important in- formation from Lord Roberts had been received, but an announcement was soon forthcoming that no further bulletins would pc posted during the night.