The evening times., 1900-01-11
south African Military Scandals.

The recall OF Lieutenant General Lord
Methuen is regarded as certain and will no
doubt be officially announced in London to-
dav. On the evidence Of official reports the
statements OF officers with whom he has
quarreled and sent home. and scores OF
letters from members Of his command. the
British public has come to the painful con-
cIusiou that Methuen is madman, and
that to leave him longer in a position Of
responsibility means defeat and the murder
Of his soldiers
Details concerning the wicked order ng
Of the Highland Brigade. under Major
General wauchope. to certain destruction
AT Magarsfontein show that the fated
Scotch officer argued with Lord Methueu
against the movement all night. and fin
ally started to execute it protesting that
il would involve the annihilation OF the
brigade But the superior general was
crazy mad. though another cognate term
would. il is to be feared. describe his
condition more explicitly. When IL is re-
membered that his force includes the
service battalions Of the Household Brig
ade. and several of the crack cavalry reg
iments Of the British army. il will be uu-
derstoOd that the flower Of the young ar
istOcracy OF the United Kingdom is at the
mercy OF an irresponsible incompetent.
liable at any minute to commit some act
which would place half the castles and
manor houses Of England and Scotland in
mourning. So there is no question
that Methuen will be arrested in his ca
reer, as soon as an order OF superscssion
can be served upon him. It is reported
that Sir Charles Warren will be named as
his successor; but this is not certain.
The mental OF physical incapacities OF
Tier Majesty's generals in the field do not
end With Methuen. Il is now said
that Sir Redvers Butler is on the verge OF
collapse. and that it may be necessary 10
invalid him. aud send him home II true
this depressing story may account for the
seemingly paretic character Of his opera
tions since he entered Natal Whether true
or not, he.appears unlikely to inaugurate
any independent movement now that Field
Marshal Lord Roberts has arrived in the
theatre OF war. Il is stiu possible that he
has planned ami is executing a strategic
movement OF some kind, but the opinion
that such thing is in progress has finally
petered out among the military experts
and writers, who indeed. have had little
ground for it. beyond that Of obvious
necessity, ana the suggestions of the situ-
alton on the Tugela Line. II BtIler is
simply holding his camps. and has not
moved there will be another dangerous
delay, which would present the prospects
of Ladysmith in anything but promising
light Roberts or Kitchener might reach
Cheveley in a few days, but it would take
time for either to study the country and
to get ready for hOsulities.
The army in Natal is represented as dis
heartened and suspicious Of its command
ers. who have not shown their men any
ability to lead. At the outset. Butler was
badly outmaneuvred by Juubert The for
occupied and fortified Inhlawe Mountain
When his right rested unopposed at Wee
nen. But Joubert sent Schalk- Burger
with flying column around by the Help
maakar Road. and down to Mooi River,
threatening the communications, cutting
in between Hildyard and Pietermaritzburg
and even menacing that place. Butler
straightway shortened his lines, "concen-
trated'' at Cheveley. Frere. and Estcourt,
and TIE quick consequence was that the
Boer general had Inhlawe Mountain on the
east and Springfield on the west, covering