The evening times., 1900-02-06
THE BRITISH FORCE IN AFRICA
Not Over 81 Hundred Thousand Men
Available.
tFrom the New York Sun

ttruu the New orh SUM-
The statement made by Mr.. Wyndham.
the Under Secretary of State for War in
the British House of Commons on Thursday
that the British forces in South Africa
comprised l42 500 unmounted and $500
mounted men. with 452 guns. Of which sc
are siege and 3S naval guns, seems suscep-
tible of considerable modification when an
alyzed On January 20 the total force Of
regular troops actually in South Africa and
on their way there from India and England
was Il regiments of cavalry. batteries Of
horse artillery a. field batteries noun
tain batteries and S3 battalions of in
fantry Putting these different organiza
tions at their full strength. they would
work out as follows.
The fifteen regiments of cavalry at 5G0
horses each. which is more than some Of
those in the field have. give 900 ef
fectives.
The nine batteries of horse artillery with
1SO men and eighty horses each, give 111o
men and 720 horses.
The forty-four field batteries. with the
same compliments of men and horses, give
= 30 men and $500 horses
The two mountain batteries with 100
men and 20 horses or mules each gives go
men and 140 horses or mules.
The eighty three battalions of infantry.
reckoning them at their full war strength.
would give s.. eco men but it is doubtful
if the average effective of the whole num-
her can be reckoned al more than $50 each
This would reduce the total to 70.550 men.
| The entire strength. then. of the regular
| forces would be by the above analysis
! 81 140 men and II $50 horses. To the num-
! ber of horses, however, should be added
| those of the mounted Infantry actually in
/ the field. What the number of these may
| be cannot be stated with certainty. as 10
| definite report of their number has ap-
! peared in any account of the forces in the
! field. From the fragmentary accounts of
! the forces engaged on different occasions,
/ they cannot be estimated at much more
! than 5000. This would bring the number
! up to 1850
! The total of the colonial contingents
| does not come up to more than 5000 men,
| with perhaps 5000 horses and the local
Natal and Cape Colonial corps. though off
| cially put at 20 ,00O are from the accounts
| published, not much more than half that
number probably 1900 men with say,
| 1000 horss. Then there are the naval
| brigades numbering about, L. 900 men alto
| gether. their guns being moved about by
1 country oxen.
This would bring the fighting force up
| to about 105 40 men and q, $50 horses.
| The rest of the men and horses of the
! $50 900 men and 81 800 horses of which Mr..
| Wyndham spoke are still in the air, the
! Eighth Division, the 10, 900 yeomanry. and
| the Is. 900 volunteers and militia being only
! in process of organization and large part
i not even yet enrolled.
! Then. out of the force of regulars given
| there are full squadron of cavalry, one
,t., h So,
1 than three effective battalions of infantry
4 prisoners of Bloemfontein and Pretoria
| Drafts to fill up the vacancies caused by
| death, disablement, and disease are ON theil
| way out from England OF being got ready
! None of the English papers as yet at hand
has published a clear, tabulated statement
4 of the various corps and organization:
| actually in the field in South Africa; ant
| 1t is quite certain that the statement o
| the Under Secretary of State for Wa
| errs by orerestimate rather than by under
! estimate.