Evening star., 1900-01-24
What is Thought of the Recent Re-
verses in South Africa.
BUTLER NO LONGER 4 POPULAR idol
Lively Efforts Are Being Made to
Secure More Recruits.
GLOOMY DAYS IN LONDON

the Beers were attacking Ladysmith in
| force on the most vulnerable side of the
| town cast a gloom over the entire day,
| which was made darker late at night, when
| further message from Sir Redvers Butler
| quoted Sir George White saying he was
| hard pressed" The endurance shown by
| the gallant garrison of Ladysmith, whom
nothing had daunted, led every one to be-
lieve that General Whites brief message
photographed to F'rere Camp to his DOR
| mant believers was intended to prepare
| the public for the worst.
| 1t would have been a dire catastrophe if
! Ladysmith had fallen, and no one can
rightly say what would have been the re-
| suit of its fall.
| Yesterday morning all the newspapers
| We're as gloomy over the outlook as though
| the queen We're dead. 1t a most try
| ing period of suspense. The very pathos
| of Sir George Whites word, very hard
pressed" rang in every ones ears and men
| went about dreading that the worst had
| happened Hardly any one but fully eX-
| pected the next news would tell OF the
| Beers victory and of crushing blow
| given to the British. The relief was i'm
| mense when it did come.
At the War Office.
| The scene at the war Office where the
| official messages are given out was men,
| orable. From an early hour in the MORN
| ing the waiting rooms were thronged with
| callers, whose faces showed unmistakable
| traces of the strain which the ominous
break in the news from Ladysmith had put
| upon them. When at length the eagerly
| awaited message was brought out by an
| official there was an instant rush for the
notice board. Read it out shouted some
one from the fringe of the crowd The
| official Immediately responded, reading with
| voice not entirely free from emotion the
| stirring Of the reDulSe of the Beers.
| When he had finished the visitors relieved
| their pent-up feelings with cheer which
| must have been heard in every part OF the
| building. Then they trooped lightly out
| to discuss in their clubs the various phases
of the business, and the probable effects Of
| the victory on the general situation.
Ground for Apprehension.
| Tho great dread in official quarters was
| as to whether ammunition was giving out
| in Ladysmith. Supplies must be nearing
| exhaustion, and there was, therefore,
| tendency to read Sir George Whites very
| hard pressed" as hint that his men were
within measurable distance of their last
| cartridge. But no thought of Il tame sur
| render was entertained. 1t was generally
| agreed that the defenders of Ladysmith
| would finish with the bayonet when the
! last cartridge had been fired, and that II
| they We're vanquished it would be among
| heaps of slain enemies. Happily, that heed
| has not arisen.
All kinds of speculation are afoot as to
| the motives of the Boer leaders in choosing
| this particular moment for supreme ef-
| fort to overwhelm Sir George White. ON
| the whole, the differences drawn from the
| assault on Ladysmith are favorable to the
| British, for it is argued that if the Beers
| had been confident of their ability to hold
| the passage of the Tugela against Sir Red
| vers Butler they would scarcely have risk
| ed the inevitable loss involved in an assault
| on Ladysmith. Sir George Whites victory
aix-a h.A q
! the relief force and will strengthen the
| determination to reverse the issue of the
recent attempt to force the passage Of the
! Tugela.
| He Hasn't Taken 1t.
! Now is Buffers chance. He has let one
| opportunity pass blythe opportunity of at
tacking an enemy who Is distracted by a
terrible engagement in his rear. Sir Red
| vers rose to that occasion by "demonstrat-
| ing" with one-third of his force. Mr.. Spen-
| ser Wilkinson in the Morning Post says
| that Butler might as we'll nave let off a
| display of fireworks. His curious eHplana-
tion that it was all the force available sug
| gests that his 10000 other men We're in too
| remote positions to be brought forward in
time
| His chance now Is to fall on a dishearten-
| ed enemy, which has just shrunk back from
| a terrible defeat, after two days hard
| fighting. Certainly. Sir Redvers will have
! to show some great performance in excuse
| of the mysterious apathy chat he has dis
| played since his defeat three weeks ago.
| The Beers during all that time have been
| fortifying and intrenching their already
| strong position. Butler does not appear to
| have lifted a spade. BY intrenching care
| fully and thoroughly day by day he might
| by now have worked his way to the Beers
| position.
| Change of Feeling.
When Gen. Butler went out to South Af-
| rica the most eulogistic articles We're writ
| ten about him. lie was the one appointed
/ to lead the British army % victory, and his
| flag would be floating ever Pretoria before
Christmas. A change has come over the
| feelings of our friends here and Butler is
| being heartily rounded on. There is some
| excuse for him in that the government,
| slow going and tiresome, have not met his
needs in an adequate manner. The public
are naturally disappointed in the delay in
| his movements. He is making frequent
connaissanCes. and his long-range naval
guns are constantly Shelling the Boer po-
sition, with what result 1t is Impossible to
say. 1t is now more than three weeks since
his effort to cross the Tugela failed. His
force has since been greatly strengthened,
especially in the matter of artillery and
howitzers. 1t may be that after all Sir
Redvers Butler will not attack till Lord
Roberts reaches South Africa, which will
be about Wednesday or Thursday of this
week. 1t may be that he is waiting for
| two batteries of artillery which are on their
way from India and which will reach Dur
ban in few days. Whatever the cause of
the long delay, it is trying to the patience
of the British people, and the necessity for
caution after coLSummate rashness does not
seem to commend itself to people at home
pining for British victories.
Charged With COwardice.
A distinctly unpleasant impression has
been created by the serious accident
which is reported in the telegram from the
general commanding at the Cape to have
happened 10 the 1st Suffolks at Colesburg.
In the first place, it is remarked that the
news of the accident" does not seem to
have reached Sir Forestier-Walker from
Gen. French, but from the regiment itself.
presumably from the officer in command.
Then the number of prisoners is given as
seventy, while OF these no fewer than seven
are officers. Four companies were engaged
and then the order to retire was given, lit
is said by the enemy" Three companies re-
treated and one remained. There may of
course, be some explanation why it was
that one company held its ground and the
others did not, but the most diSagreeable
feature of the business is that apparently
some of the officers of the three companies
that retired did not retire with their men
but remained to fight and to be taken pris-