New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18
THE WAR IN THE FREE STATE
roNDON HANGS BREATHLESS on
ROBERTs's BULLETIN.

fc77y--Fhr. 1860: BY The Sew-York Tr1oune-l
rsr CABLE TO The rRIBUSE.I
---ar6on Feb Is l a. m--General Roberts's
ta.,es.rs sl1-pass in interest any serial publ-
ssrsou upon which an exuItant empire has ever
huuF from hour 10 hour For that reason any
interruption Of them causes keen disaPpotnt-
rneut her. There were Cnly two yesterday. The
zrst contained the sequel 70 General Kitchener's
zunounoement that one Of General Kelly-Ken-
rys brigades was IN pursuit OF large Boer
oonvoy. Il gave q short inventory Of military
stores captured by the brigade and left the
uory unfinished The convoy belonged 70 Gen
ersl cronje's laager, which was under the Brit
ish artillery fire when Kitchener dispatched his
rnessenger This was an tntimation that a con-
saterzbIe body Of the enemy which had been
baneg1ns Kimberley retiring eastward TO
Boemfontein. and that q portion Of the Sixth
DIVISION had caught up with II and was harass-
Ing It's retreat Press dispatches estimated the
nrrr xlh Of the Boer colrnn at 10000 but con-
.zsn-o <eS details q this rearguard action.
Genera cronje was described as forming a
laaser with circle Of uncaptured wagons and
s sanding at bay because the oxen could not
CT. was not clear whether the large Dutch
ce was in retreat or whether il only a
snail guard for the convoy.
The second bulletin was q casualty list from
sacobsdal, with eighteen names. The contrast
t-sEeen General Roberts's victorious march,
with its trivial losses and General Methuen's
Esfeat al Magersfontein, with it's terrible lists
Ess most striking.
GLNPsEs OF THE FIGHTING.
The press dispatches lighted up this casualty
tsI with CLEANS OF color. There was a series Of
skrmishes between patrols for control Of the
sounded in Jacobsdal before the British artillery
sselled the Beers out OF JacobsdaL The Beers
Tsrs reported 10 be retiring from Spytfontein
northwest and abandoning their intrenched po-
sitions which had been q barrier 70 Methuen's
progress and 4 ruInor that General French had
entered Kimberley in triumph, and that that
o@osr had dined or something better than
horsefesh ar the principal club was running
ihs rounds Of the British camp at JacobscaL
The-e was one unpleasant episode A large Brit
ish convoy which had been previously reported
IS captured and then as recaPtured OF the Rlet
RFer was again described as having fallen into
1as hands of the Dutch. This Boer force was
r7zted 70 have come up from CoIesberg 70 re-
I'orce Crou5e. ana 70 have intsrfered seriously
S7fh The British arrangements fer supplying
tas Sixth and Seventh divisions. This point
Eas left IN doubt by the War Office There was
ruEncr that General Aacdonald's brigade had
rsr---ed % Koodoosberg. but this was uncon-
a-neG. 4 third bulletin vas needed in order 10
ToUDd orr General Robertss series and 70 clear
" tae mysteries enveloping a movement Of re-
msr--able conplexity But the War Office
ctosed al midnight without Issuing it, The op-
uElsts we-e free 10 conclude that Cronje was
z ful retreat thar Kimberley had been relieved
snd That the retirement Of q large Dutch column
ron Spyrfontein had been cut OF, but there
vas no Official confirmation Of any OF these
Statements although al The proba bilities were
Strongly in favor Of the continued success OF
Genera Roberts's plan Of campaign. The croak-
srs we're also a. liberty 70 infer that the capture
q Ihe British convoy implied unexpected
check that Cron5e had not been taken COM
9letey by surprise. and that some adroit plan OF
egfence had suddenly been revealed when the
British divisions were cut OF touch with one an
ashe- The advantages Of General Roberts's
Sstions and his great superiority in force
ssrranted the confident belief that the inter
f-ston OF General Roberts's bulletins not
Egn that anything had gone wrong.
TRANsFoRMATIoN OF AN ARMY
important as the successes Of General Roberts
@Aehener and French in turning the enemy's
P'siaons have been. there is q broader ground
-0f English confidence and hopes. This is the
teFeistion that the British army has suddenly
80 Transformed into & practical instrument Of
sfisre fitted for operating against the Beers.
wa sluggish. immobie force which was
S-'p@eed and outnanRuvred by the Dutch at
tarn- II now has cavalry brfgades which
= nging columns darting between the eneny's
- aao swooping down upon supply trains and
s1sT1E. General Cronje apparently
= -piepared for the advance OF a hostile army
superior mobility. General Kitchener by
'hs mounted force and organizing a sys-
Continued fourth page.