The age-herald., 1900-02-10
London Accepts the statement

London accepts the Statement
 London. February 10-Q:2O a. m.)-London accepts as true the Boer statement that General Butler has failed again. These statements were passed by the British sor at Alden, and read in the light of MT. Balfours announcement in the com mons that General Butler Is not pressing his advance.
 Winston Churchill wires that advance was impracticable for the guns, which were needed to support a further advance His cabiegram leaves General Butler on Tues day night, sending fresh brigade to relieve the tired holders of Vaalkranz.
 The descriptive writers with General Butler were allowed rather free hand again in explaining the ugly position which the British held and the natural obstacles which had to be overcome. So 1t is easy to infer that with Boer rifemen and artillery defending them, these hills, ravines ana jungles have not been overcome, and thus the public is prepared in advance for bad news.
 Heliograms from Ladysmith dated Mon- day describe the effect of General Buffers 8 cannonade on the worn garrison Hope ran high that the long period of inactivity ana tedium was drawing to close
 Continu o .s Nrasii uuns
 The crash of guns was almost continuous for ten hours, and at times It seemed as though as many as twenty shells burst III a minute The Boers, preparing always Tor fine possibility of defeat, were driving herds and sending long wagon trains to- wards the Drakesnbuig passes. Intense darkness and silence followed, broken only by frog croaking and the occasional plaze of star shells, surrounding the town with circle Of light to prevent the unobserved approach of the enemy. A series of Brit ish mines laid for the Boers exploded ac- cidentally, shaking and alarming the city and camp.
 General MacDonald's retirement puzzles the military commentators 4le theory that finds acceptance is that 1t was or dered by Lord Roberts and that both Gen. erals Buffers and MaeDonald's operations were by the direction of the commander dn-chief in order to engage the Boers at widely separated points so they would be unable to transfer any portion of their forces to oppose the projected central ad- vance.
 MT. Charles Williams, military writer. who is understood to be in confidential re- -lations with Lord Woisely, says that be- yond doubt the most authoritative opinion ir London regards it as probable that an endeavor will Joe made to force the line of the Orange river before Wednesday next, possibly by Monday.
 MT. Henry w. Lucy, a relative of Sir Alfred Milner, governor of Cape Colony, is suffering from the prolonged strain, and his friends fear he Will break down.
 Provisions at Mafeking
 Lord SaNsbury's son, Lord Edward Ce- cil, is responsible for Mafeking being so well provisioned.s At the outbreak of the war he learned the amount of army stores that was to be sent to Mafeking and on his own initiative pledged his private means and had the stores quadrupled He ds now in MafelSing and one of it's boldest de- lenders.
 A dispatch to the Times from Koodors- burg dated Thursday, February 3, says:
 Ut is reported that Boer endorsements are arriving from Magersfontein. Our po- sition is easily tenable, but the entire force has been ordered to return to Modder river tomorrow.
 The Times has the following from Kim berley dated February 8:
 1.-The Boer big gun shelled us at daybreak yesterday, but nobody was killed"
 The correspondent of the Times at Lorenzo Marquez under date of February says:
 Recent visitors to Inhambane report that the Portuguest customs authorities there seized a quantity of arms and ammunition consigned under false declaration
 The first lord of the admrality, MT. George J. Goschen, is preparing estimates flor large increase in the navy. It is thought not improbable that parliament will be asked for 20,0O0,000 pounds for new ships
 Reduced the Standard of Height
 The war office has reduced the minimum standard of height this time to feet inches for infantry and 5 feet there's for artillery,
 Dr. Leyds issued a statement for publica- tion in England denying purported inter- views in which he is reported as predicting the intervention of the powers in the event that the British invade the Free State. He says he is convinced that the Boer war will continue as long as the two republics have arms and ammunition If the Mauser car tridges give out the Boers, he asserts will fall back upon Martni-Henry rifles for which they. have a supply of ammunition that is practically inexhaustble.
 A dispatch from Spearsman's Camp.