The sun., 1900-05-05
BRITISH IRE IN BRANDFORT
Story Of the Occupation of the
Town as Told by Lord
Roberts.
MET LITTLE OPPOSITION
This Action Deemed to Have Given
English Key to One of tho Main
Roads Leading to the Dra-
kenburg Passes---Cry
is on to Pretoria.


made public the following report from
Lord Roberts, under date Of Brandfort,
May 3:
I'VE occupied Brandfort today without
much opposition and without, | hope,
many casualties. The First brigade of
mounted infnntry covered the left flank
OF the Fourteenth brigade Of the Seventh
division, and the right flank was sup
ported by the Fifteenth brigade. Pole
Carcw's division advanced directly OIL
Brlndfoit. The Boar army, which was
under command Of Delarey, retired III
q northeastatly difcrtion."
This u generally considered tie most
important communication leceiYed nom
the f!aht s.nce III" capture Of Gt neral
Clonie ami tla relief oi IalysAtish 81 he
position -ivta Tie Ecs 90 one Of lhe main
raHts- .taailg q the Iaatt lhcnS passes,
WliHh possibly nlaN bp tho menus oi CO.
operation With General Buler latcr op.
piG,nhs an utEatic' dasc III supplies,
cte,, @id g iAe siic time nirnaces thr
Beers now southeast uf BpcHi0ntein
The lt3rf ,laaE which Was 1T RlaWl-
fnlt WIS commanded by Gt,Qelul d..
larry. Il Is presumably retiring Oh WIZ
berg. which. pna>ihs, will b the next
inMe diate objective Of The Dliti>h.
RriiNi.o,t. - nliias nearer tlie t!riliis-
van capital. i nDw Lord Nobarts' head
quarters.
RobertS' Army Again Mobile.
What plrtit tllFiy gralieS the British
public is the evidence that the army 9f
Lord Roberts i'll the Orange Free State
has recovered its mobility and is again
capable OF undertaking the general u,l-
vance. long retarded 1t is hardly en-
pcctcd that the Beers will make much of
stand south of kioonstadt. and posi-
bly, moi there, il Lord Roberts succeeds
!. in capturing Wiuhcrg. thus interposing
between the main fcde.al army ana the
Beer forces in tho neighborhood Of Thu-
banchu and Hounck. i'll which case the
latter would be forced to move far 10
the eastward. in which direction their
mobility would probably enable them 10
reach the Bethlehem and liarriSmith
line Of safety.
Tho only opposition which the British
encountered III Brandfort seems to have
come from the Iriah-Amcrican command.
The central British army is now in line
with the extreme left at Boshof under
Lord Mcthuen, ard the extreme right 1T
Eland~laagtr, under General Buller, SO
that movements of these wings in 90
operation with the main array may soon
be expected
4 dispatch from Thabanchu says
"rhe Roers havp evacuated 'fhnhnnchu
bill and are believed 10 lie still trrkking,
though ono gun has shellcd tl!c camp in
discriminatory. Scouts report that some
of the Beers retired toward Wrpcncr.
They believe that the Beers evacuated
the position during the night, trckking to
the north in three directions. General
Rumble is i'll command here. 1t is eX-
pected that General Brabant will effect
junction at any moment"
In the House of Commons.
In the house of commons the usual
variety of war questions was asked. The
parliamentary secretary of the war office
Mr.. George Wyndham. said no further
report had been received from Lord Rob
ertS with reference to the Koornspruit
disaster.
The government leader in the house of
commons, MIR. A, ]. Balfour, replying to
questions regarding the reports of the i'll
treatment of British prisoners ut Pre-
tora. said her inaicstys government was
considering the advisability of further
representations on the subject through
Washington and through the J'uitcd
States consul at Pretoria, Mr. Adclhprt
s. Hay. who has charge of British inter-
ests in the TranSvaal.
Later the huIse went into committee
of supply on the war office vote. Mr.
Walter Runcicman Liberal. rcprcscntir.
Oldham, started the debate on the pul,-
lication of the Spiun IIep dispatches. lie
declared the government had diSregar,lcd
every consideration except publicity and
asserted that the responsibility for tho
publication rested entirely with politi-
clans, although in this ease the srcrcta-
ry Of war had deliberately attempted 10
throw the responsibility OH the COIN
mander in chief.
The public ltuncicman asserted, had
expected The recall Of the ccnsured com |
manders. as i'll the ease of General CAT |
acre, instead of which General Warren
had been sent 10 administer n large tor |
ritpry. while Gcaeral Butler retained his
command.
MIR. Wyndham in reply quoted the
Duke of Wellington as precedent for
the publication Of the dispatches In so |
doing he said he resented the grave in T
situation that the secretary of state for
war was guilty of anything dishomorablc
in requesting General Butler 10 rewritc
his dispatch. lie added that the Marquis |
of Iansd0wne (the war secretary was
above the suspicion Of being guilty Of