The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-25
THEY RESIGN IA KOPJE.
And the British Infantry at Once Once
Seized Upon IT.
RElNFORCEMENTs.
Seems TO Know What. 81 e Il as
Done Withthc II 600 Men at Cape
Town, and Military Critics are
Hoping He Has Sent a G ood
Part of Them to Help Bal
Ter. Break the Deadlock.

Part of Them to Help Bal
Ter. Break the Deadlock.
LONDON, Jan. 25.-4:45 A.. M.-The
morning papers went to press with con-
iectures and forecasts of all sorts, striv-
ing to guess out something from Spion
Kop.
spion Kop is the highest part of a
rocky plateau. Eastward for eight miles
are the Eoer positions along the Tusela.
Eorthwestward from spionj kop the
plateau runs gradually un to great
spur Of the Drakensburg.
General Buller's infantry. to reach the
summit of Spion Kop, must cross natural
glaciers three-quarters Of a mile wide and
climb 500 feet up a steep slope.
Nobody here seems to know, not even.
the War Office, what Lord Roberts has
done with his large reinforcements. Six
thousand troops awaited his arrival at
Cape Town. and since then six Thousand
others have reached there.
Military critics are all hoping that a
good share of these 1900 have gone to
help General Butler, and they argue that
a few days more may make him strong
enough to overcome the deadlock
There are 1900 troops at sea, and this
heavy weight on the British side IS eX-
pected to destroy the equilibrium now
existing in the field Of operations
The British losses up to date in killed,
General Buffers last list, total S,2l6 men.
MUsKETRY DUEL.
LONDON, Jan. 25-A dispatch to The
Times from Spearman's Camp. dated
Tuesday, 9:sOs P. NJ, says:
..The Beers to-day had more guns and
are prepared to fight almost interminnbly,
having entrenched their ridge, which
stretches in an almost unbroken line
from the Drakensberg many miles east
ward.
'.Firing continued throughout the day..
We have not advanced any further, but
we threw UP entrenchments during the
night, from behind which the musketry
duel continued from exactly the same
position as yesterday.
RESIGN A KOPJE.
sPEARAIAN,S CAMP, Tuesday Jan. D.
$50 P. M.-The British field artillery and
hoWitZers shelled the enemy posted on
the crest of the ridge this morning.
The infantry, under excellent cover.
kept up an effective rifle fire. The Beers
resigned a kopje. of which the BRUSH BRUSH
infantry took possession
When retiring the enemy sheltered
themselves behind a stone wall on the
slope of the knrje which they held ior
hours.
This afternoon t,.ey ran across the
ravine. The British artillery poured
shrapnel and lyldite into them and the
infantry took this sro',e wall.
: The British casualty list was smat..
FIGHT .TENACIOUSLY.
LONDON, January 25-The Daily Tele-
grap ph publishes the following. olspalcli
from Spearman's Camp, dated Iuesday'
January 23d, $3.50 =. NJ.
ION Monday Sir Charles 3Varren's force
c,nnonaded and fusiladed the Boer posi-.
tion west Of Spion kop, near the Acton
Homes road A lyddite battery co-ope-s
rated with the other batteries and Max
in,s. Certainly the fire was effective, and
caused the enemy serious losses. Inc
Beers, however, cling desperately TO their
works, from which they are only being
very slowly driven. Today the enemy
fred their guns oftener. using also the
captured 15-pounders with shrapnel. Our
casualties to-day were less even than
those of yesterday. $.
.Fighting began about: 6 in the morning
and continued until dusk, hut there has
been nothing like a general engagement.
Tho naval big. guns assisted from FOL
gieters drift in shelling the Boer posi-
tons"
SITUATION DESPERATE.
,oti
clans are almost unanimously of opinion
E that. the situation of the British force
around Ladysmith is desperate.
gss The Berliner Tageb!a.t prints E{Brus-
sells special, claiming that Sir Charles
Warren has been signally defeated: "a
military writer for the tKreuse zLeltung
says the movement to relieve sLadysmith
has failed. rendering the British line of
retreat endangered
NEW YORK, Jan. 2+.----TheS Comm erclal
Cable Company this morning sent out
the following notice:
I've are advised that the postmaster
general at Pretoria announces that all
private telegranls for the. South African
Republic will be stopped
PEACE AGITATION. s.
LONDON, Jan. 25.-I'he Cape Town
correspondent Of the Times. te!egraphing5
5"The bondites are preparing TO seize
the first decisive British victory or the
invasion of Republican territory as a
signal for violent peace agitation. They
viii accompany their appeal to rmasnani-
u,;ty5 Inv covertly limiting that they are
una blef1to restrain the Dutch colonists
I from rising: : Is
LONDON January %. corresponden
of the Times at AIodder River,Steleg egraph-
ing Tue esdas, says:
Tho reports of desefters agree that
the situation Of the Beers at SMagersfon-#
stein IS becoming unbearable. because the
{ camp is unsanitary, entric fever is
spreading. nd vegetables are wanting
on the other hand. the health OF the
British camp Is 81 satisfa ctory. Though
the ground has been exhausted bysst the;
long cncampment and theSS trees have
been cut down by insect pests and dust
storms. -
LYNDON January 2255--A dispatch 10
the Daily Mail rom LORENZO MARQUES
"a vassays.s