The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-16
LORD WOLSELEY REPLIES.
Discussion Regarding the Conduct of
 the War Re-opened.

London, March 15.--The House of
 Lords was unusually crowded to-day in
 anticipation of the reply of Lord
 Wolseley, the former commander-in- { chief, to the criticism of the former
 war secretary, Lord Lansdowne, now
 secretary for foreign affairs. The gal
 leries were full of peeresses and others.
 Lord Wolseley, in his opening re-
 marks, said he regretted being com-
 pelled to discuss persoal matter, but
 he could not pass unchallenged the ee-
 were comments of Lord Lansdowne on
 the matter in which he had performed
 the duties of ommander-in-c chief.
 Lord Lansdownes personalities were
 evidently premeditated. His indict-
 ments were grave, and it also seemed
 as if the personal attack was made in
 order to divert attention from the ques-
 tion at issue and throw upon the com-
 mander in chief blame for the mistakes
 made by the government. Until the re-
 cent debate he had never had reason to
 suppose that he did not possess the full
 confidence of Lord Lansdowne and the
 cabinet Early in 1900 circumstances
 occurred which left him no alternative
 but to resign, which he did. If he did not possess the cabinets confidence that was an opportunity which might have been legitimately used to appoint an other in-chief.
 Lord Wolseley then proceeded to re- flute the specific charges launched by Lord Lansdowne He said he had made every effort to improve the auxiliary Tn ru "a mended that additional troops be sent to South Africa and recommended < strengthening the Natal garrison and the defensive occupatin not of the town of Ladysmith but of the Biggars- berg range, which was twenty-five miles in advance of Ladysmith. He had never considered Ladysmith and it's surrounding hills to be tenable. Lord lWolseley admitted that, in common with all the other authorities, he had underestimated the fighting power of the individual Boer.
 Three weeks before MT. Kruger's declaration of war he had urged Lord Lansdowne to send out an army corps, "a cavalry division, and five battalons for the lines of communication, in ad- dition to the ten thousand troops al- ready in South Africa. Such a com- paratively small number of troops em- ployed early had often achieved results | which five times their number could not [ produce later. The mobilization of this i force at that time would have produced | a considerable effect in South Africa If the country was not prepared at the outbreak of war it was not because he l had not urged the gradual and unosten- tatious reinforcement of the forces.
 Lord Woseey concluded with saying: IT have said as little as possible con- with any justice to myself. The noble marquis made strong per- eonaI statements which were not SUD- ported. I have made my reply which is also unsupported. I cannot, however, leave the matter thus I feel I am amply justified in moving that all the papers be laid on the table. I am pre- pared to prove by official documents all have said"
 Lord Lansdowne in replying, eaid he thought Lord Wolseley had hardly com- the purport of his former speech when he said said 1t was not a personal attack on himself (Lans- downe)
 After thus breaking Lord Lans- ] downe's windows Lord Wolseley could { hardly expect that his own conserva- tory would be free from attack in re- { taliation. Proceeding Lord Lansdowne { questioned the correctness of some of Lord Wolseley's statements. He re- minded the latter how, after the Glen i zoe disaster, Wolseley had suggested $ that the British should fall back be- I hind the Tugela river. If the sugges- 1 ton had been given earlier it might ' have saved one of the most untoward { disasters of the war Lieutenant Gen I sral Sir William Butler had written a I private letter to Lord Wolseley sug- resting that 40,000 men might have been /