New-York tribune., 1908-11-14
HOW KAISER HELPED
,ScoIf Maps of Natal Loaned to Eng
land m the Boer War.
Copyright 1905. b. the Brentwood Company
-sn.,rh EnsIish newsnaners- have indulged

rcopyrfsht 1905 by the Brentwood Company-l
Although English newspapers have INDUCED in
rood deal OF unrrendty comment apropos of the
assertion OF the Kaiser IN the much discussed
..7ondcn Daily Telegraph" interview that at the
,=o-7ent when the British army was sustaining one
disssrer after another in the Boer war ne had
sent a private lett,r Of warm sympathy to his
grandmother Queen Victoria, along with q conf
dental memorandum of his views how the
defeats might be retrieved, vet II is little known
4zc- that the English owe him a considerable debt
~ gratitude for certain bit Of very real assist
suoe which he furnished 10 them lust ar that time
When General Sir Redvers Butler. in January.
rso occupied Potgleters Drift. the Tugela-
rs way to spion Eop. the remark was made by
-t-traIy every English newspaper that the former
spot was not marked on any available map. The
london Times" il particular wrote.
The absence OF accurate mans Of the region IN
which our troops now moving is extraordi-
nary example Of the careessness Of our prepara-
tions for war Northern Natal Is uotoriously
difficult country. in which we had already fought
disastrous campaign and had paid the price Of
negligence and overconhdence years ago-Yet, al
though II has long been British territory. and
though our Royal Engineer Corps and staff officers
ought long ago 70 have surveyed every inch Of II
nothing Of the kind has ever been done, and there
sre no large scale maps Of the region in which Te
fighting"
Il is perfectly true that the English army did not
Rave any unaps Of tnis sort and as deficient N
respect the unfortunate FreIlCL ti-eiS an
rrooos II Is7e when -ley found that. whereas they
knew nothing or the topography Of their own coun-
r-v the Germans r-ssessed the most complete &C
ouainrauce Herewith Although no large scale map
vas possessed by the English, OF anything ap-
rroachfus thereIo. yet the German war depart
ent owned one the fruit Of careful surveying, eH
Iorins and investigation OF Natal by German stan
officers 3 map in seventy sheets. This at the N
stance o< the Kaiser and by his direcnons was
s1sned 70 The British government by the DeliiH
z-zr Tenartnent and sent out TO South Arrica I"r
4he rse Of the commanding generals there ourlhs
- remainder Of the campaign How Handicapped
t,e British commanders had been until tnal nrh7
--se shown hv the fact that the only map upon
which they rad TO depend was that carried py q
--e7l known English war correspondent rom "uon
they borrowed =
L Is pity the sake Of the friendly Teia1lohs
between Great Britain md Germany, which are so
Important 70 the peace and prosperity OF Ihe NoLl
that the English Secretary OF State for war MI
FFa1ds7e when he denied in the House OF Commons
-aaz anv trace existed his department OF the pan
T czrr7aign contained IN the halsers conIloen11s1
letter 70 his grzndrnother. Queen Victoria II Jan
zrv 1907 did not add this fact, which Is IA
--7,lfs- - every one Of the English officers of 1ne
higher grades II rae South African war, narely,
that the only large scale map and topogrepHicaI
chart OF The British territory IN which they were
Sighting was the one which had been lent 70 them
81 the kaisers instance by the German var De
rzr1uleut al Berlin