Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/197

 1899.] British Despatch of September 8. [189

ment at least equally favourable with that of the subjects of any other nation. . ..

"The settlement of other questions of difference, concur- rently with that of the political rights of the Outlanders, is of great importance in its bearing on the probable success Of the measures for admitting Outlanders to citizenship. As long as grave differences exist, which are calculated to embroil her Majesty's Government with the South African Republic, British Outlanders will hesitate to become citizens of the latter State, for fear of finding themselves shortly in the painful position of having to take up arms against their old country."

The terms of the despatch agreed to at the specially sum- moned Cabinet Council (Sept. 8) and telegraphed to Pretoria at once, were not immediately made known, but it was announced that the Government had decided to reinforce the Natal garrison by 10,000 men, all from India and the Mediterranean, ex- cept one battalion from England. This evidence, as it was then considered, of firmness of purpose, was received with general approval. It is also to be noted that even those who had complained of the utterances of the Colonial Secretary as needlessly bellicose, applauded the moderate and unprovoca- tive language of the despatch (Sept. 8), which was published within the week (Sept. 15).

The following were its principal points : " Her Majesty's Government, " said Mr. Chamberlain, "have absolutely re- pudiated the view of the political status of the South African Republic taken by the Government of the South African Re- public in their note of April 16, 1898, and also in their note of May 9, 1889, in which they claim the status of a sovereign international State, and they are, therefore, unable to consider any proposal which is made conditional on the acceptance by her Majesty's Government of these views. . ..

" Her Majesty's Government cannot now consent to go back to the proposals for which those in the note of August 19 are intended as a substitute, especially as they are satisfied that the law of 1899, in which these proposals were finally em- bodied, is insufficient to secure the immediate and substantial representation which her Majesty's Government have always had in view, and which they gather from the reply of the Government of the South African Republic that the latter admit to be reasonable. . ..

" Her Majesty's Government are still prepared to accept the offer made in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 [five years' franchise; ten representatives for the goldfields and at least a fourth of the Raad, and a vote for President and Commandant-General] of the note of August 19 taken by themselves, provided that the inquiry . . . shows that the new scheme of representation will not be encumbered by conditions which will nullify the inten- tion to give substantial and immediate representation to the Outlanders. In this connection her Majesty's Government