CORRESPONDENCE with the Presidents of the South African Republic and of the Orange Free State respecting the War.-March 1900.3 No. 1.-The Presidents of the Orange Free State and of the South African Republic to the Marquess of Salisbury. — (Received March 6.) (Translation.) (Telegraphic.) Bloemfontein, March 5, 1900. THE blood and the tears of the thousands who have suffered by this war, and the prospect of all the moral and economic ruin with which South Africa is now threatened, make it necessary for both. belligerents to ask themselves dispassionately, and as in the sight of the Triune God, for what they are fighting, and whether the aim of each justifies all this appalling misery and devastation. With this object, and in view of the assertions of various British statesmen to the effect that this war was begun, and is carried on, with the set purpose of undermining Her Majesty's authority in South Africa, and of setting up an Administration over all South Africa independent of Her Majesty's Government, we consider it our duty solemnly to declare that this war was undertaken solely as a defensive measure to safeguard the threatened independence of the South African Republic, and is only continued in order to secure and safeguard the incontestable independence of both Republics as sovereign international States, and to obtain the assurance that those of Her Majesty's subjects who have taken part with us in this war shall suffer no harm whatsoever in person or property. On these conditions, but on these conditions alone, are we now as in the past, desirous of seeing peace re-established in South Africa, and of putting an end to the evils now reigning over South Africa; while, if Her Majesty's Government is determined to destroy the independence of the Republics, there is nothing left to us and to our people but to persevere to the end in the course already begun, in spite of the overwhelming pre-eminence of the British Empire, confident that that God who lighted the unextinguishable fire of the love of freedom in the hearts of ourselves. and of our fathers will not forsake us, but will accomplish His work in us and in our descendants. We hesitated to make this declaration earlier to your Excellency, as we feared that as long as the advantage was always on our side, and as long as our forces held defensive positions far in Her Majesty's Colonies, such a declaration might hurt the feelings of honour of the British people; but now that the prestige of the British Empire may be considered to be assured by the capture of one of our forces by Her Majesty's troops, and that we are thereby forced to evacuate other positions which our forces had occupied, that difficulty is over, and we can no longer hesitate clearly to inform your Government and people in the sight of the whole civilized world why we are fighting, and on what conditions we are ready to restore peace. No. 2.-The Marquess of Salisbury to the Presidents of the South African Republic and Orange Free State. (Telegraphic.) Foreign Office, March 11, 1900. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your Honours' telegram dated the 5th March from Bloemfontein, of which the purport is principally to demand that Her Majesty's Government shall recognize the "incontestable independence" of the South African Republic and Orange Free State "as sovereign international States," and to offer, on those terms, to bring the war to a conclusion. In the beginning of October last, peace existed between Her Majesty and the two Republics under the Conventions which then were in existence. A discussion had been proceeding for some months between Her Majesty's Government and the South African Republic, of which the object was to obtain redress for certain very serious grievances under which British residents in the South African Republic were suffering. In the course of these negotiations the South African Republic had, to the knowledge of Her Majesty's Government, made considerable armaments, and the latter had, consequently, taken steps to provide corresponding reinforcements to the British garrisons of Cape Town and Natal. Νο infringement of the rights guaranteed by the Conventions had, up to that point, taken place on the British side. Suddenly, at two days' notice, the South African Republic, after issuing an insulting ultimatum, declared war upon Her Majesty; and the Orange Free State, with whom there had not even been any discussion, took a similar step. Her Majesty's dominions were immediately invaded by the two Republics, siege was laid to three towns within the British frontier, a large portion of the two Colonies was overrun, with great destruction to property and life, and the Republics claimed to treat the inhabitants of extensive portions of Her Majesty's dominions as if those dominions had been annexed to one or other of them. In anticipation of these operations the South African Republic had been accumulating for many years past military stores on an enormous scale, which, by their character, could only have been intended for use against Great Britain. Your Honours make some observation of a negative character upon the object with which these preparations were made. I do not think it necessary to discuss the questions you have raised. But the result of these preparations, carried on with great secrecy, has been that the British Empire has been compelled to confront an invasion which has entailed upon the Empire a costly war and the loss of thousands of precious lives. This great calamity has been the penalty which Great Britain has suffered for having in recent years acquiesced in the existence of the two Republics. In view of the use to which the two Republics have put the position which was given to them, and the calamities which their unprovoked attack has inflicted upon Her Majesty's dominions, Her Majesty's Government can only answer your Honours' telegram by saying that they are not prepared to assent to the independence either of the South African Republic or of the Orange Free State. CORRESPONDENCE respecting the Action of the British Naval Authorities with regard to the Detention and Search of certain Foreign Vessels during the War in South Africa (Search of Mail Steamers; Contraband of War, &c.). December 1899-January 1900. SIR, No. 1.-Admiralty to Foreign Office.-(Received December 16.) Admiralty, December 16, 1899. I AM Commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to request you will inform the Secretary of State that a telegram has been received from the Commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean Station: "German steam-ship Herzog, with a considerable number of male passengers, many in khaki, apparently soldiers, left the Canal for South Africa at 5 P.M. on 12th December. No troops were declared." A similar communication has been addressed to the Colonial Office and War Office. Sir T. Sanderson. I am, &c., C. I. THOMAS, pro Secretary. the Senior Naval Officer at Aden to discontinue the search of vessels calling at or passing Aden and Perim. Sir T. Sanderson. I am, &c., EVAN MACGREGOR. (Inclosure.)-Draft of proposed Telegram from Admiralty to OWING to the extreme difficulty of proving, at ports so distant from South Africa as Aden and Perim, the real destination of contraband of war carried by ships calling at or passing those ports, the Senior Naval Officer, Aden, is to be directed to discontinue searching such vessels, confining himself to reporting to the Commander-in-chief, Cape, the names and dates of clearance of suspected ships. SIR, No. 24.-Admiralty to Foreign Office.-(Received January 6.) Admiralty, January 6, 1900. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a telegram, dated the 5th instant, from the Commander-inchief, Cape of Good Hope Station, relative to the Bundesrath. Sir T. Sanderson. I am, &c., EVAN MACGREGOR. (Inclosure.)-Rear-Admiral Sir R. Harris to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Simonstown, January 5, 1900, Bundesrath will be searched to-morrow. Mails released, and will be sent in German war-ship Condor. SIR, No. 25.-Foreign Office to Admiralty. Foreign Office, January 6, 1900. I HAVE laid before the Marquess of Salisbury your letter of the 4th instant, stating that the German mail-steamer General had been detained at Aden on suspicion, and was being searched. I am directed by his Lordship to request you to suggest to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that full particulars should at once be obtained by telegraph in regard to this case. It is important that Her Majesty's Government should know. inter alia, where the ship was detained," and whether by the naval or by the shore authorities, or by whom; whether any proceedings SIR, No. 4.-Admiralty to Foreign Office.-(Received December 30.) Admiralty, December 29, 1899. I AM commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, a copy of a telegram, dated the 29th December, 1899, frou the Commander-in-chief, Cape of Good Hope Station, relative to the seizure of the German steam-ship Bundesrath. Sir T. Sanderson. I am, &c., EVAN MACGREGOR. (Inclosure.)-Rear-Admiral Sir R. Harris to Admiralty. (Telegraphic.) Simonstown, December 29, 1899. GERMAN steam-ship Bundesrath arrived at Durban to-day in charge of Magicienne; but no particulars of the capture have as yet reached me. No. 5.-Sir F. Lascelles to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received December 30.) (Telegraphic.) Berlin, December 30, 1899. I WAS sent for by Count Bülow this evening to speak about the seizure of the Bundesrath, the German mail-steamer which has been taken to Durban. The Hamburg Company had given positive assurances that she carried no contraband, and if this should be the case Count Bülow was desirous that she might be speedily released. Instructions had been given to Count Hatzfeldt to put the case before your Lordship. No. 6.-The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir F. Lascelles. (Telegraphic.) We were aware that she was suspected to be carrying ammunition in her cargo, and that she had on board a number of passengers believed to be volunteers for service with the Boers, but we have no details nor information as to the grounds for the seizure. |