New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-15
THE WAR in THE TRANsvAAL
ACCJrsATIoNs AGAINST COLLEY.


IFRom THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
LONDON March 3-There are, unhappily, grayer
accusations against the memory of Sir George Cooley
than that of military mismanagement They arc
limited az obscurely in some of the papers They are
whispered about in the lobby of the House. and III
clubs. They have been more than once openly
made, though not publicly made, by members OF the
Government Said Minister yesterday: IL IS
only too probable that the BOers derived their hrst
knowledge of the terms we were disposed to grant
them from an examination Of the contents of Sir
George Colley's pockets after his death" l am
afraid there is no doubt whatever that the British
commander held back the communications he was
ordered to transmit to the Beers. Very possibly ue
supposed himself to be acting within his dIs-
cretion as High Commissioner 1t is not necessary to
mpute wiful characterization or contumacy to him.
1t is easy to believe ne thought he was doing his
duty. very large discretion had been left to
him earlier: so large that when he entered upon
this campaign the sole instruction sent him from
the Colonial Office IN London, it is SAID was an III
junction from Lord Kimberley to be sure to take the
oath of allegiance as Governor of the IransVaai Us
soon as he crossed the frontier; shining example
of the virtues of red tape 1t is to be remembered
further that he was, before all things q soldier;
and a soldier who had sustained two defeats
equally injurious to his own fame, and, as ne may
we'll have considered, to the prestige OF the DII'sn
among both natives and Europeans IN eou'h
Africa. Men act generally from mixed motives
From one or all of these Sir George Couey
thought it wise or thought 1t perihissloIe'
to fight another battle with the Beers
before acouaintng their leaders with the full scope
of the British Governments intentions with regard
to them Almost worse than this is the other fact'
which appears from Jouberts statement to Cap
cain Cameron, that Sir George COlley had gone just
far enough in the prellmnares of negotiations 10
put the Beers off their guard. To Mr. Brand also Jou
bert writes that he was almost luled into an unwse
security by the letters he bad received from or
George Colley. He was in the act or answering thal
letter when the first shot was fired by the British
force which had forced ITS way over night 70 the
scooped summit of the Sptzkop
Now. of course the situation of the Government
is far more difficult than it was before the last
defeat. British temper is not OF a kind 10 De
soothed by disaster. or to become more
conciliatory under military humiiation Nhat
was possible on Saturday may not be possible
now. Yet the British public, so far rs it has ex-
pressed itself is on the whole more reasonable than
might have been expected. With one or two con
spcuous and noisy exceptions, the press discusses
tie subject with moderation. There Is no outburst
of anger or of mad hatred to the people % the
Transvaal. Nobody knows what views the Govern
ment may now take of its duty. No decision has
been taken Ill Cabinet. Preparations for war
are of course pushed on. and the appointment OF Sr
Frederick Roberts is not of good omen But there
is certainly chance that Ministers may yet ieel
themselves strong enough TO be just and to cause
the Boers to understand that they are still ready 10
make peace on the terms which Sir George Colley
WAS instructed to offer last week. Whether these
terms would then have been or Will now be accept
able TO the Beers Is a question to which no answer
can yet be given.
An article IN The FOriHighfly RcrteU for March,
which on other points also is full and instructive.
brings out very clearly the tuthiulncsS OF jon
beE's declaration to The Times correspondent that
be had been for three years writing 10 England to
prevent war; but that it useless. Tory Gov
eminent annexed the Transvaal 1y mere lawleSs
violence. Sir Bartle Frero told them not long az
ter that If they yentured t. claim their indrpcnd
ence soldiers must follow upon soldiers" till they
gave in Seeing nothing to hope from Toryism.
knowing the lingo spirit was abroad, the boiis
waited They felt assured that the Access
sion of Mr.. Gladstone and Mr.. Bright to
power would De the signal for the rcsto-
ration of their freedom When the Liberals came
in. the B0er leaders, Messrs. Kruger aud Jon"ert'
wrote n letter TO Mr.. Gladstone, and an address had
leep signed by the Dutch residents in Cape Colony
about the same time. The address was smoih"rcd,
apparently, in Colonial Office pigeon-hocs, and the
letter brought no satisfactory reply. II does not
seem certain that the letter was burke1 also some
where IN traRStu Lord Kimberley seems to have be-
lieved whatever his suborduates IN South Africa
told bim-away, and above all other thinRs that
"the Beers would not fight; Of which Sir Owen
Lanyon now besieged in Pretoria was 80 confident,
Mr. Brand meanwhile, President OF the Orange
Free State had teiegraphed the head Of the Capo
Town Government. assuring hun that things were
getting serious aud urging him TO devise some means
of ayertng a collision The head of the Cape Town
Government, Sir George StTahan, thought be had
done his whole duty when he bad wired back to
President Brand that the Transvaal was out OF his
jurisdiction. He did, however, forward the telegram
to Sir George Coey, and, by mail, to Lord Kmber-
lev who received it at the end Of last December In
January Mr.. Brand renewed his efforts, telegraph
ing to London direct, but Lord Kimberley answered
that as first step to negotiation the Beers must lay
down their arms A second appeal elected no better
respouse When new Governor arrived at the
Cape q fresh attempt was made TO prevent turlber
blOodshed, but the Home Government again de-
clined TO stop Sir George COley, and on
the 2Sth January he attacked Laings Mex,
with results that known" All these things
are officially published ann the Blue Books have
reached South Africa. 1.-The effect will be-" says
MI. Stotham ." to convince every Dutchman in
South Africa that the Imperial Government has re-
iected every opportunity for an honorable settlement
of the difficulty and has resolved that come what
will the Transvaal shall longer eXis! as an in
dependent State" The later proposals of Mr. Glad
stone and his coll ,agle, whatever they may have
been, had the fate have described at the beginning
Of this letter. How far the Irish separate them
selves in thought from the Empire Of which they
form part may BE- seen in their comments on what
has Just happened in South Africa. The leading
organ of the League in Dublin refers to 1t as the
English disaster at Sptzkof" If the writer had said
A.. E,orcb disoster the German dislgtcr- le