The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-09
LONDON LETTER.


week have once more tended to establish
beyond any doubt the cold isolation of
Great Britain in Europe and elsewhere.
But the anti-British comments of the for
eign press have been so bitter since the
invasion of the Transvaal republic by the
filibusterer DR.. Jameson, with or with
out the knowledge of the British South
Africa company and the colonial authorl-
ties, that this feature of the situation has
produced decided sensation which has
eliminated in an outburst of indlgna-
ton against Emperor William for send
ing his dispatch of congratulation to Pres
ident Kruger.
The expressions of wrath are not con-
fined to the newspapers, but are the COM
mon talk of London and other cities 1t
is reported that even royalty denounces
in unmeasured terms the German emper-
or's deliberately unfriendly. act" and
there are suggestions flying about regard
ing the recall of the British ambassador
to Germany and making threatening
changes in the disposition of the different
squadrons of the British fleet
Emperor William, it appears, first sent
peremptory instructions to the German
ambassador here to obtain an immediate
explanation of the meaning of DR.. Jane
sons expedition, which, by the way, the
British government has already repudi-
ated. This having been explained to the
| German ambassador the Marquis of Sal
isbury concluded that the matter had
been settled and he was disagreeably sur
prised when the news was received at the
| foreign Office that the emperor had sent a
dispatch of congratulation to President
| Kruger.
But the most serious part of the whole
matter is that the diplomats attribute to
Emperor William deliberate attempt to
challenge the queens suzerainty in the
| Transvaal.
| The text of the treaty of London pro-
vides that the Transvaal republics for
eign relations are to be entirely under the
| supervision of Great Britain, and for the
sovereign of any other country to address
himself publicly to President Kruger is,
to put it mildly, a serious disregard of
diplomatic form. Therefore, as Emperor
| William is knownsto be great stickler
for all forms of diplomatic procedure, no
body doubts that his step was deliberately
taken after consultation with the imperial
chancellor Prince Hohenlohe This hav-
ing been admitted, there are people who
| are beginning to intimate that a triple al
lance between Russia, France and Ger
many, previously frequently limited at,
may. after all, be an accomplished fact;
| for it would hardly seem likely that Ger
many would care to risk an active dispute
| with Great Britain and a blockade of her
| coasts when she could make but little re-
| taliation unless she was sure of active
support from other powers.
The very bitter comments of the Brit
ish press upon the action of Germany's
emperor are in marked contrast with
the moderate manner in marked contrast
with the moderate manner in which the
newspapers here discussed the Venezu-
| elan crisis. In fact, the latter dispute
seems almost to have been lost sight of,
and especially since such a flood of dis
credit has been thrown upon the British
side of the contention by the Washington
correspondent of the Chronicle of this
city in the publication of correspondence
weighed on this side of the Atlantic.
All the batteries of the British press re-
main to be turned upon Germany, and
their fire is increasing in intensity as the
action of the emperor becomes more
clearly understood. AT first it was
thought to be nothing more than one of
his familiar eccentricities, but there
seems to be more of cold deiberation
than eccentricity about the young war
lords dispatch to the president of the
Transvaal republic.
The Standard which may be regarded
as directly representing the views of the
British government speaks very plainly
on the subject and warns foreign Ma
tons in general, and Germany in par
ticular, that Great Britain will tolerate
no interference. and that in spite of
threats of the German press to make
things unpleasant for Great Britain at
Washington, ConstantinOple and Pekin,
1--WE shall defend our own with all the
means at our disposal, let our assailants
be who they will or as many as they
will"
This utterance upon the part of the
Standard is a sample of the remarks on
the subject made by the British press,
and coming from the source it does there
are clear indications that Great Britain
and Germany have reached state of
extremely strained relations and one
which may have further and most seri-
Gus results unless the jingoes of both
| Nations are curbed. ...
The defeat of Or. Jameson's free
hooters by the Beers has produced feel
| ing of great humiliation here. and the
greatest anxiety is felt regarding the
| fate of his companions. as there are
among them sons of the hest known
| families in Great Britain. This feeling
of humiliation adds to the degree of
anger felt against Germany and in
creases excitement in the situation.
| Then, again, the fact that so many dis
| tinguished young men were among the
| British chartered troops is another elc-
ment which may cause trouble, as their
| families are certain to bring all the pres
sure they possibly can to bear upon the
government in their efforts TO wipe out
the humiliation inflicted upon all con-
cerned by the Beers.
Among the persons who are behind the
scene the general view taken of the
case is that DR.. Jameson's defeat was
brought about because at the last mo-
ment he was left in the lurch by the
uitlanders Foreign population) of DO
hannesburg, who were to have risen and
aided him against the Beers. 1t has
been an open secret for weeks past that
the chartered company's troops were pre-
pairing for some advance and people who
have recently seen President Kruger
and Mr.. Cecil Rhodes, the premier of
Cape Colony, say they have no doubt
that DIR. Jameson received orders from
the latter and that grand coup was in
tended; that probably a new republic
would have been established, and that
in the briliance of the results the faults
of the leaders would have been forgotten:
George G. Armisted, the wealthy mill
owner of Scotland, is again entertaining
Mr.. and Mrs. Gladstone at the Royal
Hotel Bayarritz. In conversation re-
Gently with a representative of the Asso-
ciated Press, Mr.. Armisted said: No
one can estimate what privilege it is to
have Mr.. Gladstone as a guest His