, 1896-02-05
Ma 5 e | | a n o Il S.


spectator, 4th JAM
1t is a time Of surprises, ali of them unPlea-
SAINT. The British Government had hardly
recovered from the American Presidents
Message when it found a civil war breaking
out in its South African dominion. The
immigrants into the Iransvaal. who number
sixty thousand against fifteen thousand Beers,
have long been disconnected with their treat
ment, which. III respect to taxation, Icp"e>en-
tation, and justice. has been most oppressive,
and failing to obtain amy redreSS, resolved ON
an n>urrectiouaNy movement, they organ
ised an Association or Union, which it is
believed could count on four thousm AIMED
men, but lacking a leader, they applied to III.
Jameson, Administrator OF Matabeleland
under the Chartered Company Of South Afri-
ca; for assistance. DR.. Jameson, a man Of
singular decision, moved by some impulse not
vet accurately known, malche with his
troops. that is. seven hun Ired If his armed
police and six Maxim guns, from M~afeking
to Johannesburg. He reached krugersdorp,
fifteen miles from the town. Ell the LIST inst.
There he YVES encountered by a hastily raised
force Of Beers. also provided VITA NJ kim
guns, and. under cu circumstances not yet clear
ly reported, was defeated, surrounded, and
forced to capitulate. The expedition proved,
in fact a bIundsr as well as a crime.
Naturally the Colonial Office was most
anxious 10 clear itself Of anything like com
plicitv in tilibustcriug. If il had wanted to
annex the TransvaaI 1t would have taken
far other means, but it did not want. Mr..
Chamberlain hurried to town and at once took
the most energetic steps by peremptory tele-
grams to Dir. Jameson. to his immediate
superior, Mr.. Rhodes and to the High Com
missioner, Sir Hercules Robinson, to compel
the expedition to return. He at the same
time opened negotiations with President
Kruger, and finally directed SIN II. Robinson
who has immense experience OF tae Beers,
to proceed to Pretoria with pIeuaIy authOrl-
tv to make q peaceful arrangement. The
runners from Mafekiug caught DR.. Jameson
with the instructions. but he disobeyed them
and marched on. Finally, when news ARMY
ed Of the SURRENDER Of Or Jameson, MIR.
Chamberlain t~clcgrapIIed 10 he Tlansvaal an
urgent counsel to the Bor1s to behave with
moderation, and avoid blood>he,. So far as
NE can perceive, Ac has acted with energy
and Judgment, and has maintained in the
only way open to him the great principle that
no subordinate of the Grown can have q night
to declare war, or perform any act equivalent
to IL declaration of var, without the previous
consent of her Majesty's Government. Local
independence is a very good thing; but if
that principle is broken through, there is
nothing before us but anarchy.
How far the authorities are involved in
this disastrous effort to Jump the Trans
vaal will become a question of much impor-
lance. It seems clear that the Government
was innocent, and indeed that was on the
face of things. No man as able as Mr..
Chamberlain could, even by possibility, have
winked at such an addition to endorsements
which are already keeping Ministers from
sleep. The Chartered Company of South
Africa also declare that they knew nothing
of DR.. Jameson's enterprise, and repudiate
all responsibility for it. So, it appears, does
Mr.. Rhodes. and there is this to support his
statement, that his power in the Cape Par
lament depends upon the Dutch vote, and
the Dutch are supposed to be most friendly