The age-herald., 1899-09-26
'DeienSeS Being Erected in Approaches to
 the Capital.
TEXT OF CHAMBERLAlN'S LETTER
The Object of Her Majesty Governmen Was to Obtain Substantial and Immediate Representation
 for the Outlanders

London, September 26.-A special dis patch from Pretoria says that the members of the volksr9ad, believing that the British notes are intended to gain time for the con- centration of troops, will urge the govern ment to adjourn the raad immediately and to send Great Britain note declaring that further mobilization will be regarded as an unfrlendly act.
 Trenches, earthWorks and sandbag de- lenses are being erected in all available ap- breaches to the capital
 It is repol ed from Pretoria that Com mandant-General Joubert reckons on 1S,OO0 Transvaal troops, 16,OO0 from the Orange Free State, 5000 from Cape Colony, 1000 from Natal and 6,Oo0 Hollanders, Germans and others.
 Text of Chamberlains Letter
 The officials of the foreign office this evening gave out the text of the letter of the secretary of state for the colonies, Mr. Chamberlain. to the British high commits sioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Milner, dated September 22. The British reply ex- presses regret that her majesty's offer, No. ,, of September S. had been refused, and says: "The object of her majesty's govern ment had in view in recent negotiations has been stated in a manner which cannot admit of misapprhenson, viz, to obtain such substantial and immediate representation for the Uitlanders as will enable them to secure for themselves that fair and just treatment which was formerly promised them in 1881, and which her majesty in- tended to secure for them when she granted privileges of self government to the Trans I,a,,. .it than those contained in the telegram of September can be relied upon to effect this object. The refusal of the South Af- rican government to entertain the offer thus made, coming as it does after four months of protracted negotiations them selves the climax of five years of extended agitation, make it useless to pursue further the discussion on the lines hitherto fol- lowed and the imperial government is now compelled to consider the situation afresh and formulate its own proposals for final settlement of the issues which have been created in South Africa by the policy constantly followed for many years by the government of South Africa. They will communicate the result of their debera- tions in a later dispatch"
 Cannot Pass Insinuation
 Tn later communicat tion dated Septem. her % the imperial government takes up the charge of breach of faith insinuated by Secretary of State Reitz, September 1G, .which we cannot pass over in silence"
 Mr. Chamberlain then says: "The pro. posals made by the South African Repub~ lie in it's letters of August 19 and 20 were not induced by suggestions given by the
 
 claimed On the contrary, the state at- torney sounded the British agent, both in writing and conversation, as to the condi- tions on which the imperial government would waive the invitation to a joint in- uuiry, and the result of these communica- tions was the proposals made by the South African government in three letters. It is impossible that the South African govern ment could have had any doubt as to the imperial governments answer to the con. ditions named, as my reply was actually the same as the British agent had fore shadowed to the state attorney, and which, therefore, the South African government must have anticipated In making the pro- pCsals.
 Denies Substitution of New Proposal
 "The imperial government also denies that its telegram of September substan- tiated an entirely new proposal for the in-
 
 quiry"
 The imperial government then quotes the dispatch from South Africa of August 19 containing alternative proposal identi- cal with that which the imperial govern ment is said to have substituted, and the communication then proceeds:
 'The imperial government sees no ground for misapprehension the part of the South African republic as to it's answer regarding non-interference and suzerainty, as the imperial government had already stated that it would not press for the ap- pointment of joint commission of inqu- ny, in view of the fact that such an in- quiry would, in the opinion of the govern ment of the South African republic, preju- dice the right of full independence repeat edly recognized by the imperial govern ment.
 .As to the use of the English language sn the volksraad, the imperial government. regards this as reasonable, and is aston- ished that the government of the South African republic should deem it unneces- sary and make point of denying that the government of the South Africal republic ever proposed the same to the British agent"