The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-09-26
TROOPS NEAR THE PASS
British Strategists Battle the
Transyaal Spies.
TEXT OF CHAMBERLAIN'S NOTE
Imperial Government Now Formulating
of an UItimatum-Gen. Joubert Count
ing Upon an Army of 90. 900 Beers and
To BE Considered In yoIksraad To-day.

Durham, Natal Sept 25.-Seven hundred
and fifty men OF the Leicestershire Regi-
ment, 80 Of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers,
200 mounted infantry. and the Eighteenth
Hussars have arrived at Dundee from
Ladysmith.
The troops that have been moved from
Ladysmith to Dundee Will form a new
camp at Glencoe, their places being filled
by others from India. The move was
executed so smartly and Unexpectedly
that the Boer spies were unaware of 1t
until ii was actually accomplished. Lady
smith is several miles south Of Laings
Neck, the entrance to the Transvaal. 1t
is an important strategical point.
Urging Immediate Action.
A special dispatch from Pretoria says
that the members Of the VoIksraad be-
lieving that the British notes are intended
10 gain time for the concentration of
troops, urge the government 10 adjourn
the raad Immediately. and to send Great
Britain note declaring that further mo-
biliZatiOn Will be regarded as an unfriend-
ly act.
Trenches, earthworks, and sand-bag de-
fenses are being erected in all the avail
able approaches to the capital.
1t is reported from Pretoria that Com
mander General Piet Joubert reckons on
1900 TTansvaal troops, 1900 from the
Orange Free State, 5000 from Cape Col
ony, 200 from Natal. and 5000 Hollander.
German, and other volunteers.
The Brussels correspondent of the Stan
dard says that Or. Leyds, European rep
resentative of the South African Republic,
now recognizes the hOpelessness of any
attempt to obtain European Intervention.
Chamberiain's Note.
officials OF the foreign office this even
ing gave out the text OF the letter of the
secretary of state for the colonies, Mr.
Chamberlain, to the British high COM
missioner in South Africa, Sir Alfred Mil
ner, dated September %. The British reply
expresses regret that her majestys offer,
No. 5, Of September s, had been refused,
and says:
1.-THE object her matesty's govern
ment had in view in the recent negotia-
| tiOns has been stated in a manner which
cannot admit of misapprehension, viz, to
obtain such substantial and immediate
representation for the Outlanders as will
fair and just treatment which was for
maily promised them in 1851, and which
her majesty intended to secure for them
when she granted privileges Of self-gov-
ernment to the Transvaal. No conditions
less comprehensive than those contained
in the telegram of September can be re-
lied Oh TO effect this object. The refusal
of the South African government TO en-
tertain the offer thus made, coming, as 1t
does, after four months of protracted ne
gotiations, themselves the climax of five
years of extended agitation, makes it use
less to further pursue the discussion on
the lines hitherto followed, and the i'm
perial government is now compelled 10
consider the situation afresh and formu-
late its own proposals for final Settle
ment of the issues which have been Gre
ated III South Africa by the policy con-
stantly followed for many years by the
government of South Africa. They will
communicate the result OF their dellbera-
! tionS in a later dispatch.
Breach of Faith Denied.
In a later communication, dated Septem-
Der %, the imperial government takes up
the charge of breach of faith insinuated
by Secretary of State ReitZ September 10,
which We cannot pass over in silence"
| Mr. Chamberlain then says:
THE proposals made by the South At
rican republic n its letters of August 19
and 20 were not induced by suggestions
| given by the British agent from the state
attorney, as claimed On the contrary,
| the state attorney sounded the British
| agent, both in writing and in conversation,
/ as to the conditions on which the imperial
/ government would waive the invitation to
/ a Joint inquiry, and the result of these
! communications was the proposals made
/ by the South African government in these
| letters II is impossible that the South
African government could have had any
| doubt as to the imperial governments an
swer TO the conditions named, and my re-
| ply was actually the same as the British
agent had foreshadowed TO the state at
torney, and which, therefore, the South
African government must have antici-
pated in making the proposals.
| THE imperial government also denies
| that its telegram of September substi-
| tuted an entirely new proposal for the
| invitation 10 the joint commission of in
CURRY"
! The imperial government then quotes
| the dispatch from South Africa of August
/ 49, containing an alternative proposal
| identical with that which the imperial
government is said 10 have substituted
and the communication then proceeds as
/ follows:
| Full Independence Recognized.
"The imperial government sees nc
ground for misapprehensiOn on the rart
of the South African republic as TO its
| answer regarding non-interference and
| suZerainty, as the imperial government
had already stated that IL would not press
| for the appointment OF a joint commls.
| sion of inquiry in view OF the fact tha,
| such an inquiry would, In the opinion OF
| the government of the South African re.
| public. prejudice the right OF fun inde.
pendence repeatedly recognized by the
| imperial government.
LAS 10 the use of the English Language
| in the Volksraad, the imperial govern
| ment regards this as reasonable, and /.
astonlshed that the government of The
South African republic should deem il
unnecessary, and make a point Of deny.
| ing that the government of the South
African republic ever proposed the same
| 10 the British agent"
Pretoria. Sept 25-The imperial dis.
patch was read to-day in the Volksraad
| President Kruger announced that the re-
ply OF the government OF the South Afri
! can republic would be presented 10 ths
| NOlksraad tomorrow.
! johannesburg Sept. 25.-Von Velthe.m
the former trooper in the Cape police
who shot and killed Woolf Joel. nephew
[ partner, and executor of the late Barney
/ Barnato, in Johannesburg. In March o.
| last year, after failing in an attempt tC
blackmail has been arrested while cross.
ing the frontier. II is said that he was
| returning with the object OF giving the
government information.