The Somerset reporter., 1900-03-15
The south African War.

lpiiphIbB HfHfltHt : nom IIeL9fId. NdiEEt
-aturday, March ~ and censored by tie
Boer gosernmea5. "Ftesa4snf Kruger
and President ste5n la,e wired 10 Iofd
Salisbury peace proposals, Oh condition
thai the Independence Of the Two repub
lies be res ected and th, fe5ei colouIals
arr nestled Yesterday the fafeIgn con
suio "ere called into conference AMI
were requested II invite The interyeH
ton Of the powers they represented ia
order to prevent further blaoashedH
According to Beer reports. the fail OF
Mafeking is certain There waR heavy
fighting, last week. and the Beers have
been Smelling the town from al the out
lying forts which they have captured.
Col Baden Powell cleared al the Ia
tiyes out Of the town but the Beers
drove them back. The Beers are pre-.
pairing for final assault, with the idea
that the capture Of hafekinR will raise
the dropping spirits Of the bufghers.
Broadwood's cava rs brigade adyanc
ing on BlOemfonteiu, Saturday, unez
pectedly found the Beers in a strong
position in the Driefontein kopjes
Gen. Kelly Kenny's division arriving,
severe fighting ensued. Tie Beers Re.
sisted stubbornly, but were driven from
e. lhClA ppslAiDus; itdNluE UunDtI d
dead and forty prisoners.
News from Lady Grey, Herchel and
Allwal north, show that the rebels are
laying down their arms in large num-
bers and that the Beers all along the
/ border are in serious straits The
rebels assert that the Beers are subsist
ing on bread and water and SO called
coffee, made from rye Other rebels
are leaving to fight in the Free State.
British rule has been restored at Lady
Grey where fight is reported TO have
occurred, many rebels being killed.
1t appears, Monday, that the United
States has asked Eng land at the request
of the presidents of the Transyaal and
the Orange Free states what terms Of
peace she will make, in this way using
good offices to end the war. Il is under.
stood that Adelhert Hay, United States
consul to Pretoria, has been the instru
ment for transmitting to the British
government through the double inter
vention of the department of state and
Ambassador hoate an application from
Presidents Kruger and Steyn to be in
formed as to the terms on which the
war can be ended.
According to good authority, Presi-
dent Kruger and President steyn have
not made a formal proposition of peace
but have asked the British government
through the United States, the condi-
tions it would accept for the opening Of
negotiations on the basis Of The lnde.
pendence of the republics.
A London correspondent said Tues.
day that United states Ambassador
I hoate received last eve ming, a long
and important cable from the United
States government relative to South
Africa which he will communicate to-
day to Lord Salisbury.
The United states charge d'atfars,
Mr. Henry White, saw Lord Salisbury
at the foreign office, Tuesday evening,
and received formal reply from the
British government declining the good
offices of the United states in regard to
peace
The correspondence between the pres
idents of the rransyaal and the Orange
Free States and Lord Salisbury is made
public. The Beers make il plain that
they negotiate for peace only on condi
ton of independence Of their states
They enter into an argument in support
of their position, stating they entered
upon war solely as a defensive measure
to maintain the threatened independence
of the South African republic and is
only continued In order To secure and
maintain the incontestable independence
of both republics as sovereign iuterna
tional states, and to obtain the assur
ance that those of Her Najesty's sub
jects who have taken part with US in
this war shall suffer no harm whatever
in person or property.
ION these conditions, but on these
conditions alone, are we now, as in the
past, DESTROYS of seeing peace re estab-
lished in South Africa; while, if He1
Majesty's government is determined II
destroy the independence of the repub.
lies there is nothing left to us and to
our people but to persevere to the end
in the course already begun
Marquis Salisbury replies rehearsing
the steps taken by the Boer government
in preparation for the war and stating
that:
Sudden V, at two days notice, the
South African republic. after issuing an
insulting ultimatum. declared war upon
Her Majesty and the Orange Free State.
with whom there had not even been any
discussion, took a similar step. Siege
was laid To three towns within the Brit
ish frontier, large portion Of t~o
colonies were overrun with great de
structon of property and life. and tht
republics claimed to treat the inhabi
tants al extensive portions of Her Ma
esty's dominion, as if those dominion,
had been annexed t. one or the other Il
them. In anticipation of these opera
tions the South African republic h4d
been accommodating for many years past,
military stores on an enormous scale,
which by their character, could only
have been intended for use against
Great Britain. In view of the use l.
which the two republics have PUT thu
position which you gave them and the
calamities their unprovokei attack va,
inflicted on Her Majesty's dominlons
Her MajeSty's government can only au
swer your honors' telegram by saying il
is not prepared To assent 10 the indie
pendeuce either of the south African
republic or the Orange Free state"
The following dispatch Was received
at London from Lord Roberts, Wed
nesday:
"Bioemfontein, Tuesday. March Is
5 p. m The troops under my eomman,
have taken possession of Blnemtuuteu
The British flag now HES over the pres.
dency evacuated, last evening, 10y Nj
Stryu, late president of the Orange Free
state. MIR. Frazer, member Of the late
executive government, the major, tn,
secretary to the late government, TIA,
landrost and other officials met me ~,