The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-21
THE SUN. SUNDAY. DECEMBER 21, 1902.

Oct. s the President of the Orange Free
State. who had done his utmost to avert a
war, informed the High Commissioner that
| II an assurance were given him that all
further despatch Of British troops to South
Africa could be stopped he would take
steps to obtain counter assurance from
the South African Republic that her
Mnjesty's territory should not he invaded.
On Oct. the High Commissioner declined
TO give any such assurance. On Oct. Z
a royal proclamation appeared in England
| summoning Parliament and calling out
the reserves. at the same time an order
was issued for the mobilization of a second
army corps FOR South Africa. On Oct .
the Transvaal Government submittedto the
British agent at Pretoria a request that
the despatch Of British troops to South
Africa should cease pending negotiations
for a settlement Of the matters in dispute;
II requested an answer within two days.
On Oct II the British agent replied that
her Majssty's Government declined to
discuss the request. and at the same time.
he asked for his passport. Then il was.
and not till then. that the Volksraad an
nouncsd the determination OF the Trans
vaal people to risk their lives and property
in the cause Of Independence. and directed
their commands 10 oIcss the Natal
frontier.
III.
On the ground that he took no personal
part in the fighting, the author Of these
memoirs refrsins from reviewing the course
and the vicissitudss of the war 1t is well
known that after Lord Roberts had reached
ynh q VpA at.,.~ L. - a.
Government was removed from Pretoria
to the northeastern section Of the republic,
where council representing the Transvaal
and Orange Free State resolved TO send
President Kruger to Europe as a delegate
for the purpose of securing Intervention
on behalf OF the republics. The Queen of
Holland, will be remembered. sent a
Dutch nan-of-war to convey him from
Delagoa Bay to Marseilies. 1t Is needless
to recall that the Boer hopes Of intsrpostion
on the part OF some European Power were
doomed to be disappointed. In the very
brief account Of kr0ger's soiourn in Hol-
land. We note an interesting incident which
occurred when he was living at Utrecht.
Here he received the news Of De la Rey's
brilliant victory over Lord Methuen Il
rejoiced.' he says, Exceedingly at the
victory, but, when some one obser we'd dur
ing the reading OF the news that it was to
be hoped that De la Rey would keep
Methuen a prisoner. I said: 4 could not
approve OF that, and hope that De la Rey
will release him without delay; for we
Beers must behave A. Christians to the end
however uncivilized the way in which tho
English treat US may be- When I learnt
that Methuen was released. I expressed
my sincere eradication
On the last page Of the volume will
be found a few words OF comment
on the terms OF peace that were ar
ranged between Lord Kitchener and the
Boer commanders. Throughout the war;
says the author Of these memoirs, Il
had replied to every inquiry from tho
scene Of battle that my confidence was still
mistaken. but that 1t must be left entirely
to the Generals In the field to decide whether,
and how, under the stress of circumstances.
they wished to alter their previous resolu-
ton. During the peace negotiations, l had
only one answer to all the questions put to
me as to what thought Of peace, namely,
that all would happen as God wished. And,
when peace was at last concluded, I applied
to the Generals the Bible text II. Cor. viii.
g. For to their power bear record, yea, and
beyond their power they were willing OF
themselves Nor, in so far as myself am
concerned, will ! consent to lose courage
because the peace 70 not such al the burghers
wished. For, quite apart from the fact that
the bloodshed and the fearful sufYerings OF
the people Of the two republics are now
ended, l am convinced that God does not
forsake His people. even though 1t may
often appear 40. Therefore, / resign my
self to the will Of the Lord. know that He
will not allow the afflicted people to perish.
He u the Lord, and all hearts are in His
hands and He turneth them whthersoever
He will"
II was not to be expected that this au-
photography would be untinged with Bit
terness. The circumstances under which
1t was penned may be compared not I'M
fairly with those under which Milton wrote
Paradise Lost" In the course Of his
long life, the author has witnessed the
birth, the growth, the prosperity and the
downfall Of the Transvaal Commonwealth.
Nor il 1t unnatural that the perfldy and the
oppression which, a. he believes. his country
has suffered At Britain's hands, should be
personihed In Cecil Rhodes and Mr.. Joseph
Chamberlain. Tha former Ia depicted as
- MIN VI otoSAoiOAot o0totss anu tHc l0tt0I
il charged with completely in the plot that
eliminated In the Jameson Raid, which
failed, II In true, but had the concert
cd rising IN johannesburg taken place
simultaneously, might have succeeded
We shall not hero recapitulate the grounds
Of the charge. but they will be found set
forth at length In the eleventh chapter.
II cannot be disputed that the kilograms
there quoted point to a guilty knowledge
Of Rhodes's plots and intrigues on the part
Of the Colonial Secretary, and it must be
borne in mind that only part Of the tele-
grams which had passed between Cape
Town and the Colonial ONCE were laid by
the British Government, before the So
called Select Parliamentary Committee
on British South African affairs. Az the
author says, II Is scarcely reasonable to
assume that only the least compromising
were kept back. Why should any have
been kept back II the inquiry was really
instituted to uncover the whole TRUTH
NJ. W. H.
sidney Lanier on shakespeare.
Mr., HENRY WIsHAM LANIEs has brought
together In two volumes. and Messrs
Doubleday Pare A Co have p,hiishad