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Page 7
To this the Boer Government replied that it would be glad to arbitrate
that point as well as the amount of the payment to be made for the
Jameson raid; and the various other points on which the two governments
were at issue.
Soon after this Dr. Leyds, President Kr�ger's confidential agent,
arrived in England, and had a conference with Mr. Chamberlain. They
appeared to come to satisfactory understanding, and there was every
prospect of a peaceful settlement to the dispute.
Some weeks after this conversation with Dr. Leyds, Mr. Chamberlain was
asked by the House of Commons whether he had consented to arbitrate with
the Transvaal.
Mr. Chamberlain answered that some points would certainly be submitted
to arbitration, but the question, of the Transvaal's right to allow a
foreign country to befriend her could not be so treated, because it was
expressly stated in the London convention that England had sovereign
rights in the Transvaal, and could therefore insist on her wishes being
carried out.
When the news of Mr. Chamberlain's speech reached Pretoria, the capital
of the Transvaal, there was great indignation among the Boers. The
matter was debated by the Volksraad or Parliament, and several members
declared that Great Britain must be shown that she no longer had any
sovereign rights in the Transvaal.
Meetings were held denouncing Mr. Chamberlain's remarks, and finally
President Kr�ger delivered a speech before the Volksraad which caused
considerable excitement, as its meaning was an open defiance of
England.
In this speech President Kr�ger stated that the Boers were perfectly
willing to abide by the London convention, but he stated emphatically
that the convention did not contain a word about the sovereign rights of
England, and since it had been made, all such rights had ceased to
exist.
The London convention was made in 1884.
In 1881, after the British forces had been beaten by the Boers, a treaty
was made by which peace was restored, and the Transvaal recognized as a
semi-independent republic, under the sovereignty of England.
In this treaty it was understood that the Boers would have freedom of
government as far as their home affairs went, but that no friendships or
alliances could be made with foreign powers. The British Government
reserved for itself the right of managing the foreign affairs of the
Transvaal.
This was in 1881.
In 1884 a new agreement was entered into which expressly stated that
England no longer wanted these rights, and that the Transvaal was free
to govern the country without interference, and to manage its own
foreign affairs as it pleased. One right only did England demand, and
that was that the Transvaal should not make any treaty with a foreign
country without the approval of the Queen.
It stated that the Transvaal Government must send her Majesty a copy of
any treaty it desired to make, and that if England notified the Boers
within six months that the proposed treaty interfered with her rights in
South Africa, it must be abandoned. Nothing was said in this agreement
which prevented the Transvaal from having friendly dealings with
foreign powers.
Mr. Chamberlain seems to have become confused about the contents of the
London convention of 1884, and to have got it mixed with the treaty of
1881. The brave old President of the Transvaal has, however, determined
to refresh his memory.
In his speech before the Volksraad he stated grimly that the Boers would
oppose to the last any attempt on the part of England to enforce her
fancied rights, and having declared himself emphatically for war, he
concluded with one of his quaint, pious remarks. He said the Boers
wished to preserve peaceful and friendly relations with the whole world,
because wherever love dwelt the blessing of God was sure to follow.
President Kr�ger's defiance was regarded by the British Government as
mere speech-making. The Government refused to believe that the old man
wished his words to be taken seriously, and so passed the whole affair
over as unworthy of notice.
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