Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Christine P. Travers and the
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[Transcriber's note: Obvious printer's errors have been corrected, all
other inconsistencies are as in the original. The author's spelling has
been maintained.]
[Illustration: _The Signatories to the Peace Treaty on behalf of the South
African Republic._]
[Illustration: _The Signatories to the Peace Treaty on behalf of the
Orange Free State._]
ARMY HEADQUARTERS, SOUTH AFRICA.
PRETORIA. 4th March, 1902.
Your Honour,
By direction of His Majesty's Government, I have the honour to forward
enclosed copy of an Aide-Memoire communicated by the Netherland Minister
to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, together with his reply
thereto.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's Obedient Servant,
[Signature of Kitchener.]
General.
Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa.
To
His Honour,
Mr. Schalk Burger.
_Facsimile of the letter from Lord Kitchener upon which the Peace
Negotiations were entered into._
THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
_Between the Governments of the South African Republic
and the Orange Free State, and the Representatives
of the British Government, which terminated
in the Peace concluded at Vereeniging
on the 31st May, 1902_
BY
REV. J. D. KESTELL
_Secretary to the Orange Free State Government_
AND
D. E. VAN VELDEN
_Secretary to the Government of the South African Republic_
TRANSLATED AND PUBLISHED BY
D. E. VAN VELDEN
_WITH PHOTOS AND FACSIMILES OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS_
LONDON
RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LTD., BRUNSWICK STREET, S.E.
1912
RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED
BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S.E., AND
BUNGAY SUFFOLK
CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE ix
Introduction by S. W. Burger, M.L.A., Acting State President
of the Late South African Republic xiii
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE xix
CHAPTER I
Preliminary Correspondence 1
CHAPTER II
Proceedings at Klerksdorp 18
CHAPTER III
First Negotiations at Pretoria 33
CHAPTER IV
Vereeniging 46
CHAPTER V
Further Negotiations at Pretoria 98
CHAPTER VI
Vereeniging and Peace 138
APPENDIX--The Middelburg Proposals 210
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The Signatories to the Peace Treaty on behalf of the South
African Republic. _Frontispiece_
The Signatories to the Peace Treaty on behalf of the Orange Free
State. _Frontispiece_
Facsimile of the letter from Lord Kitchener upon which
the Peace Negotiations were entered into _Facing Title page_
_Facing page_
Facsimile of the copy of the reply from the Government
of the South African Republic to Lord Kitchener's letter
dated 4th March, 1902 6
Facsimile of Safe Conduct granted by Lord Kitchener 44
Facsimile of the Oath subscribed to at Vereeniging by
the Delegates of the South African Republic 46
Facsimile of the Oath subscribed to at Vereeniging by
the Delegates of the Orange Free State 46
Facsimile of a page of the Peace Proposals as submitted by the
British Representatives and amended by the Boer Representatives.
The alterations are in the handwriting of Generals Smuts and
Hertzog 112
Facsimile of a page of the Peace Proposals as submitted
by the British Representatives and amended by the Boer
Representatives. The alterations are in the handwriting of
General Smuts and Mr. Advocate N. J. de Wet 117
Facsimile of the original proposal by Commandant H. P. J.
Pretorius, seconded by General Chris. Botha, to accept the
British Peace Proposals 202
Facsimile of the document on which the voting on the proposal
by Commandant H. P. J. Pretorius, seconded by General Chris.
Botha, to accept the British Peace Proposals was recorded 206
PREFACE
The want has been repeatedly expressed of an official publication of
the Minutes of the Negotiations which led to the Peace concluded at
Vereeniging on May 31, 1902, events which have hitherto been a closed
page in the history of the Boer War. As the Republics had ceased to
exist, the question arose: Who could publish such Minutes? It is true
that some very incomplete Minutes appeared in General de Wet's book,
but although they were in all probability reliable, yet they had not
the seal of an official document.
The only way in which the want could be met appeared to be for the
Secretaries, who had been appointed by the two Republican Governments
to minute the Negotiations, to publish those Minutes after they had
been read and approved of as authentic by persons competent to do so.
This is what has been done by this publication, which places the
reader in possession of all the correspondence leading up to the
Negotiations, exact reports of what was said and done, not only at
Vereeniging, but also previously at Klerksdorp, and, finally, all the
Negotiations which took place at Pretoria between the two Republican
Governments and the British Government, represented by Lord Kitchener
and Lord Milner.
We, however, were not satisfied to publish this record, which we had
most carefully taken down, merely on our own authority. We felt that,
if only this and nothing more were done, the world would after all
have only our word to rely upon, and that, although the record thus
published would always serve as a highly reliable book of reference,
it would lack the authority of a document properly authenticated by a
body competent to do so.
In order, therefore, to obtain this desirable seal of authenticity to
our record, we submitted our manuscript to President Steyn, Acting
President Burger, the Chairman of the Meeting of Representatives of
the People at Vereeniging (General C. F. Beyers), Generals Botha and
Smuts for the South African Republic, and Generals de Wet and Hertzog
for the Orange Free State, with the result that they all found our
record to be a true and correct account of the Peace Negotiations.
So this book sees the light with their _imprimatur_, and we therefore
publish it with the greatest confidence.
The Reader's attention is drawn to the following particulars:--
In respect of the speeches made by the members of the Republican
Governments at Klerksdorp, and the speeches delivered later at
Vereeniging by them and by the Delegates from the various
Commandos, the reports are almost _verbatim_. The addresses of
the Presidents and principal Generals especially were transcribed
from the stenographic notes of D. E. van Velden, and revised by
J. D. Kestell.
This completeness does not extend to what is published of the
_First_ Conference between the two Republican Governments and
Lord Kitchener and Lord Milner, because no Secretaries were
admitted to that Conference. Lord Kitchener had expressed the
desire that no official notes should be taken, as the parties
would first confer informally. What was discussed, however, has
not been lost, for an account of what took place at this
Conference was taken down by J. D. Kestell from the dictation of
General Hertzog immediately after the conference was over, and
revised by President Steyn and Mr. W. J. C. Brebner (Acting
Government Secretary, Orange Free State), and appears in this
book.
With reference to the _Second_ Conference, however, we were
present, and what is given is a _verbatim_ account of the
discussion.
Of some official documents in our possession, reproductions or
facsimiles are given in the hope that the reader will find them of
interest.
J. D. K.
D. E. v. V.
_Pretoria,
October, 1908._
INTRODUCTION
DEAR READER,
In connection with the publication, by the Rev. J. D. Kestell and Mr.
D. E. van Velden, of the official minutes of the Peace Negotiations
(together with the official correspondence relating thereto) between
the British Government and the Governments of the Orange Free State
and the South African Republic, which terminated in the Peace
concluded at Vereeniging on May 31, 1902, I do not wish in this
introduction to enter into details, but merely to confine my remarks
to the great responsibility which rested upon us and to the question,
"Was it necessary to conclude Peace?"
If it was a task of supreme importance to decide to enter upon the
struggle which had been waged, if it was an arduous and difficult duty
to carry on the struggle, it was much harder and more difficult to
foresee what the result of that struggle would be, and still harder
and more difficult to decide to give it up. With how much hope, fear,
and anxiety was not the end looked forward to! And when the end came,
what did it not cost us to persuade the head to do what the heart
refused to perform? What was realised of that hope for which there had
been such a struggle, for which so much had been suffered, so much
endured, so much sacrificed--the Reader will find in this book. He
will also find in it the correspondence which led up to, and was
carried on during, the Peace Negotiations; the proceedings at our
meetings at Klerksdorp, Pretoria, and Vereeniging; the opinions,
views, and grounds upon which the leaders of the people acted, in so
far as those were expressed. You will not, however, find here the
struggle that took place at Vereeniging within every Delegate between
the heart and the head; the intense effort which it cost us to bring
ourselves to acknowledge to our powerful enemy that we had been
overpowered, exhausted, and were unable to continue the struggle any
longer; to acknowledge to ourselves and posterity that our sacrifices,
the blood and tears that had been shed, the indescribable anxiety for
wife and children, the suffering and death of the thousands of
innocent women and children, the awful evils which had fallen to the
lot of the rebels, had been all in vain; that we were about to lose
all for which we had suffered and sacrificed. All this, I say, you do
not find recorded here, but you may read it in the grey hairs of the
Delegates to Vereeniging and of our people, in the deep wrinkles on
their faces, and in the expression on the countenance of every
Boer--that expression which cannot conceal what the soul had to
endure. We had already sacrificed much, yet, in spite of all, the hope
had inseparably clung to us that no sacrifice, no privation, no loss
would be in vain. There at Vereeniging, however, we had to surrender
what was dearest to us, we had to stand at the open grave of the two
Republics, and we had to say with bowed heads: "We had not hoped,
expected, willed for this, but--Thy will be done!"
We are asked: "Why did you make peace? Why did you not persevere? Was
there no hope? Had the last resources been exhausted, and was all your
strength spent?" To these questions I must emphatically reply "Yes";
there was no means that had not been resorted to, no strength, no
reasonable hope left. As rational beings we could see no grounds upon
which to continue the struggle with any hope of success. It was,
however, not the arms of the enemy which directly compelled us to
surrender, but another sword which they had stretched out over
us--namely, the sword of hunger and nakedness, and, what weighed most
heavily of all, the awful mortality amongst our women and children in
the Concentration Camps. I, as Acting State President, upon whom great
responsibility rested, was convinced that it was time for us to
conclude peace, not for the sake of ourselves, the leaders, but for
the sake of the People, who were so faithful, in order to preserve the
root that still remained, and in order not to allow our nation to be
entirely exterminated; out of the ruins of our country to endeavour
later on to develop a South African nationality, to build up the
nation again, and to preserve the unity of the People. It was our
conviction that the further prosecution of the war would mean the
destruction of our national existence. Whether that conviction was
correct or not, we confidently leave to the judgment of posterity.
Allow me also a reply to the question: "Why did we not conclude peace
sooner?" A question which by some is even put reproachfully. My answer
is that, as we fought for the retention of our Fatherland and our
National honour, we, as men, could not give up the struggle before we
had convincing proof that we had persevered and resisted to the
uttermost. That proof was thrust upon us at Vereeniging, and now every
one who defended his Fatherland to the last can bear his fate with an
easy conscience, and the world is convinced with us that we fought to
the bitter end. With all our disappointments we had further to
experience that Great Britain, in addition to the tremendous forces
with which her mighty Empire supplied, also availed herself of natives
and other unjustifiable means. I wish merely to mention this.
At Vereeniging we began by looking up prayerfully to God, Who decides
the destinies of men and nations, and became convinced that it was the
right time to make peace, and that we were on the right road by
concluding the Treaty of Vereeniging. My closing words at Vereeniging
were: "Comrades, we stand beside the grave of both Republics, but not
at the grave of our People. We have laid down our arms and concluded
the struggle which has brought death, misery, and destruction. But now
we have to enter upon another struggle, much greater and much nobler.
It will be our duty to labour with vigour and sacrifice at the
rebuilding of our nation. Therein lies a great work before us.
Although our former functions have now lapsed, our calling and duty
still remain. The People who have looked up to us and remained so
faithful to the end will continue to look up to us, and rightly expect
assistance and advice under the altered circumstances. Let it always
be our aim to serve our People."
Have subsequent events not proved that our view was correct?
Peace! How was it received?
I think the answer must be: "With deep disappointment." The victors
did not exult. Was it perhaps because they involuntarily felt that
from the time when they, principally upon distorted representations,
unjustifiably interfered with the affairs of the South African
Republic, up to the Conference at Vereeniging, they had achieved no
honour? Our People, especially the women and daughters in the
Concentration Camps, were deeply dismayed. I have never seen a more
impressive and sadder scene than the sight of the 4,000 women and
children in the Merebank Concentration Camp, Natal, when I informed
them that we had concluded peace, by which we had had to sacrifice our
country. The question: "Is it for _this_ that I sacrificed my husband,
my son, my child?"--which resounded in my ears from the lips of the
weeping women made the discharge of this, my last duty, also the most
painful one. The deep conviction was there wrought in me that it was
only their faith in God that enabled these women and children to
endure what they had had to endure. May their patience, their courage,
their faith, be transmitted to their descendants!
I would further like to say that it was hard for us all, especially
for me, to be deprived, during the Negotiations at Vereeniging, of
the advice and support of President Steyn, who was forced by illness
to leave us during the early days of the negotiations. The absence of
his strong shoulder made our task so much harder.
S. W. BURGER.
_Pretoria,
October, 1907._
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
In response to wishes very generally expressed, an English translation
of "De Vredesonderhandelingen tusschen Boer en Brit in Zuid Afrika"
(The Peace Negotiations between Boer and Briton in South Africa) is
now placed before the Public.
Though the greatest care has been taken to ensure that the translation
conveys to the reader exactly what the Dutch original contains, the
latter remains the official record, from the Boer side, of the Peace
Negotiations. The translator accepts all responsibility for the
English translation.
In anticipation of any critical remarks that may be made, it is only
due to state that the addition to the English translation of a few
facsimiles of original documents and the few verbal improvements are
by no means due to a desire to differentiate between the publications
in the two languages, but are merely the improvements which, as every
author knows, suggests themselves and are rendered possible by the
publication of a later edition.
The Reader will not always find the translation of the speeches in
idiomatic English, but it may be pointed out that in most cases that
defect is due to the translator having aimed at preserving, as far as
possible the stamp of originality as it exists in the original.
_Pretoria,
September, 1911._
THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
CHAPTER I.
PRELIMINARY CORRESPONDENCE.
ARMY HEADQUARTERS, SOUTH AFRICA.
PRETORIA,
_March 4, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
By direction of His Majesty's Government, I have the honour to forward
enclosed copy of an Aide-Memoire communicated by the Netherlands
Minister to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, together with
his reply thereto.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
KITCHENER, General,
_Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa_.
TO HIS HONOUR, MR. SCHALK BURGER.
Aide-Memoire communicated by the Netherlands Minister, January 25,
1902:--
1. It is the opinion of the Government of Her Majesty the Queen that
the exceptional circumstances in which one of the belligerent parties
in South Africa is situated, which prevents it from placing itself in
communication with the other party by direct means, constitutes one of
the causes for the continuance of this war, which continuously without
interruption or termination harasses that country, and which is the
cause of so much misery.
2. The circumstances are indeed exceptional, where one of the
belligerent parties is entirely enclosed and isolated from the rest of
the world; and where the representatives of the Boers in Europe are
precluded from all communication with their Generals. This state of
affairs has called into existence the difficulty that those in
authority, who ought to negotiate in the interests of the Boers, are
divided in two, and deprived of all means of deliberating with each
other. It is plain that the Boer Delegates in Europe can do nothing
because they are not acquainted with the condition of affairs in
Africa, and that the Boers, who are under arms, must refrain from
taking the initiative because they are not informed on the condition
of affairs in Europe.
3. Further, the Delegates in Europe are tied by their credentials,
which were issued in March, 1900, and which bind them so closely to
the independence of the Republics, that they would not be warranted
even to accept the restoration of the _status quo ante bellum_, if the
method (of settling) the differences, which might arise, was not at
the same time arranged.
4. These circumstances cause the question to arise whether an offer of
good services could not be made by a neutral Power with the object of
at least making it possible to open the way to negotiation, which
could otherwise not be begun.
5. For these reasons it would be of importance to know whether it
would be agreeable to the Government of His Britannic Majesty to make
use of the good services of a neutral Power, if these good services
would confine themselves to the task of bringing the negotiators
appointed by both parties into communication with each other.
6. Perhaps the Government of Her Majesty the Queen could be
considered as indicated to fulfil this task, because the Delegates of
the Boers are on Netherland's ground and are accredited only to this
Government.
7. If the Government of His Britannic Majesty concurs with this idea,
there would be ground for the Government of Her Majesty the Queen to
approach the Delegates of the Boers with the question whether they
would undertake to proceed to Africa with the object of conferring
with the heads of the Boers there, to return to Europe, after staying
a limited time (say a fortnight), invested with authority making
provision for every possible event, and giving them power to conclude
a Treaty of Peace, which would be inviolably binding on the Boers in
Europe as well as on the Boers in Africa.
8. In case of an answer in the affirmative, it would be necessary for
the Government of His Britannic Majesty to give the Government of the
Netherlands three safe-conducts, allowing the Boer Delegates to
proceed free to South Africa, to remain there free for the stipulated
time, and to return free to Europe. Further, it would be necessary
that the British Government allow the use of a telegraphic code to
indicate the place where the said Delegates could meet the Leaders of
the Boers.
9. After their return the Government of Her Majesty the Queen would
place them in communication with the Plenipotentiaries designated for
that purpose by the Government of His Britannic Majesty, and
voluntarily undertake to place at the disposal of these gentlemen all
that is necessary for their meeting.
10. The Government of Her Majesty would then consider its task as
completed.
11. It is very clear that, in spite of everything, the negotiations
thus commenced might lead to nothing; but the possibility of the
contrary is by no means excluded; and under the circumstances it
appears to be desirable to try to open negotiations in the hope that
they will bear fruit. And with the difficulty in view which exists for
all belligerent parties to take the first step in this direction, it
might be useful that a third party undertook to do so, and offered
itself as mediator.
_Confidential._
_The_ Marquis of LANSDOWNE _to_ Baron GERICKE.
FOREIGN OFFICE,
_January 29, 1902_.
SIR,
You were good enough to lay before me on the 29th instant a
communication from the Netherlands Government, in which it was
proposed that, with the object of bringing the war to an end, His
Majesty's Government might grant a safe conduct to the Boer Delegates
now in Holland for the purpose of enabling them to confer with the
Boer Leaders in South Africa. It is suggested that after the
conference the Delegates might return to Europe with power to conclude
a Treaty of Peace with this country, and the Netherlands Government
intimate, in this event, they might at a later stage be instrumental
in placing the Boer Plenipotentiaries in relation with the
Plenipotentiaries who might be appointed by His Majesty's Government.
The Netherlands Government intimate that if this project commends
itself to His Majesty's Government, they will inquire of the Delegates
whether they are prepared to make the suggested visit to South Africa.
It may therefore be inferred that the communication which I received
from you was made on the responsibility of the Netherlands Government
alone, and without authority from the Boer Delegates or Leaders. His
Majesty's Government have given it their best consideration, and
whilst they entirely appreciate the motives of humanity which have led
the Netherlands Government to make this proposal, they feel that they
must adhere to the decision adopted and publicly announced by them
some months after the commencement of hostilities by the Boers, that
it is not their intention to accept the intervention of any foreign
Power in the South African war.
Should the Boer Delegates themselves desire to lay a request for safe
conduct before His Majesty's Government, there is no reason why they
should not do so. But His Majesty's Government are obviously not in a
position to express an opinion on any such application until they have
received it, and are aware of its precise nature and the grounds on
which the request is made.
I may, however, point out that it is not at present clear to His
Majesty's Government that the Delegates retain any influence over the
Representatives of the Boers in South Africa or have any voice in
their councils. They are stated by the Netherlands Government to have
no letters of credence or instructions later in date than March, 1900.
His Majesty's Government had, on the other hand, understood that all
powers of Government, including those of negotiation, were now
completely vested in Mr. STEYN for the Boers in the Orange River
Colony, and Mr. SCHALK BURGER for those in the Transvaal.
If this be so, it is evident that the quickest and most satisfactory
means of arranging a settlement would be by direct communication
between the Leaders of the Boer forces in South Africa and the
Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's forces, who has already been
instructed to forward immediately any offers he may receive for the
consideration of His Majesty's Government.
In these circumstances His Majesty's Government have decided that, if
the Boer Leaders should desire to enter into negotiations for the
purpose of bringing the war to an end, these negotiations must take
place not in Europe, but in South Africa.
It should, moreover, be borne in mind that, if the Boer Delegates are
to occupy time in visiting South Africa, in consulting with the Boer
Leaders in the field, and in returning to Europe for the purpose of
making known the result of their errand, a period of at least three
months would elapse, during which hostilities would be prolonged, and
much human suffering, perhaps needlessly, occasioned.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) LANSDOWNE.
To this letter Acting-President Schalk W. Burger, with the advice and
consent of the Executive Council, replied as follows:--
_To His Excellency_ Lord KITCHENER, _Commander-in-Chief of the
British Troops, Pretoria_.
GOVERNMENT LAGER,
IN THE VELD, S.A.R.,
_March 10, 1902_.
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's
letter dated the 4th inst., and to thank you for the transmission of
the therein enclosed Confidential Memoranda exchanged between the
Netherlands Minister and the Marquis of Lansdowne.
With reference to this communication, I have to say that I am desirous
and prepared to make peace proposals, but, in order to be able to
decide upon the terms thereof, it is indispensable that I should meet
His Honour President Steyn, to enable us to make a proposal jointly,
and, to expedite matters, I therefore respectfully request Your
Excellency to give me and the Members of my Government a safe conduct
through Your Excellency's lines to His Honour President Steyn and
back.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President_.
[Illustration: _Facsimile of the copy of the reply from the Government
of the South African Republic to Lord Kitchener's letter dated 4th
March, 1902._]
In reply to this letter Acting State President Burger received the
following communication:--
PRETORIA,
_March 13, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of Your Honour's letter of the 10th
March, and to inform Your Honour that I shall be pleased to allow the
safe conduct you ask for.
I shall be obliged if Your Honour would inform me of the number you
propose to bring with you, and that you will send in to Balmoral a day
in advance, so that an officer whom I shall designate for the purpose
may meet Your Honour and see that all proper arrangements are made for
your reception.
I shall order my troops immediately to withdraw from the neighbourhood
in which Your Honour now is, and inform them of the safe conduct that
is hereby given to Your Honour.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
KITCHENER, _General,
Commanding-in-Chief South Africa_.
TO HIS HONOUR, MR. S. W. BURGER.
Before making use of the opportunity thus obtained of meeting
President Steyn, the Government of the South African Republic
considered it necessary to ascertain where President Steyn with his
Government was, so that he might be informed that the Transvaal
Government, under safe conduct from Lord Kitchener, was _en route_ to
meet him and his Government. In the following letter Acting-President
Burger requested Lord Kitchener to transmit the following telegram to
President Steyn:--
_To His Excellency_ LORD KITCHENER, _Commander-in-Chief of the
British Troops, Pretoria_.
GOVERNMENT LAGER,
IN THE VELD, S.A.R.,
_March 17, 1902_.
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's
letter of the 13th inst.
I thank Your Excellency for consenting to our travelling through Your
Excellency's lines, and also for the order given to your troops to
immediately withdraw from the neighbourhood where I at present am, and
for the notice given them of the safe conduct extended to us.
In order to obviate delay I respectfully request Your Excellency to
transmit the enclosed telegram to President Steyn, and to put me in
possession of His Honour's reply thereto, on receipt of which I shall
immediately inform Your Excellency a day in advance, as requested by
you, of the time when we shall arrive at Balmoral.
Pending the receipt of Your Excellency's reply we shall remain at
Roodepoort, near Rhenosterkop.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President_.
TELEGRAM.
FROM S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President,
Rhenosterkop, distr. Pretoria_.
TO HIS HONOUR PRESIDENT STEYN,
IN THE VELD.
With reference to confidential Memoranda exchanged between the
Netherlands Minister and Lord Lansdowne, which correspondence was
kindly sent to me by His Excellency Lord Kitchener, I with the members
of my Government, wish to proceed to meet you. For that purpose a safe
conduct has been granted to us by Lord Kitchener. Be so good as to
inform me as soon as possible where and when such meeting can take
place.
To this the following reply was received by Acting-President Burger:--
ARMY HEADQUARTERS, SOUTH AFRICA.
PRETORIA,
_March_ 18, 1902.
YOUR HONOUR,
I am placed in some difficulty by the receipt of Your Honour's
dispatch enclosing a telegram which you request me to forward to His
Honour Mr. Steyn.
Owing to recent military operations in the country South of the Vaal
and East of the Railway, His Honour Mr. Steyn, with a following
estimated at about Thirty Burghers, has left that district, and was
last reported travelling in the vicinity of Bothaville. It is
therefore not easy for me to communicate with him, especially as he
does not at present make a prolonged stay in any one part of the
country. For this reason I venture to suggest, for Your Honour's
consideration, that it might save time, if you came now to Balmoral,
where a special train would be placed at Your Honour's disposal. You
might then travel to the neighbourhood of Kroonstad, where my Officers
would give you every assistance to go out and meet His Honour Mr.
Steyn, according to the latest information.
It will be understood that the safe conduct I had the pleasure of
forwarding to Your Honour was for a definite purpose of passing my
lines to meet Mr. Steyn, and will have to be renewed if any delay
takes place in taking advantage of it.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
KITCHENER, General,
_Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa_.
HIS HONOUR MR. SCHALK BURGER.
The Transvaal Government then wrote to Lord Kitchener as follows:--
_To His Excellency_ LORD KITCHENER, _Commander-in-Chief of the
British Troops, Pretoria_.
ROODEPOORT, NEAR RHENOSTERKOP,
DIST. PRETORIA, S.A.R.,
_March 20, 1902_.
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
I acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's communication dated the
18th inst., and have the honour to inform you in reply that we shall
arrive at Balmoral on Saturday morning the 22nd inst., at 10 o'clock,
to avail ourselves of Your Excellency's kind offer to allow us to
travel to Kroonstad by rail, and to assist us from there to meet His
Honour President Steyn.
I shall be accompanied to Kroonstad by five gentlemen, four white
attendants, and one native servant. Furthermore we shall be escorted
to Balmoral by some men who will take our vehicles and horses back
from there.
I also wish to inform Your Excellency that my guard is still here,
where it will remain until our return.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President_.
At this stage of the negotiations an express messenger was despatched
to Commandant General Louis Botha, who was then in the South-Eastern
districts of the South African Republic, to acquaint him with the
decision of the Government, and with the correspondence with Lord
Kitchener (of which copies were sent to him). Unfortunately, as it
appeared later, the despatch rider did not reach General Botha.
On the morning of March 22nd, 1902, at ten o'clock the Members of the
Executive Council, consisting of Acting State President S. W. Burger,
State Secretary F. W. Reitz, and Messrs. L. J. Meyer and J. C. Krogh,
arrived at Balmoral Station. The Executive Council was also
accompanied by Mr. L. J. Jacobsz, Assistant State Attorney, and Mr. D.
van Velden, Secretary of the Executive Council (the latter had arrived
at Balmoral the previous day with the despatch of March 20th, 1902.)
When they approached the Station, Captain Marker, A.D.C. to Lord
Kitchener, Major Leggett, who was connected with the Imperial Military
Railways, and Captain Baird of the Intelligence Department, rode out
to meet them. At 12 o'clock they left by special train for Kroonstad.
There was an hour's delay at Pretoria while another train was being
prepared. During this delay the Executive Council paid a visit to Lord
Kitchener at his request. After that the journey was continued, and
Kroonstad reached in the night.
On the following morning two despatch riders, Robberts and Hattingh,
who had been brought with the Executive Council for that purpose, were
sent out to find President Steyn. They took with them the following
letter with annexures, consisting of copies of the letter of Lord
Kitchener, dated March 4th, 1902, and the above-mentioned
correspondence between the Netherlands and British Governments, which
had been forwarded to Acting President Burger.
_His Honour_ M. T. STEYN, _State President, O.F.S.,
in the Veld_.
KROONSTAD,
_March 24, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
Herewith I send you copies of correspondence which has passed between
us and Lord Kitchener, as a result of which I, with the Members of the
Executive Council, have proceeded hither with the object of meeting
Your Honour.
We learn that Lord Kitchener has sent, or that he intended to send,
the same correspondence to Your Honour, but did not know where to find
you. His opinion was, that you were somewhere to the west of the
railway. I have therefore obtained a copy of the communication
intended for Your Honour and send this also herewith.
We shall wait here until we learn where and when we can meet Your
Honour.
Will you let us have this information as soon as possible and by the
shortest way.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President_.
The despatch riders reached President Steyn on March 26th, and handed
him the correspondence. The President thereupon immediately sent a
despatch to General de Wet--who was at the moment on his way to
General Badenhorst--summoning him to attend the proposed meeting, and
replied to the Transvaal Government as follows:--
_To His Honour_ S. W. BURGER, _Acting State President of the
S.A. Republic, Kroonstad_.
PRESIDENT'S LAGER,
IN THE VELD,
_March 28, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Honour's despatch
of the 24th inst., enclosing correspondence between Your Honour and
His Excellency Lord Kitchener.
As I have been suffering from my eyes for six or seven weeks, and
since, as you know, almost all our doctors have been captured or have
left us, I was obliged to proceed to General de la Rey in order to
place myself here under the medical treatment of Dr. von Rennenkampff.
I am still under that treatment and am therefore obliged to meet Your
Honour in the South African Republic.
I am prepared to meet Your Honour in the neighbourhood of Klerksdorp
or Potchefstroom, on any farm in that neighbourhood which His
Excellency Lord Kitchener may consider most suitable, or even in one
of those towns, if desirable. When fixing the place of meeting, I wish
to leave it to Your Honour to obtain a guarantee from His Excellency
Lord Kitchener for me and my Government, with the necessary
attendants, that we shall be allowed quietly and unhindered to
continue our work there for a definite time, as well as a safe-conduct
to proceed unhindered to the place of meeting and to return thence
unhindered.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
M. T. STEYN,
_State President, O.F.S._
On receipt of the above letter the Government addressed the following
communication to Lord Kitchener:--
_To His Excellency_ LORD KITCHENER, _Commander-in-Chief of the
British Troops, Pretoria_.
KROONSTAD,
_March 31, 1902_.
YOUR EXCELLENCY,
Herewith I have the honour to send you copy of the letter this day
received by me from President Steyn.
With reference thereto I request your Excellency to be so good as to
furnish President Steyn with the safe-conduct desired by him, and
further to inform us as well as His Honour where, in your opinion, the
intended meeting can take place. Possibly Potchefstroom would be the
most suitable place therefor.
As His Honour the Commandant-General and General de la Rey are both
members of the Executive Council, I request Your Excellency kindly to
send them the enclosed message, and also to furnish each of them with
a safe-conduct to and from the place of meeting.
I further take the liberty of requesting you to forward the enclosed
letter to President Steyn.
I have the honour to be,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President_.
The above-mentioned message to General Botha and to General de la Rey
read as follows:--
_From_ _To_
ACTING STATE PRESIDENT,
S.A.R.
(1) COMMANDANT GENERAL LOUIS BOTHA.
(2) GENERAL DE LA REY.
With reference to confidential memoranda exchanged between the
Netherlands Minister and Lord Lansdowne, which was sent to us by His
Excellency Lord Kitchener, we have come under a safe conduct to meet
President Steyn. This meeting will take place in a locality to be
decided upon by Lord Kitchener. As we consider your presence necessary
there, we have requested His Excellency to furnish you also with a
safe-conduct thither and back.
Be so good as to come without delay on receipt hereof.
KROONSTAD, S. W. BURGER,
_March 31, 1902_. _Acting State President_.
The letter to President Steyn referred to above was as follows:--
_To His Honour_ PRESIDENT STEYN.
KROONSTAD,
_March 31, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
Acknowledging the receipt of Your Honour's letter of the 28th inst., I
have, in pursuance of the desire therein expressed by you, requested
Lord Kitchener to furnish you with a safe-conduct to such place as may
be considered most suitable by His Excellency for the proposed meeting
between us.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
S. W. BURGER,
_Acting State President, S.A.R._
On April 1st, 1902, Lord Kitchener wrote as follows to Acting State
President Burger:
ARMY HEADQUARTERS, SOUTH AFRICA.
PRETORIA,
_April 1, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
The letters and safe-conducts Your Honour has requested me to send out
to Mr. Steyn, Commandant General L. Botha, and General de la Rey will
be forwarded at once. I consider Klerksdorp would be the best place
for your meeting with these gentlemen.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
KITCHENER, General,
_Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa_.
TO HIS HONOUR MR. S. W. BURGER.
The following letter was forwarded by Lord Kitchener to President
Steyn:--
ARMY HEADQUARTERS, SOUTH AFRICA.
PRETORIA,
_April 1, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
At the request of His Honour Mr. S. W. Burger, I beg to forward the
enclosed letter, and at the same time to provide you with this a
safe-conduct for Your Honour and your Executive to come to Klerksdorp
and to return thence after your meeting with Mr. Burger and the
Transvaal Government.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
KITCHENER, General,
_Commanding-in-chief, South Africa_.
HIS HONOUR MR. M. T. STEYN.
President Steyn then addressed the following letter to Acting
President Burger:--
_To His Honour the Acting State President, S.A.R.,_
S. W. BURGER, _Klerksdorp_.
PRESIDENT'S LAGER,
IN THE VELD,
_April 7, 1902_.
YOUR HONOUR,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Honour's letter,
d.d. March 31st, 1902, with the safe-conduct from Lord Kitchener, to
whom I have replied direct.
I hope to be at Klerksdorp on Wednesday, the 9th inst., if not
prevented, with General de la Rey and my Executive Council.
I have the honour to be,
Your Honour's obedient servant,
M. T. STEYN,
_State President, O.F.S._