no longer agree to the legislation
respecting franchise and the Resolution respecting representation in
this Republic, and finally, by your note of 25th September, 1899, broke
off all friendly correspondence on the subject, and intimated that they
must now proceed to formulate their own proposals for a final
settlement, and this Government can only see in the above intimation
from Her Majesty's Government a new violation of the Convention of
London, 1884, which does not reserve to Her Majesty's Government the
right to a unilateral settlement of a question which is exclusively a
domestic one for this Government and has already been regulated by it.

On account of the strained situation and the consequent serious loss in
and interruption of trade in general which the correspondence respecting
the franchise and representation in this Republic carried in its train,
Her Majesty's Government have recently pressed for an early settlement
and finally pressed, by your intervention, for an answer within
forty-eight hours (subsequently somewhat modified) to your note of the
12th September, replied to by the note of this Government of the 15th
September, and your note of the 25th September, 1899, and thereafter
further friendly negotiations broke off and this Government received the
intimation that the proposal for a final settlement would shortly be
made, but although this promise was once more repeated no proposal has
up to now reached this Government. Even while friendly correspondence
was still going on an increase of troops on a large scale was introduced
by Her Majesty's Government, and stationed in the neighborhood of the
borders of this Republic. Having regard to occurrences in the history of
this Republic which it is unnecessary here to call to mind, this
Government felt obliged to regard this military force in the
neighborhood of its borders as a threat against the independence of the
South African Republic, since it was aware of no circumstances which
could justify the presence of such military force in South Africa and in
the neighborhood of its borders. In answer to an inquiry with respect
thereto, addressed to His Excellency the High Commissioner, this
Government received, to its great astonishment, in answer, a veiled
insinuation that from the side of the Republic (_van Republikeinsche
zyde_) an attack was being made on Her Majesty's Colonies and at the
same time a mysterious reference to possibilities whereby it was