Majesty's Government.
Our Government has also, by the wording of the already existing
Voting Law, and the decision concerning the representation, always
kept this friendly consultation in view.

On the side of Her Majesty's Government, however, the friendly
manner of these consultations has made way for a more threatening
tone; and the minds of the people of this Republic, and of the
whole population of South Africa, have been brought into a state of
apprehension; and a state of unusual tension has been created by
the action of Her Majesty's Government, in no longer abiding by the
laws concerning the voting right, and the decision concerning the
representation of this Republic; and lastly, as is expressed in
your letter of the 25th of September, 1899, in breaking off all
friendly communication, giving us to understand that Her Majesty's
Government were about to formulate their own proposals for final
arrangement. Our Government can see in the before-mentioned
notification nothing less than a new violation of the Convention of
1884, which does not reserve to Her Majesty's Government the right
of a one-sided adjustment of a question which belongs exclusively
to the inner policy of our Government, and has been already settled
by them.

On the grounds of the tension, the considerable loss arising
therefrom, and the interruption of business in general, which is
caused by the correspondence on the Franchise and the
representation of this Republic, Her Majesty's Government has not
long ago insisted on a speedy adjustment, and finally, through your
intervention, insisted on an answer--within forty-eight
hours--(later on somewhat amended)--to your Memorandum of the 12th
of September, which was answered by the Memorandum of our
Government of the 15th of September, and by the Memorandum of the
25th of September, 1899; on which other friendly negotiations were
interrupted, and our Government received notice that the proposal
for final arrangement would be made within a short time; but
although these promises were repeated, no such proposal has as yet
reached our Government. When the friendly correspondence was still
going on, a great increase of troops was made by Her Majesty's
Government, which troops were drawn up in the neighbourhood of the
fro