at some of the people who were alleged to have
been illtreated declared, under oath, at a later period before a court
of investigation that they would never have made any complaint on their
own initiative. What happened, however?

"About a month after the occurrence the South African League came to
hear of it; some of its officials sent round to collect evidence from
the parties who were alleged to have been illtreated, and some sworn
declarations were obtained by the help of Her Majesty's Vice-Consul at
Johannesburg (between whom and this League a continual and conspicuous
co-operation has existed). Even then no charge was lodged against the
implicated officials with the judicial authorities of the country, but
the case was put in the hands of the Acting British Agent at Pretoria.

"When the allegations were brought under the notice of this Government,
they at once appointed a commission of enquiry, consisting of three
members, namely, Landdrost Van der Berg, of Johannesburg, Mr. Andries
Stockenstrom, barrister-at-law, of the Middle Temple, head of the
Criminal Section of the State Attorney's Department, and Mr. Van der
Merwe, Mining Commissioner, of Johannesburg; gentlemen against whose
ability and impartiality the Uitlander population of the Republic have
never harboured the slightest suspicion, and with whose appointment the
Acting British Agent also expressed his entire satisfaction. The
instructions given to those officials were to thoroughly investigate the
whole case, and to report the result to the Government; and they
fulfilled these instructions by sitting for days at a time, carefully
hearing and sifting the evidence of both sides. Every right-minded
person readily acknowledges that far greater weight ought to be attached
to the finding of this Commission than to the declarations of the
complainants, who contradicted one another in nearly every particular,
and who caused the whole enquiry to degenerate into a farce."

"According to the report, nothing was proved as to the so-called
illtreatment; the special instances of alleged illtreatment turned out
to be purely imaginary; but it was clearly proved and found that the
complainants had acted contrary to law, and the Commission only
expressed disapproval of the fact that the arrests and the investigation
had taken place at night, and without a proper warrant. It fills this
Government with all the greater regret to observe that Her Majesty's
Government bases