udly expressed sympathy.

"The Government of the South African Republic has been asked to
institute an inquiry into these disgraceful proceedings, but the request
has been met with a flat refusal."

This accusation was answered in the following manner:--[48] "The
Amphitheatre occurrence is used by Her Majesty's Government to show how
incapable the police of the Witwatersrand are to fulfil their duties and
to preserve order. The League meeting was held at the so-called
Amphitheatre at Johannesburg, with the knowledge of the State Secretary
and State Attorney, and the accusation is that in spite of that fact the
uproar which arose at that meeting was not quelled by the police. The
following are the true facts:--Mr. Wybergh and another, both in the
service of the South African League, informed the State Secretary and
the State Attorney that they intended to call this meeting in the
Amphitheatre, and asked permission to do so. They were informed that no
permission from the authorities was necessary, and that as long as the
meeting did not give rise to irregularities or disturbances of the
peace, they would be acting entirely within their rights. Their
attention was then drawn to the fact that owing to the action and the
propaganda of the South African League, this body had become extremely
unpopular with a large section of the inhabitants of Johannesburg, and
that in all probability a disturbance of the peace would take place if a
sufficient body of the police were not present to preserve order. To
this these gentlemen answered that the police were in very bad odour
since the Edgar case, that the meeting would be a very quiet one, and
that the presence of the police would contribute or give rise to
disorder, and that they would on those grounds rather have no police at
all.

"The State Secretary and State Attorney thereupon communicated with the
head officials of the police at Johannesburg, with the result that the
latter also thought that it would be better not to have any considerable
number of police at the meeting. The Government accordingly, on the
advice of these officials of the League as well as their own police
officials, gave instructions that the police should remain away from
this meeting; they did this in perfect good faith, and with the object
of letting the League have its say without let or hindrance. The
proposed meeting was, however, advertised far and wide. As the feeling
amongst a section of the Witwa