ceipts, and we thought that a receipt was as good and lawful as the
notes. And therefore these matters have the same importance for me.

General BOTHA: I don't think that we should be so technical,
especially not in your case, because our being together here is with
the object of causing hostilities which involve great expenditure of
money every month, to cease, and our meeting can have the result of
speedily putting an end to these costs. And therefore, by accepting
our proposal and paying the receipts, you will greatly reduce your
expenses. It will be much cheaper to terminate the war by co-operation
than to let the negotiations be broken off; and therefore I think that
we must accede to points which stand in the way.

Chief Commandant DE WET: I can give His Excellency Lord Milner the
assurance that the idea always lived with the people that, even if
everything was lost, they would still, after the war, receive the
money in payment of the receipts. And therefore if this is not
conceded I cannot conceive what the result will be. I fear that
result, and hope that you will try to obviate it.

General BOTHA: It cannot be a particularly large amount; but we do not
know how much it is.

Chief Commandant DE WET: You can well imagine that our expenditure was
as a drop in a bucket compared with yours. And if I am not mistaken,
the Orange Free State had three-quarters of a million pounds when we
commenced the war; and the expenditure by means of receipts began
after that amount was exhausted. Your Excellencies must therefore
admit that these receipts impose upon us the same obligation towards
creditors as any other debt would have done.

General BOTHA: You have already many of our notes in your possession.
In one place, for instance, 50,000 were hidden and found by you.

General SMUTS: I have already privately used the argument with Lord
Milner that what we are now contending for has in principle already
been conceded by Lord Kitchener. In the Middelburg proposals the
payment of the Government notes was refused, but it was laid down that
receipts to the value of L1,000,000 would be paid out, and if this
should now be withdrawn it would certainly be a deviation from the
Middelburg proposals. The payment of notes is something lawful, and
stands on another footing; and I cannot understand how the payment
thereof could have been refused in the Middelburg proposals, and
therefore an agreement to pay them now is reasonable. But