President Burger, the Chairman of the Meeting of Representatives of
the People at Vereeniging (General C. F. Beyers), Generals Botha and
Smuts for the South African Republic, and Generals de Wet and Hertzog
for the Orange Free State, with the result that they all found our
record to be a true and correct account of the Peace Negotiations.

So this book sees the light with their _imprimatur_, and we therefore
publish it with the greatest confidence.

The Reader's attention is drawn to the following particulars:--

In respect of the speeches made by the members of the Republican
Governments at Klerksdorp, and the speeches delivered later at
Vereeniging by them and by the Delegates from the various
Commandos, the reports are almost _verbatim_. The addresses of
the Presidents and principal Generals especially were transcribed
from the stenographic notes of D. E. van Velden, and revised by
J. D. Kestell.

This completeness does not extend to what is published of the
_First_ Conference between the two Republican Governments and
Lord Kitchener and Lord Milner, because no Secretaries were
admitted to that Conference. Lord Kitchener had expressed the
desire that no official notes should be taken, as the parties
would first confer informally. What was discussed, however, has
not been lost, for an account of what took place at this
Conference was taken down by J. D. Kestell from the dictation of
General Hertzog immediately after the conference was over, and
revised by President Steyn and Mr. W. J. C. Brebner (Acting
Government Secretary, Orange Free State), and appears in this
book.

With reference to the _Second_ Conference, however, we were
present, and what is given is a _verbatim_ account of the
discussion.

Of some official documents in our possession, reproductions or
facsimiles are given in the hope that the reader will find them of
interest.

J. D. K.
D. E. v. V.

_Pretoria,
October, 1908._

INTRODUCTION

DEAR READER,

In connection with the publication, by the Rev. J. D. Kestell and Mr.
D. E. van Velden, of the official minutes of the Peace Negotiations
(together with the official correspondence relating thereto) between
the British Government and the Governments of the Orange Free State
and the South