FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258  
259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   >>   >|  
osperity, and public freedom throughout South Africa." In supporting this resolution, Sir James Rose Innes said: [Footnote 210: A suburb of Capetown.] "This question of permanent peace is the key-stone of the whole matter, because, I take it, we none of us want to see another war of this kind. We do not want to see the misery and the suffering and the loss which a war of this kind entails. We do not want to see our sandy plains drenched with the best blood of England again, fighting against white men in this country. We do not want to see the flower of colonial manhood shot down on the plains of the Orange Free State and the Karroo, and neither do we want to see brave men, born in South Africa, dying in heaps, dying for what we know is a hopeless ideal. Therefore we say, 'In Heaven's name give us peace! Have a settlement, but make no settlement which shall not be calculated, as far as human foresight can provide, to secure a permanent peace.'" These were strong words, and their significance was heightened by the well-known independence of Sir James Innes's political outlook. [Sidenote: Lord Milner at Bloemfontein.] A fortnight later Lord Milner declared his mind on the same question. Both the occasion and the speech are of special interest. The High Commissioner had just returned from a fortnight at the front. On March 19th he left Capetown in company with Sir Richard Solomon for the north-eastern districts of the Colony, which, having rebelled in November, had just been reduced to order by General Brabant and the "Colonial Division," when the Free State invaders had been drawn off by Lord Roberts's advance. After a week in the Colony, Lord Milner travelled on by rail to Bloemfontein, which he reached on the 27th. It was a stimulating and suggestive moment. He was now the guest of the British Commander-in-Chief at the Presidency, where, just ten months ago, as the guest of President Steyn, he had met Paul Krueger for the first time. The little Free State capital, then wrapped in its accustomed quietude, was now filled with the tumultuous presence of a great army. But, complete as was the revolution accomplished by Lord Roberts's advance, there were signs that the Boer was dying hard, even if he were not coming to life again. On the 30th a disquieting engagement was fought at Karree Siding, and on the 31st de Wet dealt his second shrewd
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258  
259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Milner
 

plains

 

Roberts

 

advance

 

Africa

 

settlement

 
permanent
 
Capetown
 

question

 
fortnight

Bloemfontein

 

Colony

 
districts
 

suggestive

 

reached

 

stimulating

 

travelled

 

Richard

 
moment
 
reduced

rebelled

 

November

 
company
 
General
 

Solomon

 

invaders

 

Division

 
eastern
 

Brabant

 

Colonial


Krueger

 

coming

 

complete

 

revolution

 
accomplished
 

shrewd

 
Siding
 

disquieting

 
engagement
 

fought


Karree

 

President

 

months

 
Commander
 

British

 

Presidency

 

quietude

 

accustomed

 

filled

 
tumultuous