The British Government, far from desiring fresh conquests, is drawn on by its colonists.  France colonises by sending an army, to be followed by officials; then the government, the press, and committees of all sorts, beg and pray refractory home lovers to go forth and settle in the conquered territory.  Englishmen go out to Australia, Borneo, Johannesburg; and the British Government has to follow them.  It is not English trade which follows the flag, it is the flag which follows the trade.  The present crisis was not brought about by the zeal of British statesmen, but by their weakness in 1881 and 1884; and by the habit which they have allowed the Government of Pretoria of violating conventions with impunity.  To such a degree were these violations carried on with regard to the Uitlanders (chiefly English) who, relying on the guarantee of the Transvaal Government, had settled and invested millions of capital in the country, that, dreading for their lives after the murder of Edgar, they presented the petition of March 28th, 1899, to the British Government.  No government in the world, approached in such a manner, could have refused to move; and where European governments have gone wrong is that, instead of supporting the action of Great Britain, they let President Krueger believe that they would intervene against her, to the prejudice even of their own countrymen.

It may be mentioned that British Uitlanders only appealed to their own government, after having, conjointly with Uitlanders of other nationalities, addressed various petitions, since 1894, to the Pretoria Government which petitions were received with contempt, President Krueger replying:  “Protest! protest as much as you like!  I have arms, and you have none!”

[Footnote 24:  Le Siecle, April 14th, 1900.]

2.—­The Moral Worth of the Boers.

Dr. Kuyper affirms that “with regard to moral worth the Boers do not fall short of any European nation.”  I have not wished to digress from my argument by entering upon known cases of corruption concerning the Volksraad in general, and Mr. Krueger in particular, but we have seen their methods of legislation, of administering justice, and of keeping their pledged word; let that suffice.

Dr. Kuyper collects all the calumnies against British soldiers, but he dare not aver that the Boers have not been guilty of the abuse of the white flag, and of the Red Cross.  At the beginning of April, Lieutenant Williams, trusting in the good faith of a party of Boers, who hoisted the white flag, was shot dead by them.

Dr. Kuyper says “all the despatches have been garbled, defeats turned into victories.”  It is not of Dr. Leyds he is speaking, but of the English.  He declares (February 1st) that “the best English regiments are already disintegrated,” that “the immensity of the cost will frighten the English shopkeepers,” that “the ministerial majority will likely soon be dissipated.”