The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3951, 27 August 1881, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 1881.

Feom the reply of Mr liollesfcon last night iv the House to the challenge of Mr Hursthouse that an appeal should be at once made to the country, it appears plainly that the Government intend to pass the Redistribution of Seat 9 Bill this session. Of course the additional members given to the South by the bill will jscure for the present Ministry tlis s rafi-

tnde of the people so favored, and in a new Parliament seven additional votes are worth securing.

Me Gladstone has written a letter to the Chairman of the Committee of " The loyal inhabitants of the Transvaal," in which he states the views of bis Government and the reasons which led to, the adoption of the policy of negotiation with the rebellious Boers. The following ; is an extract from the letter :—"ln my' letter to Messrs Eruger and Joubert, I g^id Her Majesty's Government desired to confer on the white population of the Transvaal the fullest liberty to manage their local affairs. This object Her Majesty's Government hoped might have been attained by means of a South' African Confederation. Unfortunately, owiug to the disinclination of the Cape Parliament to proceed with the scheme, this hope was frustrated. Against the information then given us of the iutention formed by the Dutch settlers in Decem ber, 1879, we had at that time to set the official assurances which we received from South Africa. But the insurrection in the Transvaal proved in the most unequivocal manner that the large majority of the white settlers were strongly opposed to British rule, and were prepared to make the greatest sacrifices to recover their self-government. It was thus shown that the original ground upon which the Transvaal was annexed, namely, that the white settlers were prepared, if not to welcome, at all events to acquiesce in British rule, was entirely devoid of foundation, while no hope any longer remained of leading them by a prospect of confede. ration to an altered view. In these circumstances Her Majesty's Government have thought it their duty to avail themselves of the earliest inclinations, on the part of the Boers, of a disposition to a reasonable adjustment, in order to terminate a war which threatened the most disastrous consequences, not only to the Transvaal, but to the whole of South Africa. I must, however, observe that so great was the preponderance of Boer s who rose in arms against the Queen's authority, that the whole country, except the posts occupied by the British troops, fell at once practically into their hands. Again, the memorialists themselves only estimate the proportion of settlers, not Transvaal Boers, as one-seventh. Nearly, though not quite the whole, of the Boers have appeared to be united in sentiment; and Her Majesty's Government could not deem it their duty to set aside the will of so large a majority by the only possible means, namely, the permanent maintenance of a powerful military force in the country. Such a course would have been inconsistent alike with the spirit of the Treaty of 1852, with the grounds on which the annexation was sanctioned, and with the general interests of South Africa, which especially require that harmony should prevail between the white races. On the other hand, in the settlement which is now in progress, every care will be taken to secure to the settlers, of whatever origin, the full enjoyment of their property and of all civil rights ; and whilst Her Majesty's Government cannot recognise any general claim for compensation in respect of depreciation of property arising from the change of policy involved in the new arrangement, the question of compensa. tion to either side for acts committed during the late troubles not justified by the necessities of war has beeu remitted to the Commission."