England Was Ready Less Obtrusively But No Less
Heartily To Refer The Quarrel To The Same Dread Judge.
On October 2nd President Steyn informed Sir Alfred Milner that he
had deemed it necessary to call out the Free State burghers - that
is, to mobilise his forces.
Sir A. Milner wrote regretting these
preparations, and declaring that he did not yet despair of peace,
for he was sure that any reasonable proposal would be favourably
considered by her Majesty's Government. Steyn's reply was that
there was no use in negotiating unless the stream of British
reinforcements ceased coming into South Africa. As our forces were
still in a great minority, it was impossible to stop the
reinforcements, so the correspondence led to nothing. On October
7th the army reserves for the First Army Corps were called out in
Great Britain and other signs shown that it had been determined to
send a considerable force to South Africa. Parliament was also
summoned that the formal national assent might be gained for those
grave measures which were evidently pending.
It was on October 9th that the somewhat leisurely proceedings of
the British Colonial Office were brought to a head by the arrival
of an unexpected and audacious ultimatum from the Boer Government.
In contests of wit, as of arms, it must be confessed that the laugh
has been usually upon the side of our simple and pastoral South
African neighbours. The present instance was no exception to the
rule. While our Government was cautiously and patiently leading up
to an ultimatum, our opponent suddenly played the very card which
we were preparing to lay upon the table.
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