§ SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETT (Sheffield, Ecclesall)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has received the telegraphic abstract of President Kruger' s reply to his Dispatches?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTON (Tower Hamlets, Poplar)I understand the Secretary of State has now received President Kruger's reply. I should like, therefore, to ask him whether he is in a position to state what course he proposes to take in regard to it?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINHer Majesty's Government received on Saturday by telegraph the substance of President Kruger's reply to their invitation. It is rather lengthy, and its full effect cannot be fairly appreciated without reference to the Dispatch in extenso and to the correspondence which preceded it. The most important point is that the President says:—
Referring to your request for a definite reply to the invitation, he feels confident you will recognise and appreciate the difficulty of his position, and it appears to him to be the wiser course not to press the question of his proceeding to England any further at present, but to leave it an open matter, more especially in view of the approaching Session of Volksraad of South African Republic in May. The desirability of his presence, at least for a portion of the Session, at Pretoria, when important measures will have to be considered by the Legislature, is apparent, and it is his confident hope that by patience and tact on both sides the peaceful and satisfactory solution of matters will be attained.In reply to the supplementary Question of the hon. Gentleman opposite I have to say that under these circumstances Her Majesty's Government have for the present reluctantly withdrawn their invitation to the President to come to England—[some Opposition laughter]—and they have telegraphed to Sir H. Robinson their wish that as soon as Sir Graham Bower has returned, and if the then state of affairs in Matabeleland permits, he should pay a short visit to 1731 this country to confer with Her Majesty's Government and receive the instructions which will be necessary for his guidance in the further negotiations which may be decided upon. The whole of the correspondence is being prepared for publication, and I expect to be able to lay it upon the Table in the course of the present week, and I hope it will be in the hands of Members in ample time for a discussion on Friday week, if it should be desired to Debate the subject.
§ SIR E. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked, whether the reply of President Kruger contained any suggestion to the Uitlanders' grievances?
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINI really think that the hon. Member had better wait until the whole of the correspondence is laid upon the Table. ["Hear, hear!"]