It is said that she is perfectly serene and happy in the belief that she has enough influence in the Senate to prevent the bill from being passed.

* * * * *

The Committee of Inquiry into the Transvaal Raid has finished its work.

In the course of the inquiry certain cablegrams were mentioned, which had been sent by Cecil Rhodes to some persons in England.

In courts of law you cannot quote from a book, letter, or telegram, unless you produce the actual paper you quote from, and thus prove to the satisfaction of the court that the book, letter, or telegram really exists.

When reference was made to these telegrams, the Committee asked to see them, but they were not forthcoming.  Every one supposed that an order would be issued for the production of these messages, but, strange to say, no such order was given.

People began to be suspicious, and it was whispered that these messages contained information that the Committee dared not make public.

At first, the worst that people suspected was that they would show that Mr. Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary, had known all about the preparations for the Jameson Raid, and that he and Mr. Cecil Rhodes had planned to seize the Transvaal, with its rich gold-fields, and annex it to the English Colonies in South Africa.

Had this been the truth, it would have been bad enough.  Mr. Chamberlain was one of the Queen’s Ministers, bound to obey the laws and uphold them.  That he should have been aware that an attempt was to be made to steal the country of a friendly power, without making an effort to prevent it, would have been disgraceful enough.

Unfortunately, it appears that the blame falls on a personage in much higher position than Mr. Chamberlain.

It is said that no less a person than the Prince of Wales is named in these cablegrams as one of the men who knew all about the preparations for the Raid, and was perfectly willing that they should be carried out.  Several other men in high positions in England were also in the plot to seize the Transvaal. (For the story of the plot, see THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, pages 513 and 667.)

The cablegrams were at one time in the possession of Mr. Chamberlain, having been given him by Mr. Cecil Rhodes, in the hope that the names of the men interested in the plot would make him use his influence to prevent any inquiry being made into the Raid.

London is shocked and indignant at these rumors, and insists that the cablegrams shall be produced and the truth known about the Prince of Wales’ connection with the matter.

The Committee of Inquiry has, however, decided not to press the demand for the messages, and so the whole affair will be hushed up as far as possible.

Mr. Chamberlain was called before the Committee, and said, in regard to the cablegrams, that he had personally not the slightest objection to their being produced, but that they were unfortunately no longer in his possession.  As far as he knew they were now in the keeping of the lawyer for the British South African Company.