What we have to consider is, What will be the condition of things here in the event of a conflict?  Thousands of unarmed men, women and children of our race will be at the mercy of well-armed Boers, while property of enormous value will be in the greatest peril.  We cannot contemplate the future without the gravest apprehensions.  All feel that we are justified in taking any steps to prevent the shedding of blood, and to insure the protection of our rights.

It is under these circumstances that we feel constrained to call upon you to come to our aid,{20} should a disturbance arise here.  The circumstances are so extreme that we cannot but believe that you and the men under you will not fail to come to the rescue of people who will be so situated.  We guarantee any expense that may reasonably be incurred by you in helping us, and ask you to believe that nothing but the sternest necessity has prompted this appeal.

  CHARLES LEONARD. 
  LIONEL PHILLIPS. 
  FRANCIS RHODES. 
  JOHN HAYS HAMMOND. 
  GEORGE FARRAR.

The letter was drafted by Mr. Charles Leonard, and was signed then by four out of the five signatories, the fifth signature being added some weeks later in Cape Town.  It was not dated, and was to be used only privately and in case of necessity for the purpose of excusing Dr. Jameson to the directors of the Chartered Company and the Imperial authorities in the course which it was intended to take.

Various plans were discussed, and even dates were provisionally arranged.  The first arrangement agreed to was that Dr. Jameson should start two days before the intended outbreak in Johannesburg.  This was agreed to for the time being, but subsequent discussion convinced the leaders that there were the gravest objections to such a course, and it was therefore decided that Dr. Jameson should be notified to start from his camp on the same night as the outbreak in Johannesburg.  The dates of December 28 and January 4 were in turn provisionally decided upon, but the primary condition of these arrangements was that under no circumstances should Dr. Jameson move without receiving the word from the Johannesburg party.

With reference to the question of going out to meet Dr. Jameson or giving him assistance, the only thing that was discussed was that an officers’ patrol should be sent out to meet him, to escort him to his camp.  There was no doubt entertained as to the ability of Dr. Jameson and the force which it was believed he would command to come in without assistance or the arrangement would never have been made.  The idea of the association with him was, of course, that he should assist the Reformers—­not they assist him; and the proposal regarding the officers’ patrol was one to which he only consented after scouting the notion of any co-operation.