The High Commissioner has offered his services with a view to a peaceful settlement.  The Government of the South African Republic have accepted his offer.  Pending his arrival, no hostile step will be taken against Johannesburg provided Johannesburg takes no hostile step against the Government.  In terms of a certain proclamation recently issued by the State President the grievances will be earnestly considered.

It is impossible to give the exact wording of the minute because the original document was inadvertently destroyed and all applications to Government for a copy were met at first by evasions and finally by point-blank refusal.  The document was required as evidence in the trial of the Reform prisoners and every effort was made to secure an exact copy.  As a last resource the above version, as sworn to by a number of men who had seen the original document, was put in.  The Government were informed that if a true copy of the original resolution as recorded in the Minute Book of the Executive Council were not supplied for the purposes of evidence in the trial the prisoners would hand in the version given above.  No reply was received to this, and the State Attorney acting on behalf of the Government admitted the version here given in the statement put in by the prisoners.  It is clear therefore that if this version errs in any respect it cannot at all events be to the disadvantage of the Government or they would assuredly have objected to it and have produced the resolution itself.

On receipt of the above resolution the deputation inquired whether this offer of the Government’s was intended to include Dr. Jameson.  The Chief Justice replied that the Government declined to treat about him as he was a foreign invader and would have to be turned out of the country.  The deputation thereupon handed in the telegram from the Reform Committee, already quoted, offering their persons as security, and pointed out that this was the most earnest and substantial guarantee that it was possible to offer that the Committee had not invited Dr. Jameson and had no desire to destroy the independence of the State.  The Commission in reply stated that the proclamation of the High Commissioner was being forwarded to Dr. Jameson from various quarters, and that he would inevitably be stopped.  In reply to the statement by the deputation that they were not empowered to accept terms which did not explicitly include Dr. Jameson but would report to headquarters and reply later on, the Chief Justice stated that the Government required no answer to the resolution handed to them.  This was in fact their answer, and if the people of Johannesburg observed the conditions mentioned therein there would be no further trouble, but if they disregarded them they would be held responsible for whatever followed.  The deputation returned to Johannesburg fully convinced that the grievances would be redressed and a peaceful settlement arrived at through the mediation of the High Commissioner, and that Dr. Jameson would inevitably obey the latter’s proclamation and leave the country peacefully on ascertaining that there was no necessity for his intervention on behalf of the Uitlanders.