understood that the delegates of Her Majesty’s Government would be free to make any suggestions calculated to improve measures in question and secure their attaining the end desired.  Personally I wish to add the expression of my earnest hope that Government of South African Republic may accept this proposal, and that we may proceed to discuss the composition of the proposed Commission, method of procedure, and place of meeting, at once.  Government of South African Republic will, I feel sure, agree with me that, if proposal of Her Majesty’s Government is accepted, the inquiry should be held as soon as possible.

ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

F.W.  Reitz to British Agent.

19th August.

Sir, With reference to your proposal for a joint enquiry in your dispatches of the 2nd and 3rd August, Government of South African Republic have the honour to suggest the following alternative proposal for consideration of Her Majesty’s Government, which this Government trusts may lead to a final settlement:  (1) The Government are willing to recommend to the Volksraad and the people a 5 years’ retrospective franchise, as proposed by His Excellency the High Commissioner on the 1st June, 1899. (2) The Government are further willing to recommend to the Volksraad that 8 new seats in the First Volksraad, and, if necessary, also in the Second Volksraad, be given to the population of the Witwatersrand, thus with the 2 sitting members for the Goldfields, giving to the population thereof 10 representatives in a Raad of 36, and in future the representation of the Goldfields of this Republic shall not fall below the proportion of one-fourth of the total. (3) The new burghers shall equally with the old burghers be entitled to vote at the election for State President and Commandant-General. (4) This Government will always be prepared to take into consideration such friendly suggestions regarding the details of the Franchise Law as Her Majesty’s Government, through the British Agent, may wish to convey to it. (5) In putting forward the above proposals Government of South African Republic assumes:  (a) That Her Majesty’s Government will agree that the present intervention shall not form a precedent for future similar action and that in the future no interference in the internal affairs of the Republic will take place. (b) That Her Majesty’s Government will not further insist on the assertion of the suzerainty, the controversy on the subject being allowed tacitly to drop. (c) That arbitration (from which foreign element other than Orange Free State is to be excluded) will be conceded as soon as the franchise scheme has become law. (6) Immediately on Her Majesty’s Government accepting this proposal for a settlement, the Government will ask the Volksraad to adjourn for the purpose of consulting the people about it, and the whole scheme might become law say