by General De la Rey in the west of the Transvaal, and yet another by
General Botha at Itala, all in the month of September.

President Steyn sent Lord Kitchener a long letter, in which he showed
most clearly what the causes of the war had been, and what was the
condition of matters at that time. The letter was as follows:--

IN THE VELDT, _August 15th_, 1901.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY, LORD KITCHENER, ETC.

EXCELLENCY,--

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's
letter, dated Aug. 7th, 1901, enclosing your Excellency's
Proclamation of the same date.

The conciliatory tone of your Excellency's letter encourages me to
speak freely, and to answer it at some length. I have noticed that
not only your Excellency in your letter asserts, but that also
responsible statesmen in your country assert, that the declaration
of war from the South African Republic, and the inroad on the
British territory, had been the cause of the war. I hardly believe
it necessary to remind your Excellency that, in 1895, when the
South African Republic was unarmed and peaceful, and had no thought
but that their neighbours were civilized nations, an unexpected
attack was made on them from the British territory. I do not
consider it necessary to point out to your Excellency that the mad
enterprise--for surely the instigators of it could not have been
sane--miscarried, and the whole body of invaders fell into the