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Show . TRANS VA A L TO FIGHT REPLY TO BRITISH NOTE A VIRTUAL VIR-TUAL DECLARATION OF WAR. ilritlflh IJemanCg, 1 m-I aJ in e Claim of Su-1 Su-1 zeralntjr, Itt-pud ia ted O ran BT Tree felate Milan With the Traiisianl. London, Sept, l'J. The reply of the Transvaal to Mr. Chamberlain's latest note practically repudiates suzerainty, reverts to the seven years' franchise, and declines to give equality to the Dutch and English languages in the Volksruad. In short, it is politely negative and defiant. All dispatches from South Africa talk of the imminence of hostilities and the preparations for them. In Johannesburg it seems to be taken for granted that the Orange Free State has approved President Krueger's note and promised active assistance in the event of war. Anotlicial telegram posted at Yolks-rust Yolks-rust says that the Transvaal, with the assent of the Orange Free State, repudiates repu-diates British suzerainty, and adheres to the seven years' franchise. At Capetown it is rumored that Mr. Ilofmeyer, the Afrikanker leader, sent a communication to President Steyn of the Orange Free State, entreating him to do his utmost to preserve peace, but that he received in answer the words, "Too late!" All military men agree that it is out of the question to begin hostile operations opera-tions before the middle of next month, no rain having fallen and the veldt being still bare. The Morning Post says: "The Boers mean to fight. That is the plain English Eng-lish of it." The Standard says: "The Transvaal note is unsatisfactory and, indeed, a dangerous composition. It would be going too far to say that the last hope of peace has vanished, or that diplomacy diploma-cy has said its final word, but it is idle to deny that the rulers of the Transvaal have brought their country very close to the brink of a disaster which the British government has done its best to avert." |