pay for the damage done during the war. "By all means let
us pay," said Mr. De Clercq. "If I could only buy back the independence
of the Orange Free State, I would gladly give all I possess."

Several other Transvaal delegates expressed themselves in the same
sense, and said that they fully appreciated the sacrifices which the
Orange Free State had made. General Froneman thanked them in the name of
the Free State.

He felt that the two Republics no longer thought of themselves as having
conflicting interests. In the fire of this war they had been firmly
welded together.

Commandant Ross (Vrede) thought it wrong even to discuss the possibility
of giving up independence. The delegates had received a definite
mandate. They had been commissioned to see that the national
independence had remained untouched, whatever else might have to be
given up. This being the case, they might come to decisions on all other
points, so long as they remembered that independence was not an open
question.

Commandant J. Van Niekerk (Ficksburg) spoke to the same purpose. He
could not even think of sacrificing independence.

After some other delegates had made a few short remarks, General Brand,
seconded by Commandant A.J. De Kock, proposed the following resolution,
which was accepted by the meeting:

"This meeting of the national representatives of the two Republics
hereby charge the Governments to nominate a Commission for the
purpose of entering upon negotiations with His Excellency Lord
Kitchener, acting on behalf of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
The Commission is to endeavour to make peace on satisfactory terms,
and is then to lay the result of its negotiations before this
meeting, for the sanction of the two Governments."

The meeting was then closed with prayer.

Appendix B

THE CONFERENCE AT PRETORIA BETWEEN THE COMMISSION OF THE NATIONAL
REPRESENTATIVES AND LORDS KITCHENER AND MILNER (MAY 19TH-MAY 28TH,
1902)

Minutes of the Conference held at Pretoria on May 19th, 1902, between
Lord Kitchener and Lord Milner, representatives of the British
Government, and Commandant-General L. Botha, Commander-in-Chief C.R. de
Wet, General J.H. De la Rey, Judge J.B.M. Hertzog, and General J.C.
Smuts, delegates of the national representatives, who had met at
Vereeniging on May 15th, 1902.

Mr. N.J. de Wet acted as interpreter; Mr. O. Walrond was secretary for
the English Government; and th