n must be put down; but the
Major-General trusts that officers and men will not allow the
soldierly spirit which prompts to gallant action to degenerate into
a feeling of revenge. The task now forced on us by the unprovoked
action of the Boers is a painful one under any circumstances, and
the General calls on all ranks to assist him in his endeavours to
mitigate the suffering it must entail. We must be careful to avoid
punishing the innocent for the guilty, and must remember, that
though misled and deluded, the Boers are in the main a brave and
high-spirited people, and actuated by feelings that are entitled to
our respect. In the operations now about to be undertaken, the
General confidently trusts that the good behaviour of the men will
give him as much cause for pride and satisfaction as their conduct
and gallantry before the enemy, and that the result of their efforts
will be a speedy and successful termination to the war."
The proclamation had a good effect, particularly among the Dutch,
who, though loyal to the Crown, were much in sympathy with their
kinsmen in the Transvaal. On the 23rd of January 1881, General
Colley sent an ultimatum ordering the insurgents to disperse. Of
this no notice was taken until General Joubert, from Laing's Nek on
January the 29th, sent the following reply:----

"_To_ SIR GEORGE P. COLLEY.

"We beg to acknowledge receipt of yours of the 23rd. In reply, we
beg to state that, in terms of the letter, we are unable to comply
with your request, as long as your Excellency addresses us as
insurgents, and insinuates that we, the leaders, are wickedly
misleading a lot of ignorant men. It is nearly hopeless for us to
attempt to find the proper words for reply; but before the Lord we
would not be justified if we did not avail ourselves of this,
perhaps the last, opportunity of speaking to you as the
representative of her Majesty the Queen and people of England, for
whom we feel deep respect. We must emphatically repeat, we are
willing to comply with any wishes of the Imperial Government
tending to the consolidation and confederation of South Africa;
and, in order to make this offer from our side as clear and
unequivocal as possible,--although we have explained this point
fully in all our documents, and especially in paragraphs 36 to 38
of our first proclamation,--we declare that we would be sat