this appeal.

CHARLES LEONARD.
LIONEL PHILLIPS.
FRANCIS RHODES.
JOHN HAYS HAMMOND.
GEORGE FARRAR.

The letter was drafted by Mr. Charles Leonard, and was signed then by
four out of the five signatories, the fifth signature being added
some weeks later in Cape Town. It was not dated, and was to be used
only privately and in case of necessity for the purpose of excusing
Dr. Jameson to the directors of the Chartered Company and the
Imperial authorities in the course which it was intended to take.

Various plans were discussed, and even dates were provisionally
arranged. The first arrangement agreed to was that Dr. Jameson should
start two days before the intended outbreak in Johannesburg. This
was agreed to for the time being, but subsequent discussion convinced
the leaders that there were the gravest objections to such a course,
and it was therefore decided that Dr. Jameson should be notified
to start from his camp on the same night as the outbreak in
Johannesburg. The dates of December 28 and January 4 were in turn
provisionally decided upon, but the primary condition of these
arrangements was that under no circumstances should Dr. Jameson move
without receiving the word from the Johannesburg party.

With reference to the question of going out to meet Dr. Jameson or
giving him assistance, the only thing that was discussed was that an
officers' patrol should be sent out to meet him, to escort him to his
camp. There was no doubt entertained as to the ability of Dr. Jameson
and the force which it was believed he would command to come in
without assistance or the arrangement would never have been made. The
idea of the association with him was, of course, that he should
assist the Reformers--not they assist him; and the proposal regarding
the officers' patrol was one to which he only consented after
scouting the notion of any co-operation.

During the weeks which followed the conclusion of the arrangement
considerable dissatisfaction was felt at the very slow progress made
in obtaining arms. The number originally agreed to was deemed to be
sufficient but no more; and when it was first found that it would not
be possible to obtain this number but that a few hundreds less would
have to be accepted, doubts were freely expressed as to the wisdom of
proceeding until a sufficient supply had been obtained. When on two
subsequent occasions it was again notified that still a few hundred
less would have to be accepte