things and to request her Majesty's Government to give it the assur

ance

(a) That all points of mutual difference shall be regulated by the friendly course of arbitration or by whatever amicable way may be agreed upon by this Government with her Majesty's Government.

(b) The troops on the borders of this Republic shall be instantly withdrawn.

(c) That all reinforcements of troops which have arrived in South Africa since June 1, 1899, shall be removed from South Africa within a reasonable time, to be agreed upon with this Government, and with a mutual assurance and guarantee on the part of this Government that no attack upon, or hostilities against, any portion of the possessions of the British Government shall be made by the Republic during further negotiations within a period of time to be subsequently agreed upon between the Governments, and this Government will, on compliance therewith, be prepared to withdraw the armed burghers of this Republic from the borders.

(d) That her Majesty's troops which are now on the high seas shall not be landed in any port of South Africa.

This Government must press for an immediate and affirmative answer to these four questions, and earnestly requests her Majesty's Government to return such an answer before or upon Wednesday, October 11, 1899, not later than 5 o'clock P.M., and it desires further to add that in the event of unexpectedly no satisfactory answer being received by it within that interval [it] will with great regret be compelled to regard the action of her Majesty's Government as a formal declaration of war, and will not hold itself responsible for the consequences thereof, and that in the event of any further movements of troops taking place within the above-mentioned time in the nearer directions of our borders this Government will be compelled to regard that also as a formal declaration of war.

I have, etc.,

(Signed) F. W. REITZ, State Secretary.

THE BRITISH REPLY.

Telegram. Mr. Chamberlain to High Commissioner Sir Alfred Milner. (Sent, 10-45 P.M., October 10, 1899.)

October 10. No. 8. Her Majesty's Government have received with great regret the peremptory demands of the Government of the South African Republic conveyed in your telegram of October 9, No. 3. You will inform the Government of the South African Republic, in reply, that the conditions demanded by the Government of the South African Republic are such as her Majesty's Government deem it impossible to discuss.

VENEZUELA ARBITRATION TREATY.

Whereas on the 2nd day of February, 1897, a treaty of arbitration was concluded between the United States of Venezuela and her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the terms following [here follows a copy of the treaty]; and whereas the said treaty was duly ratified, and the ratification was duly exchanged in Washington on the 14th day of June, 1897, in conformity with the said treaty. And whereas since the date of the said treaty, and before the arbitration thereby contemplated had been entered upon, the said Right Honourable Baron Herschell departed this life. And whereas the Right Honourable Charles Baron Russell of Killowen, Lord Chief Justice of England, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, has, conformably to the terms of the said treaty, been duly nominated by the members of the Judicial Committee of her Majesty's Privy Council to act under the said treaty in the place and stead of the said late Baron Herschell. And whereas the said four arbitrators—namely, the said Right Honourable Lord Russell of Killowen, Sir Richard Henn Collins, the Honourable Melville Weston Fuller, and the Honourable David Josiah Brewer-have, conformably to the terms of the said treaty, selected his Excellency Frederic de Martens, Privy Councillor, permanent member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia, LL.D. of the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, to be the fifth arbitrator. And whereas the said arbitrators have duly entered upon the said arbitration, and have duly heard and considered the oral and written arguments of the counsel representing respectively the United States of Venezuela and her Majesty the Queen, and have impartially and carefully examined the questions laid before them, and have investigated and ascertained the extent of the territories belonging to, or that might lawfully be claimed by, the United Netherlands or by the Kingdom of Spain respectively at the time of the acquisition by Great Britain of the colony of British Guiana.

Now we, the undersigned arbitrators, do hereby make and publish our decision, determination and award of, upon and concerning the questions submitted to us by the said treaty of arbitration, and do hereby, conformably to the said treaty of arbitration, finally decide, award and determine that the boundary line between the colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela is as follows:

Starting from the coast at Point Playa, the line of boundary shall run in a straight line to the river Barima at its junction with the river Muruma, and thence along the mid stream of the latter river to its source, and from that point to the junction of the river Haiowa with the Amakuru, and thence along the mid stream of the Amakuru to its source in the Imataka Ridge, and thence in a south-westerly direction along the highest ridge of the spur of the Imataka Mountains opposite to the source of the Barima, and thence along the summit of the main ridge of the Imataka Mountains in a south-easterly direction to the source of the Acarabisi, and thence along the mid stream of the Acarabisi to the Cuyuni, and thence along the northern bank of the river Cuyuni

westward to its junction with the Wenamu, and thence following the mid stream of the Wenamu to its westernmost source, and thence in a direct line to the summit of Mount Roraima, and from Mount Roraima to the source of the Cotinga and along the mid stream of that river to its junction with the Takutu, and thence along the mid stream of the Takutu to its source, thence in a straight line to the westernmost point of the Akarai Mountains, and thence along the ridge of the Akarai Mountains to the source of the Corentin, called the Cutari River.

Provided always that the line of delimitation fixed by this award shall be subject and without prejudice to any questions now existing or which may arise to be determined between the Government of her Britannic Majesty and the Republic of Brazil, or between the latter Republic and the United States of Venezuela.

In fixing the above delimitation the arbitrators consider and decide that in times of peace the rivers Amakuru and Barima shall be open to navigation by the merchant ships of all nations, subject to all just regulations and to the payment of light or other like dues. Provided that the dues charged by the Republic of Venezuela and the Government of the colony of British Guiana in respect of the passage of vessels along the portions of such rivers respectively owned by them shall be charged at the same rates upon the vessels of Venezuela and Great Britain, such rates being no higher than those charged to any other nation, provided also that no Customs duties shall be chargeable either by the Republic of Venezuela or by the Colony of British Guiana in respect of goods carried on board ships, vessels or boats passing along the said rivers, but Customs duties shall only be chargeable in respect of goods landed in the territory of Venezuela or Great Britain respectively.

Executed and published in duplicate by us in Paris this 3rd day of October, A.D. 1899.

F. DE MARTENS.

RUSSELL OF KILLOWEN.

R. HENN COLLINS.

MELVILLE WESTON FULLER.

DAVID J. BREWER.

INDEX.

The figures between [ ] refer to PART I.