I cannot help wondering at Dr.Clark boasting on the 27th of September that owing to his endeavours Mr.
Stead's pamphlet was widely circulated, though, according to his words, "Mr.Stead had to the last moment been our enemy." The fact is that Mr.
Stead had met Dr.Leyds (he went on meeting him during the war), and had been persuaded to drop Cecil Rhodes and Jameson in spite of his former praise of them.

The publicity given to these letters does evidently not give weight to the opinion of the writers or Mr.Stead either; the interest of the Blue Book on "Correspondence relating to the recent Political Situation in South Africa" does not lie that way, but it lies in the opinion and advice of an Afrikander--to be found in Sir H.de Villiers' letters--he being the Speaker of the House in Cape Colony, Chief Justice, and one of the leaders of the Afrikander party.

Sir Henry de Villiers has been often taken to task for being a partisan of the Boers, he cannot, therefore, be suspected of biassed ideas in favour of Great Britain.

Some extracts of the letters he wrote to President Steyn on the 21st of May to Mr.Fischer and to his brother Mr.Melius de Villiers on the 31st of July, then on the 28th September, twelve days before the ultimatum was sent by Mr.Krueger, show to what extent he appreciated the latter's policy.

His opinion carries all the more weight as he was one of the delegates to negotiate the 1881 Convention.
On the 21st of May, he says: "I am quite certain that if in 1881 it had been known to my fellow Commissioners that the President would adopt his retrogressive policy, neither President Brand nor I would ever have induced them to consent to sign the Convention.