and cutting off communications of troops and supplies. Nearly all
the Orange Free State farmers in the Klip River division, who stay
in the colony usually till October at least, have trekked, at great
loss to themselves; their sheep are lambing on the road, and the
lambs die or are destroyed. Two at least of the Entonjanani
district farmers have trekked with all their belongings into the
Transvaal, in the first case attempting to take as hostages the
children of the natives on the farm. Reliable reports have been
received of attempts to tamper with loyal natives, and to set tribe
against tribe in order to create confusion and detail the defensive
forces of the colony. Both food and warlike stores in large
quantities have been accumulated at Volksrust, Vryheid and
Standerton. Persons who are believed to be spies have been seen
examining the bridges on the Natal Railway, and it is known that
there are spies in all the principal centres of the colony. In the
opinion of Ministers, such a catastrophe as the seizure of Laing's
Nek and the destruction of the northern portion of the railway, or
a successful raid or invasion such as they have reason to believe
is contemplated, would produce a most demoralising effect on the
natives and on the loyal Europeans in the colony, and would afford
great encouragement to the Boers and to their sympathisers in the
colonies, who, although armed and prepared, will probably keep
quiet unless they receive some encouragement of the sort. They
concur in the policy of her Majesty's Government of exhausting all
peaceful means to obtain redress of the grievances of the
Uitlanders and authoritatively assert the supremacy of Great
Britain before resorting to war; but they state that this is a
question of defensive precaution, not of making war.'

In answer to these and other remonstrances the garrison of Natal