Burger, the representative of President Kruger, opened negotia tions with Kitchener. A meeting took place at Middelburg, Transvaal, on Feb. 28. These negotiations, however, broke down mainly over the treatment to be awarded to Cape rebels.
Kitchener now resolved upon chains of blockhouses like those protecting the railways. In April Plumer occupied Pietersburg, the last remaining seat of government open to the enemy. In July, Botha applied for permission to com municate with Kruger. This was allowed, but, Kruger advised a continuance of the struggle. In the meantime, the concentration camps were becoming filled to overflowing, and a steady stream of captures were reducing the Boer resistance.
In August a proclamation was promulgated formally threatening the Boer leaders who did not surrender with permanent banish ment from South Africa, but this proclamation had very little effect. Desultory fighting continued till the close of the year. Affairs again took an unsatisfactory turn in Cape Colony, and on Oct. 8 the whole colony was placed under martial law. The British began a succession of night marches and raids which practically blotted out the resistance in the eastern Transvaal. The year closed on a low note, however, as De Wet on Christmas Eve captured a large force of Yeomanry at Tweefontein.
In 1902 the blockhouse system was finished, But the enemy still had about 25,00o men in the field. The mobile columns, of which there were over 6o in the field, could be pushed out along whatever blockhouse line they touched. In January, Viljoen was captured in the Leydenburg district. Early in Febru ary Lord Kitchener commenced his first drive, and it was so suc cessful that it was evident that the key to the situation had been found. First the -Juntry east of the line Bloemfontein-Vereeniging was swept four times over, then the method was employed in the Transvaal, east and west, and finally against the Cape rebels. There were a few reverses, of which De la Rey's successful rush upon Paris's column and the capture of Lord Methuen were the most important, but when some initial mistakes in the composition of the driving lines, which robbed the earlier drives of part of their effect, were made good, the system worked like a machine.
The Boers were at last convinced of the futility of any attempt to prolong the struggle, and on March 23 the representatives of the Boer Governments came into Pretoria. Six weeks were spent in negotiation, and then a meeting of delegates, under the presi dency of Gen. Kemp, was held at Vereeniging.
As a result of this conference articles of peace were signed at Pretoria on May 31 their essential points were : (I) Surrender of all burghers in the field, with all arms and munitions of war; (2) all burghers duly declaring themselves subjects of King Edward VII. to be repatriated; (3) no burghers who should surrender to be deprived of either their liberty or property; (4) no proceedings to be taken against burghers for any legitimate acts of war during the period of hostilities; (5) the Dutch language to be taught in public schools on the request of parents, and to be allowed in courts of law; (6) sporting rifles to be allowed upon the taking out of licences ; (7) the military administration to be superseded by civil administration as soon as possible, the civil administration to lead up to self-government; (8) the question of the native franchise not to be considered until after the introduction of self-government ; (9) landed property not to be subjected to any special tax to defray the cost of the war; (I o) a commission to be formed to facilitate the repatria tion of the burghers, a grant of £3,000,000 being given as com pensation for the destruction of farms.
In the whole war the British lost 5,774 killed and 22,829 wounded, while the Boers lost about 4,00o killed. The number of Boer prisoners in the hands of the British at the end of the war was about 40,00o. (L. J. ; C. F. A.; X.)