The latest South African Blue-book, besides Mr. Chamber. lain's final
despatch, contains some very striking papers in regard to the Nicholls case, which should be read carefully by those who think that the Boer Government is one of the bulwarks of freedom which ought to be preserved at all costs. It appears that after the Boer Executive had arrested Mr. Nicholls and a number of bogus conspirators and detectives on a charge of conspiracy, involving the British Government, and based on perjured affidavits, the State Attorney informed our Agent at Pretoria that he should make as little of the case as possible, so as to prevent insinuations as to the British Government being bandied about in a Court of Law. To this rather thin device of the tenth-rate solicitor Sir Alfred Milner most properly and most promptly replied that instead of being obliged for any hushing-up proceedings, he insisted on the fullest publicity, and so the clearing up of the whole matter. In the end the proceedings were dropped.
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