On Wednesday the Boer generals issued an appeal to the
civilised world which must, we fear, be described as thoroughly bad in tone, when coming from men who have taken the oath of allegiance, and who have declared it their intention as honourable men to be for the future loyal citizens of the British Empire. But apart from this matter, which we do not care to dwell on further, partly because we are willing to make as much allowance as possible for the malign influences to which the Boer generals are exposed on the Continent, and partly also because General Botha's letter to Mr. Phipps enables us to put a better construction on the appeal than that conveyed by the document as it stands alone, the appeal will, we fear, prove a very great disappoint- ment to the Boers It shows that they are still under the impression that the Continental sympathy for their cause was real, and free from all disingenuous elements. In their manifesto the Boer generals assert that since they have not been able to obtain from the British Government "the further assistance" which they declare is needed by their people, they appeal to the peoples of Europe and America for help. After reciting the miseries of their people, the ruin of their homes, and the need for money to educate their children, the appeal proceeds to declare that the desire of the generals is " to acquaint the world with their great need, and in no wise to stir up feeling anew." The Boers have, of course, every right to appeal for funds, and no one here would dream of objecting to their doing so if they showed a different and less hostile spirit.
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