photo #6758933

THE REPUBLIC OF NATALIA BRITAIN DEMANDS BOER ALLEGIANCE Governor Napier engaged in extensive correspondence with the Volksraad, but neither he nor the British Imperial government had any intention of acknowledging the Boers as a free and independent people. On 10 June 1841 Napier wrote to the Volksraad that he "cannot enter into any negotiation or further negotiation with them until they, distinctly acknowledge their full and entire allegiance as British subjects to their sovereign, Her Majesty the Queen of England, and further declare their willingness to obey the lawful authority of the British Government." State Secretary Russel confirmed Napier's stance. On 26 June 1841 Russel replied to Napier: "As matters now stand, the emigrant farmers must be informed that the Queen cannot acknowledge a portion of her own subjects as an independent Republic...". In a memorandum in 1842, the succeeding British Secretary of State, Edward Stanley, again insisted on the Boers' loyalty to the British Crown: "it is clearly impossible to admit the claim of any portion of Her Majesty's subjects to cast off their allegiance, and establishing themselves on territory belonging to the Crown, to set up a claim to be treated as an independent state." Responding to the question from Colonel Fox in the British House of Commons on 26 April 1842: "whether it was intended to recognise the independence of the Boers", Stanley answered: "it was quite impossible to accede to..." #Boer #Boers #BoerIdentity #Boeridentiteit #BoerRepublic #BoerRepubliek #Natalia #UnitedBoerRepublic #VerenigdeBoerrepubliek #Britain