| Description | Letter, dated 6 August, in which Chamberlain, Folkestone, writes to Mrs Darwin enclosing a proof slip of a letter he has submitted to the Manchester Guardian. He voices his displeasure at the correspondence over the War, referring to an article in the Daily Chronicle in which Kitchener reports on a 'most loyal address' by the refugees at Kronstadt. Chamberlain questions this description and suggests a more cynical interpretation, asking, 'Can it be that they [the refugees] want butter on their bread?'. He describes Campbell-Bannerman's questions about the War as contemptible. Chamberlain ends on a lighter note describing a social call and the weather.
The War under discussion is the Boer War of 1899-1902. Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916) was commander-in-chief in South Africa between 1900 and 1902. Chamberlain's father, Joseph, was Colonial Secretary at the time and thus had a significant role in determining how the War was managed. Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836-1908) was Leader of the Liberal Party. |