Captewn, Feb. 16.
General Botha, speaking in the House of Assembly to-day, emphasized his absolute loyalty to the Empire. He was prepared, if necessary, to take up arms and would do his utmost to bring the war. to a successful conclusion. About 17,000 Union soldiers were in the field and there would possibly be more shortly. Up to the present, ihe said, £2,500,000 had been spent by the Union of South Africa for war purposes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.