To the north of the Orange Free State lies a country known as the South African Republic, or, more familiarly, the Transvaal.
The Transvaal remained undisturbed as a Dutch republic until the year 1877. In that year, however, it was formally annexed to the British possessions as a crown colony.
The Transvaal was established as early as the year 1841 by Boers, who had become discontented with English rule. It is doubtful whether England would have made any effort to annex so undesirable a colony, with its unsettled, turbulent government, had not an impending war with the natives threatened to involve her also in the quarrel.
Certain it is that the fate of so unimportant a country as the Transvaal was a matter of small concern until it became a recognized fact that the natives on the border of the Transvaal meditated a descent on this thinly populated country. The ultimate result of such an attack was only too apparent, and the outlook most unpromising for England.
Self-preservation is one of the recognized laws of nature. Hence, in self-protection the Transvaal was annexed to England.
In 1880 the Boers took up arms against England. After many little events, which we need not dwell upon, had taken place, a convention was concluded in August, 1880, and the South African Republic was again constituted under the protection of the British crown. Under this new condition the country became exceedingly prosperous.
The area of the South African Republic, or Transvaal, is not much less in extent than Great Britain or Ireland.
The white population does not exceed fifty-five or sixty thousand. It must be remembered, however, that this population is but a small proportion of the people who inhabit the country; for there are two hundred and seventy thousand Zulus and other Kaffir tribes, in addition to the white men.
The white settlers are scattered all over the country. They live in isolated family groups, each family living in the center of a huge farm of from six to ten thousand acres. In fact, the family life of the South African farmer of Dutch descent follows the universal custom which resembles the patriarchal system as described in the Scriptures.
Recently, gold, both in alluvial deposits and in the reefs of quartz, has been discovered. These deposits have been worked with profit in several districts. Silver, lead, copper, cobalt, iron, and coal are all plentiful.