9th October 1899.
CONTENTS.
| PAGES | ||
| Author's Note | [v] | |
| CHAPTER I. Its Inhabitants, Laws, and Customs. | ||
| Invasion by Mosilikatze — Arrival of the emigrant Boers — Establishmentof the South African Republic — The Sand River Convention — Growth ofthe territory of the republic — The native tribes surrounding it — Capabilities of the country — Its climate — Its inhabitants — The Boers — Their peculiarities and mode of life — Their abhorrence of settledgovernment and payment of taxes — The Dutch patriotic party — Form ofgovernment previous to the annexation — Courts of law — The commandosystem — Revenue arrangements — Native races in the Transvaal | [1-22] | |
| CHAPTER II. Events Preceding the Annexation. | ||
| Mr. Burgers elected president — His character and aspirations — Hispension from the English Government — His visit to England — Therailway loan — Relations of the republic with native tribes — Thepass laws — Its quarrel with Cetywayo — Confiscation of nativeterritory in the Keate Award — Treaty with the Swazi king — TheSecocœni war — Capture of Johannes' stronghold by the Swaziallies — Attack on Secocœni's mountain — Defeat and dispersion ofthe Boers — Elation of the natives — Von Schlickmann's volunteers — Cruelties perpetrated — Abel Erasmus — Treatment of natives by Boers — Public meeting at Potchefstroom in 1868 — The slavery question — Some evidence on the subject — Pecuniary position of the Transvaalprior to the annexation — Internal troubles — Divisions amongst theBoers — Hopeless condition of the country | [23-49] | |
| CHAPTER III. The Annexation. | ||
| Anxiety of Lord Carnarvon — Despatch of Sir T. Shepstone as SpecialCommissioner to the Transvaal — Sir T. Shepstone, his greatexperience and ability — His progress to Pretoria, and receptionthere — Feelings excited by the arrival of the mission — Theannexation not a foregone conclusion — Charge broughtagainst Sir T. Shepstone of having called up the Zulu army tosweep the Transvaal — Its complete falsehood — Cetywayo's messageto Sir T. Shepstone — Evidence on the matter summed up — Generaldesire of the natives for English rule — Habitual disregard oftheir interests — Assembly of the Volksraad — Rejection of LordCarnarvon's Confederation Bill and of President Burgers' newconstitution — President Burgers' speeches to the Raad — Hisposthumous statement — Communication to the Raad of Sir T.Shepstone's intention to annex the country — Despatch of Commissionto inquire into the alleged peace with Secocœni — Its fraudulentcharacter discovered — Progress of affairs in the Transvaal — PaulKruger and his party — Restlessness of natives — Arrangements forthe annexation — The annexation proclamation | [50-86] | |
| CHAPTER IV. The Transvaal under British Rule. | ||
| Reception of the annexation — Major Clarke and the Volunteers — Effectof the annexation on credit and commerce — Hoisting of the UnionJack — Ratification of the annexation by Parliament — Messrs. Krugerand Jorissen's mission to England — Agitation against the annexationin the Cape Colony — Sir T. Shepstone's tour — Causes of the growthof discontent among the Boers — Return of Messrs. Jorissen and Kruger — The Government dispenses with their services — Despatch of a seconddeputation to England — Outbreak of war with Secocœni — Major Clarke,R.A. — The Gunn of Gunn plot — Mission of Captain Paterson and Mr.Sergeaunt to Matabeleland — Its melancholy termination — The Isandhlwanadisaster — Departure of Sir T. Shepstone for England — Another Boermeeting — The Pretoria Horse — Advance of the Boers on Pretoria — Arrival of Sir B. Frere at Pretoria and dispersion of the Boers — Arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley — His proclamation — The Secocœniexpedition — Proceedings of the Boers — Mr. Pretorius — Mr. Gladstone'sMid-Lothian speeches, their effect — Sir G. Wolseley's speech atPretoria, its good results — Influx of Englishmen and cessation ofagitation — Financial position of the country after three years ofBritish rule — Letter of the Boer leaders to Mr. Courtney | [87-119] | |
| CHAPTER V. The Boer Rebellion. | ||
| Accession of Mr. Gladstone to power — His letters to the Boerleader and the loyals — His refusal to rescind the annexation — TheBoers encouraged by prominent members of the Radical party — TheBezeidenhout incident — Despatch of troops to Potchefstroom — Massmeeting of the 8th December 1880 — Appointment of the Triumvirateand declaration of the republic — Despatch of Boer proclamation toSir O. Lanyon — His reply — Outbreak of hostilities at Potchefstroom — Defence of the court-house by Major Clarke — The massacre of thedetachment of the 94th under Colonel Anstruther — Dr. Ward — The Boerrejoicings — The Transvaal placed under martial law — Abandonment oftheir homes by the people of Pretoria — Sir Owen Lanyon's admirabledefence organisation — Second proclamation issued by the Boers — Itscomplete falsehood — Life at Pretoria during the siege — Murders ofnatives by the Boers — Loyal conduct of the native chiefs — Difficultyof preventing them from attacking the Boers — Occupation of Lang'sNek by the Boers — Sir George Colley's departure to Newcastle — Thecondition of that town — The attack on Lang's Nek — Its desperatenature — Effect of victory on the Boers — The battle at the Ingogo — Our defeat — Sufferings of the wounded — Major Essex — Advance of theBoers into Natal — Constant alarms — Expected attack on Newcastle — Its unorganised and indefensible condition — Arrival of thereinforcements and retreat of the Boers to the Nek — Despatchof General Wood to bring up more reinforcements — Majuba Hill — Ourdisaster, and death of Sir George Colley — Cause of our defeat — ABoer version of the disaster — Sir George Colley's tactics | [120-155] | |
| CHAPTER VI. The Retrocession of the Transvaal. | ||
| The Queen's Speech — President Brand and Lord Kimberley — Sir Henryde Villiers — Sir George Colley's plan — Paul Kruger's offer — SirGeorge Colley's remonstrance — Complimentary telegrams — Effect ofMajuba on the Boers and English Government — Collapse of theGovernment — Reasons of the surrender — Professional sentimentalists — The Transvaal Independence Committee — Conclusion of the armistice — The preliminary peace — Reception of the news in Natal — Newcastleafter the declaration of peace — Exodus of the loyal inhabitants ofthe Transvaal — The value of property in Pretoria — The Transvaalofficials dismissed — The Royal Commission — Mode of trial of personsaccused of atrocities — Decision of the Commission and its results — The severance of territory question — Arguments pro andcon — Opinion of Sir E. Wood — Humility of the Commissionersand its cause — Their decision on the Keate Award question — TheMontsioa difficulty — The compensation and financial clauses of thereport of the Commission — The duties of the British Resident — SirE. Wood's dissent from the report of the Commission — Signing ofthe Convention — Burial of the Union Jack — The native side of thequestion — Interview between the Commissioners and the nativechiefs — Their opinion of the surrender — Objections of the BoerVolksraad to the Convention — Mr. Gladstone temporises — Theratification — Its insolent tone — Mr. Hudson, the British Resident — The Boer festival — The results of the Convention — The largerissue of the matter — Its effect on the Transvaal — Its moralaspects — Its effect on the native mind | [156-202] | |
| CHAPTER VII. | ||
| Extract from Introduction to new edition of 1888 | [203] | |
| APPENDIX. | ||
| I. | The Potchefstroom Atrocities, &c. | [231] |
| II. | Pledges given by Mr. Gladstone's Government as to theRetention of the Transvaal | [239] |
| III. | A Boer on Boer Designs | [241] |
THE TRANSVAAL.
CHAPTER I.
ITS INHABITANTS, LAWS, AND CUSTOMS.
The Transvaal is a country without a history. Its very existence was hardly known of until about fifty years ago. Of its past we know nothing. The generations who peopled its great plains have passed utterly out of the memory and even the tradition of man, leaving no monument to mark that they have existed, not even a tomb.
During the reign of Chaka, 1813-1828, whose history has been sketched in a previous chapter, one of his most famous generals, Mosilikatze, surnamed the Lion, seceded from him with a large number of his soldiers, and striking up in a north-westerly direction, settled in or about what is now the Morico district of the Transvaal. The country through which Mosilikatze passed was at that time thickly populated with natives of the Basuto or Macatee race, whom the Zulus look upon with great contempt. Mosilikatze expressed the feelings of his tribe in a practical manner, by massacring every living soul of them that came within his reach. That the numbers slaughtered were very great, the numerous ruins of Basuto kraals all over the country testify.
It was Chaka's intention to follow up Mosilikatze and destroy him, but he was himself assassinated before he could do so. Dingaan, his successor, however, carried out his brother's design, and despatched a large force to punish him. This army, after marching over 300 miles, burst upon Mosilikatze, drove him back with slaughter, and returned home triumphant. The invasion is important, because the Zulus claim the greater part of the Transvaal territory by virtue of it.
About the time that Mosilikatze was conquered, 1835-1840, the discontented Boers were leaving the Cape Colony exasperated at the emancipation of the slaves by the Imperial authorities. First they made their way to Natal, but being followed thither by the English flag they travelled further inland over the Vaal River and founded the town of Mooi River Dorp or Potchefstroom. Here they were joined by other malcontents from the Orange Sovereignty, which, though afterwards abandoned, was at that time a British possession. Acting upon