AND THE DARK CONTINENT EROM SAVAfiEftY TO CIVILIZATION ,^j> '^^^''^is^ <^"'i^?" -^C:^"''^?' ^5^ ■'^?' '=:s^' "^^ "N^"' ''^5' "s:^" '^^C^ *v:^' •*i' -^3- -^ ^ ^y — z' — ^ j^ >^ ^ ^;>- t^^- 15#%#%#-- 6561 ■* * ** .? 2. t 2 i . ■■ a. k> *. >• •• k* » A A* «& A* *& A* ■> A* 1^ 4-44'44-444^4-4%-S^^#-4% 4-4vi-444vi-4%4v4-4%"^^^^^ 44v^"4^4-4%"'&%#^"'&%## x:s^ -Six N3^ ^VV^7 «;^VV^^ -v:^^,^ -S^W;;^ S^'^^tg^ <^' o-.o o.»« "aA* f '•'« oV''o ovVooVVo yy^ v^SN- «<;^ r^?N. _- -Ik /l' " ■'" ~~ y^' f°'' inspection and \i ''[ A' *«K» *«A* ^'m .- - — • ;fe"^%"i.>^^^V^^-^ PM'^^^'-'PM tu^dtrSerrt-ei- A^=^^?.^ :^ °aA* 'Ayi* °A/i* i - -^ limit and not renewed. 'o ovVo ov »o ov »o ^V^:^V^-:^%4 -APR-l-^^JdS^-M-l students must return all .fe-^VA^^^Aa^fe /^^ .^ ^.^ rS^ ^^ %"^v^-^^xfe#e&tcate l^ts oolume, tptt^out prejubtce or faDor, presenting t^e situation as 3 san? it, gatljering t^e Vomers of fact from Boer, British anb otljer sources anb trusting to t^e unprejubiceb mtnb to brarp its own conclHsions. William Hakding. PUBLISHERS' INTRODUCTION. The truism, "The world swings out toward the light," has never had such material demonstration as in these later days. The civiliza- tion that slept through the dark ages is marching onward the more rapidly because of the centuries of delay. In the vigor of its intellec- tual morning it reclaimed from primeval darkness two continents of a new world. Still onward and westward lies its course. The first rays of its dawn are kissing the farthermost islands of the Pacific, glowing on the mountain peaks of Asia and penetrating the gloom of Africa, the cpntinent whose name has become a synonym for untold riches and unmeasured opportunities. It is a matter of interesting speculation that Africa, the cradle of our civilization and in natural resources the wealthiest of the continents, should be the last to be touched by this magic wand. Great as have been the achievements of the nineteenth century, we are but at the beginning of the age of intellectual develop- ment and industrial enterprise. New inventions and, increasing indus- tries multiply the wants of the people, and as the older communities become congested, and the opportunities for satisfying wants lessen, the more enterprising seek new fields for industrial adventure. These are the forces that are bearing civilization into the islands of the Pacific, into the valleys and plains of Asia, and into the darkness of Africia. With her immensity of natural resources, riclmess of mineral wealth, valuable forests and fertile lands, together with her unsurpassed facili- ties for commerce, Africa will be |the haven of coming emigration, the Mecca of future industrial adventure. Here will be the home of genera- tions yet unborn, who will build mighty empires, bulwarks of liberty and enlightenment, that shall mold the thought and lead the progress of the world, as did the ancient empire on the banks of the Nile. The pioneer movement to this end has been going on for four centuries. Slowly and stubbornly, over hard-fought fields, the savagery and gloom of the benighted continent have receded before the onward march of the pioneer as he held his way into the interior from the Cape of Good Hope. Section after section have been wrested from the savages by people from many lands, until a considerable portion of South Africa may be said to be under the rule of civilized government. As resources were developed, industries established, cities built and governments formed, the interests of the colonies clashed, and to-day South Africa is in the throes of war to decide whether the Boers or the British shall be the future ruling power. This is a question of such importance to the civilized world that everywhere people are watching the movements with intense interest, and waiting for the answer that will come with the success of either the British or Boer arms. 11 12 PUBLISHERS' INTRODUCTION. The object of ptiblishing this book is to present as a contribution to the public intelligence a complete and detailed statement of the South African problem. That the conditions now existing may be more easily understood, the history of the continent from the birth of the once ^orious civilization on the banks of the Nile to the present day is reviewed briefly by a logical presentation of those events that have a bearing on the problem of to-day. This review embraces terse accounts of the many explorations that have resulted in giving us a geography of Africa; characteristic descriptions of the barbarians and savage tribes; the physical features and natural resources; the settle- ments made and colonies and governments established; the wars of conquest and the work of development; the building of cities and rail- roads and telegraph lines; the discovery and development of the gold and diamond mines that have been and are the bone of contention among the people. The causes of the war between the British and the Boers for supremacy in the Transvaal are dwelt upon in detail. With the organization of the South African Republic and the South Africa Company two contesting forces were introduced into South Africa, the friction between'which resulted in the bloody struggle of to-day. The Jameson raid is traced in its entirety as the overt cause of the war. The history of the war is given in logical order. The resolute resistance of the Boers, in their efiforts to maintain what they claim as their rights, is no less than the heroic charges of the British in striving for participa- tion in the affairs of .the South African Republic. A war for principle on both sides, it appeals to the conscience of humanity everywhere, and is one of the most bitterly contested wars waged with the equip- ments of modern warfare. The spirit that led the charge at Elands- laagte, where Colonel Hamilton retrieved the British loss at Majuba Hill years ago, is the spirit that actuates the men on both sides and forces the struggle into one of undaunted valor and unquestioned heroism. Mr. Harding, the author, needs no introduction. The able man- ner in which he has performed his work is the result of logical training. For more than a quarter century he has been identified with the highest form of journalism. As correspondent for such newspapers as the Nca* York Herald, New York Times, and New York World he has traveled all over the known world, and through travel is familiar with the conti- nent of which he writes. As cable editor at New York of The Asso- ciated Press, which position he has held the past twelve years, he has handled every item of news that has come to the United States from the Old World. This has familiarized him with every detail of the situa- tion in Africa. The book is issued in the confident belief that it is the clearest and most logical presentation of the African problem and its accompanying struggle that it is possible to make. THE PUBLISHERS. AUTHOR'S. INTRODUCTION. The average American knows very little about South Africa, though it is one of the most interesting parts of the world and aflfords a wide field for American enterprise. I have endeavored in this book«to picture the Boers and the South African colonists as an unprejudiced historian, leaving my readers to form their own conclusions. In so doing, I have briefly sketched the history of South Africa generally and have then dwelt fully upon the Boers, their habits and peculiarities, as viewed from different standpoints, leading up to the Boers' disputes with Great Britain, the famous Jameson raid. Emperor Williiam's startling dispatch to President Kruger, Great Britain's preparations for war, the great conspiracy trials, the struggle between the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, and President Kruger, and, finally, the Transvaal War, basing my presentation of the facts upon the splendid foreign service of the Associated Press, with which I have been connected, as Cable Editor, for almost twelve years, and drawing largely upon British and Boer reports and official and unofficial correspondence from all parts of South Africa and elsewhere. This most interesting history has been finely illustrated and carefully pre- pared, and will, I feel certain, be an acceptable volume in every house- hold and in every library throughout the United States. Following my history of the Dreyfus case ("Dreyfus, the Prisoner of Devil's Isl- and"), it may be said to form No. 2 of what I hope may be a series of volumes of current history of the world, compiled from the best and most authentic sources and written to please, if possible, the lover of light literature as well as the student of history. I endeavor to avoid all leaden arguments and the mustiness of the past, though the latter is reviewed, and try to present these histories in a manner suited to the tastes of this age. In other words, while admiring and respecting the somewhat indigestible plum-pudding of history, I have tried to form from the most palatable ingredients a light, appetizing literary pastry which cannot disagree with any digestion and should please almost everybody. I take it for granted that people nowadays desire to acquire knowledge in a pleasant manner and I hope to enable them to do so with these volumes, instead of attempting to force upon them numerous huge and tedious books of heavy history. WILLIAM HARDING. CONTENTS. PAGE. Publishers' Introduction 11-12 Introduction 13 CHAPTER I. The Settlement of Sooth Africa 23-24 CHAPTER II. Progress of Cape Colony 25-29 CHAPTER III. The Transvaal and Majuba Hill 30-38 CHAPTER IV. The Orange Free State 39-42 CHAPTER V. • The Gold and Diamond Mines of South Africa 45-50 CHAPTER VI. The Boer of the Transvaal Si-69 CHAPTER VII. The Outlander of the Transvaal 70-76 CHAPTER Vlli. The Boers' Side of the Case J79-82 CHAPTER IX. ' '1 The Home Life of the Boer 85-92 CHAPTER X. President "Oom" Paul Kruger and His Helpmate 93-103 CHAPTER XI. The President of the Orange Free State 104-106 CHAPTER XII. Cecil RhodeSj Dr. Jameson and Barney Barnato 107-121 CHAPTER XIII. The British South Africa Company 122-132 15 '^ 16 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. Rhodesia 133-135 CHAPTER XV. Explorations in the Dark Continent 136-146 -^ . CHAPTER XVI. Physical Features of Africa. . . : 147-151 CHAPTER XVII. Other Parts of Africa 152-156 CHAPTER XVIII. The Land of Egypt 157-163 CHAPTER XIX. The Congo Free State 164-168 CHAPTER XX. The Caravansof the Desert 169-171 CHAPTER XXI. An Arab Athletic Meeting 172-176 CHAPTER XXII. The BrewiStg of Trouble 179-185 CHAPTER XXIII. The Jameson Raid and the Undoing of Dr. "]iu" 186-211 CHAPTER XXIV. Emperor William's Message to President Kruger .212-222 . CHAPTER XXV. Inside History of the Raid 223-237 CHAPTER XXVI. Two Accounts of the Raid 238-248 CHAPTER XXVII. Trial of the Reformers 249-271 CHAPTER XXVIII. Mr. Chamberlain Reviews the Situation 272-301 CHAPTER XXIX. Jameson and Rhodes Return to England 302-308 CONTENTS. 17 CHAPTER XXX. OoM Paul and Outlanders on the Raid 309-316 CHAPTER XXXI. The New Transvaal Laws ' 317-320 CHAPTER XXXn. Investigation and Findings by the Parliamentary Committee. 321-334 CHAPTER XXXni. Gliding Towards WAr 335-344 CHAPTER XXXIV. The Last Straw 345-3SI CHAPTER XXXV. British Statesmen on the Situation 352-365 CHAPTER XXXVI. President Steyn and Bishop Graughran Speak 366-370 ^ CHAPTER XXXVII. Admiral Howeson, U. S. N., on the Transvaal 371-374 CHAPTER XXXVIII. American Interests in South Africa 375-379 CHAPTER XXXIX. Defenses of the Golconda of the Desert /. . .380-383 CHAPTER XL. Preparing for the Struggle 384-390 CHAPTER XLI. The Torch Is Lighted »39i-397 CHAPTER XLII. The Beginning of the War 398-405 CHAPTER XLIII. The Battle of Glencoe 406-413 CHAPTER XLIV. The Battle of Elandslaagte 414-418 CHAPTER XLV. The Dundee Retreat and Fight at Reitfontein 419-424 CHAPTER XLVI. The Battle of Nicholson's Nek 425-433 CHAPTER XLVII. Threatened British Garr'isons 434-437 ^ CONTENTS. CHAPTER XLVIIL Progress of the War ^ 438-446 J CHAPTER XLIX. Methu£n's March on Kimberley 447-454 CHAPTER L. Pushing the Campaign 455-463 CHAPTER LI. BuLLER Repulsed at the Tugela River 464-471 CHAPTER LH. British Seizures of Ships 472-475 CHAPTER LIII. The Question of Delagoa Bay 476-479 CHAPTER LIV. Boers Repulsed at Ladysmith 480-484 CHAPTER LV.- Buller's Relief Move Defeated 485-489 CHAPTER LVI. Opening of Lord Roberts' Campaign 490-493 ' CHAPTER LVIL The Surrender of General Cronje 494-500 CHAPTER LVHL The Relief of Ladysmith S01-505 CHAPTER LIX. The Tug-of-War Continued ._ S06-514 CHAPTER LX. Colonial Troops 515-528 CHAPTER LXL From Bloemfontein to Pretoria 529-534 CHAPTER LXn. The End of the War 535-546 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. 1. Oom Paul Kruger ) ,,„,,,. f Frontispiece 2. Joseph Chamberlain ) '^ 3. Reception at the Presidency during the Bloemfontein Conference. Meeting of Sir Alfred Milner and President Kruger 33 4. The Raadzaal, or Government Building, in Pretoria 34 5. View in the Burghers' Park in Pretoria, the Transvaal Capital 34 6. A Boer Family of Sharpshooters at Johannesburg 43 7. The Natal Infantry on Field Service 44 8. Scene at a Recruiting Station in Cape Town 61 g. Some of the Officers of the ist Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards , ■ ,J; — British Army 62 1 I; 10. Hon. J. H. Hofmeyer, Leader of Afrikander Bond Party in Cape , ' ,i;| Colony 67 11. Gen. Schalk Burger, in Command of Boers on Eastern Transvaal Border 67 12. Hon. W. P. Schreiner, Premier of Cape Colony 67 13. Commandant Weilbach, Prominent Boer Commander 67 14. General Cronje, in Command of Boers on Western Transvaal Border 67 15. Officers in British South African Service 68 16. Major-General Hildyard 68 17. Major-General French 68 18. Major-General Sir H. E. Colvile 68 19. Colonel T. C. Porter 68 20. Major-General Fitzroy Hart 68 21. Scenes in South Africa "jy 22. Crocodile River , TJ 23. Railway Station, Johannesburg ^j 24. Crocodile Poort "j-j 25. Alkmaar -j-j 26. Tunnel of Netherlands-Delagoa Bay Railway 77 19 20 ILLUSTRATIONS. 27. Defenses of the Kimberley Diamond Mines 78 28. A Field Day of Target Practice Among the Boers 83 . 29. Practicing with a Seven-Pounder in Rhodesia 84 30. Maxim-Nordenfeldt Quick-Firing Gun for the Cape loi 31. Boer MiHtary Precautions at Johannesburg 102 32. Views of Ladysmith, British Advance Post in Natal iii 33. A Typical Wealthy Boer 1 12 34. A Typical Boer Wife 112 35. Telephone Tower at Johannesburg 113 36. Kruger's Waterfall, Near Johannesburg 113 37. Majuba Hill 114 38. Hospital at Johannesburg 123 39. Hillocks Behind Which Boers Seek Shelter in Action 124 40. The Market Square at Kimberley 141 41. Market Square and Town Hall in Bloemfontein 142 42. The Presidency at Bloemfontein, Capital of Orange Free State 142 43. The Paardekraal Monument 159 44. The Boer Demonstration at the Paardekraal Monument 159 45. Kronstad, Second Important Town in Orange Free State 160 46. A Boer and His Ten Sons Equipped for Field Service 160 47. General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, Commander of British Forces in South Africa . .f 177 48. General Sir George White, Commander of British Forces at Lady- smith 177 49. British Parade Outside of Mafeking 178 50. A Native Church in Mafeking 178 51. Vereeniging, First Station in the Transvaal from Cape Town. ..'... 183 52. Market Street in South Pretoria 183 53. Lieutenant-General Sir George White, Commander of British Forces in Natal 184 54. Graves of Captain MacSwiney and Lieutenant Harrison 193 55. Grave of Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther 193 56. The Grave of the Rearguard 193 57. Lonely Cemetery at Bronkhorstspruit 193 58. Lekuku, Khama's Fighting General, Who Has Offered, to Help British Against the Boers 194 ILLUSTRATIONS. 21 59. Panorama of Durban and the Bluff from Ocean View Hotel 199 60. Harbor at Durban Where the Troops Arrive 200 61. Elandsfontein Junction. "Change Here for Johannesburg" 217 62. A Wedding in Native High Life in Zululand 218 63. Mrs. Paul Kruger, Wife of the Transvaal President 227 64. Olive Schreiner, Zealous Defender of the Boers. 227 65. M. T. Steyn, President of Orange Free State 228 66. King Dinizulu, Chief of the Zulu Tribe 228 67. General Yule, Successor of General Symons at Dundee 229 68. Major-General Sir W. P. Symons, Victor of Dundee. 229 69. A Field Battery Fording a South Africa River in a Flood 230 70. Ofificers in the British South Africa Service 239 71. Colonel R. S. S. Baden-Powell 239 72. Brigadier-General H. A. Macdonald 239 73. A Typical Veteran British OfiScer 239 74. Captain Rivers 239 75. Major-General Sir Walter Buller. . : 239 76. Inspection by the Commandant of the Assembled "Commando" of Boers in the Market Place of a Dorp 240 Tj. Miners Bathing in the Kimberley Compound 257 78. The Boer Fort at Bloemfontein 258 79 Interior of the Raadzaal at Bloemfontein 258' 80. A Native Dispatch Carrier Overtaken by Boers 275 81. Colenso Railway Bridge, Across the Tugela, the Link Between Colenso and Ladysmith 276 82. The Twenty-first Lancers from Egypt, Ready to Start for Curragh.293 83. President Kruger Noting the Departure of a "Commando" for the Front 294 84. Fritz ElofT, President Kruger's Great-Grandson 294 85. Grave of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley, Amajuba Mountain -294 CHAPTER 1. THE SETTLEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA. With all due respect to the past, one enters upon a review of ancient history with feeling of trepidation. We are all entitled to put our hands in the same old store of musty facts and we can only pull out somewhat dry historical chestnuts. But, even when preparing to peruse a bright and entertaining history it is necessary to glance backward, to form some idea of events which led up to the more exciting occurrences of the present day. With this fact in view, let me sketch as briefly as possible the history of South Africa. There always has been and probably always will be a question as to who is right or who is wrong in maintaining that the advance of civilization has justified many apparent injustices perpetrated upon the weak by the strong. So much so, that it seems to me that it is best to leave the matter to individual opinion, and I shall not attempt to draw any deductions from the history of South Africa. Bartholomew Diaz, the Portuguese navigator, discovered the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of South Africa, in i486, and first landed at Algoa Bay, on the southeast coast, after, having been driven out to sea by a storm. On his way back to the west coast he again "doubled" or passed the South Cape and gave it the name of Cabo Tormentoso, or Cape of Storms. Later, however, the King of Portugal' bestowed upon it the name it now bears, as it afforded the hope of a new and easier way of reaching the Indies, which was the great ambition of all the mariners of that age. Vasco de Gama, the great Portuguese navigator, doubled the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 and carried the flag of Portugal into the seas of India. But, the Portuguese do not appear to have estabUshgd a set- tlement of any importance at the Cape, and it remained for the Dutch, on the decline of the power of Portugal, to recognize the importance of the Cape of Good Hope, though they did not regularly colonize it until 1652, when the Dutch East India Company, headed by Jan Van Riebeck, formed a small settlement there. That portion of South Africa was then inhabited by a people called Quaeguae, to whom the Dutch gave the name of Hottentots. 23 24 THE SETTLEMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA. As usual in such cases, for a time -the territory of the colonists did not extend beyond a few miles outside of the town, nov known as Cape Town. But, gradually, the Dutch drove the natives jack or reduced them to a state of slavery, in which they were assisted by a number of European adventurers, mostly Germans and Flemings. In 1686 the European population of Cape Town received the addi- tion of a number of French refugees, who had left their own country on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, which was the charter of the Huguenot, or French Protestant liberty in France. From that time on the European wave slowly but surely spread, with the Dutch in con- trol. The Hottentots lost more and more of their country and, in time, the larger part of them were reduced to slavery. These Dutch colonists seem to have drifted into rough, arbitrary methods of dealing with the natives and others in the colony and some of the characteristics of these colonists of Holland can be traced in the South African repub- licans of the present time. A number of these Dutch colonists soon developed a dislike of organized government and sought to escape from control by moving northward. These men were the forefathers of the Boers of the present day. In their attempts to escape from the power of the Dutch, the early Boers attempted to form an independent government outside the borders of Cape Colony, notably in the district since termed Graaf-Reinet. During the year 1740 the Dutch, who had previously considered the Gamtoos river as the boundary between the Hottentot and neigh- boring, Kaffir, races, began to enter the Kaffir country, had a number of collisions with the Kaffirs and, in 1780, extended the Dutch colonial frontier to the Great Fish river. The Cape Colonists, about 1795, animated by the revolutionary spirit of the age, rose against their Dutch rulers, whereupon- the British sent a fleet of warships to support the authority of the Prince of Orange and they took possession of the country in his name. Cape Colony was ruled by British governors until 1802, the Dutch having other troubles on hand, when, by the Peace of Amiens, it was restored to Holland. But, on the renewal of the European war in 1806, the col- ony was taken by a British force under Sir David Baird and was finally ceded to Great Britain, by the King of Holland, at the peace of 1815. The area of Cape Colony then was about 120,000 square miles and the population was but little over 60,000 souls. CHAPTER II. PROGRESS OF CAPE COLONY. The trouble with the Kaffirs, which had Ueen brewing, owing to the aggression of the Boers, for many years, /:ame to a head in 1811-1812 and still more seriously in 1819, with the result that the boundary of Cape Colony was extended from the Great Fish river to the Keiskamma. In 1835, in consequence of a third war with the Kaffirs, the boundary was advanced to the Kei, but the Keiskamma and Kei country was, later, restored to the Kaffirs. Another Kaffir war broke out in 1850, and it may be said not to have ended until 1853, when a good portion of the Kaffir country became a crown colony. In the meanwhile, British emigrants to the number of about 5,000 had reached Algoa Bay and by 1820 they had founded several settle- ments on the east coast, including the important towns of Port Eliza- beth and Grabonis. These settlements eventually became the most thriving portions of the colony. The slaves of Cape Colony were emancipated in 1834, in spite of the opposition of the Boers, who therefore became more disgusted with British rule than they had previously been. Later, large numbers of the Boers resolved to remove with their families outside British control and, after selling their farms at great sacrifices, they crossed the Orange river into Kaffir country. After much fighting with the natives and after enduring many hardships, one party of Boers, under Peter Retici, crossed the Drakenberg mountains and took possession of the Natal district, where they formed a republic and fought the Zulu Kaffirs until 1842, when the British took possession of Natal. Those of the Boers who had settled beyond the Orange river, west of the Drakenberg, managed to maintain their independence until 1848, when the British declared supremacy over their territory and called it the Orange River Sovereignty. Soon afterwards the Boers in Natal, under Andrew Pretorius, revolted against the British. Pretorius crossed the Drakenberg mountains with his followers and was joined on the western side by large numbers of other dis- affected Boers. The British governor. Sir Henry Smith, thereupon 25 26 PROGRESS OF CAPE COLONY. crossed the Orange river at the head of a force of troops and defeated the Boers at Boem Plaats. Pretorius and his followers then retreated beyond the Vaal river, the northern boundary of the Orange River Sovereignty, and they there established a government of their own. In 1852 these Boers were absolved from allegiance to the British Crown by treaty. The Orange River Sovereignty became turbulous in 1853-4, and the British resolved to abandon that part of the country. This was done, and the Orange Free State was constituted, as a republic, with a president at its head and a people's council (Volksraad) elected by almost universal suflfrage. Previous to this Cape Colony had been convulsed by' what was known as the "Convict Agitation" and which led to the establishment of a free representative government for the colony. After the British Government had discontinued sending convicts to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, it was proposed to send convicts to the Cape, and the Governor of the Colony was instructed to ascertain the feeling of the Colonists on the subject. Owing to a misunderstanding, how- ever, a vessel,- the Neptune, was sent to Cape Town before the opinion of the Colonists had been obtained. Among the convicts on board were John Mitchell, the Irish agitationist, and his associates. The peo- ple of the Colony became very excited when the Neptune arrived at Simon's Bay. They assembled in large numbers and rioting followed until the governor agreed not to land the convicts and kept them on board, while awaiting instructions from the home government to order the vessel to proceed to Van Diemen's Land. The Colonists, after this victory, continued their agitation and, as already stated, succeeded in 'obtaining a representative government and a constitution of great liberality. A startling delusion, in 1857, arose among the members of the Kaffirs of a certain section of Kaffirland. Their seers told them that if they sacrificed their lives and property a resurrection would take place at a certain date, in which all the dead of the nation would arise in new strength. The Kaffirs believed this and about one-third of the tribe referred to, about 50,000 men, perished in a national suicide, which depopulated large tracts of country, which were afterwards settled by Europeans, including many Germans. Diamonds were discovered in the districts north of the Orange river PROGRESS OF CAPE COLONY. 27 in 1867, which drew the attention of the world to the Colony and pro- moted every branch of industry. Incidentally, it led to the annexation by Great Britain of the large territory of Griqualand West. By this time the Basutos, a division of the Bechwana Kafifirs, occupy- ing the upper valleys of the Orange river, after a long period of warfare with the Boers of the Free State, were, on the petition of their chief, Moshesh, proclaimed British subjects. This was in 1868. Their terri- tory formally became part of the Colony in 1871. Large tracts of southern and northern Kaflfirland, in 1874 and 1875, besides Griqualand East, on the southern- border of Natal, and other territory, were gradually brought under British rule; in all cases, it is claimed, by the frtle consent of the inhabitants. And so the work of building up Cape Colony progressed. At the census of 1875 the Colony had an area of 191,416 square miles and a population of 720,984, of which number .-236,783 were Euro- peans. In 1891 the population of the same area was 956,485, including 336,938 Europeans, an increase of 32.66 per cent during the sixteen years. The following table gives the area and population of the Colony and dependencies according to the census of 1891 : POPULATION IN 1891. AREA, EUROPEAN PER SQUARE OR SQUARE MILES. WHITE. COLORED. TOTAL. MILE. Colony proper 191,416 336,938 619,547 956,485 S-oo Griqualand West 15, ^97 29,670 53,705 83,375 549 East Griqualand 7,594 4,150 148,468 152,618 20.10 Tembuland 4,122 5,179 175,236 180,415 43.77 Transkei 2,552 1,019 ^52,544 153,563 60.16 Walfish Bay 430 31 737 -768 1.79 Total 221,311 376,987 1,150,237 1,527,224 6.90 Griqualand West is now incorporated in the Cape and constitutes four of the seventy-seven divisions. When Pondoland was annexed to Cape Colony in 1894 it had an estimated area of 4,040 square miles and a population of 166,080. In November, 1895, the Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland was incorporated with Cape Colony. The area annexed was 51,424 square 28 PROGRESS OF CAPE COLONY. miles, arid the population in 1891 was 72,736, of whom 5,211 were whites. Of the white population of Cape Colony, according to the latest reports, 27,667 were born in England, 6,646 in Scotland, and 4,184 in Ireland, while 6,540 were German, Of the colored population 13,907 are Malays and 247,806 a mixture of various races; the rest are Hotten- tots, Fingoes, Kaffirs and Bechuanas. Of the whites 195,956 are males and 181,031 females, and of the total population 767,327 are males and 759,897 females. The Colony had a public debt of £27,282,405 January i, 1898, in- cluding £2,666,617 raised for corporate bodies. The total revenue of the divisional councils in 1897 was £180,749, and expenditures £169,066. The total municipal revenue in 1897 was £662,788, and expenditures £659,733. The total debt of the divisional councils, December '31, 1897, was £43,571 and of the municipalities, £1,624,010. The whole Cape peninsula, in which is the naval station of Simon's Bay, is fortified by a series of forts and batteries. For the defence of the Colony a military force is maintained — the Cape Mounted Rifle- men, 1,015 officers and men. Every able-bodied man in the Colony between 18 and 50 is subject to military service beyond as well as within the colotiial limits. There were, besides, a body of 7,000 volun- teers in 1897. The Cape police, which consists of 68 officers and 1,843 men, with 1,683 horses, is available for defense in case of emergency. On the Cape and West African station!, a squadron of sixteen British ships is usually maintained. ' In the year ending May 31, 1898, the chief agricultural produce of the Colony and native territories was wheat, 1,950,831 bushels; oats, 1,447,353 bushels; barley, 907,920 bushels; mealies, 2,060,742 bushels; Kaffir corn, 1,140,615 bushels; rye, 287,679 bushels; oat-hay, 48,850,- 184 bundles of about 5i pounds; tobacco, 3,934,277 pounds. There were 83,759,031 vine-stocks, yielding 4,861,056 gallons of wine, 1,387,- 392 gallons of brandy, and 2,577,909 pounds of raisins. There were also fruit trees (peach, apricot, apple, pear, plum, fig, orange, lemon and naartje) to the number of 4,195,624. The chief pastoral products were : wool, 39,141,445 pounds; mohair, 8,115,370 pounds; ostrich feathers, 294,733 pounds; butter, 2,623,329 pounds; cheese, 36,729 pounds'. In 1898 thfre were 1,201,522 head of cattle, 382,610 horses, 85,060 mules PROGRESS OF CAPE COLONY. 29 and asses, 12,616,883 sheep, 5,316,767 Angora and other goats, 239,451 pigs, 267,693 ostriches. Some of the sheep-farms of the Colony are of very great extent, 3,000 to 15,000 acres and upwards; tliose in tillage are comparatively small. In 1875 the total number of holdings was 16,166, comprising 83,900,000 acres; of these 10,766, comprising upwards of 60,000,000 acres, were held on quit-rent. At the census of 1891 there were 2,230 industrial establishments, employing altogether 32,735 persons, having machinery and plants valued at £1,564,897, and annually producing articles worth £9,238,870. Among these establishments were flour mills, breweries, tobacco fac- tories, tanneries, and diamond, gold, copper, and coal mines. . Of the totfil imports in 1897, the value of £4,569,000 (gross), includ- ing £65,91 1 specie, was duty-free, while the value of £13,429,000 (gross) was subject to duty. The customs duties amounted to £2,189,580, or slightly over 16 per cent of the imports subject to duty. CHAPTER III. THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL Having sketched the history and growth of Cape Colony,, we may turn our attention to the Transvaal, or South African Republic. The. history of the Transvaal may be said to begin with the "Great Trek" or exodus of the Boers of Cape Colony who were dissatisfied with British rule, in 1833 and 1837, when, they "treked" or moved, with all their belongings, northward. Some thousands of them had already crossed the Vaal, the river of South Africa, forming the south- ern boundary of the Transvaal, in 1836, and had entered the country ruled over by Mozelkatze, a refugee Zulu chief, whose principal kraal, or collection of huts, was at Mos-ega, on the west frontier. In 1837, to avenge the massacre of some bands of emigrants, the Boers attacked and routed Mozelkatze, and, the following year, the chief withdrew beyond the Limpopo' river, where he founded -Matabeleland, now a part of the British possessions. Further fighting with the Zulus of the east, and the Boers were only saved from extermination py Andrew Pretorius, who defeated the Zulus in 1838 and again in 1840. After Pretorius, in 1852, had induced the British Government to sigrf the Sand river convention, the political independence of the Trans- vaal was practically established, and the death of Pretorius and his rival for power, Potgieter, led to a long period of peace under the eldest son of Pretorius, Marthinus Wessels Pretorius, first president of what was then termed the "Dutch African Republic", which title was altered in 1858 to that of the "South African Republic." The great difficulty with the republic seems to have been its determination to treat the natives as slaves, which policy was officially sanctioned in 1858 by the Grond Wet, or "Fundamental Law," which declared that the "people will admit of no equality of persons of color with the white inhabitants either in state or church" and which led to further ill-feeling upon the part of the Boers and the British, who treated the natives fairly and whose emancipation of the slaves in Cape Colony did much to lead to the Boer trek from that colony. This bad feeling has been constantly growing and culminated in the present war, though there is good rea- son to believe that other influences have had mud; *nore to do with the ao THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL. 31 conflict than the feeling of irritation existing between the people of the two nations. The British, as a result of the complaints against the Boers, and for other reasons, annexed the Transvaal April 22, 1877. In December, 1880, the Boers revolted against the British, and a treaty of peace was signed March 21, 1881. According to the con- vention ratified by the Volksraad October 26, 1881, self-government was restored to the Transvaal, though Great Britain retained her "sov- ereignty" over the republic, to the extent of reserving to herself the direction of the Transvaal's external affairs, while giving the Boers control of their internal affairs. A British Resident was appointed at Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal, and this was the state of affairs until February 27, 1884, when another convention between the Trans- vaal and Great Britain was signed in London, known as the London Convention, in which, the Boers claim. Great Britain made no mention of her suzerainty over the Transvaal, while the British hold that the sovereignty of Great Britain over the republic was maintained. In any case, instead of a Resident at Pretoria, the British Government appointed a Diplomatic Agent to represent her at the Transvaal cap- ital. This point, however, was not reached without difficulty. The discontented Boers in the revolts of 1880-81 were successful in their contests with the British troops, which led to their regaining their independence under the suzerainty of Great Britain. Sir George CoUey, the governor of Natal, who led the British forces against the Boers, attacked the latter at Laing's Nek, a pass leading into the Transvaal, Jaauary 28, 1881, and was repulsed with heavy loss. On February 8, 1881, the British were again defeated with heavy loss on the Ingogo river, after having been twelve hours under fire. Finally, General Colley met with a third defeat at Majuba Hill and was killed on the field of battle. The attack on Majuba Hill, which overlooks Laing's Nek, was made by the British during the night of February 26, 1881. They numbered over 600 men, marched from their camp at Mount Prospect and ascended the hill with the intention of surprising the Boers in camp at Laing's Nek. But the Boers were on the alert, and at 10:30 A. M. the following day they attacked the village, scaled the hill and drove them down the other side after a fierce fight, killing numbers of the 33 THE TRANSVAAL- AND MAJUBA HILL. fleeing soldiers. The Boers are said to have lost about 150 men, which is not admitted by them, while of the 350 British troops engaged, three officers and about eighty-two men were killed, many were wounded, 120 prisoners were captured and a number were reported missing. Sir George Colley, who was shot through the head, and who died with his face to the enemy, is, according to some reports, said to have shot himself when he saw the British were defeated. This has never been confirmed, so far as the writer knows. An incident in connection with Majuba Hill stands out sharply at the present time. In the thick of the fighting. Lieutenant Ian Ham- ilton, of the Gordon Highlanders, went to Sir George Colley and asked leave to charge down hill with the bayonet at the head of the Scots. Colley refused. One seems to see him turning toward the eager young face and muttering to himself, "I can't let him go !" It might have been death to Hamilton, but experts, both Dutch and English, say it would have meant the defeat of the Boers. They 'claim that if only two of the Highlanders had reached them with the bayonet General Joubert's stormers would have run. We need not detract from the courage of those who climbed the hill when we mention a fact of real value in computing the chances of any future fighting. They operated under conditions where they were practically invulnera,ble by ordinary infantry. They outnumbered the British, and while the latter shot badly the Boers shot like an army of picked marksmen. But, strange to add, Ian Hamilton, now Colonel Hamilton, was destined to sternly avenge Majuba Hill. As will be shown in a later chapter, Hamilton, in the recent fighting in Natal, led his gallant Gor- don Highlanders up the steep hill of Elands Lgaate, and, cheering and yelling "Majuba," the Gordons captured the Boer position and, at the point of the bayonet, put the enemy to flight. An armistice followed and then the convention was drawn up and eventually agreed to. The British troops left the Transvaal in Decem- ber, 1882, and in May, 1883, S. J. Paul Kruger was elected President of the Transvaal. Before entering into further details regarding the Transvaal, . it may be wise to sketch the constitution and government of that coun- try, which has been frequently mended down to January, 1897. The supreme legislative authority is vested in a parliament of two chambers, each of twenty-seven members, chosen by the districts. Bills EECEPTION AT THE PRESIDENCY DUEING THE BLOBMFONTEIN CONPEEENCK MEETINO OF SIRALFfi«!DrMILNEE AND PRESIDENT KEtJGER. THE EAADZAAL OR GOVERNMENT BUILDING, IN PRETORIA. _-■<; ^^w .. 1 iM>a^dfc:ilg4>>^ y '^ i^ .^ J'' ^jK^i^^^»^^ljL-,Jr ^ * *X,. VIEW IN THE BUEGHEES' PARK IN PEETOEIA. THE TEANSVAAL CAPITAI* THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL. ' 35 passed by the second chamber do not become law until accepted by the districts. Members of both chambers must be thirty years of age, possess fixed property, profess the Protestant religion, and never have been convicted of any criminal offence. The members of the first chamber are elected from and by the first-class burghers, those of the second ' chamber from and by the first and second-class burghers, conjointly, each for four years. First-class burghers comprise all male whites resi- dent in the republic before May 29, 1876, or who took an active part in the war of independence in 1881, the Malaboch war in 1894, the Jameson Raid in 1895-6, the expedition of Swaziland in 1894, and all the other tribal wars of the republic, and the- children of such persons from the age of sixteen. Second-class burghers comprise' the natural- ized male alien population and their children from the age of sixteen. Naturalization may be obtained after two years' residence, and registra- tion on the books of the fieldcornet, oaths of allegiance, and payment of £2. The executive council has also the right, in special instances, to invite persons to become naturalized on payment of £2. Naturalized burghers may by special resolution -of the first chamber, become first- class burghers twelve years after naturalization. Sons of aliens, though born in the republic, have no political rights, but, by registration at^the age of sixteen may, at the age of eighteen, become naturalized burghers, and may, by special resolution of the first chamber, be made first-class burghers ten years after they are eligible for the second chamber, or at the age of forty. The President and Cfcmmandant-General are elected by the first- class burghers only; district commandants and fieldcornets by the two classes of burghers conjointly. The executive is vested in a President, elected for five years, assisted by a council, consisting of four official members (the State Secretary, the Commandant-Genei-al, Superintendent of Natives, and the Minute- keeper), and two non-official members. The State Secretary, Superin- tendent of Natives, the Minute-keeper and Secretary, and the two non- official members, are elected by the first Volksraad. The Vice-President is General P. J. Joubert, elected May 13, 1896. The executive council consists of : Official members — P. J. Joubert, Commandant-General (Vice-President); F. W. Reitz, State Secretary; Commandant P. A. Cronje, Superintendent of Natives; J. H. M. Kock, Minute-keeper. Non-official— J. M. A. Wolmarans, S. W. Burger. 36 THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL. The area of the republic at the outbreak of the war was 119,139 square miles, divided into twenty districts, and its white population, according to a very incomplete census of 1896, was 245,397, of whom 137.947 were men and 107,450 women; the native population in April, 1896, was estimated at 622,500. The State Almanack of the Transvaal for 1898 g^ves the population as follows: whites, 345,397 (137,947 males and 107,450 females); natives, 748,759 (148,155 mte, 183,280 women, and 417,324 children); total population, 1,094,156. The boundaries of th6 state are defined in the convention of February 27, 1884 — since altered by a supplementary convention, by which the former New Republic (Zululand) was annexed to the South African Republic as a new district, named Vrijheid, and, by the terms of the convention regarding Swaziland, comes under the administration of the Transvaal. The seat of government is Pretoria, with a white population of 10,000. The largest town is Johannesburg, the mining centre of the Wit- watersrand goldfields, with a population within a radius of three miles, according to census of July 15, 1896, of 102,078 (79,315 males and 22,763 females). The population consisted of 50,907 whites, 952 Malays, 4,807 coolies and Chinese, 42,533 Kaffirs, and 2,879 °^ mixed race. One-third of the population of the republic are engaged in agriculture. The South African Republic, some time previous to the outbreak of the war, had no standing army, with the exception of a small force of horse artillery of 32 officers, 79 non-commissioned officers, and 289 men, all able-bodied citizens being called out in case of war. There were three foot and six moimted volunteer corps, numbering about 2,000 men, subsidized by the government. The number of men liable to service in 1894 was 26,299. The South African Republic is specially favorable for agriculture as well as the stock-rearing, though its capacities in this respect are not yet developed. It is estimated that 50,000 acres are under cultivation. The agriculture produce, however, is not sufficient for the wants of the population. There are about 12,245 farms, of which 3,636 belong to the government, 1,612 to outside owners and companies, and the rest to resident owners and companies. THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL. 37 Gold-mining is carried on to a great extent in the various gold- fields, principally Barberton and Witwatersrand. The total value of gold production from the year 1884 has been : YEAR. 1884 £10,096 1885 6,010 1886 34,710 1887 169,401 1888 967,416 1889 1,490,568 1890 1,869,645 I89I 2,924,305 1892 4,541,071 11893 5,480,498 1894 7,667,152 1895 8.569>55S 1896 8,603,821 1897 ; 1 1,476,260 Total £53,810,508 The official returns date froYn th^ year 1891. Of the gold output in 1897, 3,034,678 oz. (£10,583,616) were from Witwatersrand; 113,972 oz. (£398,902) from De Kaap; 50,942 oz. (£178,296) from Lydenburg; 84,781 oz. (£296,733) from Klerksdorp; 223 oz. (£791) from Zoutpans- berg; 5,120 oz. (£17,922) from Swaziland, etc.; total output of 1897, 3,289,720 oz. '(£11,476,260). In 1897, according to returns furnished by seventy-two companies, the number of whites employed at the mines was 8,060, the amount paid to them in wages being £2,521,603; the number of natives employed, according to these returns, was 50,791, but the total number employed was estimated at about 70,000. Work- ing for silver, lead, and copper has been suspended since 1894; tin is found in Swaziland. Coal of a fair quality is found near Witwatersrand and other goldfields; the total output in three years has been: 1895, 1,133,466 tons; 1896, 1,437,297 tons; 1897, 1,600,212 tons (value, £612,668). The principal exports of the Transvaal are gold, wool, cattle, hides, grain, ostrich feathers, ivory and minerals. The value of imports on which dues were charged amounted in 1894 to £6,440,215; in 1895, £9,816,304; in 1896, £14,088,130; in 1897, £13,563,827. The import 38 THE TRANSVAAL AND MAJUBA HILL. duties amounted in 1896 to £1,355,486, and in 1897 to £1,289,309. The total imports in 1897 have been estimated at £21,515,000, of which £17,012,000 were from Great Britain, £2,747,000 from the United States, £1,054,226 from Germany, and the remainder from Belgium, Holland and France. In the official returns for 1897 the largest im- ports were clothing, £1,254,058; machinery, £1,876,391; railway ma- terial, £869,443; iron ware, plates, etc., £864,126. Various railway lines connect the republic with the Orange Free State, Cape Colony, Natal, and Portuguese East Africa. The total mileage open in September, 1898, was 774; under construction, 270, and projected, 252. CHAPTER IV. THE ORANGE FREE STATE. Having given our readers some idea of Cape Colony and the Trans- vaal, before concluding the chapters on the early history, we must ' refer more fully to the Orange Free State, which took up arms in support, of the Transvaal against the British. The Orange Free State, as previously outlined, was also originally founded by the Boers who treked from Cape Colony in 1836 and the following years. It is separated from Cape Colony by the Orange river, has British Basutoland and Natal on the east, the Transvaal on the north and the Transvaal and Griqualand West on the west. After the declaration of its independence, February 23, 1854, a constitution was proclaimed, April 10, 1854, and was reversed February 9, 1866, and May 8, 1879. Legislative authority is vested in the Volksraad, of fifty-eight members, elected by suffrage of the burghers (adult white males) for four years from every district, town, and ward, or field- cornetcy in the country districts. Every two years one-half of the members vacate their seats and an election takes place. The members of the Volksraad receive pay at the rate of £2 per day. Eligible are burghers twenty-five years of age, who are owners of real property to the value of £500. Voters must be white burghers by birth or natural- ization, be owners of real property of not less than £150, or lessees of real property of an annual rental of £36, pr have a yearly income of not less than £200, or be owners of personal property of the value of £300, and have been in the State for not less than three years. The executive is vested in a President chosen for five years by universal sufifrage, who is assisted by an executive council. The executive council consists of the Government Secretary, the Landdrost (Magistrate) of the capital, , and three unofficial members appointed by the Volksraad, one every year for three years. The President of the Orange Free State is M. T. Steyn, elected February 21, 1896. There as a Landdrost appointed by the President to each of the nineteen districts of the republic, the appointment requiring the con- firmation of the Volksraad. In every ward there are commissioners for 39 40 THE ORANGE FREE STATE. various purposes, thei members of which are elected by the burghers. The area of the Orange Free State is estimated at 48,326 square miles; it is divided into nineteen districts. At a census taken in 1890 the white population was found to be 77,716 — ^46,571 males and 37,145 females. Of the population 51,910 were born in the Orange Free State and 21,116 in the Cape Colony. There were, besides, 129,787 natives in the State — 67,791 males and 61,996 females — making a total popula- tion of 207,503. The capital, Bloeiiifontein, had 2,077 white inhabitants in 1890 and 1,382 natives. Of the white population 10,761 were returned in 1890 as directly engaged in agriculture, while there were 41,817 "colored servants." The system of education in the Orange Free State is national. Small grants are also made to the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches. The government schools are managed by elected local boards, which choose );he teachers, who are appointed by the President, if he is satisfied with their qualifications. Education is not compulsory, nor free except for very poor children. In 1894-95 about £40,000 was allotted to education, a portion of w'hich consisted of interest on a capital of £200,poo.set apart by the Volksraad for this purpose. Besides this amount a considerable sum was spent upon school- buildings under the public works department. The following is a statement of revenue and expenditure of the Orange Free State, for the three years ending February, 1895, for the ten months ending December, 1895, and for the calendar years 1896 and 1897: YEARS. REVENUE. EXPENDITURE. 1892-93 £310.372 £378,922 1893-94 293,790 323.899 1894-95 306,653 319.221 1895 259,589 271,935 1896 374.774 381,861 1897 402,230 381,589 The republic had a debt of £40,000 in 1897, but possessed consider- able public property in land, buildings, bridges, telegraphs, etc., valued at £430,000, and in its share in the National Bank, amounting to £70,000. Bloemfontein has a municipal debt of £7,000. The frontier measures about 900 miles; of this 400 miles marches with Cape Colony, 200 Basutoland, 100 Natal, and South African Re- public 200 miles. THE ORANGE FREE STATE. 41 There were no real fortifications on the frontier at the outbreak of the war. Every able-bodied man in the State above sixteen and under sixty years of age is compelled to take arms When called upon by his field- cornet (equal to the rank of a Captain), when necessity demands it. The number of Free State burghers available was 17,381. Two bat- teries of artillery were stationed at the capital, Bloemfontein; 80 officers and men, with 350 passed artillerists, as a reserve. The number of of- ficers and men was increased by fifty men during 1896, and a new fort was being built on a hill at the north end of the town. The Orange Free State consists of undulating plains, affording ex- cellent grazing. A comparatively small portion of the country is suited for agriculture, but a considerable quantity of grain is produced. The number of farms is 10,499, with a total of 29,918,500 acres, of which in 1900, 250,600 were cultivated. There were in the same year 248,878 horses, 276,073 oxen, 619,026 other cattle (burthen), 6,619,992 sheep, 858,155 goats, and 1,461 ostriches. ( The diamond production in 1890 was 99,255 carats, valued at £223,- 960; in 1891, 108,311 carats, valiied at £202,551; in 1893, 209,653 carats, valued at £414,179; in 1894, 282,598 carats, valued at £428,039. In 1896 the diamond exports were valued at £452,509, and in 1897, £440,964. Garnets and other precious stones are found, and there are rich coal mines. Gold has also been found. As the exports and imports pass through the ports of Cape Colony and Natal, they are included in the returns. for these colonies. The imports, besides general merchandise, from Cape Colony and Natal, comprise cereals, wool, cattle, and horses from Basutoland. The ex- ports to the Cape, Natal and South African Republic are chiefly agri- cultural produce and diamonds, while other merchandise goes, to Basutoland. The trade is estimated as follows for two years: IMPORTS IMPORTS EXPORTS EXPORTS FROM, 1896. FROM, 1891. TO, 1896. TO, 1897. Cape Colony £845,812 £913,158 £612,313 £735.883 Natal 224,440 185,469 116,961 127,253 Basutoland 116,205 107,987 70,751 59,368 So. African Repubhc 25,085 944,459 871,738 Total £1,186,457 £1,231,699 £1,744,484 £1,794,242 43 THE ORANGE FREE STATE. The capital of the Orange Free State^ Bloemfontein, is connected with Natal, Transvaal and the Cape Colony by telegraph; 1,500 miles of telegraph have been constructed. A railway constructed by the Cape Colony Government connects the Orange river at Norval's Point with Bloemfontein, 121 miles, and Bloemfontein with the Transvaal (at Viljoens drift on the Vaal river), 209 miles. There are roads throughout the districts, ox-wagons being the principal means of conveyance. A BOEE FAMILY OF SHAEPSHOOTEES AT JOHANNESBUBQ. THE NATAL INFANTEY ON FIKLD SERVICE. CHAPTER V. THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. When the British forces left the Tr/insvaal, the resources of the Boers werfe few and the treasury was empty. There were no railroads, and it was forty days' travel by ox-cart to Cape Town. A man named Arnold, in 1884, told a farmer named Geldenhuis that there was gold on his land. Geldenhuis did not believe it, but repeated the gossip and sold his farm to two adventurous brothers named Stru- ben, who put up a mill and began to work the. grayish, powdery dirt that has since proved the richest gold ore the earth has ever shown. The Boer Government proclaimed nine farms public goldfields. Then the rush began. The Boers, always slow where enterprise wins out, were unbelieving. , They could not make up their minds to abandon the certainty of cow-punching for the uncertainty of mining, even with rich claims crying for takers. Only a few settled on the Witwatersrand and went to work. In the meantime the news of the find had spread into British ter- ritory. The news caused a sensation in Cape Town, and a horde of adventurers at once set out. Within a year nearly every working-claim was under the spade and nearly all were in English hands. The Boers, on the spot, had made up their minds too late. The workings of the Witwatersrand — White Water Range, in English — were thirty miles in length when all were developed. The gold was found in a formation seen nowhere else in the world. Regu- lar beds, or "reefs" of dry, powdery conglomerate, in thickness from two to twenty feet, were found throughout this district. This black veldt is the ore. Nowhere else is gold mined and worked so easily or so cheaply. In 1887, midway in the district and on the siterfif a hamlet that had become the centre of the industry, a hustling, bustling town was laid out, the city of Johannesburg. It was named after the surveyor. Its altitude is 5,600 feet above the sea. In twelve years the finest and larg- est city in South Africa had sprung up on the bare mountain side, and the hills have been lined with the huge chimneys, the reservoirs, the 45 46 THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. engine-sheds, the stamping-housps and the offices of great works that employ 60,000 native miners and 10,000 Europeans. Fifteen years ago f 10,000, at the outside, would have bought from the burghers that entire group of farms that is now valued at £300,000,- 000. The gold finds of the Witwatersrand were followed by others within the Transvaal's borders — ^at De Kaap, at Zoutpansberg, in the Northeast mountains; at Lydenburg, in the same direction; at Mal- mani, on the Bechuanaland border; at Klerksdorp, and at Heidelberg. All of these develop gold in well-paying quantities. The capital of the 198 gold mines working at the end of 1897 was £72,772,750. Of these, twenty-eight mines, with a capitalization of £10,000,000, paid £2,950,000 in dividends, or nearly 30 per cent. Sixty-four other mines were producing gold, but paying no dividends, and the remainder were in the course of being opened. The total value of the gold yield in 1897 was £11,650,000, an increase of £3,000,- 000 over the year before. In spite of this, there were great losses during 1897, due to un- scrupulous speculation, more than four hundred companies having been formed for stock jobbing purposes in localities where no gold ex- isted. Some weak companies went to the wall also. During the year 1898 the 198 companies had decreased to 137, but those paying dividends had increased from twenty-eight, in 1897, to forty-five. These forty-five companies paid dividends of £5,089,785 on a capital of £20,294,675, or soitiething more than twenty-five per cent. An English writer, the Earl of bunmore, in a magazine published in London in 1895, described the tenth day of July of that year as a red letter day in the calendar of the Transvaal, because the chairman of the British Stock Exchange in Johannesburg was able to make the extraordinary announcement that the output of gold for the month of July, 1895, had reached the hitherto unprecedented amount of 200,- 941 ounces, representing in money a sum equivalent to £775,000 ($3,875-000). • The quantity ot gold mined in the Rand, the local name for the Witwatersrand gold reefs, had, therefore, for a long time exceeded the best records of California, Australia or any other of the great gold sec- tions. During 1893 alone the shipments of gold amounted to £5,500,- 000; and the Rand reefs were said to yield, in 1895, over 25 per cent, of the total gold supply of the country. THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 47 From 1887 until the first part of 1895, 10,110,000 tons of ore had been extracted, yielding 6,544,384 ounces of gold, worth about £3 8s an ounce, and having a grOss value, in round numbers, of £22,000,000. The dividends paid in the same period amounted to, in round figures, £4,600,000, or 20 per cent, of the output. ^ The value of the output of the fifty producing mines on the first day of January, 1895, -was £32,000,000. The output per year, in ounces, since gold was discovered in the Transvaal up to 1896, was as follows: 1887, 28,754; 1888, 240,266; 1889, 366,023; 1890, 479>302; 1891, 727,912; 1892, 1,150,519; 1893, 1,381, I2§; 1894, 1,837,773; 1895, about 2,000,000. This meant that the increase in the world's output was due, to the extent of 56 per cent., to these mines. Who could wonder that the British coveted them? While the British coveted the gold mines of the Transvaal, the Boers had an equal longing for the diamond mines at Kimberley, Cape Colony. The diamond mines of Kimberley furnish from ninety to ninety-five per cent, of all the .diamonds sold. Yet the discovery of diamonds in South Africa dates about thirty years back. One day in 1867 the children of a Boer farmer, who lived on a farm seventeen hours' ride west of Hopetown, on the bank of the Orange river, were playing with some stones they had found in its bed. An ostrich hunter namfed O'Reilly happened to pass, and the Boer farmer. Van Niekerk, called his attention to an especially brilliant stone that a Griqua boy had found. O'Reilly was startled. He scratched on a pane of glass with the stone, and immediately decided that he had a diamond in his hand. He promised the Boer half of whatever it proved to be worth, and wanted to follow up the search at once. O'Reilly, after many wanderings went to a physician in Graham's Town, a Dr. Atherstone, who was the first to recognize the great value of his "find." He recognized it as a diamond in a moment, and estimated its weight at 21 3-16 carats. A little later this stone was sold to Sir Philip Wodehouse, then governor of Cape Colony, for $2,500. O'Reilly soon brought another stone from the same locality, which weighed 8 7-8 carats, and it was sold to the same person for $1,000. One of the most beautiful of the South African diamonds 48 THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. later came from Van Niekerk's farm on Orange river, the so-called "Star of South Africa," weighing 83 1-2 carats, found by a Kafifir. The brilliant that was later cut from it came into the possession of the Earl of Dudley for $125,000. Very soon after the first report of these discoveries the Orange river was crowded with white, black and yellow Europeans, Kaffirs and Hottentots, and here and there they succeeded in finding a few diamonds. Thence the search spread to the bed of the river Vaal, and here on the property of the Berlin Missionary Society, at Poniel, camps were pitched and the work began in earnest. New diamond diggings were discovered in 1870, again by children playing with stones. This was on the high tableland, where their existence had not been suspected. It was on' the farm of Du Toits Pan, between the Vaal and the Modder rivers. It was in the mud, which had been used to build his house, that the children saw a shining object, and dug out a diamond; In pulling up a plant another child found a diamond weighing eighty carats clinging to the roots. In July, 1871, the richest mine of all was found on the Kolesberg- Kopje. The old mines were abandoned, and then came De Beers' "new rush." The town of Kimberley was founded in the neighbor- hood of this mine, being named after the British colonial secretary at that time. Lord Kimberley, and the mine was known as the Kimber- ley mine. Later some small diggings were found in the Orange Free State, Kossifontein and Jagersfontein, from which some of the dia- monds of the first water have since been taken. Confusion and disorder reigned among the frenzied fortune hunt- ers, and political confusion followed in the claim of the Orange Free State to Kimberley and the mines around it. The British government held that this was British territory, and to make its claim good pur- chased ^e claim of an old Griqua chief to this land. The British referred the matter for arbitration, notwithstanding the protest of the Orange Free State, making a British officer the umpire. Of course it was decided in favor of Great Britain. The Free State protested in vain against the decision. Great Britain claimed that its power was necessary to preserve order, and the Free State was olsliged to accept £90,000 for its claim. The incident was not for- gotten by the Free State Boers, and was no small incentive to them to decide to aid the South African Republic. THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 49 Eventually the miners began to combine for the formation of com- panies to purchase machinery that they might go to the deeper levels where the famous "blue ground" lay, filled with diamonds. By 1885 many of these companies were at work, and then a further combina- tion of their interests took place in the formation of the De Beers Consolidated Company, Limited. The moving spirits in this com- bination were Barney Barnato and Cecil Rhodes. This company now pays a dividend of ten millions annually on a nominal capital of twenty millions. The latest improvements in mining machinery have been adopted, and the best engineers, including many Americans, are engaged in con- ducting the work. The "yellow earth" of the surface, in which the early prospectors found their wealjth, has been dug through and the "blue giround" is being worked to unprecedented depths. This peculiar formation appears to be practically inexhaustible. Nowhere else is this peculiar blue quartz to be found, so it has been called kimberlite. It is very hard, but alters and softens under mois- ture and air. The miners have taken advantage of this, and the large companies haul the blue ground to the surface and spread it out to disintegrate naturally. It is spread out on floors surrounded by armed guards night and day, and there it is first harrowed by two engines some 500 yards apart dragging the harrows over it. , There it stays for six months or a year, and it is then sent to the crushing works, where it is washed and rolled by machinery until every bit of foreign matter has been removed and the diamonds alone remain. Sothe bits that do not pulverize under the harrow are called hard blue, and are picked out by hand and carefully treated separately, for large stones are sometimes in these hard masses of rock. The work in the mines is done chiefly by Kafifirs, who wield the drills and use the dynamite for the blasting with little inconvenience. They are engaged for a specified number of weeks, during which they are kept in a well-guarded compound, fed, and, if ill, treated by the company. Only at the end of their term of service are they paid and permitted to leave, when they return with wliat seems to them untold wealth, to buy a wife and set up housekeeping in their home, some weeks' journey away. All kinds of precautions are taken to prevent them from stealing diamonds which they find while at work. As each man leaves the 50 THE GOLD AND DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. mine he must strip to the skin and submit to a search of mouth, ears and nose. Even if he were to swallow a diamond he would be caught. The companies try to prevent stealing by offering premiums for the finding of large stones, but, strange to say, all of the precautions have not prevented the largest diamonds from reaching the market through private persons. The diggings at Kimberley have done much to explain the forma- tion of the diamond itself, for kimberlite is recognized by all authorities as being of eruptive origin, and the diamond in it must have been formed by the tremendous heat generated at the time of the eruption. In fact, the mines look like chimneys, or "pipes," as they are called, the blue ground running down toward the center of the earth like a huge water pipe. The depth of the mines is very great, a level in the Kimberley being 1,520 feet down and in the De Beers 1,500 feet. Most of the mining now is done under^ound by galleries running to the central shaft. This prevents many accidents, and is a great economy in space and time. To give some idea of the amount of work done in these mines, at the De Beers, during twelve working days in November, 1897, eight and three-quarters tons of dynamite, 65,100 feet (twelve and one- third miles) of fuse and 32,500 fuse caps were used. This mine never yields less than 900 pounds of diamonds annually, washing 2,409,030 tons of blue ground for them. The sorting of the stones is an art and science in one. Good eyes and judgment are necessaty. Here are found some with deep tints of brown, pink and yellow, which are most valuable, being classi- fied as fancy stones. Those with slight shades are least valuable, and the pure white rank next. The largest diamond ever found in the world was discovered here in 1893, and is known as Excelsior. It weighed 971 3-4 carats, and was discovered at Jagersfontein. It far surpassed the De Beers, found some time before, which weighed onfy 428 1-2 carats, yet was quite a diamond itself. f CHAPTER VI. THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL Before going any farther into the history of the Transvaal and its troubles, it may be interesting to give some idea of the Boers of the Transvaal as they are to-day, or, perhaps, as they were just before the outbreak of the war with Great Britain. There are dififerent ways , of looking at, things. In England they look at the Boer from one standpoint. Americans can see the Boer from another point of view. Therefore, we will first show the Boer as seen through British spec- tacles. The following sketch of the Transvaal Boers is from the London Times, the great "thunderer" of the British press, written some three years ago, or just as the crisis which broug'ht about the present war was slowly but surely simmering over the fire of politics. In remote places and upon the frontiers, the Transvaal Boer lives much as his father did a hundred — nay, two hundred — ^years ago. You may still find here and there the ancient evening custom of wash- ing the feet — a black servant performing the office; the great Bible is solemnly read nig'ht and morning, an^ prayer offered up; corn is still trodden out among the smaller farmers by means of horses and mules, and winnowed by casting in the air on a windy, day; the good man still banks his money in the great chest and keeps it under his bed. He has heard of banks, but he doesn't believe in them, and laughs at the idea of a man paying you to take charge of your money. This refers, of course, to the more primitive sort of Boer. • In some farm houses where timber is scanty the Dutch farmer keeps by him, sawed up and stored away in a corner, the planks for his "dood-kist," or coffin, ready against the time w;hen his last, hour shall have come. You will sometimes find a Boer who still believes, as did his great-great-grandfather before him, that dried tortoise blood is good for snakebite. Many wild beliefs and superstitions, indeed, have the more ignorant .Boers. The English writer has been assured by some of them that a fabulous creature with the head oi' a rock- rabbit and the body of a huge serpent lives in the mountains. This dragon-like belief is, curiously enough, very widespread. In the smaller farm house you will fijid the Boer, his vrouw and family still sleeping 51 53 - , THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. in their clothes, as their fathers did in the days when nocturnal alarms constantly threatened. And you will find, too, that^he family ablutions are of«the scantiest. Yet ablutions are not too generously resorted to even in many parts of Britain, and water is often a scarce commo- dity in South Africa. As for superstitions, "spooks," and the like, you may find them flourishing to this hour, not only in Ireland and the wilder parts of Scotland, but even in the quieter nooks of over- crowded England itself. Big, brawny, and strong as are these people, one cannot call them a handsome race. There is too often a lack of expression, a dull vacancy in their faces, such as one sees elsewhere among a people who live in solitudes far apart from their fellow men. Such a look you may often see atilong the Norwegians living in gloomy and remote "dais." Indeed, there is a strong resemblance between many of the Norwegian peasant-proprietors and the Boers of South Africa. The Boer is, however, a much wealthier man than the Scandinavian. Nov^ and then one sees a really good-looking Dutchman. The writer met on the Limpopo river, not long since, one of the handsomest old men he ever saw. His fine old head was a perfect picture. Curiously enough, his name was a Huguenot one. Paul Kruger, the Transvftal President, is a very good type of the shrewd, slow, yet dogge^ and determined South African Dutchman. Broad, homely features, such as his are to be seen everywhere. No doubt, if th& Boer were clipped, trimmed and smartened up, he would be a much more presentable figure. The writer has seen one or two Dutchmen, settled in British Bechuanaland, whoj from mingling with the English, had adopted some of their habits — especially that of shaving — so transformed for the better as to be hardly recognizable for men of their class. The women, as a rule, do not approach the fresh and simple beauty so often to be found among the girls and young women of Norway. Here and there you will find a handsome Dutch girl, but not often. Their dress, usually plain stuff or print, and the hideous polfc sun bonnets they afifect are not calculated to add to their attractions. They are, too, curiously afraid of exposing their complexions to the bright sunshine of their splendid climate, and are often pale and pasty in appearance. It is amusing to see the care with which a plain Boer woman on trek, living in her wagon, will guard her complexion, and THE BOER QT THE TRANSVAAL. 53 carefully keep her hands beneath her black apron upon every available opportunity. Yet, despite their somewhat plain appearance, the Boer vrouws of South Africa are excelleiit women, sharp in business matters, full of the strongest afifection for their land and people, able and willing to- endure all sorts of toil and privation, the best of wives and mothers, strong and of sound constitution. The Boer is the "family rnan" .per- sonified. He has usually a large family, he is excessively uxorious, and it is amusing to find how, even on distant hunting expeditions, when he is in eager quest of ivory and skins, he is yearning to hurry home to his family. Tell him that you have a wife and children, and you go up a hundred per cent, in his estimation. The writer was trekking .through ^NTorth Bechuanaland recently and met with some rough Waterberg Boers. We outspanned together, had coffee and a smoke, and later on some practice with a new magazine carbine of mine. We got on very well together, but, directly I happened to mention that I had a wife and children, their friendliness became re- doubled. I was plied with all sorts of questions on the subject, and had in turn to submit to the several family histories of my Dutch acquaintances. These farmers spent a long afternoon on my wagon, as we trekked slowly along; we sampled one another's tobacco, ex- changed ideas, and parted the best of friehds. A curious instance of this trait of the Boer character happened at the battle of Boom Plaats in 1848, when Sir Harry Smith defeated the Boers of the Orange Free State, then known as the Orange River (British) Sovereignty. A British soldier was wounded, and about to be again shot at by the Dutch farmers. The man knew their ways and cried out for quarter, adcj^ng that he was father of a family. The Boers not only spared his life, but rendered him assistance, although themselves under fire. Lord Randolph Churchill, in his book on South Africa, made some very severe and, in the main, unfair strictures on the Transvaal Dutch- men. He mentions various things that mig'ht be done "if God had only given a glimmer of intelligence to the Boer." He predicts of these people that "they will pass away unhonored, unlamented, scarce- ly even remembered, either by the native or European settler." And again he says: "It may be asserted, generally, with truth, that he never plants a tree, never digs a well, never makes a road, never grows 54 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. a blade of corn." I entirely differ from these conclusions. That which I have already stated will, I think, sufficiently disprove the first two quotations. As to the planting and agriculture, with the excep- tion of the British and German farmers, in the Eastern province of Cape Colony and of Natal, the Boer has been the only man who has made the land his home and attempted to i;nprove it. The magnificent vineyards and fruit farms near the Cape, the trees of Cape Town, the splendid old oak avenues of Paarl and Stellenbosch, the fruit trees and foilage of Graaff Reinet, Uitenhage, and moSt other towns of Cape Colony, all these are the handiwork of the old Dutch settlers. Beyond the Vaal it is notorious that, except at Johannesburg, which is entirely an English city, the only tree-planting and fruit- growing, and, indeed, agriculture generally, is done by the Dutch set- tlers; the wells, the dams, such roads as do exist, are mainly the work of the Dutch. The roads, I will admit at once, whether in Bechuanaland (British territory) or in the Transvaal and Free State (Dutch territory), are not good. They are, indeed, mere tracks. But it is to be remembered that spaces in South Africa are immense, and that the upcountry population is very sparse, and one cannot expect to find roads in new and little-settled territories kept as are roads in England. In Cape Colony nearly the whole of the wheat- growing is done by the Dutch farmers of the Western province. More wheat might certainly be produced, but the population is sparse, farmers are not overburdened with capital, and markets are usually very far distant from the place of production. In the interior the bulk of the grain used, is supplied by the Transvaal Dutch farmer. Nearly every bag of Boer meal (used for bread-making) comes from the Transvaal. The whole of the fruit ccop is produced by the Boers. In RUstenberg and Marico, as you drive along, you pass homestead after homestead where groves of magnificent .oranges, peaches, nec- tarines, apricots, pears, quinces, and other trees arfe burdened with delicious fruit. The corn lands and crops here are magnificent, water is plentiful, irrigation largely made use -of; the homesteads are often equal to English farm houses, threshing machines are in use, and agriculture is good and systematic. Even far up in Bechuanaland you will find Boer wagons from these districts loaded up with oranges, fruit, oat-forage, and other produce. The towns of Zeerust, Rostenberg, Potchefstroom, and Pretoria THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 5a are well planted With trees, and are bountifully supplied wiLh fruit gardens. Yet all these places are founded and planted by the Dutch, and exhibit to-day the results of the care, labor, and forethought of the early "voor-trekkers" who conquered and took possession of the soil. It is to be remembered that the average Boer is not, like the average Briton, Jew or German, anxious to make his fortune and leave the country. He looks, and will always look, upon Africa as his home. He desires only to live in a moderate degree of comfort, in a rude plenty, to provide for his children as they grow up, and to be let alone. He shuns towns, shopkeeping, and gold-mining. I am not sure that the South African pastoralist, in his primitive, simple way of life, is not a far happier man than the millions who are toiling, fighting and elbowing one another to death for a living in a highly civilized community. Is not the quiet, slow-moving Boer a thousand times better ofif in his healthy life, blessed with space, freedom, and perennial sunshine, the finest climate in the world, and as much as he requires to eat and drink, than, say, three out of the four millions oi people who inhabit London? He is not highly educated or cultui-ed, it is true — far from it. But how many of the millions of Great Britain have the time or the opportunity to acquire any better culture than they may snap from a perusal of the daily paper? The Boer looks at Johannesburg; he sees there a few men growing enormously rich, a great many struggling for a living as at home, crowded together, often in a state of excessive discomfort; he sees an immense amount of hard drinking and a good deal .of chicanery, cheating, vice, and even crime. Is it to be wondered at that he shakes his head as he drives out Avith his ox-wagon, and congratulates himself that he is still a Boer? Nay, he may ask himself whether John Kaffir or April Hottentot, even, who live in the free air and under God's sunshine, and have enough to eat and drink, are not better off than numbers of the meaner of these civilized European folk. But there are Boers and Boers. Many of the richer, less bigoted, and more shrewd of the farmers have begun to find that the influx of the English, their gold discoveries, and the wealth they are bringing into the country are not such ill things after all. Contact with the British has infleed worked wonders already. Even the more primitive of the farmers have discovered that the Englishman is not so bad a 56 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. fellow. It is curious to see these heavy Dutch farmers coming into English hotels in the Transvaal and Bechuanaland, enjoying the table d'hote fare, and rubbing elbows with their quondam foes. Many of the Boers have benefited largely by the sale of their land as gold properties, large numbers by the opening of new markets and the constant demand for cattle and farm produce. Some few, such as Kruger, Joubert, and others, have profited by their opportunities, and are now very wealthy men. Some of the wealthier farmers are now sending their sons to be educated in Europe; some have English governesses in their houses; a considerable proportion of the rising generation can speak the English langu^ge^ The majority of these men, the wealthier, the more reasonable, the least ignorant, although resisting as long as possible the inevitable transformation of their country into a practically British settlement, may be trusted in the future to settle down under British supremacy and British guidance. As for the remainder, there are strong signs that they are preparing quietly to betake themselves from the bustle and turmoil of modern civilization, which they see rapidly approaching, and seek new homes elsewhere. A certain element of the Transvaal Boers, the Doppers — a severely Calvinistic sect; the frontier men and hunters; the poorer, the dis- contented, and those still bitten with the restlessness, the hatred of taxation, of any form of government, exhibited by their forefathers, have been gradually filtering out of the country. In 1877-78 there was a great trek toward Ovampoland, the remnant of which, after long wandering and terrible sufferings in the wilderness, is now settled in Portuguese territory, near Mossamedes. Other small expeditions have been slowly moving out of the Transvaal. ^ During the past year the old trek spirit has suddenly and wonderful- ly revived. Large numbers of Boers are preparing to settle in N'gami- land, the Kalahari, and the country beyond. Others are starting for Gazaland, to the northeast of the Transvaal. A deputation of "voor- trekkers" was actually sent by sea to Zanzibar a year or so ago to spy out the land in Central Africa and see if some country could not be found, free from any government, taxation, or white population, whither thoroughbred Boers might trek and rest in peace. Cecil Rhodes, apparently, is not very desirous to see this class of Boer — a somewhat unmanageable one — settled in MsRshonaland or Matabeleland, and has been favoring their movement toward the North THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 57 Kalahari and N'gamiland, From personal experience of this region I cannot say that it is very well fitted to support such an influx of farm- ers. Probably the trek Boers will find out their mistake and move farther afield. The Portuguese are, it seems, not desirous to have more of them on the west coast, and we may therefore hear, within a few years, of fresh Boer settlements in Katanga, and even far into Central Africa. It is quite possible — nay, even probable — that within fifty years the descendants of these wanderers may be found settled near the sources of the Nile, still in as primitive a state of civilization as were their forefathers at the Cape two hundred and fifty years ago. Those Boers who rdmain behind and decline to take part in further northwarcj treks will probably, as is the case in C2|pe Colony, form the settled rural population of the country, commanding a large share of the voting power, steadily progressing, and mingling more and more with the British. Already in British Bechuanaland (till lately a Crown colony) one may see very healthy signs of the future. There, month by month, Dutch farmers from the Orange Free State and Transvaal have for some years been taking up land and settling down with per- fect contentment under a direct imperial rule. But, whatever is to be the future of South Africa, the sturdy old Boer stock, compounded by many virtues and of pardonable failings, will never, it may be safely predicted, die out from the land. Rather will it grow and thrive, a source of strength and backbone to future generations of colonists. The following account of the trouble between the Boers and Out- landers is from Frank Owen, a graduate of the Royal School of Mines, London; an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London, and also a member of the American Institute of Mining Engi- neers of New York. Mr. 'Owen spent some time in the Transvaal and other parts of South Africa. Writing from Boulder county, Colorado, Mr. Owen said, shortly after the war broke out : So much misapprehension seems to prevail among the American people and press regarding the present attitude of the British in South Africa that a true statement of some of the leading features of the case may not be inopportune. As an Englishman and as a mining engineer who is well acquainted with the Transvaal gold- fields, I have had as good opportunities of judging the situation as most people, and certainly far better than many self-constituted critics. The able letters of Julian Ralph, in the Brooklyn Eagle, and the lucid 68 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. Statements of the eminent American mining engineer, John Hays Hammond, in the New York Herald, are so far the only impartial criti- cisms of the subject that I have seen in this cpuntry. Mr. Ham- mond's views especially, both from his long acquaintance with South Africa and his deservedly high reputation as an engineer, should be entitled to the highest consideration. To those who know of the enormous sums of secret service money — collected, by the way, entirely by heavy imposts on the unfortunate Outlanders — expended by the government of the South African Re- public, it is not surprising to see their side of the question is so promi- nent. The Standard and Diggers' News, which represents the Trans- vaal interests > in Europe is well known to be a heavily-subsidized Boer organ. People who feally know anything about life in South Africa would just as soon think of attaching importance to the hysteri- cal nonsense written by Olive Schreiner as they would to "Ouida's" quaint ideas of life in English society. It is amusing to Englishmen to see the views of a notoriety-hunting nonentity like Stead treated seriously over here, as it would be to Americans to see prominence given in England to Edward Atkinson's opinion on the campaign in the Philippines. The government of the South African Republic has from the very first consistently crippled and injured the mining industry of the Wit- watersrand by every means in its power. Competent experts have estimated that their exactions have increased the cost of mining $2 per ton. That, in spite of all this, so much gold has been produced and a profit has been made, is only due to the wonderful extent and permanence of the auriferous deposits and to the skill and energy of the engineers on those fields,, many of them Americans. The whole question finally resolves itself into the same principle for which George Washington took up arms, namely, that there must not be taxation of a people without adequate representation. Every adult butlander has to pay a yearly poll-tax, and this without conveying any accompanying civil right. This same tax caused a popular uprising in England in the fourteenth century and was, consequently, abolished. The Bqer burghers, or voters, of whom there are some 30,000, as against 120,000 Outlanders, in Johannesburg alone, pay no taxes of any kind. The government has conceded to a German, Edward Lippert, the THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 59 exclusive privilege of the manufacture of explosives in the Transvaal for a term of years. Thus, the very first essentials of mining are only procurable at more than double the price at which they could be im- ported from America or Europe, and of poor quality at that. This state of things might do in Venezuela or Santo Domingo, but people who came from a civilized country cannot be expected to tolerate it. The English language is not allowed to be taught in the public schools to the children of English-speaking people — indeed it took years to get the privilege of having schools at all. It was only after the sanitary condition of Johannesburg became so pestilent on account of the abnormally rapid increase of population, so that typhoid was rampant in all quarters, that the foreign inhabitants were allowed to organize a sanitary cotnmission to carry out what was necessary — ^not a municipality. Even then, this commission, though composed entirely of English-speaking people, were actually compelled to conduct their proceedings in the taal (Cape Dutch), through the medium of an official interpreter. The right of pubHc meeting to dis- cuss these and many other grievances is denied, and the meetings are broken up by force of arms. The English, in short, are only struggling to obtain a tithe of the political privileges so freely accorded to the Dutch inhabitants of Cape Colony and Natal under British dominion. The matter was brought to a crisis early in the present year by the brutal murder of a British subject by a. Boer policeman. Edgar, the victim in question, was peaceably attending a public meeting of Outlanders, when he was deliberately shot down, without provocation. The appeals of his unfortunate widow for justice were largely the cause of at last directing seri6us attention in England to the state of afifairs in the Transvaal, with the present result. The estimates I have seen quoted in this country as to the fighting strength of the Boers are considered largely exaggerated by those best acquainted with South Africa. Considering the brutal treatment the Kaffirs invariaibly receive from the Boers (who, indeed, look on them as slaves) it is not likely, as stated in some quarters, that the blacks will fight for their oppressors. I have seen a miserable Kaffir tied to the wheel of a wagon and unmercifully flogged with a "sjam- bok" (a rawhide whip) by a young Boer, while a large crowd of older Boers looked on, laughing and applauding. In the British colonies no 60 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. man may lift his hand against a native without swift and certain punishment; It is far more likely that in parts the blacks will take the opportunity of rising against the Boers.^ When I was in Swaziland, in 1895, such an uprising of the natives was imminent and was only quelled by the influence of the British residents. The Swazis number about 35,000 fighting men of fine physique. They hate the Boers, and have repeatedly begged to be in- corporated in the British Empire. To conciliate the South African Republic the latter were allowed by Great Britain to have this country annexed in 1896. A great deal is said about the Boers being such earnest Christians. They cannot, however, study their Bibles to much purpose, since all who know them can bear evidence that the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Commandments are practically a dead letter in the Transvaal. From personal experience I can testify that the Boer is as filthy in his person as in his morals. England does not want war, and has nothing to gain by war with the Transvaal; but must fight to protect the rights of her down-trodden subjects and so maintain her position as the paramount power in Africa. On the cbrrtrary, the cost of the war will be exceedingly high and the material interests at stake are enormous. This can be seen when it is remembered, that (according to the Engineering and Mining Journal of September 2, 1899), the Transvaal mines produced gold to the value of $78,070,761, against the entire output of the United States of $65,082,430. English people all the world over, and especially in America, will be grateful to President McKinley and his advisers for their wise and dignified attitude during this crisis, and will rejoice over the well-merited snubs administered to Bourke Cockran and General O'Beirne. Deeply as all right-thinking Englishmen appre- ciate the good will and esteem of the great American people, even these could have been too dearly purchased were the price national self-respect. Having pictured the Boer and Outlander from the British stand- point, it will be refreshing to see the Boer pictured by an American. Benjamin Davis, of New York City, September 12, 1899, gave the following version of the Boer : The social status of the Transvaal may be summed up in a view of each of the three classes of people composing its population. The SCENE AT A EECRUITING STATION IN CAPE TOWN. THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 63 Boers are the descendants of the original Dutch settlers. They are the proprietors of the government, and guard their public ofHces very jealously from the intrusion of foreigners. The Boers know too well that foreigners would soon be in possession of all the available offices if they get a loophole. The Boers in fact are a degenerate class when compared with their ancestors, and the same degeneracy which makes them inferior mentally, makes them less able to carry out a war than their fathers were before them. It would take some time for them to become as accurate marksmen or as reliable soldiers. Their fathers lived in the open and made hunting and fighting their daily Qccupation, while to-day more fighting goes on in the streets of their cities than ever takes place in the open. The cause of a great deal of disturbance in the South African, Re- public is the presence of the Kaffirs, who are maltreated and looked down upon by everybody, and used in a most ruffianly manner when- ever sufficient motive dictates. The Kaffirs are the original natives of the country, and are brought down in large numbers from lands north of the Transvaal to work in the rich gold mines of the foreigners. Agents make a profitable business of securing labor from the chieftains, whose word is law in their own tribes. To do this, the agent must go among the Kaffirs and live with them as one of them, sharing their hospitality and eating out of the same bowl with them. When the proper stage of friendship has been reached, the agent goes to the chief and asks for a hundred men. If he is successful, the chief orders them to go with him and hire themselves out to the owners of what- ever mine he may direct. For this the chief receives perhaps fifty cents a head, and the agent takes his hundred men to the railroad, packs them away in trucks, conveys them to the most promising mine owner, and turns them over at ten dollars each. From that time on the Kaffir receives weekly wages of seven dollars and a half, but he is like a dog in a city, carrying a license-tag with him wherever he goes. The Kaffir is not allowed like other men to walk on the sidewalks of Johannesburg. He must stay in the street, and infraction of this law involves a heavy penalty. A Kaffir is frequently taken to jail for two weeks and given twenty-five stripes for no greater oiifence, while killing of the Kaffirs for resistance when invited to their pun- ishment is an every week occurrence. Killing, indeed, is carried on among all classes on rather a larger scale than the ordinary civilized 64 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. country sees. Johannesburg may be fairly said to equal the descrip- tions which the comic papers publish to represent the American West. People sitting on the veranda of their hotel at six o'clock in the twilight which prevails at that time are murdered without apparent reason. Kaffirs think it no unusual deed to kill and rob the storekeeper who furnishes them with the various necessities of life. Bank robberies take place in open daylight, following the usual programmes of fiction. The foreigners in the Transvaal represent the moneyed population and are the chief capitalists interested in the immense mines of the country. These mines are the most extensive in existence, the region in which they are stretching for hundreds of miles across the Trans- vaal. The amount of gold contained in this reef is now known, but no one has been far enough down to get below it. Others estimate that there is sufficient to provide undiminishing returns for a hundred years to come, although the output at present is enormous and in- creasing day by day. The profit on most kinds of importation and customs is frequently one hundred and fifty per cent. The cost of living is not much higher than elsewhere. Augustus Hopper Kruger, a half-brother of President Kruger, who was in the United States 'oi^ his way home in October, 1899, discussing the prospects of war between Great Britain and the Trans- vaal, said: "If war should be declared by the British I think the Boers will win, for the reason that they are fighting for their independence, just as the Americans were in 1776. They know every foot of their territory; they command all the important passes; they are as good shots as the United States soldiers, and can pick off the British just like shooting redbirds ofif a fence; they have the right on their side; they know if they lose their identity they will be forever swallowed up in the mighty British Empire; they love their freedom and will willingly die rather than surrender it, and before the English conquer the country they will wade through blood, sacrifice fully fifty thousand lives of their own troops and expend fully $500,000,000, if not more. "I have sons and grandsons in Nebraska who will follow me to South Africa in a few weeks. I am about sixty years of age, and yet I am a good rifleshot, and before I cross the Jordan I hope to take a few Englishmen with me. That is how all the Boers feel. They think the present prospective war is simply a trick on the part of Mr. THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 65 Chamberlain to gain possession of the Transvaal, and they know Chamberlain to be purely an unscrupulous politician, who will stop at nothing. However, he merely represents the British idea of aggran- dizement. The English are relentless. They mfike up their minds to do a thing, and they will do it, no matter what the cost. Only twice have they failed, and both times against the United States. They gave up this republic because it was simply unconquerable, and acknowledged themselves beaten because the United States can de'fy the world and come ofif victorious. "The Boers are good shots, as I have said, and they will send many an Englishman to his eternal account. If we lose in this fight, we lose everything. Therefore, we had better die, and the best thing we can do is to make the bloodiest fight possible. I have one nephew in Nebraska, fifteen years old, a fine shot with a rifle, who will leave soon for South Africa, and his main ambition before he dies is to kiU an Englishman. That is the temper of our people." The language of the Boers in South Africa is grammatically the language of the people of Holland. They speak Dutch as their forefathers in Holland spoke it, and as it is spoken there now. They are called Boers because that is a Dutch word which describes them. It means a farmer, and agriculture is the main pursuit of the compatriots of Oom Paul. A knowledge of Dutch would supply an explanation of the odd-looking words that are used now and then in the news reports from the Transvaal. It would also enable one to pronounce these words as they should be enunciated. Dutch diphthongs are not given the same sounds as their equiva- lents in English. The double "o," for instance, in Dutch has the same sound as "o" in R6me, while the diphthong "oe" is pronounced by the Dutch as we pronounce "oo" in boot. The English pronuncia- tion of these two diphthongs is the reverse of that given them by those who speak Dutch. And "ou" has the sound, of "ow" in owl. The sound of "ui" is nearly hke that of the English "oy" in boy. The Dutch double "aa" is the same as the English "a" in war. As there is no "y" in Dutch its place is taken by "ij," which is sounded as "y" in defy. If one, therefore, would pronounce Oom Paul properly he would say it as if it were spelled Ome Powl. The family name of General Joubert would, for the same reason, be pronounced as if it were spelled 66 THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. Yowbert. The word Boer is pronounced by the Afrikander as if it were of two syllables, the first long and the second short, thus : Boo-er. The plural is not Boers. It is Boeren, and it is pronounced Bo-er-eh, because the final "n" is slurred. Here are some of the Dutch words that are oftenest in ptint in connection with the news of the Transvaal, and their pronunciation and meaning: Bloemfontein (bloom-fon-tine) ^ Flower fountain Boer (boo-er) Farmer Buitenlander (boy-ten-lont-er) Foreigner Burgher (buhr-ker) Citizen Burgerregt (buhr-ker-rekt) Citizenship Burgerwacht (buhr-ker- vokt) Citizen soldiery Jonkherr (yunk-hare) Member of the Volksraad; gentleman Oom (ome) Uncle Raad (rahd) Senate Raadsheer (rahds-hare) Senator Raadhuis (rahd-hoys) Senate House Rand (rahnt) Margin ; edge Staat (staht) • State Staatkunde (staht-kuhn-de) Politics Staatsraad (stahts-rahd) Council of State Stad (stot) .( City Stemmer (stem-mer) Voter; elector Transvaal (trons-fahl) . Circular valley Trek (treck) Draught; journey Trekken (treck-eh) To draw ; to travel Trekpaard (treck-pahrd) Draft horse Uit (oyt) Out; out of Uitlander (oyt-lont-er) Foreigner Vaal (fahl) Valley Vaderlandsliefde (fah-ter-lonts-leef-te) Love of one's country; patriotism Veld (felt) Field; open lands Veldheer (felt-hare) General; commandant Veldwachter (felt-vock-ter) ^ Rural guard Volksraad (fulks-rahd) Lower House of Congress HON. J. H. HOFMEYER, GEN. SCHALK BURGEE, Leader of Afrikander Bond Party in Cape In Command of Boeis en Eastern Transvaal Colony. Border. HON. W. P. SCHREINER, Premier of Cape Colony. COMMANDANT WEILBACH, GENERAL CRONJE, Prominent Boer Commander. In Command of Boers on West- ei n Transvaal Border. OFFICERS IN BRITISH SOOTH AFRICAN SERVICE. MA.T.-GEN. HILDYARD. MAJ.-GEN. FRENCH. MAJ.-GEN. SIR H. E. COLVILE. COL. T C. PORTER. MAJ.-GEN. FITZROY HABT. THE BOER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 69 -Voorregt (fore-rekt) Franchise; privilege Vreemdeling (frame-da-ling) Stranger Witwatersrand (vit-yot-ters-ront) Margin of the white water Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic, is named in honor of its first President, Pretorius, who led the Dutch in the grea't trek, or journey,^ out of Cape Colony sixty years ago, and into the Transvaal to escape the dominion of England. Johannesburg is easily translated into English as Johnstown. The term Afrikander is used to dififerentiate the Dutch from the other white people of South Africa. \ CHAPTER VII. THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL » Having presented to our readers the Boer of the present day, as viewed by the British," we must now, from the same standpoint, show the Outlander of to-day. The Outlander, or Uitlander, is the general term applied to foreigners in the Transvaal, or, for that matter, to for- eigners in the Orange Free State. The Qutlander is the bete noir of the Boer of all classes. The Boer never loves a "foreigner" of any description, though he may feel somewhat kindly to the "foreigner" of any other nationality than Great Britain. He has quite a regard for the foreign Dutch and for the Germans; he may put up with the presence of Portuguese or — ^well, almost any other nationality than the British. For the Britisih Outlander he has no sort of regard and the heartiest kind of Jiatred. This grows out of the history of the past, strongly intensified by the happenings of recent years. The British Outlander, to the Boer, represents the cause of his trekking from Cape Colony in years long gone by, and, above all, he repre- sents the dreaded ascendancy of the British in South Africa, constantly thre?itening, in various ways, to overwhelm by electoral or other pro- cesses, more likely the latter, the two little republics squatting in the midst of rampknt imperialism. But, enough on this subject for the preseiit. Let us get down to the Outlander as he is looked upon by the British. The same correspondent who, about three years ago, described the Transvaal Boer for the Times of London, also at the same time gave his ideas of the Outlander. He said : The population of the Transvaal is divided into three great sec- tions — ^the Boer, the Outlander, and the Kaffir. Of these sections two are foreign and one is native to the soil. The Kaffirs have oc- cupied the country from time immemorial; the other two sections are both of them new-comers of the last half-century. The first and the smallest foreign section is that composed of the Boer of Dutch descent and British colonial extraction born in Africa, who, trekking from what he conceived to be the oppression of British rule in the Cape Colony, wrested a footing for himself in the native territories across the Vaal by force of arms from the original inhabitants. The estab- 70 THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 71 lishment thus made was first recognized as having a poHtical existence by the Sand River Convention of 1852. The Boers claim to have made good their position in 1846. In either case their presence as a power in the State now known as the Transvaal is of less than fifty years' duration. The number of adult males in this section of the population of the state is estimated at 15,000. , The second foreign influx, to which the Outlander section of the population owes its existence, is of still more recent origin. No exact date can be fixed for the first appearance of Outlanders in the body politic of the Transvaal. Their presence may perhaps be said to have made its first public manifestation in the movement which led to the annexation of the Transvaal by Great Britain in April, 1877, after twenty-five years of precarious existence maintained by whip and rifle, in the teeth of constantly encroaching hordes of hostile natives. The prosperous second biilh of the Transvaal state dates from 1880, when, afl!er the power of Great Britain had been exerted to break up the savage military organizations that threatened the existence of the white community, and the successful termination of the Zulu and Secocoeni wars had given security tp life and property across the Vaal, the Boers rose in arms against British authority, and reasserted the independence of the republic. The battle of Majuba Hill was fought in February, 1881 (as already referred to), and the convention signed in August of the same year gave to the republic a complete measure of self-government in relation to its internal administration, with the exception of certain conditions to be observed in regard to native affairs, but reserved the rights of suzerainty of the British Crown. Within five years gold was discovered at Johannesburg, and under the guarantee of British suzerainty an Afrikander, British, American, and European population poured rapidly into the country. These various elements compose the Outlander body of the present population. The number of adult male Outlanders, occupied chiefly in commercial and industrial development, is estimated at 60,000, The number of the Kaffir population are estimated at 250,000. but this total includes wives and children. It has been said by a learned student of history that progressive nations are those in which the rights of free men are enjoyed by the largest number of persons within their borders, and that decaying 73 THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. nations are those in which the rights of free men are restricted to the smallest number, the most advanced symptom of decline being a state of despotism in which one man alone is free and he the tyrant of the rest. In the Transvaal, under its present constitution, the condition of afifaiijs has approached dangerously near to the last stage. The largest body in the state has been deprived by conquest of all rights; the next largest has been excluded by law from the enjoytnent of the rights of citizenship; in the third and smallest body, although the franchise has been extended to children of sixteen, power has practically been concentrated in the hands of an Executive Council, supported by a vote in the First Raad, which needs only to number thirteen in order to have a constitutional majority. In all, twenty-five men more than cover the number who for a given term of years hold absolute power in their hands. Of this small number a considerable proportion are not members of the original Boer section of the community. They are Hollanders imported direct from Holland, partly for the natural reason that they speak the language of the Boer, partly with the object of more efifectually controlling the Outlander of non-Dutch-speaking origin. Thus, while the original Boer section of the population has remained the dominant section and has jealously reserved all the rights of citizenship for itself, the executive power of even this section comes very near to being represented in the one individuality of a president three times re-elected, and maintained consecutively in the first position of the state during the fifteen years' existence of the second republic. The Boer sufifers little under this system. The President — though the last election of President Kruger was far from being by a unanimous vote — is, after all, the President of his choice, and the Boer is scarcely interfered with by the administration. He lives still mainly in isolation upon the land. He consumes his own produce, which is untaxed; he has few wants which force him to contribute to the revenue raised upon foreign commodities; he has no desire to concern himself with trade; he takes no part in the development of mineral wealth ; he has no wish for education. He hears of corruption in the finances and inefficiency of the civil service. It matters nothing to him; the taxes by means of which the treasury is filled are not levied upon him, and as 'it is not his money which is wasted he cares little what becomes of it. He asks for no service from the administrative departments. It is all the same to him whether the mining inspectors know their business, or THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 73 the police do their duty, or the schools respond to the requirements of the urban population. Patriarchal government was evolved from the conditions of life of a pastoral people. The Boers are to this day a pastoral people, hardy, frugal, simple in their needs, and patriarchal government suits them well Enough. Besides, to the simplest of minds there is an infinite satisfaction in the sentiment of belonging to the dominant race. The Boer is a burgher of the state from the age of sixteen. All the privileges of burgherdom are reserved to him, and President Kruger knows his people well enough to know what are the privileges they will value. The position of the Outlander, under a despotism based on the soHd conservatism of the Boer and directed by the ingenuity of the Hollander, is the element which threatens subversion of the whole. The Boer already has, and the Hollander means to have, the entire control of the wealth and policy of the country; but the producers of the wealth and the persons to bear the consequences of the policy are neither Boers nor Hollanders. They are the Outlanders. Their position has long been intolerable, ahd the patience of the Outlanders now shows signs of having reached its limit. At the time of the annexation to Great Britain the Transvaal was practically bankrupt. It was in debt and the treasury was empty. But for the intervention of Great Britain and the check given to native enemies of the Transvaal by the Zulu and Secocoeni wars, it is not im- probable that the first struggling Dutch Republic would have been finally wiped out in massacre. Courage was never wanting to the Boer, but his numbers were too few, his means too limited, to sustain the struggle of which Great Britain relieved him. The second repub- lic of 1880 was practically a new creation, and in the fifteen years of its existence the Outlander has contributed far more to its construction than the Boer. He discovered and he has worked the mineral wealth. In ten years his numbers have increased comparatively from a hand- ful to a population estimated the other day for the Rand alone at 136,000. He has paid the taxes; he has built the towns; he has con- structed the railways; he has established the commerce; he has settled on the land; he has fought in the wars. The state which he found nearly bankrupt has this year an accumulated surplus which was calculated to have reached £2,000,000 steriing. He has not been a mere bird of passage, passing through the land, accumulating wealth 'J'4 THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. and returning to spend it in his own country. He has made his home, so far as he has been allowed to do so, in the Transvaal. His children have been born there. The magnificent climate and the wealth of the soil, neglected by the Boer, give every guarantee of the permanent settlement ^of generations. By law his children are still aliens, but it is impossible that they should feel themselves to be aliens in the country of their birth, and it is impossible that the fathers of these children should continue to acquiesce in a total denial to them of civil rights of which the inheritance is so legitimately theirs. The franchise law of the old republic of the Bloers was of the simple kind customary in new states. One year's residence was required, and the newcomer had as little trouble in securing his vote as the London householder who changes his address. After the foundation of the second republic the limit of time was extended to five years, but admission to full burgher rights was still possible of attainment at the end of that period. The delay, was felt to be excessive in a country so young as the Transvaal, and the contrast with the franchise law of the Orange Free State, where aliens are admitted to full burgher rights after one year's residence with a property qualification, or three years' residence without a property qualification, was felt to justify strong representations on the subject to President Kruger. The results of these representations' were such as have at- tended most of the peaceful remonstrances addressed by the un- enfranchised Outlanders to the Transvaal Government. The franchise law has by successive steps been surrounded with difficulties that re- move the possession of full burgher rights by the alien into the region of the impossible. The invention of a second Volksraad, the franchise for which is ofifered to the Outlander after a period of two years' residence and naturalization, was a device which savored rather of Hollander in- genuity in deception than of Boer downrightness of opposition. The franchise which is offered is worthless, for the first condition of the creation of the second Raad was that the acts of this body must be presented to the consideration of the President and can only become law if he decides to submit them for the approval of the first Raad — and this approval is gained. The legislative capacity of this body is absolutely dependent upon the supreme will of the President, and all real power is divided between the first Raad and the Executive Cbun- THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. 75 cil. The first Raad, it should be stated, is composed of four and twenty members, and the Executive Council numbers, according to circumstances, ten or twelve. Thirteen votes in the first Raad suffice to maintain the President constitutionally in any position he chooses to assume, to regulate the taxation, and to make the laws of the entire population. As the franchise %w at present stands, it is pr'ovided that every resident in the Transvaal must register himself on the Fieldcornet's books within fourteen days after his arrival or suffer a fine. He is thenceforth subject to taxation, and, after two years of registered residence, he may become naturalized and acquire by this act the right to vote for the second Raad. In order to become natu- ralized he must, of course, forswear allegiance to his own country and become liable for military and jury service in the Transvaal. In re- turn he obtains nothing but the nominal privilege of voting for the second Raad. After a further period of twelve years he may, by a special resolution of the first Raad and a petition in his favor by two- thirds of the burghers of the ward to which he proposes to belong, be invested with full burgher rights. But at the end of his fourteen years of residence, if the conditions named are absent, he may still find himself excluded from a burgher's rights. For this off-chance 'at the end of fourteen years — a period almost as long as the entire ex- istence of the new republic — he is asked to forswear the country of his birth, and, in order to force him to accept naturalization on these terms, it is further provided that the children of -non-naturalized per- sons cannot becpme burghers by the mere fact of birth within the country, but must follow the course prescribed for aliens. In presence of such a law it is evident that burghers' rights, in- cluding the right to vote for the presidential election and for the only effective legislative assetnbly of the country, will not be accorded to the Outlanders by any existing constitutional authority except under irresistible pressure. Petitions signed by yearly increasing numbers of Outlanders have been sent again and again to the Volksraad and have been received with scorn. The petition of 1894 was signed by 13,000 persons, a number nearly equal to, and the petition of April, 189s, was signed by 38,500 persons, a number more than twice as . great as that of the total number of burghers' votes recorded for the election of the President. In both cases the petitioners expressed their readiness to take the very properly reouired oath of allegiance to 76 THE OUTLANDER OF THE TRANSVAAL. the republic. The petition was received in the Raad by the comment of one member, who announced that he neither knew nor cared whether the memorialists, were Englishmen or Coolies, and by the challenge of another member, M. Otto, to the Outlanders to fight for their rights if they dared. It is only fair to add that other members of the first Raad rebuked the language of M. Otto, and that a commit- tee was appointed to investigate the question. It was, however, a committee appointed to do nothing, and, rightly or wrongly, the Out- lander community recognize in the expression of M. Otto the frank attitude of the Boer, and in the appointment of the futile commission the no less determined, though less open, opposition to reform of the Hollander element of an antagonistic government. The franchise question lies at the bottom of all the grievances of the Outlander community, for with this settled the right remedy could with time be brought to all. It is not improbable that the knowledge of the long list of grievances which lies behind hardens the determi- nation of Hollander and Boer alike to resist the claim for representa- tion. SCENES IN SOUTH AFKICA— 1. Crocodile Eiver. 2. Kailway Siation, Johannesbnrff. S. Crocodile Foort. 4. Aikmaar. 5. Tunnel on Netherlaads—Delagoa Bay Railway- DEFENCES OF THE KIMBEELEY DIAMOND MINES. CHAPTER VIII. THE BOERS' SIDE OF THE CASE. With the British and American views of the Boer before us, this pre- sentation would be incomplete without something about the Boers from their own standpoint. Dr. F. V. Engelenburg, editor of the Pretoria Volksstem, recently wrote the following account of the Boers and the situation. He said: South Africa is poor, extremely poor, in spite of its gold output of nearly two millions a month and its diamond export of five millions a year. The disabilities from which South Africa sufifers are manifold. The climate is glorious, the soil fertile, but the rainfall is uncertain and irregular. There are large tracts where rain falls only once every four or five years; and, where circumstances are more favorable, there are no natural reservoirs in which water can be stored, or certainly none to any appreciable extent. The rivers, dry in summer time, become foaming torrents in the rainy season, and pour the whole of their waters into the sea. If the Witwatersrand were not situated alongside an extensive formation of dolomite, which absorbs rainwater and stores it up like a sponge, it would have been utterly impossible for its un- rivalled gold industry to attain its present condition, and the Boers to-day would be enjoying the rest and peace which they have ever longed for and deserve. But with the industrious European colonist, schooled and disciplined by laboi^ can South Africa^ not produce what is necessary for his sup- port? The white population of this part of the world amounts, in round numbers, to 2,000,000 — a very generous estimate — inhabiting a vast extent of country, larger than France, Germany and Italy together. This population is dependent on the outside world, not merely for the products of technical industry, but also for those of agriculture. Should this supply ever be cut ofif, a large portion of our white and other popu- lation would simply starve, or at any rate be deprived of the comforts of life. Only the Boers, who eke out a frugal existence on their secluded farms, and have not yet become dependent on frozen meats, European butter, American meal and Australian potatoes — only the Boers, who 79 80 THE BOERS' SIDE OF THE CASE. with rare endurance, the heritage of their hardy race, boldly face years of drought, rinderpest, locusts and fever, could survive such a collapse of the economic machinery of a country so severely dealt with by nature. The first European power which acquired a firm footing in the East Indies, the Portuguese, simply ignored South Africa. The Portuguese were succeeded by the Hollanders, who, not until after much hesita- tion and two futile attempts to conquer Mozambique, decided to take possession of Africa's southern extremity. And the English, in com- mon with the Hollanders, never desired aught but the few harbors which South Africa possesses; the interior had no value in the eyes of the European maritime powers, which only looked on the opulent East. A clear illustration of this is furnished by the fact that, although posses- sing Walvisch Bay, England quietly acquiesced in Germany's protec- torate over the hinterland; and another instance is to be found in the anxiety which England has recently shown to get hold of Delagoa Bay and Beira. The possession of these harbors would give to the British Empire control of the seaway to the East and to the English merchants such trade with the interior of South Africa as circumstances might permit. Neither the Dutch East India Company nor the British rulers bestirred themselves in any way with the steady expansion of the white colonists of the hinterland. Under the Dutch East India Company friction often arose between the two white elements &f the colony, and when the Cape fell into the hands of the British, in the beginning of the |)resent century, the old antagonism continued to exist. As long as the imperial authorities left the inland colonists to themselves, and only exercised a general repres- sive control, the relationship between the two white communities of South Africa remained satisfactory, but as soon as the strings were pulled too suddenly from Europe, and the Cape authorities had to carry out a grasping, despotic policy, the two elements inevitably came to loggerheads. The best South African politicians — both British and Boer — are those who have frankly admitted that the political key to South Africa Hes in an intelligent insight into the Hmit which should be allowed to Briton, Boer and Black. In other words, let each of the three fulfill the mission which nature has allotted to him, and then this much vexed continent will enjoy the rest and peace of which it so urgently stands in need. The first beneficent breathing space which was granted to South 'I THE BOERS' SIDE OF THE CASE. 81 Africa by the fatal British policy was when, in 1852 and 1854 — after numberless mistakes haS been cqmmitted by the Imperial authorities, mistakes which no historian now attempts to deny — the South African Republic and the Free State were respectively left to their own re- sources, by solemn covenants with the British Government — in other words, when the formal principle was adopted by England that the Briton should be "baas" of the coast and the Boer of the hinterland. The circumstances under which this took place had in the meantime become very grievous; the Boer states never had a fair start; the British maritime colonies levied enormous duties on goods consigned to the interior, and squeezed as much out of the Afrikander republic as they possibly could. •The generous policy of 1852 and 1854 was bnly too short-lived. The lucid moments of the Anglo-African politicians have been, alas! few and far between. First came the ruthless annexation of Basuto- land by the British authorities, just at the moment when the Free / State had clipped the wings of the, Ba'sutos and rendered further re- sistance futile. Then came the unrighteous annexation of Griqualand West, which suddenly found favor in the eyes of the British on account of the discovery of diamonds, and on which arose the Kimberley ol to-day. This was followed by the annexation of the Transvaal by Sir Theophilus Shepstone, with all the bitter feeling that naturally resulted therefrom. And then the Sir Qiarles Warren expedition, by which the Boers were deprived of Bechuanaland, because Mr. Cecil Rhodes^ — whose fortunate career at the Kimberley diamond fields enable him to give the rein to his restless ambition — ^wanted to open up a pathway to the north, to the Rhodesia of to-day. Then came the establishment of the Chartered Company, followed by the notorious Jameson raid. In 1897 the inquiry by the official industrial commission took place, the result being a substantial lowering of railway tariflfs and import dues. But the "grievances" still remained, and increased in 1897 in sympathy with the gold output, which had now reached the large figure of eleven and a half millions. Still more "unbearable" were these "grievances" in 1898, during which year sixteen and a quarter millions of gold were dug out of Transvaal soil. This was the year of the Edgar affair and of the Outlander Petition, and in the same year forty-five gold companies of the Rand (the share capital issued being £20,294,675) paid out in dividends no less than £5,089,785 — ^an average of 25 per cent ! 82 THE BOERS' SIDE OF THE CASE. The output for 1899 has ah-eady been estimated at twenty-two and a half millions, and the number of dividend-payifig companies increases every month. There are undoubted grievances in the South African Republic, but they are not the exclusive property of the Outlanders; a discreet silence is observed with respect to the wrongs of the Transvaal burghers, and I do not feel it to be my task to dilate upon them now. But still they exist, although the absorbing selfishness of the mining magnates keeps back the light of day; the lust for gold stifles all generosity, com- passion, mercy, brotherly love and respect for the rights of the w^eak. What Monomotapa was to the Phoenicians and Arabs, Witwaters- rand is to our present gold seekers, and to most of the Outlanders — a temporary land of exile, which they only endure for the sake of the gold. Can we picture the wise King Solomon demanding the franchise for his subjects in the realms of the Queen of Sheba? The Boers do^ not ask for mercy; they ask for justice. Those who keep up the unfair agitation against the South African Republic are the last men, however, to listen to the voice of righteousness or tc be guided by any noble impulse; political corruption is the seed they sow, and by their unexampled opportunities they feel confident of reaping their criminal harvest. Up to the present they have gathered only tares; a still more bitter time of reaping has' yet to come. In the past the Boers have been able to fight against immensely superior odds. They feel that the final victory will be theirs, for they know they have right on their side. t5 K o i 6 o B o « O o Q ar & o m- •k ■A > CD a I CHAPTER IX. THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. The Londbn Graphic recently published a pretty description of a Dutch farm in the Transvaal, which we think well worth reproducing here. The writer said: Let me introduce you to a Dutch farmhouse in the Transvaal as I saw it one fine afternoon two or three years since. It was situated some miles from any town or village; the typical Boer does not dfcsire near neighbors. The way to it lay over the high veldt, along vast plains, with here and there a range of hills presenting the appearance of huge pudding-molds turned upside down, only slightly more rugged of surface, but scarcely less bare. The road (by courtesy so called), led over small heaps of stones and reddish sand, varied by deep ruts and sluits, the beds of dried-up rivers, and now and then gliding gradually into the burnt-up pasture-land, over tufts of straggling, unwholesome- looking grass. There were no hedges, no fences, no walls. Our vehicle was a kind of buggy, a hybrid between a Cape cart and an old-fashioned gig. Winding around the base of one of the big pudding-basins we came upon a little valley, in which two or three green trees of the willow species showed the presence of water, and soon afterward arrived at the house. It was a low building of stone, with a - corrugated iron roof; along the front ran the stoep, which is a raised causeway or veranda, built also of stones laid one Uf>on another, and covered with earth beaten down hard. This is the place where a Boer loves to lounge, smoking his eternal pipe and ruminating, when he is not laying down the law with regard to Roineks (Englishmen), or Out- landers generally. At the back were two little paddocks inclosed by stone walls loosely put together, and a cattle-kraal, also of stone, but partly thatched. Two mules were standing in the afternoon sun, wink- ing their long ears in futile attempts to scare the flies, which were ex- ploring every portion of their lean bodies. A yoke of oxen browsing at some distance completed the prominent features of the landscape, until, at the sound of wheels, a couple of dogs of the lurcher kind ap- peared and greeted us with furious barks. Two black boys, called 85 86 THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. Sunday and Shilling, came to take charge of our horses and conveyance, and we were ushered in by the back entrance through the kitchen. The distinguishing feature of the apartment, after the general squalor of the whole, was a stout cord stretched across one end, with strips of meat hanging over and tied to it; this was the greater part of a sheep, which, I afterward understood, was killed the day before. The practice is to cut it all up, withcmt any apparent regard to joints, in various shapes and sizes, and to hang it in the air, or often in the sun, to dry; this constitutes the biltong which they use on their journeys, or in war time, and which is said to be a most nourishing and sustaining food. We passed on into the inner room, which was breakfast-room, dining- room and drawing-room combined; it was rather long and narrow, with a deal table, also narrow, and a few wooden chairs. Agdnst one wall was a wooden box, which, with two or three cushions on it, posed as a couch. A small harmonium stood at one end, and in two corners were little cupboards or whatnots, draped with cretonne or colored print. The floor was composed of a mixture of clay and cow-dung, beaten down hard and firm. I was informed that this kind of floor was con- sidered very good for health. I was introduced to my bedroom, lead- ing out of the dining-room, and found it simply, but a little more comfortably, furnished, muslin curtains to the windows, but no blinds ! As I stood on the stoep, later, there came to me a fairy vision of farm- houses in dear old England, with their trim, smooth lawns, vegetables and flower gardens, and I thought, oh, for a little industry and enter- prise in this desert, which could be made to blossom as a rose! The soil is so fertile that it is commonly said if you throw a plant at the ground and water it, it will grow. Here all around it was little bet- ter than a wilderness; a pool lay at the bottom of the bare patch, which should have been a, garden, and a few ducks stood among the reeds, or disported themselves oft the water. No igreen fields of wheat or barley waved in the soft, sweet air. The Boer does not seem to believe in cultivation, save for a little ground roughly scratched over for patches of Indian com, here called mealies, of which, when finely ground and sifted, they make their bread; very good it is when quite fresh, but after a day or two it becomes hard and sour. Through all the years in which the Boers have held the Transvaal it seems never to have occurred to them that, with some labor and care they could have made this country both profitable and fair to THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. 87 look Upon. Water is to be found generally at a depth of thirty feet; certainly locusts and drought are formidable foes, but in Natal, where these drawbacks are also known, and the climate much hotter, a good deal of land is under cultivation. It is not that the Boer bestows much time on mental attainments or the study of books, on aesthetic culture or care of personal appearance; his only, book, usually, is the Bible, his letters are never written, his toilet accessories are of the most primitive kind and those not often used. The average Boer does not undress when he retires to rest, consequently his whole attire is of the frowsiest ; he is unshorn, unwashed, unbrushed. His skin, hair and clothing are all of the same hue, in close affinity with the cofor of the ground — thence, we may conclude, arises their favorite appellation, "sons of the soil." ■ , As the sun sank behind the hills and the short twilight faded into darkness, a dismal sound arose from the aforementioned pool and its neighborhood — the loud croaking of many frogs, resembling the distant lowing of cattle. Supper over I went to bed. Though wearied with my journey, sleep did not visit my eyelids; a restless feeling came over me and soon I became aware that the blanket covering me was, apparently, the camp of armies of insects of the sprightly kind, whence they issued in battalions and attacked me at every vulnerable point. Added to this misery, a heavy thunderstorm, with rain dashing against my window, came on, so I was fain to light my candle and while away the greater part of the night with a book. Morning at length came, and with it our breakfast; the strips of meat I had seen on the string in the kitchen the day before now appeared on the table, cooked, evi- dently, in a frying-pan. This, with Boer bread and. butter, tea and cofifee, furnished our frugal meal. I chose coffee, but immediately after- ward fervently wished I had asked for tea; both were sufficiently bad, but Boer cofifee is simply execrable; compounded of various mixtures in which ground mealies bears a large proportion, and some cofTee, which is often roasted at home, this concoction is both meat and drink, and it is said to be in consequence of their drinking it so many times a day that the Boer women attain to such gigantic proportions as they frequently do in middle life, and sometimes in youth also. Several male relatives of the household came in to breakfast and displayed very good appetities. One peculiarity of the men's clothes is that they appear to be borrowed; they never fit (I am speaking now, of 88 THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. course, of the low-class Boer); there is too much ankle, often stocking- less, shown, and too much wrist to agree with the modern idea of fitness. It was a brilliant morning and the sun soon dried up the excessive moisture of the previous night. Presently three members of the family offered to accompany me on a ramble. We walked some distance and came upon the ruins of another farmhouse — a few stones left one upon another, and the same" utter poverty of surroundings, no trees, no trace of garden, no orchard. On returning to the house coffee was served, but I did not take any. Now came a surprise, and I ceased to wonder at my lively visitors in the still hours of the night before when I discovered'that in two corners of the dining-room, under the two arrangements of shelves or whatnots, were two hens sitting on eggs. Moreover, the other hens and young chickens wandered in and out from the stoep at their own sweet will. In this particular household it seemed the rule to begin to think of preparing dinner when everybody felt very hungry, and we did not dine before 2 :30 o'clock. Later on a party of Dutch arrived, trekking in an ox-wagon from one farm to another. I noticed that they all seemed to regard me with suspicion and to examine me much as" they would have done some strange animal newly imported. I, on my part, was not carried away with admiration or consuming respect for these gentle- folk, but submitted to their questioning and gave information with regard to my own doings with as good grace as I could command They are very inquisitive; but it is pleasant to add that they are usually kind and hospitable to such strangers as can converse with them in the taal, which is Low Dutch, in the same language as that in which His Honor, the Staat-President, preaches in the little Dopper Church, near to his residence, at Pretoria. Among the people you see young girls, fresh-looking and rather pretty, but they grow terribly fat or miserably lean with increasing age. I have seen ugly old women in different parts of the world, but, beyond doubt, for utter and hopeless ugliness, the aged Dutch vrouw carries the palm ! Some of these old women are more bitter against the Roineks and Roibatjies (i. e., English soldiers) than even the men, who often hate the English simply because they are English arid more refined than themselves. So the evening again passed away, and early next morning I departed on my way to Johannesburg. The London Field recently published a ijeat sketch of a Boer farm, THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. 89 which givt;s a fair insight into the life led by the soldier f-armers of the Transvaal. The writer said : Hearing that the "Flatfontein" hunters had returned from their annual trip into the huntings veldt, I decided to walk over to their farm and see the young game which they had captured. To those unac- quainted with South Africa I would say that the Boers hunt in winter fMay to August), as it is then dry and cool. No rain falling during this season, it is consequently healthy; they get ba^ck to their farms before the wet summer season begins. On the morning of my projected trip I rose early and, after a cup of coffee and a light repast, started ofif across the veldt in company with a Dutch-speaking friend. It was the South African spring. The vast plain, so lately dry and brown, was now covered with the young green grass ; , the trees were sending forth their leaves, and their blooms filled the air with perfume. The insect world, nurtured by the hot sun, was full of life and activity, and every here and there that intense whirring note was heard which is given forth by that insect so familiar to dwellers in this vast land, and which, although so piercing to the ear, seems to harmonize with the quivering air of the African summer day. After a long walk we reached the top of the gradually rising plain and saw before us, in' the distance, the white walls of the Boer's house, close to which ran a small stream, dignified by the name of river — a ' little shallow rivulet of water, seeipingly engaged in the hard task of threading its way through the loose sand in the river bed, and forming here and there small pools, drinking places of the trusty trek ox. But what are these — these brown-looking aijimals feeding leisurely away to our right? I look at my companion. "Quahhas," says he, and, slightly altering our course, we hold on with quickened steps to pass close by them. As we get nearer we can make out the stripes encircling their handsome forms. There are twenty of them all told, from the handsome full-grown black and white stallion to the yearling filly, with her thick, soft jacket tinged with brown. They look at us unconcernedly, moving a few paces out of our way. . Roaming at large on the plains as did their forefathers before them, the halter and "reim" with which each is fettered shows that they have accepted the inevitable, and have come under the sway of the ever-encroaching human, not, however, without a sharp struggle in some far ofif bush veldt. As we jump the clear water at its narrowest part we note an unusual activity 90 THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. by the six acres or so of cultivated ground, which is as much of a thousand or two acres which he possesses as the Boer thinks it necessary to cultivate. This disturbance is caused by the unseemly invasion of a small army of young locusts, not long hatched, and that seem bent on devouring the small patch of succulent green stuff, the year's handiwork of the industrious Boer. Mynheer has armed himself with a long pole with a flag at the fend, and, together with attendants similarly armed, is flap- ping the ground and diverging the stream of locusts into the hard pathway along which they clank, for all the world like a Lilliputian regiment of cavalry. After exchanging salutations with Mynheer by raising our hats, my friend discourses with him about the locusts. Mynheer is grave; the locusts are one of the plagues sent by the Almighty, It would be use- less to attempt to destroy them — nay, it would be courting further dis^ aster to enter into competition with the All Powerful. After expressing these views and calling to the Kaffirs to flap their weapons vigorously he turns and walks with us to his house. As we pass along we come to a shed near which are lying six young eland calves, all bulls; these are all very young animals and in poor con- dition. One cannot imagine their growing into the mighty animals the old wild bulls are. They have traveled from afar and keep has been scarce on the road home; however, they will soon pick up and are, I believe, already sold. A clattering of hoofs and a young Boer rides by on a black gelding. "Salted," says my friend, "and worth £60, for he has gallpped down much live game." But neither his form nor his pace fills the eye, and from the English point of looks he appears de- cidedly dear at the price. Now we enter the abode of our host. This consists of a building of mud walls, which look red and hard; the roof is thatch; it. is refresh- ingly cool inside, but rather embarrassing, as the room has an excessive- , ly large table and is crowded with Dutchmen, no less than seven men, and also two stout ladies. One has to struggle round the table shaking- hands with each person in the most phlegmatic and insipid manner, stumbling over the legs of the others meanwhile. At length I subside into an antique chair and sit, hot and awkward, while the company present sit and stare hard at the despised "Roinek." Although I am of quite medium size at home, I feel cgnscious that each Boer pres- THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. '91 ent — ^aye, and woman also — looks capable of overcoming two such as myself. After a tedious half-hour we sally forth again, and, passing around the end of the house, come upon a small antelope calf lying resting on the ground, tethered to a small outhouse. This, our host tells us, is a "moff hartebeeste" (Anglice, Lichtenstein hartebeeste), which takes the place of the ordinary kind (Khama) in Southeast Africa. This little fel- low looks well, is suckled by a cow, and our host expects to get a good price for it. ^ Tethered out on the veldt some distance from the house are two outcasts, a pair of young spotted hyenas, commonly misnamed "wolves" by colonists. These miserables, tied to pegs driven in the ground, with short chains, have no protection from the hot sun, and lie panting, snarling and parched. At our suggestion a screen is put up for them to keep off the sun. We now bid adieu to our host and walk on to the farm of another hunter, where we see two koodoos and three "kringhats" (water bucks), , as well as some more elands and quahhas. I may mention here that these latter are a variety of the Burchell's zebra, all of which are always misnamed quah-ha by the Dutch, and quah-ka by the English. The true quagga is extinct. , On our way home again we pass close by some yearling swart vet pens (black, white belly, i. e., sable antelope). We linger to watch these animals, one of the handsomest species of the antelope tribe, and in my estimation the best flavored. I shall never forget the dinner I made off a young bull after a two months' diet of tinned meat and coarse bread; but enough! Let us return to the specimens before Us. One little fellow. comes up to the wire to inspect us, and as we push our hands through' and stroke his horse-like quarters, lowers his head and capers around shaking his horns wickedly, reminding one that in a couple of years he will be a gentleman best kept at a distance. These live things, survivors of a rapidly decreasing race, are only here saved from their usual fate of being slaughtered and eaten on the veldt, from the fact that the Boers have discovered that they are much more valuable alive than dead, and are eagerly sought after by dealers for sale to European zoos. In setting out on their annual trips the Boers require, for the cap- ture of these animals, some good horses which have had the sickness from which so few recover, and which are then termed "salted." Some 92 THE HOME LIFE OF THE BOER. milch cows for suckling very young animals are also desirable, and generally taken. When a herd of antelopes or zebras is sighted, some sharp work follows — hard gallops, perhaps, through thorns and bush, or over rock ground, till the younger members of the herd are over- tak^en and run to a standstill, when they are secured with ropes or reims. After a struggle they become subdued; and I have seen young zebras caught in the morning walking loose in the evening among horses, donkeys and other zebras, and allowing one to come up and touch them. I often wonder why Englishmen in Africa did not buy up and save in their own native wilds these rare and grand animals before it became too late. They could have been bred to good profit, to say nothing of the benefit of saving them as ornaments for future generations. How- ever, although some suppose us to be a nation of sportsmen, we have allowed this destruction to take place until all, or nearly all, are 'ex- terminated; a sorry record, indeed, of our boasted sporting instincts to be handed, down to posterity. And now a long trudge- homeward. Why is it that one generally walks over these far-reaching plains in silence? Is it that the mind is dominated by this far, unending land, this land which stretches away on every side with vague sameness, and over which one always walks straight ahead so different from the ever changing rambles in the lanes of the old country? CHAPTER X. PRESIDENT "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. Before delving any deeper into the troubles of the Boers we must glance at the leading characters of the great struggle in South Africa. Standing head and shoulders in importance over all other men in South Africa at the outbreak of the great war was President Paul Kruger, the Chief Magistrate of the Transvaal. A sturdy tfld fighter and a shrewd diplomat, he may be said to have kept his rifle in one hand throughout his life, while holding the Bible in the other, trusting to both of them in his struggles with the British. Mr. C. Van de Watring, formerly private secretary to President Kruger's Cabinet, recently wrote the following account of the Boer President : It has been my good fortune and privilege to know Oom Paul per- sonally and to watch and follow him in his daily life. For three years, from 1895 to 1898, I occupied the position of private secretary to the Executive Council, or Cabinet, of the republic, and my duties placed me in intimate relations with the entire official force of the Government. Consequently what I have to say will have the virtue of accuracy and genuineness. The many descriptions and anecdotes recently published concern- ing President Kruger go far toward giving a correct picture of that re- markable man. Standing full six feet and an inch in height, weighing two hundred and twenty pounds, his stooping shoulders and scraggy beard make it easy to believe that he has already passed three score years and ten and now is rounding out his seventy-fifth year. And yet his massive frame still is that of a Hercules and his physical strength prodigious. An incident in my acquaintance with him well illustrates the propulsive force of the physical man. As is well known, he rarely sets foot outside of his own home without a stout cane with which, as he walks, he thumps vigorously upon .the sidewalk with each step. A few days after the ill-starred Jameson raid and after the cap- ture of the English invaders I was driving with the old gentleman in Pretoria. His anger at the attempted raid still was at its height, and he expressed himself in his usual vigorous fashion as we drove,. empha- 94 "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. sizing his well-turned periods with successive thumps of his cane upon the bottom of the carriage. His indignation finally reached a climax, and with a sudden motion of the sturdy arm the cane was raised and banged down with such force that it 'crashed straight through the solid bottom of the well-built vehicle. Much has been said of the dress of the man which would give the impression that he is untidy in appearance. The contrary is nearer the truth. I never have seen him in anything but black broadcloth, of the best material, and scrupulously kept, the coat always of the Prince Albert style. What does give to him an air of grotesqueness-, however, is his trous- ers, which never condescended to reach his ankles, thus exposing a good part of the leg' of the old-fashioned high-topped boots which the gentleman always wears. Besides the ever-accompanying cane, Oom Paul always is seen with his much-beloved pipe. So indefatigable is he in the use of it that it goes with him, in full operation, even to the sittings of the Volksraad. At these sittings he occupies a chair by the side of the presiding officer, a huge cuspidor at his elbow. The smoke curls from the pipe when the owner is not delivering himself of one of his forcible lectures. As he warms up to his work, however, he invariably emphasizes his remarks and directs his words to this or that offending legislation by seizing the pipe by the bowl and wielding the stem as a baton. Intoxicating liquors he never touches, nor do the Boers generally. But both he and they are inveterate drinkers of coffee. Nor has he an exalted notion of those who do indulge in alcoholic stimulants. On the eve of the Jameson raid, which was hourly expected to develop, I was dispatched to the Kruger mansion after midnight to announce to the President the report that the raiders were en route for Pretoria. I was permitted to stand outside the door of his sleeping room and deliver my niessage. The gruff query came back: "Well, haven't they rum with them?" I replied that it was more than likely, whereupon the interview was cut short with the growl from within: "Go back to bed; they Will not disturb us while their rum lasts." Gruff as Mr. Kruger is in demeanor, his heart is a kindly one and his love of jesting is proverbial. My first interview with him was for the purpose of soliciting the appointment which I afterward obtained. " "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. 95 He listened to my own story of myself, paying little heed to my cre- dentials and references, and at length blurted out : "Well, man, come now, are you a good man of a rascal?" His gray eyes lighted up after my rather disturbed reply that I was not conscious of being a rascal, and then, with a burst of laughter, his tobacco pouch was handed to me. From that moment I felt that I had his confidence. Naturally, though, his one great horror is Great Britain. Upon coming to his office one morning he found upon his table, with liis mail, an English almanac, possibly sent to him by an enemy or a wag. With the snort of an enraged bull he tore it to tatters and threw it from the window with as much satisfaction as if it had been the form of Cecil Rhodes. He speaks neither English nor French, the Dutch language being the only one with which he is conversant, though it is suspected that he has more knowledge of English than he cares to admit. That he is beloved by his people goes without saying. He is in all things the highest type of the Boer race. His whole life has been devoted to his people, and no scandal has ever stained his name. In Joubert and Cronje he has two able subordinates in the field of arms. The two men differ in this, however, that Joubert is not beloved, and perhaps not entirely trusted, while Cronje holds the affection and confidence of all. So completely did he impress his generosity and gallantry upon the Jameson followers, that when, as prisoners, they were being led from Hengersdorp to Pretoria, Cronje was greeted with the heartiest of English cheers as he passed them on the road, a well- deserved tribute to the victor for his humanity toward the vanquished. He speaks ill-advisedly who speaks now of an easy British victory in the present struggle. Even the engagements already fought are quite likely to assume a different aspect when the facts are gleaned from other than British sources. As a fact, the British have not yet come into actual contact with a real Boer army. The genuine Boer, under Jou- bert and Cronje, is yet to be heard from. When heard from he will be found upon the defensive upon his own soil, or, if attacking, doing so only when success is assured. The conflict, too, upon Boer soil, will have some bitter surprises for the British. As a bushwhacker the Boer is well-nigh invincible, and bushwhacking will be forced upon the 96 "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. invaders. The spirit and bravery of the Boer, too, are of the highest type, while his contempt for the British is deep-seated. Shortly after the Jameson raid I heard two sturdy burghers at Pretoria discussing the English flag. One of them maintained that it was a white flag, while the other declared that it was red, white and blue. To settle the controversy the former finally protested: "Well, I know; for I have been in three wars with the English and have seen the white flag flying over them in every battle !" President Kruger has been described in this country as a queer, shaggy-headed old man, with his face like a coarsened composite pic- ture of Horace Greeley and Peter Cooper; his frowsy, ill-fitting suit of clerical black; his ancient high hat and his cotton umbrella — the very ty4)e of a stage colporter — that is the man who with perhaps 60,000 lumbering half-farmers at his back is defying the mailed Colossus of the world to trial by combat. "I will be at the head of an army of Boers some day," he has said' again and again in his youth, "which will sweep those English into the ■sea." With his octogenarian decade close at hand there was scant time in which to make good his words, and to Oom Paul's masterful, half- fanatical mind his words spoken were as dispensations. Those who have seen this strange figure which is now overwhelming the world with its rugged heroism say that he has aged a good deal within the past tep years. At sixty-four his colossal form was as full of resistless vigor as it was in the very prime of manhood. But at seventy- four his shoulders are stooped, his face is flabbier and there is age in his tread. But the fire of youth still burns in his eye and his words when he is aroused come with their old swift impetuosity. In his conferences with English emissaries he always speaks in his own tongue. He does not quite admit the weakness of loathing the language. He says by speaking in Dutch and through interpreters he has better opportunity to weigh his thoughts and the words in which he will either clothe or conce.al them. With the young burghers of the Transvaal the stories of Oom Paul's feats of strength and courage in his earlier days are related as were the exploits of the gods of ancient Greece. As a runner nobody could equal him. On one occasion he ran a foot race with the pick of Kaffir chiefs. The course was an all-day's run, passing many well-known '7' "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. 97 landmarks, among others his father's house. Paul was so far ahead of his competitors that he went in and had dinner and took a light rifle with him when he set out again. Soon he encountered a lion in his path. He tried to shoot and his gun missed fire. Man and savage , beast were face to face, glaring into each other's eyes. The calm cour- age of the man's gaze won. The lion skulked away. Paul went on and won the race. With his rifle he was an unerring shot. Riding a horse at full gallop, he turned in his saddle and shot a pursuing bufifalo fair between the horns. His bodily strength was prodigious. He once seized a bufifalo that was standing in a stream by the horns and by sheer strength of muscle twisted his neck until his head was under water and the brute was drowned. These and a thousand other tales of prowess are among the folk- lore of the Transvaal. He had no chance for schooling. His father was too poor to buy him shoes even, let alone books, and yet he has baffled the wisest men's learning with his sagacity. His intuitive knowl- edge of human motives is marvelous. Once in Johannesburg there wae an elected school board which was becoming daily more powerful. The members were mostly EngHsh, among them a Mr. Holt, of ultra- English views. The board was the only hope of the English element for securing control of Johannesburg. In November, 1894, President Kruger issued an edict that only the Boer language should be 'used at the meetings of the school board, and only^ those who could speak that language should be qualified for membership. The English fumed and protested ; but it was either submit or resign. They resigned. When the Jameson raid was met and crushed in a manner which left no doubt that Oom Paul had had secret knowledge in advance of the movement, it was firmly believed for a time that there had been a traitor in the camp. That was not true. Oom Paul had the information, but he did not get it from a traitor. He got it by one of the little devices which are peculiar to him. Suspecting something was in the wind, he enlisted all the pretty barmaids in Johannesburg in his service — made them a wing of his detective bureau. Through them he learned that new men were being enlisted at the Cape and that new guns were being shipped week after week from England. The Englishmen babbled all their secrets over their cups, in a word, and straight they went to Oom Paul's ears. 98 "OOM" ?AUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. There has long been an unwholesome tallowy look in Oom Paul s face which English writers have dwelt upon with a suspicion of satisfac- . tion at the hint it gave of some fatal malady. Under his eyes are great, baggy sacs which wrinkle and unfold curiously as he talks or laughs. But his health is of the ruddiest, notwithstanding these suggestions of Tcidney troubles. His sallowness might very well come from his exces- sive coflfee-drinking. And then he is an inveterate smoker. His long black pipe is always associated with him in the minds of those who have talked with him. In the use of alcoholic drinks he is so moderate as almost to come in the category of a total abstainer. Yet he does not deprecate a reasonable use of stimulants in others. Many tales are told of his frugality, as, for instance, when nearly mad once with toothache he indignantly refused to pay the dentist's moderate price for pulling the tooth, and with his jack-knife then and there dug it out himself. It is not merely through his political sagacity, his indomitable force of will, his shrewdness, leonine physical courage and his well-known absolute devotion to his country that Oom Paul holds sway over his people. He is, to their fervid piety, a sort of prophet as well. In all the Transvaal there is not a preacher who is anywhere equal to him. There is an impetuous, rushing force to his oratory which sweeps all before it. Himself imbued with blind, devoted faith in the literal Scriptures, he interprets them as one inspired to his hearers. He sees in every- thing the hand of God. He has proclaimed from the pulpit that the hand of God diverted the bullets which the Jameson raiders fired, and directed to their mark those which flew from the relentlessly aimed Boer rifles. The war now waging he has and is preaching as a holy war. An ignorant man himself, a semifanatical enthusiasm bears him on as it bore Cromwell, and inspires his followers as Cromwell's followers were inspired. Oom Paul is never so dangerous, it has been said very often, as when he begins to quote Scripture. At the very beginning of the recent friction with Great Britain his deep voice began ringing like a war trumpet with sonorous quotations from Holy Writ. Those who knew the man best knew that that was an ominous tone. There is no denying that Mrs. Krugqr, the wife of the Transvaal President, is a worthy helpmate of her illustrious husband. She is the typical Boer woman of the better class and is respected by all who know her or who have heard of her many good qualities. "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. 99 As in every case in the story of the Transvaal, there are two ways of looking at Mrs. Kruger — ^the way the British see her and the man- ner in which other people look upon her. Oom Paul, who has the reputation of using few words, and those only after abundant consideration, has set Queen Victoria down as a "troublesome old shrew," and his own wife as an example to all women. According to a Boerish custom, his pleasure had been made known. Mrs. "Oom" Paul, who was then only gentle, blue-eyed Miss du Ples- sia, came forth timidly to greet him in a gown so simple that she could surely never have expected to win a suitor through it. And these are the words she said, with' downcast eyes and cheeks of rosy red : "I can bake. "I can stew. "I can sew. "I can clean. "I can scrub." And, behold, it was enough. Her suitor was at her feet. He who was then only Stephen Johannes Paulus Kruger, esteemed for his cour- age and his piety, took her from that moment to his heart — to him she was the most rarely accomplished of all women. Through this woman a fortune of twenty-five millions was saved for her husband. And future generations of wives will ask, "How did she do it?" The secret was revealed when, on the memorable day of her wedding, she replied : "I can bake. "I can stew. "I can scrub. "I can sew." Since then honors have been heaped upon her. She has seen her husband a fanner, a herdsman, a hunter, a soldier, a flergyman, an ambassador, a financier, head of the army and finally President of all the Boers. Some one told Mrs. Kruger that their husbands draw yearly some $15,000 more salary than her Oom Paul. She answered with enthusi- asm: "They must have just $15,000 more every year to put away." Then she asked eagerly: "Do they have coffee money?" On this coffee money which has supported them for years the Krugers have, entertained diplomats and travelers of all nations. And 100 "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. no one has come out from that hospitable mansion hungry. She is her own chef. And she is her own butler. Yes, Tanta Kruger, the wife of the man whose salary is $35,000 a year, and who recently pre- sented the Pope with a $4,000,000 diamond. On the occasion when she has guests she wears her very best Sun- day-go-to-meeting black gown. She puts it on just before she an- nounces "Dinner is served." This is done at the last moment, because before that she has been adding pinches of salt to the stew, and the last dustings of pepper to the soup. Then one of her daughters remains in the kitchen,- while the first lady of the Transvaal, just as the scorching African sun is going to rest, takes a second to wash of? and put on her single holiday gown. When she appears m time for dinner her face is shining with its recent scrubbing. And over her best Sunday-go-to-meeting,gown she has a large clean white apron. She is prepared to do honor to her position — as butler. The income of $25,000,000 and to do one's own cooking! To fuss and fume and fret and stew over a boiling stove in a hot, hot land rather than spend the money on a maid! And not only to cook, for it is whispered — and loudly in tourist and English circles in Africa^-that she very often takes a hand in the washing and that she scrubs and rolls the clothes with the' skill and strength of the best of them. She also insists upon making her own beds. This may be because "the Kruger" needs an untroubled pillow, a sheet without a wrinkle to ease him from the arduous duties of scheming to make empires and millions, but if she does the rest of the hard work it is probable she makes the bed also to save the penny — or whatever the money is in that land. When her husband has state guests to dinner, this is, indeed, the time the good lady shines; here she shows the stuff of which she is made, and does honor to her millions and her position as wife of the President. Not at the foot or at the head of the table, but in passing the dishes. To no butler will she ever trust so great a responsibility. There might be a slip, a mishap, that she couldn't guard against. So, shining and splendid, with large white apron over her capacious form, she waits on each guest. ■J. o g r e H £> a o Q Q a 2; o to H n a (4 n •z. z o •-3 H «! m 2i O < O b >l B3 "OOM" PAUL KRUGER AND HIS HELPMATE. 103 "Surely," she argues, "no hostess can take care of a guest better than this." Every plate is then heaped to perfection, each glass kept well filled to the brim, no slightest wish from any one goes unnoticed. If any one is rash enough to extol to Tanta, or "Auntie," Kruger, as everyone calls her, the glories of her wealth, and the immense amount of monthly pocket money she has to control, she will tell that person a secret, one of which she is proud, one in which she glories. It is this: "That she and the President have never lived beyond their 'cofifee money.' " She is Mr. Kruger's second wife — his first lived but nine months after marriage — and has borne him sixteen children, eleven of whom are living, including five daughters. There is now quite a large clan of President Kruger's descendants. Mr. and Mrs. Kruger live in a small, unpretentious house used as the Presidency, standing in one of the streets of Pretoria. They are still very early risers. It is said Oom Paul is never in bed after five o'clock. Before six divine service is held, the whole household being present, and the President conducting. Then the morning coffee is served, frequently on the stoep or veranda,- for the morning sun at Pretoria is hotter than at home, and cloudy days are less common. If the Volksraad is in session the President is in his office by half- past seven, and has usually dispatched considerable business before the Raad opens at nine o'clock. If the Raad is not sitting he breakfasts at home and then drives to his office by 8 130. He is home again about four or five in the afternoon, and goes on receiving visitors, or sits smoking in the bosom of his numerous family until about nine. Then he and his good wife and everybody else retire. CHAPTER XI. THE PRESIDENT OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE Next in importance to President Kruger, at the outbreak of the war between Great Britain and the Transvaal, was President Marthinas Theunis Steyn, of the Orange Free State, a shrewd, rough and ready man of the stamp of President Kruger and born in the same town, Winberg, sixty miles from Bloemfontein, as the fighting President of the Transvaal. President Steyn was born October 2, 1857, when the Orange Free State was just three years old. His father was a wagon-maker and a farmer. His grandfather, on his mother's side, was one of the Boer leaders during the "great trek" of 1834. His name was Wessels. Stcyn's mother was a typical Boer woman, sturdy, self-reliant. During one of the uprisings of the natives, and before the Orange Free State had become a definite political entity, the British government forbade the importation of gunpowder into that region. Powder was a highly important article to the Boer farmer, who was likely to be face to face, at almost any time during his wanderings with hungry lions and none too peaceable natives. Wessels, therefore, was not disposed to regard the dictation of the British, and during one of his treks, which brought him to Colesburg, he took good care to lay in a supply of powder. When the sixteen yoke of oxen were "out-spanned" — ^that is, put out to feed — that night and the party were well away from Colesburg, Mrs. Wessels noticed a party of Cape police riding toward their camp. She surmised that they had been informed of the purchase of powder, and knew that they would certainly appropriate it if they could find it. Her husband was away from the camp at the moment and the responsi- bility rested entirely upon her. It didn't take her long to decide what to do. Before the police had approached near enough to see distinctly what she was doing she ren^oved the bags of powder from the wagon ' and arranged them in a pile very close to the camp fire. Then she calmly sat down on the bags, arranging her ample skirts so that the powder was completely concealed. By the time the police had reached the camp she was industriously poking up the fire. The police searched the wagon carefully and beat the brush in the vicinity of the camp, but t04 THE PRESIDENT OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE. 105 they couldn't find a trace of the powder, and, of course, the good woman knew nothing about it. Finally, the men gave up the search and rode away, baflSed by quick wits and generous skirts. Mrs. Wessels had a way of saying to her sons : "You are free men, see to it that you remain free." It was from such timber as this that the President of the Orange Free State sprung. As a lad and a young man he was an all-around athlete, a good foot-ball player and boxer, a skill- ful rider and a fine shot. He killed his first springbok when but eleven years old and was an accomplished and fearless hunter of lions and elephants before he had got his full physical growth. He was more than six feet tall and big in proportion. Poultney Bigelow g^ves this description of the Free State's Presi- dent: The whole expression of his face is eminently that of harmony and strength. His nose is a strong one, but not, as in President Kruger's case, an exaggerated feature of the face. Both Presidents have the large ears characteristic of strong men, and both are broad between the cheek bones. The full beard of President Steyn gives him so great an aspect of dignity that I was much surprised at learning he was not yet forty years old. His ample forehead adds to his dignity and he has also, from much poring over books, allowed one or two folds of his skin to droop upon his upper eyelids. President Steyn got his education at the Gray College, in Bloem- fontein, where he used both EngUsh and Dutch text-books. When he was nineteen he was sent to Europe to study law, and he passed the ensuing six years in Holland and England. Upon his return to his native country he immediately began prac- tice. He was elected attorney general very soon afterward and became a judge when only thirty-two years of age. It was in 1896, immedi- ately after the Jameson raid, that he became candidate for President of the Free State, and it was said that Dr. Jim's exploit was a great help to Steyn's candidacy, his opponent being a man having the British name of Eraser, and whom he defeated by a majority of six to one. Some idea of his conception of the importance of his office is shown in the follow- ing extracts from his inaugural address : "Here in the Free State, where we have raised the banner of repub- licanism, and will continue to uphold that banner, sustained by true republican principles, where from all quarters strangers are coming to • 106 THE PRESIDENT OF THE ORANGE FREE STATE. US, is it not a glorious task to incorporate these strangers with us, and amalgamate them in one republican people? * * * * shall we, as sensible men, allow a wretched freebooter (Jameson) to put race hatred into our hearts? Or shall we allow him to take us a hair's breadth out of the path our fathers have pointed out to us and followed, which leads to peace, friendship and fraternity? * * * * Here we have the Free State, situated in the heart of South Africa, stir- rounded by states and colonies. Is it not our duty to evoke from them a spirit of union and lay the foundation of a unity for which every right-thinking Afrikander yearns?" CHAPTER XII. CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO While there are many interesting personages on the Boer side of the . South African tug-of-war, there are a few on the British side who must be mentioned, namely, Cecil Rhodes, formerly Premier of Cape Colony, resident director of the British South Africa Company and so- called "Napoleon of South Africa"; Dr. "Jim" Jameson, his lieutenant, and the late Barney Barnato. The latter, it may be said, is hardly worth a chapter here; but, on the other hand, he was the most picturesque figure of his class at one time, and can hardly be left out of the gallery of celebrities if we aim to present a complete picture of South Africa. The Right Hon. Cecil Rhodes is a younger son of the late Rev. F. W. Rhodes, rector of Bishop Stortford, England. He took his degree at Oxford and went to South Africa, like many other younger sons, to court Dame Fortune. He did so most successfully. During his early days in Cape Colony, however, Rhodes had a hard struggle to get on his feet, but, he staggered up, slowly but surely, and became one of the world's magnates of finance. When the De Beers diamond mines were far from prosperous Rhodes was prominent in the efforts made to gather such interests together, and he succeeded in so doing and in establishing a long list of valuable securities, generally known as "Kafifirs." He then turned his attention to Cape politics. He was elected to the Assembly from West Barkly, and for a time held a position in the Scanlon Ministry. On the fall of the Spriggs Ministry Rhodes became Premier of Cape Colony. This was in 1890. He held office until 1896, when, as a re- sult of the Jameson raid into the Transvaal, he resigned, but did not cease to work heart and soul for the accomplishment of the great dream of his life, the establishment of a vast British Dominion in South Africa, with a British railroad "from the Cape to Cairo," and to include under the British flag everything includable. Mr. Rhodes has advanced considerably toward the accomplishment of his self-imposed task. He was the prime mover in obtaining mining rights in Matabeleland and Mashonaland, and, as a result of his en- terprise, immense tracks of British territory in Soath Africa are now 107 108 CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. grouped under the name of Rhodesia. Until 1896 Mr. Rhodes was resident director in South Africa of the British South Africa Company, an organization somewhat similar to the famous East India Company which built up the British Indian Empire. In this country Mr. Rhodes would be looked upon as an unscrupu- lous capitalistic hustler of the most aggressive nature. He is a man to dare and do almost anything in the accomplishment of his ends. When the trouble between the British and Chief Lobengula of Matabeleland began in 1893 Rhodes went to Fort Salisbury, from which place he directed the operations of the company's armed forces against the Matabeles, which resulted, eventually, in the utter defeat of Lobengula and the conversion in five years of the chief's capital, Buluwayo, then (in 1893) consisting of one trader's shanty and a collection of native huts, into a prosperous city with hotels, a theater, clubs, well-kept streets, horse car lines, water works and an electric light plant, with a railroad leading to and from the centers of British civilization in South Africa. The policy of Mr. Rhodes at that time met with the most enthu- siastic approval at the Cape, and he was, in consequ'ence, banquetted at Cape Town in January, 1894. In a speech of thanks upon that oc- casion Mr. Rhodes, in defending his policy, outlined the United Africa which he then hoped to see in the near future, covering all the country south of Zambesi, "one in the question of tariffs, of railway communica- tion, of law and of coinage, although possessing full local government in local matters." This very ambitious man was sworn in as a ^ Privy Councillor of Her Majesty Queen Victoria in. February, 1895. After resigning office at the Cape, Mr. Rhodes visited England in 1896, and, after a long interview with the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain, he suddenly returned to South Africa and devoted himself to the development of Buluwayo a^d Rhodesia generally. He also took an active part in suppressing a re- volt of the Matabeles, who, for a time, closely besieged Buluwayo, and in arranging the terms of peace, although he gave up his managing directorship of the British South Africa Company. Mr. Rhodes again visited England in 1897 and gave evidence before the South Africa com- mittee appointed by the British Parliament to investigate, or partly whitewash, the Jameson raid, aftfer which he again returned to the Cape CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. 109 and took up his work in Rhodesia, also resuming his place on the board of directors of the British South Africa Company. In 1898 he re- entered the political arena, being elected to the Cape Assembly by two constituencies. The stories told of Mr. Rhodes, his sayings and doings, are in- numerable. For instance, it is said, that some sixteen years ago an acquaintance of his, then a man of small means and little influence;, watched him examining a map of Africa and asked him if he was trying to locate the town of Kimberley. The "Napoleon of South Africa" is said to have made no reply for a few moments and then to have placed his hand over the map, covering a large part of South and Central Africa, from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans. "All that British," Mr. Rhodes is alleged to have remarked. "That is my dream." The friend is said to have replied : "I will give you ten years to realize it." "Give me ten more," the man of great ambitions is said to have retorted, "and then we'll have -a new map." There remained, at the outbreak of the war, only two small spaces on the part of the map covered by Mr. Rhodes' hand which were not British and those were the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. "You don't steal diamonds," Barney Barnato is reported to have said to Mr. Rhodes fifteen years ago, "but you must prove it when ac- cused. I steal them, but my enemies must prove it. That's the dif- ference between us." No, Mr. Rhodes did not steal diamonds, but he is very strongly suspected of attempting to steal two republics. There is this great difference between the two South African magnates: One would steal a diamond, the other would steal a na- tion, or several of them, for the honor and glory of the British flag, and, incidentally, for the very great benefit of the British South Africa Company. This remarkable man is said to be a firm beUever in the saying that "every man has his price," and he is credited with using money when other forces have failed to accomplish his ends. Groote Schuur, the home of Mr. Rhodes near Cape Town, is a luxurious country palace with a large zoological gardefi, to which the public is admitted, attached to it. Some time after the Jameson 110 CECIL RHODES. DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. raid, which Mr. Rhodes is charged with having instigated, the main building was burned to the ground, and it was said that this was the work of incendiaries who were desirous of obtaining possession of the private p/ipers of Mr. Rhodes. Whether this is true or not, one thing is certain, Mr. Rhodes saved his papers and laughed scornfully when asked if the fire was the work of his enemies. Personally, though a hustler in every sense of the word, Mr. Rhodes poses as an indolent man, and says that a man who does more work than his physical needs require is a fool. He walks as little as ^possible, and his only exercise consists of an hour's canter on horse- back in the early morning. He is a very generous man, spending money freely everywhere, and standing firmly by his friends. But he has a peculiarity frequently noticed in very rich men, he rarely has enough money in his pocket to provide for his immediate wants. He is a man of very few words and great decision of character, wears shabby clothes while in Rhodesia, and, if necessary, camps out like a pioneer. Mr. Rhodes is not married, and is reputed to be a woman hater. Finally, Mr. Rhodes is quoted as saying : "No man should ever leave money to his children. It is a curse to them. What we should do for our children, if we would do them the best service we can, is to give them the best training we can procure for them, and then turn them loose in the world without a sixpence to fend for themselves. What happens when you leave children fortunes? They have no longer any spur to effort. They spend their money on wine, women and gambling, and bring disgrace upon the name which they bear. No; give your boys the best education you can, and then let them make their own way. As for any money you may have, it should all go to the public service — ^to the state in some form or an- other. They tell me," he is said to have added, laughing, "that that is state socialism. I cannot help that. These are my ideas, and they are right." Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, popularly known as "Dr. Jim," was, previous to the raid, administrator of the British South Africa Com- pany in Mashonaland, and a faithful lieutenant of Mr. Cecil Rhodes. Jameson may be said to have developed under Rhodes' influence into an amiable freebooter or land pirate of the jingo species. He at- tempted to seize for his friends, under the shadow of the British flag. m O CO w 2 u O O 2 I" r d ^ o o H •4 2 n z z <1 St o 1-3 pi) & O H Z O a cs D 35 75 '■4 Z Z A^ ■':?•■(:- &.', ^^^^^Bv''"^^ 'Ti*'' iVfc'^. ' ^' mg^B^^M^mMm ■^ ''Ave- vi-i.jv. - - 'V- HM^MnraEq^^KCia^^^H ' — ^^^niMSSiwHQlB& m!^HiHi :^' ^\- ■ '^..^^•■iJ- A<--- . ""■-. ;, ^^BIhMM^^^BwIi ^^Mig^t^g^adCTSw^B T^^BjI^^nE iV'-'V:-^;^ »X^'- v,"^ " ■ % \^^\->S '■■:-- 'i- • * - ■ ■' -^^ /- "•::., CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. 115 the Great Transvaal gold center of Johannesburg, was beaten ignomini- ously and captured by the Boers, who were with difficulty persuaded to abstain from hanging him, and was eventually returned to England and sentenced to fifteen months' imprisonment "for violating the Enlistment Act." He was pardoned on the plea of ill-health, after serving seven months in a comfortable London prison. Nothing that Dr. Jameson would attempt in the way of daring adventure, or accomplish through his impetuous but thoughtful au- dacity, would astonish those who have closely followed his career. Of all the men who have gained fame in Africa none is more , picturesque than "Dr. Jim." He was born and bred in Scotland, of an ancient Scottish family. His father was writer for the Signet. But those who knew Dr. Jameson in his youth tell strange stories of his dash, cleverness and adventures. He was educated as a physician. He had had an admittedly distinguished medical career, and had taken honors in arts when he sailed away to South Africa, settling in Kimber- ley. He speedily gained a large practice and a commensurate income. He was the leader in his profession. His fame as a medical man alone was very great. Cecil Rhodes soon saw the stuff of which Dr. Jameson was made and ofifered him the opportunity of playing a part in the opening of a new country. He embraced it gladly. At that time, the fat, luxuri- ous and cunning Lobengula, Chief of the Matabele nation, was bitter- ly opposed granting concession to the British South Africa Company, and its budding operations in that direction wer^ in danger of destruc- tion. The first emissary sent to him, a man named Thompson, saw Lobengula kill a chief for advising the concession. The British emissary was glad to escape with his life. Dr. Jameson, alone and unarmed, then started for Lobengula's court. Few dared hope that he would return. None dared dream that he could succeed. But "Dr. Jim" boldly sought the craftiest of South African chiefs, or kings, who ruled 100,000 Zulu warriors. The fame of Dr. Jameson's medical skill stood him in good stead in his journey to the king, but menaced him with additional danger after he arrived there, for the king was suffering from a malady which his medicine man could not check, and which threatened to kill him at any moment. If Dr. Jameson failed to cure he knew he would be killed. But science conquered, art! Lobengula granted the concession and 116 CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. permission for the pioneer force to pass through Mashonaland. Dr. Jameson next explored and established a new route to the ocean, difficult enough, and which gained him supreme command of the South Africa Company in Mashonaland. But it was not to be compared with his journey to' the great Chief Gungunyana through the worst country in South Africa. This was a two months' journey, practically on foot, through a marshy country, with compass alone to guide. At the start all provisions were lost. Dr. Jameson pushed on. He and his small band lived on fruits. It rained for eleven days. Fourteen days were passed in the gloom of a dense African jungle. During the whole journey the only game that was seen was a skunk. The three white men were stricken with fever, yet they pushed on and accomplished the mission. From that time the daring doctor controlled Mashonaland, and he rose superior to every crisis. He had much trouble with King Lobengula, and he warred against the savage warriors in 1893, with remarkable success. Hostile natives attacked the Mashonas. Dr. Jameson gave them a warning. He was told that Lobengula could not control his young men. "Take back those whom you can control and I will deal with the others," was Dr. Jameson's message. He ordered an invasion of Matabeleland and it resulted in the downfall of the gre^t chief. Among the personages who attracted the attention of the world while the Johannesburg wires were being pulled some five or six years ago by British and Boers in South Africa, was Barney Bamato, the millionaire mine-speculator, who subsequently committed suicide by jumping overboard from the steamer Scot while on his way from Cape Town to London. He was a fair representative of the successful speculator in diamonds^and "Kafifirs," or South African securities, and the list of his eccentricities was as long as the record of his strange doings and sayings. There have been many versions of the "story of Barney Barnato" published, and none of them agrees with any other in anything but the main facts. Report had it at one time that he was originally a clown with Barnum's circus, which has been denied by his family, while another version of his early Hfe was that he earned his first capital by exhibiting a trained donkey through South Africa, which, we believe, is practically admitted to be true. CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARl^EY BARNATO. 117 In any. case, for two years the effect of his name in London was magical. Everything that he touched became profitable and English investors went crazy over Barnato stocks. Much was known about his financial operations, but very little definite information could be obtained about the man's history. Bamato's millions were not myths if the stories about him were-, and he seldom took the trouble to deny the latter. What purports to be practically an authorized biography of Barnato was published some years ago under the title "B. I. Barnato; A Mem- oir." Harry Raymond, the author of it, was a reporter on a South African newspaper during the years whfen Barnato was fighting his way to great wealth, and knew him intimately. Mr. Raymond told his story in a simple, straightforward fashion, without attempting to portray Barnato other than as a shrewd financier with a ready wit and the money-getting' instinct. It was in 1871, when there were gathered in the diamond fields in a series of camps some 4,000 white men and four times that number of Kafifirs, that a young Hebrew named Henry Isaacs made his appear- ance in Kimberley, and, assuming the name of Barnato, began to give public entertainments for the miners. Harry Barnato did not take long to discover that he could make more money in diamonds than on the stage, and at the end of a year he sent home for his brother, Barnett Isaacs, to come out and help him gather profits. Barnett Isaacs also assumed the name of Barnato, and it was his genius which guided the new firm to success. They were the sons of a pious Hebrew in Lon- don named Isaac Isaacs, and the grandsons of a rabbi of some reputa- tion. When Barney Barnato became famous and one of his friends chided him on the amusement that he derived from the absurd stories told about him, he replied : "Well, why shouldn't I ? A man who doesn't care twopence about me comes with a yarn and asks me if it is true. I say, 'Oh, I suppose so; go and ask So-and-so — rhe will tell you what really occurred.' Now, if I was to say there was not a word of truth in the whole story I should not be believed. I have had hundreds of men come to me for details of my career. If I told them the truth they wouldn't believe me; if I didn't tell 'em anything at all they would go off angry and try to write nasty things. So I let them talk, find out what they want to hear and then tell it tb them; and they believe it all and go away and 118 CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. say what is, perhaps, the only absolutely true thing they will say, that I am not a bit ashamed of my origin and never put on style. If you do not like it, tell me what else I can do better." According to this biographer Barnato was an amateur actor of great repute in South Africa, and his favorite characters were Bob Brierly in "The Ticket-of-Leave Man" and Matthias in "The Bells." As an illustrati(5n of Barnato's business methods, this incident is related : "On one occasion, after being very little in the office for some twelve days, he suddenly entered and asked what the balance at the bank was and what bu$iness had been done. When told he sat down and made, some brief calculations. " 'No, that is not right,' he said. 'Have you gone through the books?' " 'Yes ; I have checked everything this week. • All is in order.' " 'Well, you are wrong, I tell you. You are about £4,000 out. You had better find out where it is.' "The books were re-examined, every detail of the business of the firm was closely scrutinized, and in the end — after six weeks' con- tinuous work — it was found that an employe had misappropriated a single parcel of shares of a little over £4,000 in value, consisting of 100 Kimberley Centrals at £41, and had very cleverly falsified the entries. Barnato had no knowledge of the misdeed and never dreamed of sus- pecting the individual; but he happened to want to know the exact position of affairs, and he could at any time roughly balance the whole of his vast business to within a few pounds. I never heard him enunciate the time-honored maxim 'Look after the pence, the pounds will take care of themselves' — he generally preferred to clothe his thoughts in his own terse phrases — but it was never better exem- plified than in his conduct of business." Barnato's philosophy was of the get-there kind, and Mr. Ray- mond quotes him as saying : "If you are going to fight, always get in the first blow. If a man is going to hit you, hit him first and say, 'If you try that, I'll hit you again.' It is of no use your standing off and saying, 'If you hit me I'll hit you back. D'ye understand?' '"Yes, I understand,' I answered; 'but you are quoting Kingsley in "Westward Ho!"' CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. 119 " 'Who was Kingsley and "Westward Ho?" ' he sharply queried. "After I had explained and quoted the passage from Drake's letter to Amyas Leigh, he said: " 'Ah, I did not know anything of Kingsley, but when he wrote that he knew what life Was and he was right and I am right, though it is queer for me to get a supporter in one of your parsons. If he was a true man he would also, have to agree with our law of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," but, being a Christian, of course he couldn't do that. Pah ! never let a man wrong you without getting square, no matter how long you wait; and never wrong a man if you can help it, because he will wait his time to get back on you, and at the worst possible moment. I don't care whether it is Jew or Gentile, it is all the same.' " Barnato was a member of the Cape Town Assembly and he was delighted in mildly scandalizing the members of Parliament. During a debate, in 1893, on the Cape Liquor Law, which prohibited the sale of intoxic'ating drinks on Sunday, except as an accompaniment of a substantial meal — -a local Raines Law — Barnato said: "A few Sundays ago I walked some distance from Cape Town, for, being busily engaged in mentally reviewing the course of business of the Honorable House, I went on giuch further than I had intended without noticing the time. I at length retraced my steps, and, being then both hot and thirsty, went into a decent and most respectable hotel for refreshment. I only wanted to quench my thirst, but, accord- ing to law, a drink would only be supplied as the accompaniment of a bona fide substantial meal. Mine host set before me a bottle of beer and a leg of roast pork. He had no other eatables. What was I to do? If I ate the pork I broke the Law of Moses. If I drank the beer with- out eating, I broke the law of the land. Between the chief rabbi and the chief justice I stood in a very awkward position." Barnato had no sympathy to waste on the brokendown adventur- ers who came to South Africa to live by borrowing. When he became known as a very wealthy man he was frequently bothered by requests for small loans. "At Johannesburg, some years ago," says his biographer, "a well- known individual of a type rather common there borrowed £10 from Barnato, and, although asked for the money several times, always put ofif payment. One day Barnato said, openly, to some friends : 'Mind, 120 CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. none of you ever lend F. D j any money. He has £io of mine, and it is time he was stopped.' "The man heard of this, and, coming up to him said : 'I hear you have been talking about me.' " 'Yes, I want my money.' " 'Well, here is your £io, and don't talk about me any more.* "A short time afterward the same man asked Barnato for the loan of £25, as he was hard up. " 'No; can't do it,' was the reply. " 'Why not? I do not owe you anything.' " 'I know you don't; but you've disappointed me once. You paid me back £10 I never expected to get, and 1 won't risk another dis^ appointment.' " Barnato's education was very elementary and he almost never read books or newspapers. He did read Kipling's "Story of the Gadsbys" on one of his trips from England to Cape Town. His nerves were badly shattered and when he found that he could not sleep Mr. Ray- mond gave him Kipling's story. "I did not see. him again until the sec- ond morning after, and then asked how he liked (be book. " 'I like it very much; it is very good, very tlever. I did not begin it until yesterday morning, and then wondered what you had given me. The first chapter is all about girls and darning stockings. But, do you know, I put it in my pocket when I went down to the office, and, looking at it again, I sat there till I had finished it. I did what I do not ever remember to have done before, and clean forgot a board meeting. C reminded me of the meeting, but I sat to finish.' " 'If it made you forget yourself for a while you had better try the same prescription again.' " 'No, it takes too much time. The "Herriott Woman" played her cards badly, but she had no chance.' "We discussed the loves of Captain Gadsby until breakfast tim.e. I repeatedly tried to induce him to make another incursion into light literature, but without success. He had no time for it, he said. The last occasion on which I saw him was about a fortnight before he left England, in November, 1896, for the trip to South Africa, from which he was nqt to return alive. He said : " 'I'll get the book of Kipling's you lent me in Johannesburg. I think it mil do me good to read it again.' " CECIL RHODES, DR. JAMESON AND BARNEY BARNATO. 121 One of Barnato's early partners in Kimberley was Louis Cohn. They rented a little corrugated iron shanty, and there they bought diamonds and lived. Mr. Cohn tells a new story to illustrate Barnato's shrewdness. He says: "There was one man then, a diamond buyer in a. comparatively large way, whose business we both envied. He seemed to have a regular and large connection, and made constant rounds, riding an old yellow, rather lame pony. We tried to follow him several times to see which way he went, and who, among the wilderness of tents, huts and debris heaps, he called on, but without avail. "One day Barnato said to me, 'That chap has a rare good connection; we must get hold of a bit of it somehow.' " 'All right; we want it bad enough.' "At that time we were very hard up indeed, and prospects were poor. A few days later Barnato came to me in great glee. " 'I know what we ,have to do to get 's customers. I've seen him come home three da,ys running.' " 'If you had seen him go out and followed him up it would be more to the purpose, I should think,' I answered, rather sharply perhaps, for I thought he was fooling. " 'Have patience, Lou, and I'll tell you if you give me a chance. Look here, I've seen him come back from his rounds three days run- ning, and he always stops first at Hall's canteen. Mind this, however; he does not guide the pony to that place, but just sits still all the while with loose rein and the pony stops of his own accord. Now, it is my firm conviction that all day long he rides just the same way, and that the pony knows all the stopping places. I've known this for some days, but it didn't help so long as he had the pony; to-day he has seen some other beast he likes better, and wants to sell his whole present outfit.' "I agreed. We bought that old, worn-out yellow pony and its bridle for £27 10s., and with it the man's whole connection, for the morning after the purchase Barnato started out early, aftd the pony, without trouble, took him in and out among the debris heaps to every one that chap had been in the habit of calling on. We paid £27 los. for it, but it brought us a good connection and very much money." To lend Barnato small change was to say good by to it. He never repaid small loans. He was also absent-minded. . , CHAPTER XIII. THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. The British Empire may be said to have been built up by companies like the British South Africa Company. Backed by almost any amount of capital, these "entering wedges" as the companies re?.lly are, partly, commercially absorb territory and eventually get themselves into trou- ble enough to warrant the intervention of the British imperial forces. The next process is the formal annexation of the companies' lands to the British Empire. The company operating in South Africa is a particularly powerful organization and its brain-piece is Cecil Rhodes. Before the Jameson raid, the Duke of Fife, son-in-law of the Prince of Wales, was prominent in the afifairs of the company, but the Jameson scandal, or miss-fere, it is believed, compelled him to resign. The Duke of Abercorn, an official of the Prince of Wales' household, is now the chairman of the com- pany's board of directors and some of the most influential men in great Britain are directors or shareholders in the concern, which obtained its charter October 29, 1889, ostensibly for the exploitation of Rhodesia, though its influence extends far beyond South Africa. In order to give our readers a clear idea of the power of the British South Africa Company, we think it best to publish the official corre- spondence on the subject, as it enters into all the details of the com- pany's powers. The correspondence grew out of the movement to reconstitute the administration powers of the British South Africa Con*- pany (one of the results of the Jameson raid), which was done on the basis given below. A British parliamentary paper, issued February 24, 1898, contains the following documents: MP CHAMBERLAIN TO HIGH COMMISSIONER SIR AL-' FRED MILNER. Downing Street, January 13, 1898. Sir : I have, as you are aware, for a long time past given my earnest attention to the question of the future exercise of its administrative powers by the British South Africa Company. 132 € I HILLOCKS BEHIND WHICH BOERS SEEK SHELTER IN ACTION. THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. 125 2. I deferred coming to any final decision in the matter until I had had an opportunity of learning your views after your visit to Rhodesia. I have now formulated the proposals which are contained in the accompanying memorandum. 3. Much as I should like to relieve the High Commissioner of some of the already heavy duties of his office, I have deliberately come to the conclusion that to preserve consistency of administration throughout the British sphere in South Africa it is necessary that the control of the Crown over the local administration of Rhodesia must for the present continue to be exercised through the High Commis- sionfer, and it will be seen that the proposed measures aim not so much at setting up new machinery for the control of the company's adminis- tration by the Crown as at rendering that which is already provided for the purpose more efifective in its action. 4. I shall be glad to learn the views of the Government of the Cape Colony on the proposals herein contained, as well as your own views as High Coi^missioner for South Africa. 5. I am anxious to communicate the proposals of her Majesty's Government to Parliament as early as possible, with any observations that may be made upon them, and I should therefore wish l^o receive a reply at the earliest convenience of yourself, and your ministers. I haye, etc., J. Chamberlain. 1. The authority of the Crown over the British South Africa Com- pany is, in theory, already elaborately provided for by the charter, "The South Africa Order in Council", 1891," and "The Matabeleland Order in Council, 1894." 2. By the charter the company's ordinances require the approval of the Secretary of State. They have always been duly submitted to and frequently modified by him. 3. If the company should have any difference with a native chief or tribe, the Secretary of State may require the company to submit the matter to him and to act in accordance with his decision. If the Secre- tary of State should object to any proceedings of the company in regard to the natives, the company must act in accordance with his directions. 4.' The company is required to furnish annually accounts of its administrative expenditures and of its public revenues, as distinguished 126 THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. from commercial profits, for the previqus year, and estimates of like expenditure and' revenue for the ensuing year. The company' is also required to furnish any reports, accounts, or information which the Sec- retary of State may desire. 5. Finally there is the power to revoke the charter of the com- pany should it fail to observe and conform to its provisions. ,6. The proposals under this head are confined to the territories administered by the company south of the Zarnbesi known as Southern Rhodesia. The question of the administration of the territories north of the Zambesi is reserved for future consideration. 7. The adtninistration of Southern Rhodesia is regulated by "the Matabeleland Order in Council, 1894." Previous to that date general powers of legislation c^nd appointment of officers were exercised by the High Commissioner for South Africa, under the South Africa Or- der in Council of May 9, 1891. These powers are preserved by the Order of 1894, but are now exercised, in regard to the appointment of officers, only so far as is provided, by the Order of 1894, and in regard to legislation, by proclamation, which is still largely, resorted to. 8. Under the Order of 1894 the administration is conducted by an administrator appointed and paid by the company, but whose ap- pointment and salary are subject to the approval of the Secretary of ' State, and who may be removed by the Secretary of State, or by the company with the approval of the Secretary of State. The admin- istrator is assisted both in executive and legislative functions, by a council consisting of the Judge of the High Court ex-oflficio, and three other members appointed by the company, with the approval of the Secretary of State, and removable by the company. 9. , The administrator in council may legislate by "regulations" which are subject to the approval of the High Commissioner, and to disallowance within one year by the Secretary of State or by the com- pany. It appears, however, that taxation cannot be imposed by regu< lation. 10. The High Commissioner may, as already stated, legislate by proclamation. 11. The company (in London), as already indicated, may legislate by ordinance, approved by the 'Secretary of State (under the Charter). 12. A High Commissioner's proclamation may not without his THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. 127 consent be amended or repealed by a regulation or an ordinance. An ordinance may be suspended by a regulation, and a regulation may be amended or repealed by an ordinance. 13. The High Commissioner has thus complete control of local legislation. 14. As regards the administration of justice, the Judge or Judges of the High Court are appointed and paid by the company, but their appointments and salaries are subject to the approval of the Secretary of State, and they are not removable except by the Secretary of State. The appointment of magistrates requires the High Commissioner's approval, and is subject to the Secretary of State's confirmation. The High Commissioner may suspend, and the Secretary oj State may re- move, a judge or magistrate. 15. That the authority provided for by these instruments has in the past proved inefifective may be ascribed to the (perhaps necessarily) great latitude given at first by the board of directors to their officers in South Africa, and to the absence, until 1896, of any officials on the spot to represent the Crown. 16. Early in 1896 the first step was taken with a view to remedy- ing this defect. All the armed forces in Southern Rhodesia were placed under the direct control of the Crown. The commandant and other officers, though paid by the company, are appointed by the Crown. The present commandant is also Deputy Commissioner. 17. In accordance with a recent understanding, the appointment of Native Commissioners is subject to the High Commissioner's ap- proval. It is proposed that in future the appointment and removal of native commissioners shall be subject to the same conditions as those of magistrates. 18. The administrative functions of the company are so ultimately connected with its finances that it would be impossible, without giving rise to an erroneous idea as to financial responsibility, to make any great change in the constitution of the company or the form of local administration. All that can be done is to make such changes as will render perfectly effective the safeguards already provided in theory; and it is through effective local control rather than througli changes in the constitution of the board of directors that this end can best be attained. 19. The British South Africa Company have themselves suggested 128 THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. a reconstkution of the Administrator's Council by the addition of four elected members — two from Matabeleland and two from Mashonaland — and of as many members nominated by the company as will preserve to them a majority so long as they are responsible for meeting the expenditure. It is proposed to agree to this modification of the consti- tution of the Council. 20. It is also proposed so to modify the existing arrangements as to legislation and administration in Southern Rhodesia that the control of the High Commissioner may be more direct, and may be based upon full information obtained locally through an imperial officer specially appointed for that purpose. 21. With regard to legislation, it is proposed that the enact- ment of ordinances by the board of directors shall be discontinued, and that all legislation, including the imposition of taxes, shall be effected in South Africa, generally by ordinances to be enacted by the Admin- istrator in Council, and, in exceptional instances, by proclamation^ of the High Commissioner. As at present, a proclapiation by the High Commissioner would be of superior force to an ordinance of the Admin- istrator in Council, and would not be liable to amendment or repeal by an ordinance without his previous consent. Ordinances would be subject to confirmation by the High Commissioner and to disallowance by the Secretary of State at any time within one year. 22. It is proposed that the imperial officer mentioned in paragraph 20 should be styled Resident Commissioner; that he shall be appointed and paid by the Crown ; that he should not, except as regards the em- ployment of the armed forces, interfere with the work of administra- tion, and should have no power to overrule the Administrator or Coun- cil, or to deal directly with the subordinate officers of the company; but that he should have a seat on the Council with a right to speak, but not to vote, and full power to call for information or reports on any subject through the Administrator. On the information furnished by him the High Commissioner would act in confirming, reserving, or disallowing ordinances, and in giving or withholding his approval of appointments and removals from office. 23. It is proposed that the commandant of the forces should be appointed and paid by the Crown, but should no longer be Deputy Commissioner. As regards the employment of the forces under his command for ordinary police purposes, including the suppression of THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. 139 internal disorder, he would be authorized to act on his own discretion, but would be ordinarily guided by the wishes and requirements of the Administrator and his subordinate officers; but should he in any case think it undesirable to comply with their wishes and requirements, he would refer for instructions to the Resident Commissioner, and he would in no case take action of the nature of a military operation with- out the authority of the Residerit Commissioner. 24. If the company so desire, there would be no objection to the appointment of two separate Administrators — one for Matabeleland and the other for Mashonaland; in that case, each Administrator would have a separate executive council, but there would be one Legislative Council for the whole of Southern Rhodesia of which both the Adminis- trators would be members, and one of them would be President. 25. Except as modified by these proposals or by the efflux of time the provisions of the Matabeleland Order in Council would be main- tained. 26. Of the three most immediately important questions of local ad- ministration, viz.: (i) the border relations of the company; (2) local self-government; and (3) the settlement of the natives; the first is covered by the practical efifect given to the provisions of the charter by the control of the armed forces being vested in officers directly re- sponsible to the 'Crown; as to the second. Administrator's regulations have already been passed and approved by the High Commissioner to provide for the constitution of municipalities (which, it is understood, the company intend shortly to establish at Buluwayo and Salisbury), and it is proposed, as above stated, to introduce an elective element into the Council; as to the third, elaborate provisions in the form of a "regulation" by the Administrator in Council are now under the con- sideration of the High Commissioner and the Secretary of State, which will, it is hoped, amply provide for the just interests and due protection of the natives. 27. It is believed that the proposals in the preceding paragraphs would render effective the already extensive powers of the Crown over the local administration of the company without assuming any responsi- bility to its shareholders and debenture-holders. That responsibility must remain with the board of directors. 28. It is, at the same time, desirable that her Majesty's Govern- ment should have more ample information than they have hitherto 130 THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. been able to obtain as to the transactions and general financial situation of the company. 29. The creation of a Board of Commissioners somewhat similar to that created by the India Act, 1784, for the control of affairs of the East India Company, is an expedient which naturally suggests itself. 30. The India Act empowered the Crown to appoint a Board of Control, consisting df a Secretary of State, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other Privy Councillors, not exceeding four in number. This Board was invested with very great powers, which give it prac- tically complete control over all the transactions of the court of direc-" tors, and, therefore, very great responsibility for those transactions. 31. It is authorized ""to superintend, direct, and control all acts, operations, and concerns which in any wise relate to the civil or mili- tary government or revenues of the British territorial possessions in the East Indies." All the members of the Board were to have access to all papers and muniments of the company, and were to be furnished with such extracts or copies thereof as they might require. The direc- tors were required, within eight days of their passing, to deliver to the Board copies of all minutes, orders, resolutions and other proceedings, so far as they related to the civil or military government or revenue^ of the British possessions in the East Indies, and also copies of all dispatches from the East Indies immediately on their arrival, and copies of all dispatches proposed to be sent. The directors were to pay due. obedience to, and be governed and bound by, such orders and direc- tions as they might receive from the Board of Control touching the civil or military government or revenues of the territory, but had the right of appeal to the Privy Council when they considered that such orders did not relate to these subjects. 32. To apply such a system in its entirety to the British South Africa Company would amount to the creation of a separate public office with full responsibility for the government and revenues of the territories in question, and therefore by implication, with a certain re- sponsibility for the finances of the company, from^he funds of which a great part of the cost of administration must for some time to come be supplied. 33. The creation of a similar board for the affairs of the British South Africa Company would necessarily, therefore, involve changes which, while quite feasible, would differentiate it considerably from its THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. 131 Indian prototype, and, in view of the proposed changes, in the local administrative machinery, it is not at present proposed to do more*han to define explicitly and to strengthen the existing powers of the Secre- tary of State and to indicate the way in which they may be exercised. 34. It is proposed that the Board of Directors shall be required to communicate to the Secretary of State within eight days of their being passed all minutes, orders, or resolutions, of the Board dealing with administration, and that the Secretary of State shall have power to veto or suspend the operation of any such minute, order, or resolution which may seem to him objectionable. . 35. It is further proposed that the Secretary of State shall, through such persons as he may from time to time appoint, have access to all the records of the company, and be furnished with copies of all corre- spondence between the London board and the Administrator or other officials of the company in South Africa, and with such other docu- ments, special reports, and account^ as he may require, and that he shall have power to remove from his office any director or official of the company in London who' fails to comply with his requirements. As at present proposed, the powers of inspecting records and correspondence would be exercised through officials' of the Colonial Office specially appointed for the purpose. 36. The constitution of the Board of Directors would, at the same time, be altered by the withdrawal of the life directors appointed under clause 29 of the original charter, leaving the whole body of directors to be elected by the shareholders, any official or director removed by the Secretary of State not being eligible or re-eligible without the consent of the Secretary of State. The draft scheme having been transmitted to the High Commis- sioner at the Cape for his opinion and for that of the Government of Cape Colony, Sir Alfred Milner expressed his approval of the general principal of the scheme and the Cape Ministers, in a memorandum upon it, said: ^ "We note with satisfaction the practical recognition of the repre- sentative principle and regard it as an indication of preparation for the time when self-government will be accorded to the territory, prob- ably in the form of a federal union with Cape Colony." The Government of Natal also had the scheme laid before them, but decided to "offer no remarks upon it at this stage." The British South 133 THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY. Africa Company, to whom this draft scheme was sent for consideration, made, through the secretary of the company, the following observa- tions : "My directors concur with the proposal that all legislation shall in futiire be passed locally, but in view of the financial responsbility of the Board of Shareholders, and of the increased powers proposed to be intrusted to the local administration^ they submit that the power at present vested in the company of directing and controlling all fiscal legislation should remain intact, and that authority to disallow all legis- lation passed by the Legislative Council, subject, if so desired, to the approval of the Secretary of State, should be retained by the company. "With reference to clause 24, my directors desire power to appoint two separate administrators, one for Matabeleland and the other for Mashonaland, but would submit for the consideration of the Secretary of State that the manifest advantage of promoting uniformity of adminr istratibn throughout Southern Rhodesia, and the difficulty of consti- tuting two equally efficient executive councils occasioned by the various heads of def)artments being stationed permanently kt one centre, alike point to the advisability of establishing one executive council only." To this the Colonial Office replied as follows : "I am to say that Mr. Chamberlain thinks it not unreasonable that the directors should continue to have a voice in controlling the legis- lation for the company's territories, ort the ground that much of it may afifect the financial responsibilities of the Board. He is therefore teady to modify the proposal in paragraph 21 of the memorandum of pro- posals by giving authority to the Board of Directors to disallow ordi- nances passed by the Legislative Council, subject to the power of the Secretary of State to overrule their veto. Probably the wishes of the Board in the matter will be sufficiently met by providing that the Secre- tary of State may within a year disallow an ordinance, either of his own motion or at the request of the Board of Directors. "Mr. Chamberlain agreed wi^i the Board of Directors that in pres- ent circumstances it would not be advisable to have more than one executive council for Matabeleland and Mashonaland." CHAPTER XIV. y RHODESIA. Rhodesia, the brilliant creation of Cecil Rhodes, at the outbreak of the war, covered an area of about 750,000 square miles. The Zambesi river flows through it, dividing the territory into Southern and Northern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia consisted of the two provinces of Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Mashonaland was bounded on the north by a line running roughly in a southeasterly direction from Zambo, on the Zam- besi, to the intersection of the river Mazoe with 33 degrees east longi- tude; on the southwest by Matabeleland, and on the east by the Portu- guese province of Lorenzo Marques. The capital, and the seat of government of Rhodesia, was Salisbury, with a population of 1,800. The other principal townships were New Umtali, Melsetter, and Enkel- doorn. A railroad was being built, running inland towards Salisbury from Beira, on the coast, and it was already sixty miles beyond Umtali. Its completion would place Salisbury in direct communication with the sea over a line 382 miles in length. It was then proposed to connect Salisbury with Buluwayo. The African Trans-Continental Telegraph Company had constructed a line between Umtali and Tete, and from there on to Blantyre, in British Central Africa, and to Zambo, Fort Johnston, Kota Kota, on the western shore of Lake Nyassa, and Karonga, at the northwestern end of the lake. The survey on to Lake Tanganyika was practically completed. Matabeleland lay between the Limpopo and middle Zambesi rivers, and was bounded on fhe north- east by Mashonaland and on the south by the Transvaal and Khama's country. The principal town, and the chief commercial centre in Rhodesia, was Buluwayo, with a population of 5,000. Telegraphic com- munication existed between Cape Town and Buluwayo, and Salisbury, and in the Buluwayo district the telegraph system had been consider- ably extended. Buluwayo also had telephone communication with the principal stations. The extension of the Cape Government Western Railroad system through Kimberley and Vryburg to Buluwayo was completed in October, 1897, and was officially opened November 4. The distance from Cape Town to Buluwayo is 1,360 miles. 133 134 RHODESIA. . Northern Rhodesia consisted of the whole of the British sphere north of the Zambesi, lying between Portuguese East Africa, German East Africa, the Congo Free State, and Angola, with the exception of the strip of territory forming the British Central Africa Protectorate, which was under direct imperial administration. North of the Zambesi the country has as yet been little prospected. Coal has been found on the shore of Lake Nyassa. The North Charterland Exploration Com- pany, which held a grant of 10,000 square miles north of the Zambesi, was engaged in trading, agriculture, and stock-bi-eeding operations. A new industry had recently been strarted in hbre, on which the repre- sentative of a large London company had . been experimenting with satisfactory results. , Public roads in Rhodesia had been made to the extent of 2,230 miles, and telegraph lines to the extent of 1,856 miles of Hne and 2,583 miles of wire. The rinderpest, which for several years had been devas- tating Africa, traveling slowly through the continent from north to south, made its first appearance in Matabeleland in February, 1896. The adoption of the drastic regulations which the Administration de- cided to enforce had to some extent checked the progress of the epi- demic, when the outbreak of the Matabeleland rebellion put a stop to all precautionary measures. The effects of the disease were far-reach- ing, and, apart from considerations of human life, were more disastrous than those of the native rebellion. During the twelve months succeed- ing the outbreak of the rebellion, agriculture was practically at a stand- still. Since the pacification of the country considerable tracts of land have been placed under cultivation, and fresh stock, including Angora sheep and Merino goats, have been ibiported. Throughout the country the conditions of soil and climate are suitable for all kinds of European cereals and vegetables; and, in addition, many trees, shrubs and plants, peculiar to subtropical regions, can be successfully cultivated. Good results have already been obtained from the introduction of fruit and other trees. Tobacco occurs in a wild state, is grown universally by the natives, and has been produced of excellent quality by white farmers in several districts. India rubber, indigo and cotton are similarly in- digenous, and will probably well repay cultivation. The Rhodesian forests produce abundance of hard timber of fine quality, and a com- pany was formed to work this industry with a view to meeting the large demand for building and other purposes in Salisbury and Buluwayo. RHODESIA. 135 In addition to gold, silver, copper, coal, tin, plumbago, antimony, arsenic and kieselgiihr have been discovered. The arrival of the railroad at Buluwayo gave an impetus to the mining industry; and many mines have machinery on the ground. The crushings at the Geelong mine for the month of September, 1898, averaged 19I pwts., including tail- ings, to the ton. In Southern Rhodesia a company was formed to develop the India rubber industry on a large scale. Full advantage was taken of the facilities afiforded to the Administrator in Council by the Mat£^beleland Order' in Council, in 1894, to legislate locally by means of regulations, and upwards of forty measures have been thus passed. In consequence of the Jameson raid into the Transvaal the control of the military forces of the powerful British South Africa Company was removed from its hands g.nd placed in the hands of the Imperial Government. CHAPTER XV. EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. The name of Africa was bestowed upon the Dark Continent by the Romans; by the Greeks it was called Libya. As to the meaning of the name, the language of Carthage supplies an explanation; the word "Afrygah," signifying a colony, or separate establishment, as Carthage was of Tyre. Naturally the Phoenicians oi old may have spoken of their Afrygah in the same manner as we refer to colonies. The Arabs of the present day give the name of Afrygah, or Afrikiyah, to the territory of Tunis. The attention of the whole civilized world is now directed toward the Dark Continent, Africa, the vast peninsula which is connected with Asia by the Isthmus of Suez. Northeastern Africa was the home of the Egyptians, the first civilized nation of the world, and the powerful State of Carthage afterward occupied Northern Africa, which eventual- ly became a part of the great Roman Empire. There is good reason for believing that the peninsula foi-m of Africa was known to the ancients, and it is believed to have been circumnavigated by the Phcenicians. The Arabs were the first to explore the interior of Northern Africa, and the Portuguese navigators of the fifteenth century were the first to complete the known circumnavigation of Africa. In our chapter on the early history of South Africa we have described the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope and the colonization of that part of the world by the Dutch and English, so in this chapter we will touch on Africa of the ancients. The Phoenicians formed colonies on the northern coast of Africa about three thousand years ago, and the conquest of Egypt by Cam- byses dates from the year B. C. 525. The coasts of Egypt, of the Red Sea and of the Mediterranean were settled and well known to the ancient Asiatics, who passed constantly across the narrow isthmus which divided Asia from Africa and led them from sun-dried deserts into a fertile valley watered by the Nile. It is not definitely known whether they were much acquainted with the western coast of Africa, and the eastern coast on the Indian Ocean. But Necho, King oi 138 EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 137 > Egypt, sent an expedition of Phoenician seamen for the purpose of cir- cumnavigating Africa, and on their return the Phoenicians asserted that they had sailed around the continent. The story is not much credited, although several modern writers contend that the circumnavigation of Africa was actually performed upon this occasion. Some fifty years after this supposed expedition the account of an- other voyage, along the western coast, has been handed down, and has also been the subject of many long discussions among geographers. Under the Ptolemies, the great patrons of science and promoters of discovery, Egypt, having the advantage of the only great river which runs from the interior of the African continent into the Mediterranean, made little or no progress beyond its ancient boundaries, and the Ro- mans, who subsequently took possession of Egypt, extended their dis- coveries no further than Fezzan, in one direction, and as far as Abyssin- ia and the regions of the Upper Nile. Very little is known of the progress made by the Carthagenians in the exploration of interior Africa, though it has been asserted that Carthagenian merchants reached the banks of the' interior river, now called the Niger. The Arabs are the people from whom we derive the first authentic information regarding the interior of Northern Africa. By means of the camel, otherwise the "Ship of the Desert," the Arabs were able to penetrate, across the Great Desert, to the center of the African Conti- nent, and as far as the Senegal and the Gambia -on the west, and to Sofala on the east coast. On the latter coast the Arabs explored far beyond any of the supposed limits of ancient discovery and planted colonies at Sofala, Mombas, Melinda and at a number of other places. A new era in maritime discovery began in the fifteenth century, when the voyages of the Portuguese gave fairly accurate outlines of the coast of Africa, and the discovery of America and the islands of the West Indies led to the traffic in African negroes which caused so much trouble to various nations before it was suppressed. In fact, the slave trade is not thoroughly stamped out at the present moment, for the Arab slave-traders of certain parts of Africa are still powerful, in spite of the efforts of the colonizing powers to kill the trade entirely. When the English and French settlers reached Africa a systematic survey of the coast and interior began. In 1788 an association for the promotion of the exploration of Inner 138 EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. Africa was formed in London. It led to important discoveries by Houghton, Mungo Park, Homemann and Burckhardt. This associa- tion was, in 183 1, merged into the Royal Geographical Society. More has been done during the last sixty years to develop the geography of Africa than during the whole 1,700 previous years. Mungo Park, in 1795, traveled from the River Gambia, on the west coast, to the Niger and traced this river as far as the town of Silla. He also explored the intervening countries and determined the southern borders of the Sahara. In 1805 Mungo Park started on a second expedition into the same regions, intending to descend the R.iver Niger to its mouth, but on this occasion he added but little to the discoveries made, and lost his life while on the journey. He passed Timbuctoo and reached Boussa, where the traveler was killed by the natives. A Portuguese traveler. Dr. Lacerda, in 1798, who had previously explored Brazil, made the first great exploration of Southeastern Africa, going inland from Mozambique and reaching the capital of the African king known as Cazetnbe, in whose territory Lacerda died. In 1796-98 Hornemann traveled from Cairo to Murzuk and ob- tained valuable information regarding the countries to the south, no- tably Bornu, where he perished. Two mercantile traders in the employ of a Portuguese firm made the first actual crossing of the Dark Continent between the years 1802 and 1806. They passed from Angola, eastward, through the territories of the Muata Hinavo and the Cazembe, to the settlements on the Zam- besi. ^ The British Government, in 1816, sent an expedition under Cap- tain Tuckey to the River Congo, which was then believed to be the lower course of the Niger. The additions to the geography of Africa were but slight, as the expedition only ascended the river to a point about 280 miles distant. Three travelers, Denham, Clapperton and Oudney, in 1822, left Tripoli, crossed the Great Desert, and, February 4, 1823, reached Lake Chad and explored the surrounding countries as far as Mandara in the south and Sakatu in the west. Oudney died in Bornu. Clapperton started on a second expedition from the coast of Guinea, crossed the Kawara, and arrived at Sakatu, where he died. Caillie, in 1827-28, started from the Rio Nunez, on the western EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 139 coast, reached Timbuctoo, and returned through the Great Desert to Morocco. The head of the Niger River was not found until 1830, when it was located by Lander and his brother. They traced the river from the Yaouri down to its mouth. / A great Niger expedition, consisting of three steamers, was dis- patched by the British Government, in 1841, under Captain Trotter. It resulted in great loss of life and turned out to be a complete failure. Duncan, one of the survivors of this expedition, added to the geograph- ical knowledge of the world (1845-46) by his journey to Adafoodia. In a second attempt, in the same region, made for purpose of reaching Timbuctoo, Duncan died. The Church Missionary Society, in 1845, established a station near Mombas, in about latitude four degrees south, on the east coast of Africa, and the missionaries made explorations into the interior. In 1849 the Rev. Mr. Redmann discovered the great snow-clad mountain of Kilima-njaro, rising on the edge of the inland plateau. Dr. Krapf, a companion of Mr. Redmann, going in a more northerly direction,' sighted a second large snow-clad mountain named Kenia, directly be- neath the equator. The missionaries also heard reports of vast lakes in the interior, beyond the mountains they had discovered, which aroused ' much interest in this region. ' In 1849 ^^ expedition was organized by James Richardson for the ^j^^'} purpose of concluding commercial treaties with the chiefs of North ' | Africa as far as Lake Chad, the idea being to extend trade with that part of Africa and to abolish the system of slavery. This expedition had almost reached its destination, when Richardson died, and one of his companions, Oveoweg, also succumbed. A third member of the party. Dr. Barth, continued the work of exploration until 1856, trav- ersing almost the whole of the Northern Soudan, and collecting mate- rial of a most valuable description regarding the Central Negro States. Dr. Livingstone, an agent of the London Missionary Society, who had traveled in the countries immediately north of Cape Colony since 1840, began in the summer of 1849 the remarkable travels in the interior of Southern Africa which continued until he died. The discovery of Lake Ngami, Ithe central point of the continental drainage of South Africa, was the great discovery made by Livingstone during the first year of these explorations. 140 EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. A Portuguese, traveler named Graca, in 1846, succeeded in reach- ing the country, from Angola, of a South African king named Muata Ynavo. Graca was followe'd by a Hungarian named Ladislau, who explored the central country from 1847, to 185 1. Dr. Livingstone, between 185 1 and 1853, made two journeys north- ward from his headquarters in the land of the Bechuanas, and had the honor of being -the first European to embark upon the upper course of the Zandeze. He then led a party of natives westward, upstream, to little Lake Dilolo, and from there to the western slope, reaching the Portuguese coast on Loanda in 1854. * A part of the southwestern country, inhabited by the Damaras and Ovampo, was explored during 1851 by Galton from Walfish Bay to a point in latitude 17.58 south and longitude 21 east. He succeeded in determining accurately a number of positions in that region. Silva Porto, a Portuguese trader, left Benguela in 1853, took an eastward route, parallel but to the northward of Zandeze, over an un- known country, and rounded the southern end of Lake Nyassa, which was afterward explored by Dr. Livingstone, and crossed the east coast- land t9 the mouth of the Rovuma, taking a year and two months to finish his jotirney. Another remarkable journey was made by Dr. Livingstone (1855- 56), who, returning by a somewhat more northerly route than he had followed in going westward to Loanda, went down the Zandeze to its mouth at Quilimane, and discovered on his way the wonderful Vic- toria Falls of the river. ' The year 1857 was one of great interest to African travelers. Id the southwest Damara Land was explored by Hahn and Rath, as far as the southern limit of the Portuguese territory. Dr. Bastian ex- plored the interior of the Congo and Angola, and Du Chaillu started on his journey to the forest country of the Fan tribes, on the equatorial west coast. Captains Burton and Specke,, under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society, two travelers who had previously distinguished themselves by a perilous journey to Harar, a trade headquarters in the Somali and Galla country, of the East African promontory, started from Zanzibar to explore the great inland lakes spoken of by, the Mombas missionaries. They succeeded in discovering Lake Tanganyika, and the southern portion of what was then supposed to be perhaps a greater to W m d W > w MAEKET-SQUAEE AND TOWN HALL IN BLOEMFONTEIN. THE PRESIDENCY AT BtiOEMFONTEIN, CAPIT/'. OF ORANGE FREE STATE. EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 143 I lake, northward, believed by Specke to be the head reservoir of the Nile. Several travelers in 1858 added considerably to the stock of infor- mation above the Upper White Nile, from the Egyptian side, while in the northern part of Africa Duveyrier, a French traveler, explored the Sahara Desert south of Algeria. Captain Specke, in i860, accompanied by Captain Grant, again left Zanzibar and reached a poiiit on the northwestern shores of the "great lake which he had previously discovered and which he named the Victoria Nyanza. From there he traced the outflowing river to the' White Nile at Gondokro, thereby completing a great link in the chain of African discoveries. Dr. Livingstone in the meanwhile had attempted to find a way to his newly discovered Lake Nyassa, from the mouth of the Rovuma, a large river flowing into the Indian Ocean near Cape Delgado, which was reported to take its rise in that lake. But the river turned out to be tmnavigable beyond a point only a short distance from the sea. The traveler then returned to the Shire River, and, carrying a boat past the rapids on that stream, began to explore the whole length of' Lake Nyassa. A second great reservoir lake of the Nile was discovered in 1864 near the latitude of the Victoria Nyanza by Baker, who was pushing southward from Gondokoro. He named this lake the Albert Nyanza. Du Chaillu, in 1864-65, explored the gorilla country of Ashango, south of the great Ogowai River. Walker, in 1866, navigated the Ogowai River for two hundred miles from its mouth, and the same year Hahn and Rath extended t'heir ex- ploration of Damara Land, while on the eastern side Wakefield and New, of the Monbas Mission, made several short expeditions into the Galla country, collecting valuable information about the countries be- tween this coastland and the great lakes of the Nile basin. Dr. Liv- ingstone, in that year, again entered the Rovuma River, starting on the journey from which he never returned. Letters received from Living- stone from time to time enabled the scientists to trace his movements from 1866 on. He passed up the Rovuma River to the confluence of tts main tributary branches, one coming from the northwest and the other from the southwest. The traveler followed the latter and went round the southern end of Lake Nyassa. Then traveling in a north- 144 EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. westerly direction he crossed the head waters of the Aruangoa tribu- tary of the Zandeze, ascended a highland and came upon a portion of the Chambeze River. Continuing in a northwesterly direction Dr. Livingstone discovered Lake Liemba, a southern extension of Lake Tanganyika. This was in April, 1867. From there the explorer turned to the Cazembe's town, and making journeys from that place, he discovered two great lakes — Moero, in September, 1867, and Bang- weolo, or Bemba, in July, 1868. During the year of 1869 Dr. Livingstone had made his way to Ujiji, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. He crossed the lake and penetrated the dense tropical forests and swamps of the Manyuema country, in the center of the southern portion of the African Conti- nent. During his travels in 1870-71 Dr. Livingstone traced the River Lualaba, which flows out of Lake Moero, to a second and then to a third great lake. Owing to reports of the death of Dr. Livingstone near the Nianza an expedition to search for him was sent out by the Royal Geographi- cal Society in 1867, and it was ascertained that he was still alive, though no news had been received from him then for more than two years. The New York Herald, in 1870, sent Henry Stanley, a member of its staff, in search of Livingstone. History has it that James Gordon Bennett simply cabled to Stanley, saying : "Go and find Livingstone." Be that as it may, Stanley sailed from Bombay in October, 1870, reached Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa early in January, 1871, and November 10, the same year, he found Dr. Livingstone at Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, where the great explorer had just returned from the southward. Stanley furnished Dr. Livingstone with supplies, ex- plored the northern part of Lake Tanganyika with him, and remained in the traveler's company until 1872, when Dr. Livingstone started on the last stage of the journey from which he never came back. Stanley returned to England in July, 1872, and was received with great enthu- siasm. Queen Victoria presented him with a gold snuflf box set with diamonds, and the Royal Geographical Society, in 1873, bestowed on him the patron's gold medal. As a result of his successful journey to Africa Stanley was sent by the New York Herald and the London Daily Telegraph on another African expedition. He reached Zanzibar in the autumn of 1874, and. EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 145 hearing that Dr. Livingstone was dead, he was ordered to go north- westward and explore the region of Lake Victoria Nyanza. After many encounters with the natives and the loss by death or desertion of one hundred and four men out of his party of three hundred, Stanley reached the lake in February, 1875, and found it to be the largest body of fresh water on the globe, having an area of 40,000 square miles. He then pushed westward in the direction of Lake Albert Nyanza and sat- isfied himself that it was not, as had been generally supposed, connected with Lake Tanganyika. Th^ hostility of the natives forced Stanley to return to Ujiji, but he determined to descend the great river discovered by Dr. Livingstone, and believed by the latter to be the Nile. Other explorers, however, thought this was the Congo, and Stanley ascertained that this was cor- rect. It had been named by Livingstone the Lualaba, but Stanley named it the Livingstone. In descending the river, chiefly by the use of canoes, Stanley occupied about eight months, and lost thirty-five of his men. On reaching the coast a Portuguese vessel took Stanley to St. Paul de Loanda, from which place a British vessel conveyed the party to the Cape of Good Hope, and thence to Zanzibar. Stanley reached England in February, 1878. Stanley visited Africa again in 1879-82, having been sent there by the Brussels International Association with the object of developing the great basin of the River Congo. King Leopold of Belgium de- voted $250,000 per annum from his private purse toward this enter- prise. In 1884 Stanley had completed his work, having established trading stations along the Congo River, from its mouth to Stanley Pool, a dis- tance of 1,400 mile's by the river. In 1887 Stanley ma4e a fourth journey to Africa, this time for the purpose of relieving Emin Pasha, Governor of Equatorial Africa, whose condition, in Europe, is said to have been at that time precarious. Stanley succored Emin Pasha and brought him and his party back to Egypt, after the most severe hardships and with the loss of over four hundred out of the six hundred and fifty men he had taken with him. He occupied nearly three years in this journey, and among the import- ant geographical results were the discovery of the Semliki River; of Mount Ruvenzori, believed to be about 17,000 feet high; of Lake Albert Edward, and of the southwestern extension of Lake Victoria. 146 EXPLORATIONS IN THE DARK CONTINENT. It turned out that Lake Albert Edward was the primary source of the White Nile, and it was shown that its waters connected, through the Semliki, with Lake Albert Nyanza. In order to afford support to Dr. Livingstone and add to the geo- graphy of Equatorial Africa, the Royal Geographical Society fitted out two expeditions in 1872. One of them, led by Lieutenant Cameron, was to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Livingstone. This expedition left Zanzibar early in 1873 under the auspices of Sir Bartel Frere's mission, and gathered considerable information regarding the interior. The other expedition, known as the Livingstone Congo expedition, under Lieutenant Granby, passed from the west coast to the interior by following; the River Congo and also added to the fund of information about Central Africa. It is hardly necessary to add that volumes could be written about the exploration of Central Africa, but we think we have thoroughly out- lined the subject in this chapter, and have referred to the prominent explorers of the Dark Continent and their journeys in the interest of science and civilization. CHAPTER XVI. PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. In form Africa may be likened to a triangle, or to an oval of irregu- lar shape. The area of Africa has never been accurately determined, but it is estimated to be about 9,858,000 geographical square miles, exclusive of the islands. Africa is larger than either Europe or Aus- tralia, but smaller than Asia and the American continent. The African coast line is very regular and unbroken, and presents few bays and peninsulas. The Gulf of Guinea, wfth its two secondary divisions, the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Biafra, form the chief indentations. The physical configuration of Africa may be placed under two heads — ^the great tablelands, with their mountain ranges, of Central and Southern Africa, and the great lowlands and plains of Northern Africa. The latter comprise the Sahara, the Lake Chad region and the valley of the Lower Nile. The Sahara, popularly believed to be a desert, i§ by no means only a plain, for the greater part of it rises into tablelands, with mountain groups here and there. Sotne of the mountains are quite high and heavy snowstorms have been known to occur oti the mountains bor- dering the Sahara Desert. The great portibn of the African plateau land is to the southward of the tenth parallel of north latitude and is prolonged on the eastern side almost to the north coast of the continent by the tableland of Abyssinia, the highest surface of Africa, and by mountains which ex- tend from it between the lower course of the Nile and the Red Sea. Jebbel Attaka, which rises immediately west of Suez to a height of 2,640 feet, may be said to be the terminal point of the highland. From this point to the southern end of the continent the eastern edge of the great plateau runs in an almost unbroken line. The most prominent heights before the tableland of Abyssinia is reached are Mounts Elba, 6,900 feet, and Soturba, 6,000 feet in elevation, near the middle of the African coast of the Red Sea- There are a number of high mountains in Africa, including Mount 4bba Jared, 15,000 feet above the sea; Mount Kenia, 18,000 feet, and Mount Kilimanjaro, 18,715 feet. The highest pbint in all Africa 147 148 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. marks the eastern edge under the equator. Further south, on the in- land route from Zanzibar to the Tanganyika, the edge is known as the Rubeho Mountains, with a height of 5,700 feet at the pass by which they are crossed on the caravan route. In the Transvaal Republic, where the Drakenberg joins the Kooge Veldt, the edge attains a height of 8,725 feet at the summit, named after the explorer Mauch, but it is highest where it forms the interior limit of Natal, and where Cathkin Peak rises 10,357 ^^et above the sea level. The western edge of the African plateaji is, as a rule, lower than the eastern, and the whole slope of the continent is more or less from the great heights on its eastern side, toward the west. Rounding the western side of Cape Colony three ridges run to- gether and decrease somewhat in elevation as the mouth of the Orange River is approached. Their elevation at the place where they join in Little Namaqualand is still very considerable. There Mount Welcome reached 5,130 feet an4 Vogelklip, north of it, is 4,343 feet high. Through Benguela and Angola, northward, a more broken series of ridges mark the descent to the interior plateau. The great Congo river breaks through to the coastland at the place where it forms the cataracts of the Yellala. The northern edge of the great African plateau runs eastward be- tween the fourth and eighth parallels of north latitude to a point where the Nile falls over its slope, forming the succession of rapids above Gondokoro. Beyond the Nile the margin of the plateau curves north- ward. According to the best authorities, the general elevation of the sur- face of the great African plateau may be said to be from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea, though its surface presents great undulations. The Blue Mountains are the most prominent of the interior masses. They were discovered by Baker, rising from the western shore of Lake Albert to a height of about 10,600 feet. Another great central line of height runs from the north of Nyassa. It is called the Lobisa plateau, and extends through the Muchinga Mountains, which separate the drainage of the Lualaba and its lakes from that of the Zanbeze basin. Beyond the lower land of the Sahara is the plateau of Barbary, a distinct and separate highland, stretching from Cape Bon, on ,the Mediterranean coast, in a southwesterly direction, through Tunis, Al- PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 149 geria and Morocco, to the Atlantic coast. The eastern portion of this plateau, in Algeria and Tunis, rises from 2,000 to 3,000 feet in general height. Where it enters Morocco, on the west, the outer ridges draw together and fprm the high ranges of the Atlas Mountains, which at- tain 11,400 feet at Mount Miltsin, the extreme summit. The conti- nent of Africa has been the least disturbed by volcanic action. The known volcanoes are those of the Camaroon Mountains, on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Artali volcano, in the depressed salt desert region between the Abyssinian plateau and the Red Sea. , Then there is the Njemsi volcano, in the country between Mount Kenia and Lake Victoria. Earthquake shocks appear to be almost unknown in any part of Africa. Salt is widely distributed throughout Africa, though in some dis- tricts it is wholly lacking. For instance, in the Abyssinian highland the salt, which is carted up in small blocks from the salt plain on the Red Sea coast, is of such hardness that it is used as money currency, and in some of the native kingdoms of South Central Africa the salt districts are royal possessions and are strictly guarded. Metals are not very abundant in any part of Africa, and gold is probably the most generally distributed. The gold fields of the Trans- vaal and of the country extending thence to the Zambeze are numerous and are fully referred to elsewhere. Copper exists in large quantities in the mountains of the central South Africa, while the diamond fields of Kimberley and other places are famous the world over. The Nile is the oldest of historical rivers, and at one time afiforded almost the only means of subsistence to the earliest civilized people on earth — the Egyptians. It drains a larger area than any other river of Africa, over 100,000 square miles. It passes during a great portion of its lower course through the desert belt of North Africa, and, receiving no tributaries thgre, loses much of its volume by evaporation, and is thus far surpassed by the Congo in the quantity of water conveyed to the ocean. The limit of the Nile basin on the south is formed by the high mountains which rise to the westward of Lake Albert. It is to thig river and ,its tributaries that the fertility of lower Egypt is mainly due, for each year a large quantity of Abyssinian mud is carried down the stream to be eventually spread by the overflow of the Nile delta. The chief streams running into the Mediterranean are the Sheliff 150 PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. in Algeria, and the Mulu3ra, in Eastern Morocco, from the highland of Barbary. There is a stretch of 1,100 miles of waterless coast where the desert belt touches the Atlantic, intervening between the Draa, a water course which has its rise on the inner slope of the highland in Morocco and which runs into the Atlantic, and the Senegal River, which is at the beginning of the pastoral belt in latitude 15 north. The Senegal rises in the northern portion of the belt of mountains which skirt the Guinea coast, and has a northwesterly course to the sea. It is navigable dur- ing the rainy season for 500 miles, from its mouth to the cataract of Feloo, for vessels drawing twelve feet of water, but at other times it is not navigable for more than a third part of that distance. The Gambia has its sources near those of the Senegal and flows westward in a tortuous bed over the plain country. It has a navigable channel of 400 miles, up to the falls of Barra Kunda. In point of area of drainage and volume the Niger is the third African river. It is formed by the union of the Quorra and Benue. Its eourse is northeast as far as the city of Timbuctoo; then it turns due east and afterward southeast to its confluence with the Benue at a point 200 miles north from the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Its delta is much more extensive than that of the Nile, measuring about 14,000 square miles of low, alluvial plain, covered with forest and jungle. The Congo is the second river in Africa, in point of area and drain- age. The head streams of this vast river are those which supply the great lake system discovered by Pr. Livingstone. At the furthest point on the Lualaba reached by Dr. Livingstone, in about latitude six degrees south and longitude twenty-five degrees east, this great river has a breadth of from 3,000 to 6,000 yards. The great lakes of Africa are the Victoria and Albert Lakes of the Nile basin, the former about 3,300 feet above the sea; Lake Chad, Lake Baringo, northeast of the Victoria; Lake Bangweolo, or Bemba, hav- ing an elevation of about 4,000 feet;. Lakes Kamalombo, or Ulenge, and Victoria Nyanza, one of the sources of the Nile; Lake Nyassa, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Albert Nyanza and Lake Mgami. Africa is the hottest continent of all, though the greatest heat is riot found under the equator, for the wholeXDf the central belt is protected by a dense covering of forest veget?.tion, which, is supported by the heavy rainfall. B^ut in tJfe ^dSry* ebsffcised 'desert belts', on th^ maT'git»- PHYSICAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 151 of the tropics, the Sahara in the north and the Kalahari in the south, the heat is excessive! The highest temperature is found throughout the Sahara, especially in the portions toward the Red Sea. Some idea of the heat may be gained' from the fact that in Upper Egypt Nubia eggs may be baked in the hot sands, and the Arabs say, "In Nubia the soil is like fire and the wind like a flame." ^ The African Continent is not much under the influence of the regu- lar winds, excepting, the monsoons of the Indian Ocean, the great movement of the atmosphere depending chiefly on the oscillation of the continent beneath the sun during the seasons. In the northern and eastern regions of Africa the winds and rains are as much governed by the heating and cooling of the Asiatic Conti- nent as that of Africa itself. The Sahara and the Kalahari regions are almost rainless, but where- ever there is a sufificient elevation to intercept a cooler stratum of the atmosphere rain is not wanting even in the midst of the great desert. CHAPTER XVII. OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA. Besides her South African colonies, Great Britain owns immense slices of other parts of the Dark Continent, and France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain have some share of Africa. For instance, there is British East Africa, a large area on the mainland, including the East Africa Protectorate and the Uganda Protectorate, together with the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, which are nominally governed by their Arab Sultan. The southern, boundary of this territory extends in a northwest direction from the north bank of the mouth of the River Umba, going round by the north of Kilimanjaro, where the first parallel of south latitude cuts Lake Victoria; thence across the lake and west- ward on the same parallel to the boundary of the Congo Free State. To the north and east the British sphere is bounded by the Juba River up to six degrees north latitude, by that parallel as far as thirty-five degrees east longitude, and by that meridian northward as far as the Blue Nile. The total area embraced is probably 1,000,000 square miles. Treaties have been made by Great Britain, or, rather, by her enterprising agents, with almost all the native chiefs between the coast and Lake Albert Nyanza, and with the Somali tribes occupjring the interior "between the Juba and Tana, by which commercial access to the Galla country was opened. The dominions of the Sultan of Zanzibar were delimited in 1886, that is to say, they were recognized by Great Britain as including only a continuous strip of coast, ten miles in depth, reaching from Cape Delgado to Kipini, on the Ozi River. Outside this tract Great Britain and Germany agreed that the latter power should have as a sphere of influence the country stretching inland from the River Rovuma north- ward to the Umba River, Great Britain's sphere of influence extending northward from the Umba River. To the north of Kipini the Sultan of Zanzibar was allowed to retain several stations. But some of these were ceded to Italy in 1892, and the Italian Government took over their administration in 1893. The German East Africa Association, in 1888, acquired the right to 153 OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA. 153 administer the Mrima, or mainland, including the customs of the Sul- tan's ports, from the Rovuma to the Umba River on the north, for which the Sultan was paid the munificent sum of 4,000,000 marks. The British Imperial East Africa^ Company acquired the right to administer the coast from the Umba to Kipini, for fifty years, on con4i- tion of an annual payment to the Sultan, and in 1889 the company further acquired the ports and islands to the north of the Tana. • Later a further settlement of territorial questions conferred on Great Britain the protectorate of Zanzibar, including the Island of Pemba, and placed under British influence the territory from the Umba north to the Juba River, including the territory of Witu, which, for a time, was placed under the control of the British East Africa Com- pany. By the end of 1892 this company had acquired the country as far as Uganda, and between that and Lake Albert Edward and the East Semliki. By arrangement under the British Government the company retired from Uganda in 1893, and in 1894 a British protectorate was declared over Uganda proper. The company also withdrew from the administration of Witu in 1893, which temporarily was placed under the administration of the Sultan. A British protectorate over the whole territory was proclaimed June 15, 1895, from the coast to the boun- daries of Uganda, including Witu, and June 20 of the same year the company evacuated the territory leased from the Sultan, the adminis- tration being taken over by the British Government. During the month of August, 1896, an official announcement was made to the effect that all the territories ih British East Africa, except Zanzibar, Pemba, and the Uganda Protectorate, were, for administrative purposes, in- cluded in one protectorate, under the name of the East Africa Protec- torate. The British African Colony of the Island of Mauritius, situated 500 miles east of Madagascar, with its dependencies, Rodriguez, Diego Garcia and the Seychelles Islands, covers about 172 square miles, and has a total population of about 372,000 souls. The British Niger Coast Protectorate occupies the. whole of the coast line between Lagos and the Cameroons, excepting the territory between' the Forcados and Brass Rivers, which are included in the Niger territory. Space will not allow us to touch upon the boundaries in this protectorate, which was acquired by treaties made in 1884. In 1891 the government was entrusted to an Imperial Commission and 154 OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA. Consul-General. No trustworthy estimates can be found of the popu- lation or area. ' The Niger territories are governed by the Royal Niger Company, under a charter issued in 1886, though its formation dates from 1882., when it was formed under the title of the National African Company, Limited, with the object of obtaining those regions for Great Britain, which was done by means of about 300 treaties with native tribes and states, including the territories of Sokoto and Borgu. The capital of the Niger territories isAsaba. The total area of the company's terri- tory and regions secured to its influence by agreements of various de- scriptions is about 500,000 square miles, with a population estimated at from 20,000,000 to 35,000,000. The British West African colonies, four in number, include the Gold Coast, Lagos, Gambia and Sierra Leone. The Gold Coast' Colony stretches for 350 miles along the Gulf of Guinea; the chief towns are Accra and Cape Coast Castle; area about 15,000 square miles; population about 1,500,000. Lagos is an island on the Slave Coast, to the east of the Gold Coast. Area 1,500 square miles; population about 100,000. Gambia 'is at the mouth of the Gambia River. Area about 2,700 square miles; population 50,000. Sierra Leone includes the Island of Sherboro and considerable ad- joining territory. Area 15,000 square miles; population about 180,- 000. Zululand is a British possession administered by the Governor of Natal, who is also Governor of Zululand. Area over 12,500 square miles; population about 170,000. The ancient empire of Abyssinia, or Ethiopia, is independent. It has an area of about 150,000 square miles, and a population estimated to number 3,500,000. Bornu, or the Land of Noah, is also independent. It is probably the largest and certainly the most populous Mohammedan state in Central Soudan. Its approximate area is 50,000 square miles, and the population is estimated at 5,000,000. The majority of the inhabitants call themselves the "People of Light." They are of mixed negro and Dasa descent. The Sultan, whose official title is Mai, but who is gener- ally referred to as the Sheikh, is an absolute monarch. "phe Bultanafe (off WaJdai is iite; m'ost ptfwerful statfe in Central Sou- OTHER PARTS OP AFRICA. ' 155 dan. It occupies, with the tributary states, the region between Dar- fur and Lake Chad, and extends from the border of the Sahara south- ward, nearly to the divide between the Chad and the Congo basins. Total area, including Wadai and Bagirmi, about 172,000 square miles; population about 2,500,000. The Arabs, there collectively tenned Aramka, have been settled in that part of Africa for over 500 years. The Sultan has absolute power, limited by custom and the precepts of the Koran. , The Egyptian Soudan covers 950,000 square miles, with a popula- tion of 10,500,000. Before the revolt of the Mahdi, in 1882, the Khedival possessions beyond Egypt proper comprised the whole of East Soudan and Nubia, between Wadai on the west and the Red Sea o'n the east, with the northwest section of Somaliland and the coast lands between Abyssinia and the Gulf of Aden, with a total area of 1,000,000 square miles and a population of about 12,000,000. It in- cluded the regions of Durfur, Kordofan, Lower Nubia, Upper Nubia, the Zeriba lands of the White Nile, and the Danakil, Adal and Somali lands about the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. It is estimated \ that three- fifths of the population of the Soudan have perished through war, famine and slave trading during the last seventeen years. The British Central, Africa Protectorate, constituted in 1891, lies along the southern and western shores of Lake Nyassa and extends to- ward the Zambesi. Population about 900,000; area not stated in the best'reference books. The principal colony of France in Africa is Algeria, consisting of three provinces — Algiers, Oran and Constantine, with a total area of 184,474 square miles and a population of about 4,500,000. The French Chambers alone have the right to legislate for Algeria. In addition to Algeria, France has a Senegal colony, the French Soudan, and a Gaboon and Guinea Coast colony, with a total popula- tion for this group pf 5,000,000 and an area of about 514,000 square miles. In the Congo region France has 258,000 square miles and a popu- lation of 5,000,000; in Madagascar she has a valuable colony of 227,750 square miles, with 3,500,000 population, and on the Obock and SomaU coast she has 46,320 square miles and a population of 200,000. Besides these colonies in Africa, France has several African islands, including Reunion, the Comoro Islands, Mayotte, Nossi-Be and Sainte 156 OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA. Marie, giving her a total of 1,232,454 square miles of African territory, with a population of about 18,000,000. Germany has big colonies in Africa, including Togaland, with an area of 23,160 square miles and a population of 2,500,000; the Cam- eroon^, area 191,000 square miles, population 3,500,000; German Southwest Africa, area 320,000 square miles, population 200,000; and German East Africa, 380,000 square miles, population 4,000,000. The dominion of Italy in Africa extends on the coast of the Red Sea, from Cape Kasar to the southern limit of the Sultanate of Raheita. Area about 88,500 square miles; population, nomadic, about 450,000. Portugal in Africa has Portuguese East Africa, 261,700 square miles, population 1,500,000; Angolo, Ambriz, Benguela, Mossamedes and Congo, 457,000 square miles; Portuguese Guinea, 14,000 square miles, 800,000 population, and the Cape Verde Islands, 1,650 square miles, and 110,930 population. Spain has Rio del Oro and Adrar, 243,000 square miles and 100,000 population, and some small islands, which give her a total area in Africa of 243,877 square miles and a p6pulation of 136,000. The Republic of Liberia, on the Guinea Coast of Africa, has a con- stitution modeled on that of the United States. It is governed by a President, Coleman, and the legislative power is in a parliament of two houses, called the Senate and House of Representatives. There are thirteen members of the Lower House and eight members of the Upper House. The President, who, with the House of Representa- tives, is elected for two years, must be thirty-five years of age and have real property to the value of $600. The Senate is elected for four years. Liberia has about 500 miles of coast, line, extending back about 200 miles, on an average, with an area of about 14,360 square miles and a population, all colored, of about 1,070,000, of which number some 18,- 000 are American-Liberians. Monrovia, the capital^ has about 5,000 population. The Sultanate of Morocco has an area of about 220,000 square miles, with 2,560,000 to 9,000,000 population, as near as can be esti- mated. The Sherifian (or Sultanate) umbrella is hereditary in the family of the Sherifs of Tafilet. Each Sultan is supposed, prior to his death, to indicate the member of the Sherifian family who, according to his hon- est belief, will best replace him. CHAPTER XVIII. THE LAND OF EGYPT. In hieroglyphics the name of Egypt is Kem^ and its sense is "The Black Land." The history of ancient Egypt dates from so far back that much of it is veiled in obscurity, in spite of the great progress made in scientific research. The history of Egypt, however, is generally looked upon as begin- ning with what is known as the First Dynasty, that of Mena or Menes, the first earthly King of Egypt, the earlier reigns being mythological. Egyptian mythology does not contain any allusion to the deluge, nor does it connect with the Mosaic narrative. Consequently, the Egyptian ideas of their prehistoric age are isolated, when compared with those of most other nations of remote civilization, which agree in at least some particulars with the Genesis. The duration of the pre- historic age in Egypt cannot be conjectured with any degree of accuracy, though it has been computed that a space of 3,000 to" 5,000 years before the First Dynasty was sufficient for the development of the civilization attained at the time of the Fourth Dynasty. The history of the Egyptians can be traced further back than that of any other nation. Their records, carved in stone, in clay, or written on leather or papyrus scrolls, have survived for thousands of years, thanks to the dryness of the air in that part of the world and the fact that the hot, dry sand of the desert hermetically sealed up anything buried beneath it. The inscriptions on monuments, etc., confirm the list of Kings and their dates prepared by the priest Manetho, who was employed by King Ptolemy II, B. C. 284-^46, to translate the his- torical works preserved in the Egyptian temples. Manetho's history was lost, but the list of Kings was preserved and transmitted to us in part by Flavins Josephus, the Jewish historian, and partly by Christian histoiians. By this means the history of the Egyptians has been divided into the Primeval Monarchy, from, say 5000 B. C. to 2850 B. C; the Middle Monarchy, from 1850 B. C. to about 1280 B. C; the New Em- pire, from about 1280 B. C. to 525 B. C; the Persian Dominion, 525 B. C. to 323 B. C; the Period of the Ptolemies, from 323 B. C. to A. D. 2^; 157 168 THE LAND OP EGYPT. the Roman Period, from A. D. 27 to the year 395; the Byzantine Period, 395 to 638; the Mohammedan Period, 638 to 1798; the French Period, 1798 to 1803, and the period of the Khedives of Egypt. Here, it may be "Said that this land of pyramids and ancient monu- ments, mummies and papyrus, highly attractive mythology and ancient traditions, is an immense mine of historical gems which we can now only glance at and pass on to the more vigorous events of modern history. , But, we may mention that Rameses II has been looked upon in some quarters as the greatest figure in the long line of Pharaohs. When he was but ten years old no monuments were executed without his orders, and it is coticerning his character that the best idea can be formed. He must have lived about a hundred years and was a great warrior and held first place among the architect Pharaohs, many of the vast build- ings found throughout Egypt and Nubia having been constructed under his supervision. He married three queens and seems to have had 23 sons and at least 13 daughters., In all he had 170 children, of whom III were sons and 59 daughters. The Exodus took place at the close of the Nineteenth Dynasty. With Alexander the Great, the Macedonian dominion began and lasted about 302 years. After having defeated Darius on the Granicus and at Issus and captured the Philistine town- of Gaza, Alexander marched to Pelusium and was received by the Egyptians with open arms, who regarded him as their deliverer from the yoke of the Persians. From A. D. 52 to A. D. 31 were the famous years of Pompey, Cleo- patra, Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and Anthony, ending with the suicide of Anthony, following his defeat by Octavianus and after he had been declared by the Roman Senate to be an enemy of his country. Previous to this, as we all know, Anthony had spent years in gorgeous debauch- ery with the beautiful Egyptian Queen, who caused her own death by the bite of an asp after hearing of Anthony's suicide. In A. D. 639 the Arabs conquered Egypt and, under its Moham- medan rulers, the country was completely changed. The Mamelukes, chiefly military slaves from the Caucasus, seized the country in 1250. They had grown into power through the favor of Sultan Saladin and were not subdued until 15 17, when they were defeated by Sultan Selim. Their descendants, however, kept the country in a disturbed' state for more than 200 years more and, in the first half of the eighteenth THE PAA£DEEBAAL U0NUUEN1. THE BOEE DEMONSTRATION AT THE PAAEDEKEAAL MONUMENT. -^ kRoNSTAD SECOND IMPORTANT TOWN IN ORANGE FREE STATE. A BOER AND HIS TEN SONS EQUIPPED FOB FIELD SERVICE. THE LAND OF. EGYPT. 161 century, when the Ottoman Empire was hard pressed by Russia and Austria, Egypt again fell under the sway of the Mamelukes, who con- tinued in power until the French invasion of Egypt in 1798, under Napoleon Bonaparte, who hoped to destroy British trade in the Mediterranean. When the French capitulated at Cairo and Alex- andria to the British, their evacuation of Egypt followed, and Mo- hammed Alee (or Ali) Bey, the Turkish commander, or Pasha of Egypt, put an efifectual damper on the Mamelukes by murdering all their lead- ers. Finally Mohammed became so powerful that he defied the Turk- ish Government and, on the plains of Nizeeb in Syria, gained such a decisive victory over the Turks that he obtained a treaty confirming to Mohammed Alee the Viceroyalty of Egypt, as a fief of the Ottoman Empire, hereditary in his family. Isniail Pasha, the fourth successor of Mohammed Alee, was edu- cated in France and did much to found manufactories, and build canals, railroads, bridges and telegraphs in Egypt. But, he was extravagant and unscrupulous, and the powers finally deposed him, June 26, 1879, after providing a joint administration of the country. Ismail was suc- ceeded by his son Tewfik. While at the height of his power, Ismail, on the payment of a large sum of money to the Sultan of Turkey, was raised to the rank of Khedive, or Viceroy, having up to that time only borne the title of Vali, or Governor of a Province. The Suez Canal was cut and opened during the reign of Ismail. The rebellion of Arabi Pacha in 1881 against the Egyptian Govern- ment led to the bombardment of Alexandria by the British fleet, July II and 12, 1881, the landing of a British army of occupation and the subsequent virtual control of Egypt by a British High Commissioner. During the fall of 1883 an extensive rebellion broke out among the Nubian tribes of the Soudan, under the leadership of Mohammed Ahmed, known as the Mahdi, or Prophet. An Egyptian force of about 10,000 men, under a British officer, General Hicks, was annihilated in November of that year by the Dervishes, or fanatical followers of the Mahdi and a second force of 3,500 men, led by General Baker, was utterly destroyed in February, 18S4, by the forces of the Mahdi. On February 18, 1884, General "Chinese" Gordon, one of the most gallant and distinguished officers in the British Army, after a perilous ride across the desert, reached Khartoum, capital of the Soudan, ]62 THE LAND OF EGYPT. m tending to save the place from falling into the hands of the Mahdi, There he was besieged by the Dervish forces. The British troops under General Graham defeated the Dervishes, March I and Mardh 13, at El-Teb and Tammanieb. But, as the Mahdi continued the siege of Khartoum, afte^' much apparently unnecessary political discussion, a relief force of 7,000 British troops, under General Wolseley, was sent up the Nile in an attempt to relieve General Gordon. The progress made was very slow and it was not until the beginning of 1885 that Wolseley was able to concentrate his forces at Korti, between the third and fourth cataracts, where the Nile makes a big bend. From that point Wolseley sent a flying column of 1,500 men to cross the desert to open communication with Khartoum from Shendy, while the main body continued the ascent of the Nile. The flying column, under General Stewart, crossed the desert in safety, winning victories over the Dervishes at Abu Klea and Metemmeh, where Stewart was mortally wounded. On January 24 a small British detachment, under General Sir Charles Wilson, left Gubat, on the Nile, on board two steamers sent to them by General Gordon, but they reached Khartoum, January 28, only to find that the place had fallen, through treachery, January 26, and that Gordon had been killed in the fighting which accompanied the entrance of the Mahdi's troops into Khartoum. The Mahdi died, in due course of time, and was succeeded by the Khalifa, who caused so much trouble that an Anglo-Egyptian expedi- tion of about 25,000 men was sent in 1897 to destroy his armed camp at Omdurraan, near Khartoum. After most successfully building a railroad to a point near Berber, General Kitchener's force, after several minor victories, attacked the Dervishes, who numbered about 30,000, near Omdurman, September 2, 1898. The British lost about 200 men, while several thousand, some reports said 8,000, Dervishes were killed or wounded. There was another battle, November 23, 1899, between the Anglo- Egyptian forces, under General Wingate, and the Dervishes, in which the latter were utterly defeated with great slaughter, among the killed being the Khalifa Abdullah, the successor of the famous Mahdi, arid " nearly all his Emirs. Osman Digna, the g^reat Dervish general, how- ever, succeeded in escaping. The present Khedive, or sovereiern of Egypt, is the seventh ruler THE LAND OF EGYPT. 163 of the dynasty of Mohammed Alee, or Ali. His name is Abbas Hilmi, and, when, recently, he showed signs of breaking away from the British leading strings, it was proposed to depose him and make his brother, Mohammed Ali, a great admirer of a Philadelphia heiress, his succtessor. Egypt, which is administered by native ministers, who are subject to the ruling of the Khedive, has a total area of about 400,000 square miles, but the cultivated area only covers about 13,000 square miles. The population is about 7,000,000, largely Arabic and. Mohammedan, with about 100,000 Europeans. The Egyptian Soudan has an area of about 950,000 square miles and some years ago its population was estimated at about 10,000,000. Khartoum, until recently the nominal Dervish capital, is, now occupied by British troops and it looks very much as if Egypt and the Egyptian Soudan were regarded in some quarters as part of the British Empire. CHAPTER XIX. THE CONGO FREE STATE. The Congo Independent State, having an area of 900,000 square miles and a population of about 30,000,000 souls, is the successor of the Congo International Association, founded in 1883, by King Leo- pold of Belgium. The Association, having obtained the recognition of its sovereignty by treaties, in 1884 and 1885, with most of the Euro- pean nations and the United States, adhered, February 26, 1885, to the resolutions of the Congress of Berlin, which, collected in a general act, established freedom of trade in the basin of the Congo, its tributaries and the lakes and canals connected with it. The resolution also lay down rules for the protection of the natives and the suppression of the slave trade, and imposed on the framers which signed the act the obli- gation to accept the mediation of one or more friendly governments should any serious dispute occur concerning the territories of the con- ventional basin of the Congo. In 1890 an international conference at Brussels authorized the Government of the Independent State to levy certain duties on imports. The State was placed under the sovereignty of King Leopold on the basis of a personal union with Belgium, but it has declared itself perpetually neutral in accordance with the general act of Berlin. The King of Belgium, by a will dated August 2, 1889, bequeathed to Belgium all his sovereign rights in the State; the^terri- tories of the State, July 31, 1890, were declared inalienable, and, by a convention, July 3, 1890, between Belgium and the Independent State, reserved to Belgium the right of annexing the latter after a period of ten years. The central government of the Independent State is at Brussels, and consists of King Leopold and, under his orders, a Secretary of State, who is chief of the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Finance and the Interior. The King is represented at Boma, capital of the Inde- pendent State, by a Governor General, who administers the territories of the State in accordance with the King's orders. The territory is divided into fifteen administrative districts, Banana, Boma, Matadi, The Falls, Stanley Pool, Kwango, Oriental, Kassai, Lake Leopold II, Ban- gala, Equator, Ubangi, Welle, Stanley Falls, Aruwimi and Lulaba. 164 THE CONGO FREE STATE. 165 The inhabitants of the Independent State are of Bantu origin, and their languages comprise many dialects, almost every tribe having its own. The language spoken by the natives who' have been under Arab influence is KiswahiU, which is also spoken by the missionaries. The religiofl of the natives may be described as fetichism of the blackest description, but the missionaries are making progress. There are now about seventy mission stations with some 230 missionaries, of whom 115 are Catholic and 108 Protestant. There are three agricultural colonies Where children are collected and instructed, the missionaries co-operating with the Government in the work o^ education. The revenue of the State is estimated at about $3,000,000 to $3,500,- 000, and the expenditures a little less. This revenue is derived from customs, postage, state forests, transport and from a subsidy of $200,000 per annum granted by King Leopold from an advance of money by the Belgium Government, in 1890, for a term of ten years, at the rate of '$400,000 a year. The State! has an armed force, under the command of Baron Dhanis, and there is more or less trouble in progress at all times. This force consists of about 16,000 men, divided into 23 companies and has 234 European officers. There are six camps of instruction for the soldiery. The lands are divided into three classes : those occupied by natives, registered lands, comprising private estates of non-natives, and the crown lands, which include all vacant lands. The chief products are rubber, ivory, palm nuts and palm oil. Cofifee grows freely, but it is not exported, owing to the difficulties of transport. Tobacco is also grown, but is not exported. The Government has established planta- tions of Havana and Sumatra tobacco. There has been a rapid expansion of the commerce of the Inde- pendent State. The special exports in 1887 only amounted to about $200,000, but in 1892 they had reached about $1,100,000, and in 1897 they footed up about $4,400,000. The chief imports were arms and ammunition, machinery, metals, drinks, food substances and tissues and clothing. Belgium has the great bulk of this trade, with Great Britain second. There were 201 vessels, of 342,809 tons in all, entered at the ports of Boma and Banana, on the Congo, in 1897. The river is navigable 166 THE CONGO FREE STATE. for about loo miles from its mouth to Matadi. On this section six State steamers are engaged in transportation service. There is a railroad about 250 miles long, running at about twenty miles south of the river, connecting Matadi with Stanley Pool. A public transport service, employing twenty-two steameii, has been organized on the Upper Congo by the Government. In 1895 the hanging of an English missionary trader, Charles Stokes, convicted of selling arms to the natives, by Belgium officials in the Independent State, nearly led to trouble between Great Britain and Belgium, but tl^e British Government was satisfied with an in- demnity and a second trial by court-martial of the official implicated. Captain (afterwards Major) Lothaire. He was twice acquitted of the charge, once at Boma and the second time at Brussels, to which city he had been recalled. In referring to Blue-books since 1890, it will be seen that Captain Lugard, commander of the forces of the Royal Niger Company, had several quasi-friendly encounters with Mr. Stokes with reference to the disposal of arms and ammunition, those, however, taking place before this trade was prohibited by the Brussels treaty. Captain Lugard suc- ceeded at various times in^obtaining possession of large quantities of arms arid ammunition imported by Mr. Stokes, and destined, doubtless, for disposal among the natives. ' The consequence of this, Mr. Stokes gave a voluntary undertaking to discontinue the importation of arms and ammunition, at the same time warmly denying and refuting the charge of smuggling this material. On the other hand, statements existed in Mr. Stokes' own hand- wi-iting, in which he offered to the commanders of European stations immense quantities of arms and ammunition, particularly powder and Snider cartridges, packed in sardine boxes. Mr. Stokes married a Nyamezi woman, of the Wanyamezi tribe, by whom he had several children. She was the daughter of a powerful chief, and to this fact Mr. Stokes unquestionably owed much of his great influence among the natives. It was said at the time that Dr. Michaux, attached to the Lothaire mission, protested strongly against the execution of Mr. Stokes. But, that did not even postpone the hanging, which was described as fol- lows: "Towards four o'clock in the morning of the day the lay missionary THE CONGO FREE STATE. 167 was executed. Dr. Michaux rose and begged Lothaire to tell him where the prisoner was, in order that he might speak with him. Major Lothaire thereupon led the doctor outside his tent and showed him Stokes' dead body swinging from a bamboo-top. Dr. Michaux at once expressed his strong disapproval of what had been done, and demanded to be conducted back to Stanley Pool, stating that he would not remain a minute longer with the expedition. Major Lothaire granted the doc- tor an escort to Stanley Falls." The spectacle of an execution of a slave by the natives years ago in the Congo territory was really terrible. Demoniacal evolutions and dances took place for hours around, the condemned slave, who sat bound and helpless in the midst of a circle of bloodthirsty aborigines. The victim was tied hands and arms with strong hemp to a roughly ; -, ;_-j _i ;_ i,;i_ t.:_ r,._i i i i._ _ _i.ii_- ;_ it._ i _ 168 THE COJ^GO FREE STATE. A hole was dug in the ground, almost as ! irge as an ordinary room, and in the middle of it the body of the chi '. was placed. One of the wives jumped down and seated herself at th ead of the corpse, another wife squatted at the feet. Others sat aroui it the sides. If there was any room left, some slaves were brought ir nd made the outer fringe of the circle. -Neither the wives nor the sla is manifested the slightest concern, but accepted their fate entirely as a matter of course. How far the Belgians have gone in the work of correcting this state of afifairs is a matter of conjecture. CHAPTER XX. THE CARAVANS OF THE DESERT. The writer spent some years among the Arabs and learned to admire greatly the Ship of the Desert, or the gentle, submissive camel. Nothing can be more lamb-like than the behavior of these large-, soft- eyed beasts of burden, who seem to exist only for the purpose of suffer- ing as much as possible in the cause of heartless mankind. Without the camel and the horse, especially the former, the Arab would be lost and much of Africa now in a semi-state of civilization would be still plunged in the sleep of'ages. First experiences on camel-back are not pleasant, as a rule; the jerky lifting, then squatting back motion which the camel imparts to you is likely to produce a feeling of sea-sickness on' your part, unless you are well fortified against such weakness. In long strings, sometimes extending for miles, camels are loaded with goods, and wind over the parched desert, without requiring water for very long periods. Caravan is a Persian word (Karawan), though Rikb (assembled riders) or Kafileh' (wayfaring band), are the terms used in Arabia proper. According to the general acceptance of the term, a caravan consists of a party of merchants', salesmen, explorers or others who band to- gether for their protection and travel long distances in company, the main object of such a gathering of interests being the hiring of an escort or guard of some sort to protect the travelers against the rob- bers who prey upon caravans when not confronted by superior force. Then, again, people who have had to travel over the deserts had tc, carry large quantities of supplies, tents, etc., with them, for there are no roads, much less hotels or other such -accommodations, to be met with. Cofifee houses and stores can be found m the small towns scattered here and there, long distances apart, but the caravan traveler depends upon himself and his companions. On arriving at a town a camp is formed outside the walls and then, after due preparation in the matter of dress, etc., the merchant rides in and attends to business. He may take some of the local merchants back with him and display his goods outside his tent, or he may take samples with him. Trading of this order has been generally of the give and take nature. That is to say, 1169 I'yO THE CARAVANS OF THE DESERT. the merchant from the coast takes with him the class of goods needed by the traders or others of the interior, and they make^ an exchange, the traveling merchant taking back camel loads of ivory, dates, palm- oil, anything, in short, procurable, which he sells at the nearest point of shipment, and then begins over again. The leading camel of a caravan is generally gaily decorated with brilliant-colored trappings, many tassels and bells, and is, for luck or guidance, preceded by an unladen ass. When the route followed is rocky and steep, mules or asses are used in preference to camels. The wealthier of the party ride horses, while the servants and others foot it. under the shade of the camels, if pos- sible. When a merchant or chief travels with his family across the desert, the women and children are ' comfortably ensconced in howdahs, or silk-hooded little apartments, or nests, screened from the sun by fine netting, and provided with all kinds of luxuries. Even camel traveling can be made almost pleasant by such means. The number of camels or mules in a single caravan varies from a dozen or so up to 500, or even a thousand in the case of re-opening long-closed routes. The organizers of caravans make their plans according to the sea- sons, and so do the wild Bedouins who attack them, H possible. The hottest and driest months are avoided, and so are the winters, in some parts, when severely cold weather may be encountered. According to a recommendation of the Koran, Friday is the best day for starting a caravan. Each day's route is divided into two stagesj the first from about 3 or 4 A. M. to 10 A. M., when there is a halt, and the second from about 2 or 3 P. M. to 6 or 8 P. M., or until some camping place previously decided upon is reached. At an average pace, a laden camel will travel about two miles an hour, but there are riding camels which travel much faster. The British, in Egypt, have a trained camel corps of mounted infantry, which has done fine service against the Dervishes of the Soudan. As a rule, the CaraVan-Bashi, or leader of the escort, J decides the time of the departures, halts and arrivals at certain places of caravan^. But such matters are in some cases settled by mutual con- sultation, after which the Caravan-Bashi may be called upon to give his advice. In cases where a detachment of regular troops forms the escort of a caravan, the officer in command is generally allowed to direct its movements. While a caravan is traveling the five stated daily prayers THE CARAVANS OF THE DESERT. 171 of the orthodox Mohammedan are anticipated or curtailed. Two cara- vans are mentioned in Genesis, Chapter XXXVH, and the route they were travehng over seems to have been what now coincides with the route followed by the Syrian caravans on their way to Egypt. In some parts of the more civilized portions of the North African world there are caravan-serai, or public buildings, for the shelter of caravans and travelers generally. They are usually built outside the walls of the towns and bear the form of a quadrangle, with a dead wall outside. Inside are cloister-like arcades, surrounded by storerooms resembling cells. There are also a number of living-rooms for those 'who can aflford to pay the small gratuity which the guard of the caravan- serai expects, but which the municipality, which employs them, dpes not allow them to demand. Only watjei- and shelter are provided at the caravan-serai. Provender and food must be obtained elsew;here if needed. But he who travels in the desert takes with him everything necessary to sustain and defend life. CHAPTER XXr. AN ARAB ATHLETIC MEETINa Perhaps, in the midst of so much historical matter, the writer may be pardoned if, before leaving the subject of North Africa, he repro- duces a personal narrative of an experience in Algeria, written when he was very much younger. The writer was staying, some twenty-seven years ago, at Palikao, Algeria, a small colony in every sense, situated about twenty miles from ' Mascara. It bpasted of a caravan-serai, eight houses, no streets, and a wash house, this latter building being by far the most important structure of the. place. It consisted of a large stone tank, twelve feet square and three deep. It was covered with a wooden roof, supported by four posts. The sides of the tank sloped down, to enable the inhab- itants to wash their clothes thereon. It was generally surrounded by half a dozen dirty Arabian women, two or three German fraus, and half a dozen dilapidated French soldiers, who were stationed there to promote colonization, by helping the poor refugees from Alsace and Lorraine. He had formed the acquaintance of the son of the Caid of an Arabicin governor and judge, appointed by the "Bureau Arabe," to control the affairs of that district. By him the writer was invited to attend the great annual' fete of the district. He mounted his horse and set out from the caravan-serai at about six o'clock one fine morning, and, under the guidance of a wounded Arab sent by his friend, the Caid's son, set out for the place of meeting. A rifle was slung across the, writer's back and a brace of revolvers were in his holsters. But these precautions were- needless, ifor the Arab had brought him a hat to protect his head from the sun, and all Arabs who saw him after he had put it on, bowed themselves in respect before him. It was a veiy broad-brimmed straw hat with a tremendously high crown, decorated with some curious insignia. A strap passed under the chin so that at will it could.be thrown off, and it would lie on his back something after the fashion of a knapsack. One unlucky wretch, not happening to notice his head dress, was set upon by the conductor and unmercifully beaten, with a "mattrack," or stick, before the writer could interfere. As they neared m AN ARAB ATHLETIC MEETING. 173 the place of meeting, he noticed thousands of white bedizened Arabs flocking like sheep on the hillocks around the Caid's house, some on foot, some on donkeys, some on horseback; others on camels and others on dromedaries. The women were all, as usual, muffled up to the eyes, and seated cross-legged on their various steeds, soft, downy cushions, or dirty rags, according to the wealth of their lords and masters, protecting them from too close a contact with the back of the animals. Bright, flashing, dark eyes sparkled like stars from the only small opening in their face-covering that they were allowed to have to prevent them from suffocation. The Caid's tent was pitched in a little valley be- tween two sand hills, close to his own house. This last structure was of a rather curious form; it was quite square, and had but one inlet or out- let and that was the grand entrance. It was built of stone, and had a flat roof. All the windows gave into a court-yard. in the interior of the building. The kitchen was a building separated from the main struc- ture and, by the noise and bustle that surrounded it, must have been in a high state of activity on that particular day. As the writer neared the building, the crowd opened and made way for his young friend. He was a tall, noble-looking fellow, and mounted on a splendid steed. As he was now, he looked the very personification of the noble Arab. He was about twenty-five years of age, and his flashing dark eyes sparkled with joy. Hastily dismounting, he hurried forward to meet the writer and pressing his hand he said: "Welqome, my brother; welcome amongst the Children of the Desert." After a few words of inquiry as to his health he led him towards a line of splendid silk tents, surrounded by hundreds of others of com- moner make. They were of all sizes and shapes; some round, others square, oblong, conical, semi-conical, bell-shaped, egg-shaped, and mushroom-shaped. This last-named shape was used only by the lower classes, and instead of being made of silk, canvas, or canvas lined with silk, as the richer ones generally were, they were made of camel's hair. These last tents were by far the most numerous, and their curious yellow and black patterns contrasted prettily with the gorgeous tents of the chiefs. The scene was worthy the pencil of the greatest artist. The day was beautiful, the sun falling in a graceful caress on the many-tinted 174 ' AN ARAB ATHLETIC MEETING. shades around, catased such a glow of color, that it seemed to transport him with joy, ahd ennoble his thoughts. The scene was truly mag- nificent. The Caid's son, Sidi Mahomet, conducted him to a tent seem- ingly of more importance than the rest. Round it, in picturesque groups, were the great chiefs, some on horseback, some standing, some sitting cross-legged on magnificent mats, others indulging in modem chairs. They w.ere all dressed in gorgeous style, their rich and graceful burnous falling proudly from their shoulders. The Arab wears as many as six or seven burnous, one on top of the other. A burnous is a kind of cloak, something like the Mexican poncho, but provided with a hood. They are made of fine silk, cotton silk, or wool, according to the purse of the owners. They all wore white turbans encircled with fathoms of a kind of brown twine, something like spun yam. The Arabs were nearly all well armed with double-barreled rifles, though an occasional glimpse could be had of the long rifle, with its curious stock and bands, peculiar to the Arab. Rich sabres were also to be seen at the sides of some of the chiefs, tl;iough in general they were fastened to the saddle. Sidi then introduced the writer to his father, the Caid. He was a fine looking man of the ordinary type, and after shaking hands, he led the writer toward one of the most noble and venerable-looking men that he had ever seen. He was over six feet in height. Unlike the rest, his turban was green, and a long silvery beard fell upon his broad chest. He seemed to be the object of universal respect and veneration. They all bowed low as he passed, not in the respectful manner usually held as homage to a chief, but in a reverential way, bordering on the devo- tional. Sidi put his hand in the writer's as he was introduced to this venerable person, and whispered in French, "Kiss his hand." He did so willingly, for it seemed to him as if the shade of Abraham, Moses or Solomon had suddenly appeared before him, and it was a long time before he could get over the feeling of veneration that he had experi- enced while gazing upon that patriarch. Sidi afterwards informed him ^hat he was a direct descendant of Mahomet. Sidi was unremitting in his kind attentions. He made the writer seat himself in f chair under the grand tent, which had been thrown open for the purpose, had some absinthe brought, with a couple of long hookahs, and the host and his guest were soon wrapped in clouds of smoke. Under the direction of some of the minor chiefs, the crowd of AN ARAB ATHLETIC MEETING. 175 Arabs assembled were formed into an immense circle in front of the grand tent. Then, at a signal from the Caid, the sports began. First, about a hundred priests formed' themselves in four lines of twenty-five. At the back of each priest, or, as they are called, "mara- bouts," was an Arab bearing a colored banner. The banners were nearly all of green silk, and worked with curious devices in gold. Each priest had a drum slung across his back, t;he lower extremity of each drum protruding under the left arm of the bearer, so that he could play upon it with his two hands. The drums were of wood or earthenware, and the only thing they can be compared with is a length of drain pipe with a parchment head and bottom. Some of the drums had bottoms only. Then at a sign from the right hand man they began playing a kind of tune by beating their fingers on the drum-heads • It was always the same tune — Tumpety, tumpety, tumpetty, tum, Tumpety, tumpety, tumpetty, tiun, tum, Tumpety, tumpety, tumpetty, tum, Tumpfety, tumpety, tumpetty, tum, tum. At the end of each "verse" they broke out into a wild chant, which the crowd echoed. The marabouts then advanced towards the grand tent, every priest being the bearer of a purse. A servant of each of the chiefs distributed alms to them, and the writer forced Sidi to allow him to contribute his mite. They then dispersed themselves among the crowd, and, followed by their standard-bearers, continued the tum- tuming and begging till the end of the sports. As soon as the ground was cleared two parties of young men ad- vanced into the ring and stationed themsdves in two opposite lines. They were quite naked, with the exception of a small cloth round their loins. Their strong, sinewy limbs, brown skins, and fierce looks were objects of universal admiration. At a sign from the starter, they ad- vanced slowly and cautiously against each other, each man choosing the one directly opposite him as his adversary. Watching their oppor- tunity, they dropped down on their hands, and throwing themselves round with wonderful agility, they aimed kicks at their opponents' heads. To render a man hors de combat, it was necessary that he receive a kick at the back of his head. The number was soon re- duced to two, and it was a most exciting, and interesting sight to see 176 AN ARAB ATHLETIC MEETING. the feints, dodges, ruses, attacks, parries and blows tried by each man. Sidi informed the writer that they belonged to two rival tribes, hence the interest that was taken in the fight. The crowd was mad with excitement. Guttural cheers rang on all sides, and several free fights took place between the friends of the antagonists. At last, one of the combatapts, having received a fine kick at the back of his head, the other was declared winner. The next, item on the programme was a fight with sticks, commonly called "mattracks." Then there was an interesting wrestling match, the combatants being naked and well greased with fat and oil. A square fall was declared when the loser had struck the ground. Then the important part began. All the young chiefs mounted their horses and withdrew about three hundred yards from the grand stand, with their loaded rifles slung on their backs. At a word they sprang away, spurring their horses with fury and shouting horribly. As, the winner of the race arrived at the post, i- e., the grand stand, with a lightning-like movement he unslung his rifle with one hand, and hold- ing it at arm's length, fired a shot in the air. The rest followed in succession, and by the time the whole band had arrived before the stand, such a cloud of dust encircled the riders that it was hardly possi- ble to distinguish one from the other. Sidi then challenged the writer to a race. A horse was brought to . the Arab chief, and another was provided for the visitor, who expressed astonishment at its not being his own, whereupon the Arab who brought the animal informed the visitor that the "Great Marabout" had lent him his horse to compete with Sidi Mahomet. The two riders were joined by some of the leading chiefs, who also wished to have a trial of skill with Sidi. The horse lent the visitor was a splendid thor- oughbred, black as jet, and full of fire. At the start he got it away to the front at the first bound and kept the lead. Within a short distance of the post, the writer unslung his rifle and fired in the air, the shot from Sidi's rifle following his, probably out of courtesy, within half a second, the two horses at the time nearly touching each other. The party returned to Sidi's tent and sat down to a g6od meal. It consisted of "kous-kous," that is to say, a mixture of mutton, venison, partridge and rice, the whole stewed together with herbs, and seasoned with spice. It was very good, and sitting cross-legged on mats all present made an excellent repast. gi ostt 2^ St" go go s Q U E BRITISH PARADE OUTSIDE OF MAFEKINR. A NATIVE CHURCH IN MAFEKING. CHAPTER XXII. THE BREWING OF TROUBLE The British have made many complaints against the Boers, and, possibly, some of them were well founded. For instance, the British claim the Boers have repeatedly raided their territory, and they point to the fact that between 1881 and 1885 the Boers made two most determined raids, one of which succeeded, while the other failed; and they say that a third was only stopped by the determined action of Dr. Jameson. This was in connection with the Adendorff concession, and some excitement prevailed both in South Africa and in England as to the possible consequences. A large party of Boers was organized under the leadership of Colonel Ferreira with a view to occupying part of Mashonaland in June, 1891. Lord Loch, at that time Sir Henry, promptly issued a proclamation announcing that any attempt to occupy Banyailand would be regarded as an infringement of the rights of the chartered company. He also sent a sharp dispatch to President Kruger, who replied that he had "damped" the trek, and he certainly issued a proclamation forbidding any Transvaal burgher to take part in the movement. But a large armed party of Boers went northward to the banks of the Limpopo, jvhich they attempted to cross, but they were stopped by a small body of the British South Africa Company's Police, and Dr. Jameson persuaded them to return without any fighting. In the early part of 1882, profiting by the disturbed state of the country, certain Boers had leased farms from Chief Cham, on condi- tion that they should help to prevent incursions into his territory. These Boers had invited others, and their number greatly increased. This was contrary to the Convention of Pretoria, which had contained the agreement that the Boers were not to extend their territories east of thirty degrees east longitude. » The following is a sketch of events in Zululand during 1884-: In May the Boers proclaimed Dinizulu king of Zululand, and in return they received from him large tracts of land, which they proclaimed an independent state, under the title of the New Republic. As the imperial authorities found that the Boers from the New Republic were grad- ually annexing the whole of Zululand, the British flag was hoisted at 179 180 THE BREWING OF TROUBLE. St. Lucia Bay December 21, 1884. Next year further steps were taken. Then, as now, desirous of reaching the sea, the Boers, both of the South African Republic and of the New Republic, laid claims to St. Lucia Bay; these claims, however, the British Government refused to admit. Reinforced by fresh arrivals from the Transvaal, the Boers of the Republic gradually extended their boundaries until, by the end of 1885, they included about three-fourths of Zululand. Dinizulu tried to repudiate his agreement, but the Boers showed him that with them possession was all the law. While matters were thus proceeding at the east of the Transvaal, there were also continual disorders on the western border. Immedi- ately after the retrocession of the Transvaal marauding began. Two Transvaal chiefs and two under the protection of Great Britain were at war with one another, and under pretext of helping the various chiefs, a body of Boers established themselves in the country, driving out the lawful owners, and establishing two independent Dutch republics, known as Stellaland and Gosl^en. A correspondent of Sir Bartle Frere stated that a Transvaal official equipped six burghers on their promis- ing to give him half the cattle they captured, and they were to return horse, saddle and gun to him. Cattle' known to have been raided were publicly sold in the Transvaal, and yet the Transvaal Government de- nied having anything to do with the raids, though they admitted that they could not restrain their own people. Adrian de la Rey and Gert van Niekerk were masters of the situation for a time. On September 10, 1884, President Kruger issued a proclamation which, "in the inter- est? of humanity, proclaimed and ordained" the contending chiefs, Moshette and Montsioa, to be under the protection of the South Afri- can Republic. But this proclamation was withdrawn at a word from the High Commissioner, and Sir Charles Warren's expedition sent to occupy the country. Meanwhile, the Cape Ministry treated with the freebooters, and made a prcjvisional agreement for the annexation of Goshen to the Cape Colony. But the Imperial Government refused its sanction, because the terms proposed were "equivalent to recognition, as a de facto government, of freebooters who had made war on the British Protectorate, and to acknowledgment of the bona fide char- acter of the claims of the brigands to land in Montsioa's territorj'." Accordingly, Sir Charles Warren's expedition was hastened, and the terms of his commission were "to remove the filibusters from Bechuan- THE BREWING OF TROUBLE. 181 aland, to pacificate the country, to reinstate the natives in their land, and to take such measures as were necessary to prevent further depre- dation, and, finally, to hold the country until its further destination was known." The three leaders in these events were Lucas Meyer, Gert van Niekerk, and Groot Adrian de la Rey. Lucas Meyer is now a member of the First Volksraad of the South African Republic and a strong Progressive, in favor of dual language in government ofifices. Gert van Niekerk died recently, and was accorded a public funeral, with military honors, being Chief Commissioner of Police at the time of his death, while Groot Adrian de la Rey publicly stated his readiness to start raiding again at the head of 2,000 Boers. From the earliest times the Outlanders, especially the British of the Transvaal, have had grievances against the Transvaal, and some of them appear to have been well-founded. But the grievances them- selves might have been settled amicably, in due course of time, had it not been for the fact that the great wire-pullers of South Africa and their friends and supporters, associates and others seem to have taken advantage of this state of affairs to attempt the accomplishment of objects they had long held in view, namely, making Great Britain, or the British South Africa Company, paramount beyond dispute, with the possibility, in the distant future, of absorbing the rest of Africa, or, at least, the best portion of it. However, it is not the province here to draw conclusions. It is for the great American people to do that. We simply try to present without bias all the main facts in the case. ^ The Transvaal Outlanders, especially those of Johannesburg, have for many years been complaining that they have been unfairly taxed without representation, pointing out that though they constituted the majority of the population of the South African Republic, owning more than half the land and at least nine-tenths of the property, yet, in all matters affecting their lives, liberties and properties they had no voice. The Oiitlanders also charged the Transvaal administration with gross extravagance, bribery and corruption and with intense hostility to the English. The last charge is proved beyond a doubt, and the others have been supported by unprejudiced Americans. Matters grew worse and worse as passion on both sides became more heated. Early in December, 1895, the situation at Johannesburg was 183 THE BREWING OF TROUBLE. threatening, . and there were persistent rumors that the miners were secretly arming and that warHke preparations w;ere being made. Ow- ing to these rumors the women and children were leaving the Raad, and General Joubert, commander-in-chief of the Transvaal forces, had been summoned to Pretoria from Natal. The American and German residents in the Transvaal, it was added, sided with the Government. The London Tidies' correspondent in Paris, the next day, quoted the Journal des Debats, a semi-ofificial organ, as arguing upon the dan- ger to French interests of allowing Great Britain to seize the Trans- vaal; and the action of the Outlanders, according to a dispatch from Berlin, gave rise to an unusually violent explosion of anti-British feeling in the German press. ' ."Germany, Portugal and possibly France," said the Berlin National Zeitung, "cannot allow the Boer republics to become the exclusive prey of England, and especially of such a dangerous personage as Mr. Cecil Rhodes." Other German papers expressed similar sentiments, saying it could not be denied that, while the relations between the British and German governments were in no way cordial, a widespread feeling of animosity against Great Britam existed in Germany. The London Times, December 9, 1895, in a long article, explaining the Transvaal trouble, said: "Equality of representation with taxation, languag;e, law, responsi- bility of the administration to the legislature, and the removal of relig- ious disabilities are among the chief of the Outlanders' demands, while they agree to maintain republican institutions." The Times also complained, editorially, that the French and German press criticised Great Britain without "properly grasping the history or geography of the question," and declared that it believed that no des- perate remedy, such as an appeal to force, would be required, and that some reasonable concessions, even though not all that the Outlanders might rightfully claim, might avail to postpone a conflict." By December 30, 1895, the political crisis at Johannesburg had reached a most acute stage. The exodus of women and children was increasing, all trains leaving the place being crowded; the prices of foodstuffs had become high, while the Government had notified the burghers to be ready for active service in case of an emergency. The Mercantile Association had formed itself into a town guar to preserve im -^ 1 \ 1 i i _ VEREENIGING, FIRST STATION IN THE TEANSVAAL FEOM CAPE TOWN. UAEKET STEEET IN SOUTH PEETOEIA. LIEDT.-GEN.SIE GEORGE WHITE. COMMANDER PF BRITISH FORCES IN NATAIo THE BREWING OF TROUBLE. iHt> order and protect life and property, and had asked the Government for arms and ammunition, pledging itself not to take part in a revolu- tion or riot. It was expected that several of the leading mines would close down immediately. In the course of an interview, President Kruger, at the time, ex- pressed regret at the agitation, and said: "If the situation is aggravated, many disastrous consequences are to be feared, especially in mining and commercial enterprises. The present attitude of the Outlanders does not conduce to calm consider- ation of their alleged grievances. The Government will give them an opportunity for such free speech on their grievances as does not incite to rebellion, but the Government is fully prepared to stop any move- ment aiming at a disturbance of law and order." Professor James Bryce, M. P., author of "The American- Com- monwealth," who had at that time just returned to London from South Africa, said, in response to a request for his views upon the situation in the Transvaal: "There is a pretty widespread feeling of dissatisfaction with the existing condition of affairs in the Transvaal. Much will depend on President Kruger's attitude. It is hoped that the Transvaal Govern- ment will recognize that the situation is, or may become, serious. The population of Outlanders is increasing rapidly." The feature of business on the London Stock Exchange on Decem- ber 30 was the weakness of South African securities, due to the situa- tion in the Transvaal, the prices of "Kaffirs" declining steadily. "It is a curious anomaly," wrote Major Ricarde-Seaver, in Decem- ber, 1895, "to see, at the end of the nineteenth century, a minority of 15,000 burghers, all told, ruling a majority of 60,000 enlightened, wealthy and prosperous aliens, who, although they possess the richest and most valuable portion of the country, have no voice in its man- agement. The franchise must be extended to all qualifying for citizen- ship, and when this is done, the Outlanders, as a class, will cease to exist. They will become citizens and the control^ of the state will pass into the hands of the majority, or, in other words, l^e Angio-Saxon race." CHAPTER XXIII. THE JAMESON RAID AND THE UNDOING OF DR. "JIM." A cable message was received at Berlin, December 31, 1895, from Pretoria, Transvaal, which sta:ted that an armed force of the British South Africa Company, numbering 700 men, with six Maxim guns 'and other pieces of artillery, was reported to have invaded the Trans- vaal territory. The dispatch from Pretoria further said that the British force had already reached the vicinity of Rustenberg and was advancing upon Johannesburg. On learning of the news Preisident Kruger ordered that the further advance of the invaders should be prevented by force of arms, and issued a proclarnation calling upon all burghers to defend the country. This, the first news of the famous Jameson raid, caused a thrill of excitement throughout the civilized world, and the feeling was intensified January i, 1896, when a dispatch was received from Cape Town, reading: "In consequence of a letter signed by the leading inhabitants of Johannesburg, which was sent to Dr. Jameson, at Mafeking, Saturday, Dr. Jameson, on Sunday, crossed the Transvaal frontier near Mafeking with 700 men. It is known that he passed Malmani at S o'clock on Monday morning." The letter to Dr. Jameson was dated December 28, and said: "Matters in this state have become so critical that we are assured that at no distant period there will be a conflict between the Govern- ment and the Outlander population. The position of thousands of Englishmen and of others is rapidly becoming intolerable." The letter then proceeded to complain that the Transvaal Govern- ment virtually compelled the Outlanders to pay the whole revenue of the country, while denying them representation, adding: "The internal policy of the Government has incensed not only the Outlanders, but a large number of Boers, while its external policy has exasperated the neighboring states to the extent of endangering the peace and independence and the preservation of the republic. "We must consider what must be the condition of things in the U6 THE JAMESON RAID. 187 event of an armed conflict. Thousands of unarmed men, women and children of our race will be at the mercy of the well-armed Boers, while property of enormous value will be in the greatest peril. We all feel that we are justified in taking any steps to prevent the shedding of blood and to insure the protection of our rights." The London Times, in an editorial, January i, 1896, said: "Mr. Chamberlain's action indicates that no adequate justifications exist for Dr. Jameson's apparent breach of the law of nations. It was known in official circles yesterday (December 31, 1895) that in the course of the day Mr. Chamberlain had wired Dr. Jameson, ordeiing him to return without delay to the company's territory. The adoption of this course manifestly places a serious responsibility upon the shoul- ders of the Colonial Office. It is believed that the Boer forces have been mobilized under General Joubert, and that an explosion is possible at any moment. "Mr. Chamberlain is believed to have addressed himself ta Presi- dent Kruger as clearly and as firmly as to Dr. Jameson. He called upon the Boer leader to do his utmost to prevent hostilities, and has offered Great Britain's aid to promote a peaceful settlement. "If no rising has occurred, Mr. Chamberlain's attitude "will com- mend universal approval; but if British blood has been sh&d which might have been saved, it is inevitable that some part of tYu blame, however unjustly, should' attach to his intervention. "President Kruger would do well to accept the British oft'er of mediation, but it is rumored that he had been ill-advised ei\ough to resort to a measure of a very different kind. He is said to have been so far forgetful of the position of the Transvaal as subject to the suzerainty of Great Britain as to appeal to the French and German consuls for support. Conduct of that kind betrays a remarkable ignorance of the rights of this country over Transvaal and of her resolution to enforce them. Whatever else we may tolerate at the hands of the Boers, we will not endure foreign intervention in any shape within the Transvaal, nor suffer the Transvaal to fall in anarchy." A member of the German diplomatic service in Berlin said, Decem- ber 31, 1895, that Emperor William showed a lively dislike to the machinations of the British in the Transvaal, but his Majesty would decline to undertake a protectorate over the republic, as he considered the crisis a matter of internal politics. He, however, had promised his 188 THE JAMESON RAID. moral support, and had indicated that he might even take "certain measures" if Great Britain persisted in her course. Later it was announced that the cable message sent by Mr. Cham- berlain, the Colonial Secretary, to Dr. Jameson, administrator of the British South Africa Company, ordering the return of the force of armed men which Dr. Jamesoii led into the Transvaal, could not reach him "until he arrived at Johannesburg," at which place, it was explained, there were arms enough to equip thirty thousand men. Then Mr. Chamberlain issued an official statement that he was in communication with President Kruger in an endeavor to avert serious consequences of the "unauthorized and altogether unjustifiable act" of Dr. Jameson. Governor Robinson, of Cape Colony, issued a proclamatioh pub- licly repudiating the act of Dr. Jameson, and caused to be published in the newspapers of Pretoria and Johannesburg an injunction, in the name of the Queen, to all her Majesty's subjects in the Transvaal not to give aid to Dr. Jameson, but to "obey the law and observe order." Messengers were sent to overtake Jameson', conveying orders to him and every officer accompanying him to retire from the Transvaal territory immediately. But the situation was aggravated by the fact that Dr. Jameson cut the wires behind him, rendering telegraphic communication with his force impossible. Mr. Chamberlain next sent a dispatch to the British South Africa Company, asking them to repudiate Dr. Jameson and his acts. To this the company replied that they were entirely ignorant of Dr. Jame- son's acts or purposes. Cecil Rhodes, then Prime Minister of Cape Colony, in connection with this reply, said that Dr. Jameson had acted without authority, adding that he, Mr. Rhodes, had tried to stop Dr. Jameson when he learned that he had gone into the Transvaal, but found that the wires had been cut and that, consequently, he could not communicate with him. The Boers sent a messenger to Dr. Jameson asking him to withdraw from the territory of the Transvaal, but Dr. Jameson wrote to the Boer commandant at Maricoland, refusing to withdraw from the Transvaal and avowing that he would proceed with his original plans, which, in THE JAMESON RAID. 189 acceptance of the invitation of the principal residents of Rand, were to assist them in their demands for justice. The London Times, January 2, 1896, printed a dispatch from its Berlin correspondent, in which he said : "The crisis in the Transvaal endangers British relations with Ger- many. The Government hitherto has endeavored to restrain the news- papers over which it has some control, but, judging from what has already been written, one does not like to contemplate what will happen when the restraint is removed. "Inasmuch as the numerous German residents of the Transvaal cannot but be afifected by a serious breach of the public peace, Germany cannot be at a loss for a concrete cause for interference if she is deter- mined to interfere. There is some reason to believe that she is deter- mined and resolved, under no circumstances, to tolerate a disturbance of the status quo in South Africa." Considerable excitement prevailed in Berlin over the crisis in the Transvaal, and the attitude of Great Britain was denounced on all sides. The Vossische Zeitung said : "The proceedings of the British South Africa Company cannot be tolerated, and Germany must immediately take eflergetic steps to pro- tect the South African Republic." The paper also expressed hope that Dr. Leyds, the diplomatic agent of the South African Republic, who was then in Berlin and in close communication with the German Foreign Office, had telegraphed to Pretoria that Germany would grant the Boers protection that would not be "merely diplomatic." The Cologne Gazette said that Germany had sent an official inquiry to Great Britain as to what steps were to be taken by the British Gov- ernment in regard to the invasion of the Transvaal by the British South Africa Company. Other reports from the South African Republic confirmed the news previously received of the gravity of the situation and Mr. Chamber- lain issued the following statement : "Having learned that Dr. Jameson had entered the Boer country, I have since been continuously engaged in an endeavor to avert the consequence of his extraordinary action. Sir Hercules Robinson, gov- ernor of Cape Colony, has by proclamation publicly repudiated Dr. Jameson's act, and has enjoiijed the British subjects to obey the laiw 190 THE JAMESON RAID. and remain quiet. Dr. Jameson and his officers have been ordered to retire immediately. "It is hoped that a collision will be averted, but Dr. Jameson cut all the wires as he advanced. The British agent at Johannesburg is going forward to meet Dr. Jameson and to order him, in the Queen's name, to retire forthwith. "I have called upon the charter company to repudiate Dr. Jame- son's proceedings, of which the company says it is entirely ignorant. "Cecil Rhodes, Premier of Cape Colony, has stated that Dr. Jame- son acted without his authority. As soon as he heard that he con- templated entering the Transvaal he endeavored to stop him, but found that the wires were cut." The loyal subjects of the British Empire, January 2, 1896, were thrown into a state of consternation by the announcement from Johan- nesburg that Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, the popular Dr. "Jim," had been defeated by the Boers, that he had lost heavily and had surrendered to the forces of the Transvaal. The British Colonial Office, next day, published the following cable dispatches from Sir Hercules Robinson, then governor of Cape Col- ony, British High Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief, addressed to the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Chamberlain : "A messenger overtook Dr. Jameson ten miles the other side of Elans river. He has brought back a verbal message that the dispatches have been received and will be attended to. The force was then saddling up and immediately proceeded east into the Transvaal. "Dr. Jameson thus received and disregarded my message. "Sir Jacobus de Wet, the Bi^tish agent in thQ Transvaal, telegraphs that fighting began at 4 P. M. yesterday. He was unable to obtain' details from General Joubert, commander of the Transvaal, or Boer, forces, last evening, and had heard nothing beyond rumor. "The Cape Times has a telegram from Pretoria, received there from Krugersdorp, saying that there had been hard fighting, the forces of the Chartered South Africa Company suffering heavily." A second cable message from Sir Hercules Robinson read : "The British agent at Pretoria telegraphs under date of January 2 : " T have just seen General Joubert and he says that, according to his information, Dr. Jameson has been driven out of several positions. The burghers have twenty-five of their (British) wounded as prisoners, THE JAMESON RAID. 191 including three officers, and five corpses have been buried by the burghers. " 'The fighting is still proceeding. No force has yet left Johannes- burg to assist Dr. Jameson. " 'The Government has received word that additional forces of the South Africa Company are mobilizing to enter the Transvaal, and that the Kaffir commander within the Transvaal, on the Bechuanaland bor- der of the Free State, is ready to assist the Transvaal if required. " 'Dr. Jameson is surrounded by a large force near Krugersdorp. The railway between Krugersdorp and Johannesburg has been broken up. " 'The acting President of the Orange Free State telegraphs me that i,6oo burghers have been commanded to take up a position six- teen miles this side of the Vaal river.' " A third cablegram from Sir Hercules Robinson forwarded a dis- patch from the British agent at Pretoria, definitely announcing that Dr. Jameson had surrendered. Mr. Chamberlain immediately cabled to Sir Hercules Robinson, expressing regret at the fact that Dr. Jameson's disobedience led to deplorable loss of life, and asking the governor to do his utmost to secure generous treatment of the prisoners and care of the wounded, and to telegfraph the names of the killed and wounded. During the afternoon of the same day Mr. Chamberlain issued the following statement: "The High Commissioner, Sir Hercuks Robinson, is leaving Cape Town this afternoon for Pretoria to deal with the situation to the furtherance of a peaceful and satisfactory settlement in obedience to my requisition." The South Africa Company directors had already telegraphed to their managing director at Cape Town, directing him to immediately inform Dr. Jameson that the company dissented from and objected to the action he had taken, and required him to return immediately to the company's lands. The British agent at Pretoria sent the following dispatch to the governor of Cape Colony: "The Transvaal commanding general has positive information that 800 Bechuanaland troops, with six Maxim guns and other cannon, 192 THE JAMESON RAID. carrying the British flag, have arrived near Busteraburg and are on the march to Johannesburg. "The President of the Transvaal regards this incursion as a serious violation of the convention with Great Britain and hopes that immedi- ate steps will be taken to stop any further advance of the intruders, as he cannot allow the country's rights to be violated in this manner." The governor of Cape Colony replied : ^ "I declare that if the report is true the step was taken without my sanction or previous knowledge. I immediately wired my disapproval of the action and directed the troopers to retire without delay." President Kruger, replying to a dispatch of inquiry from Mr. Cham- berlain, cabled: "I have not ordered the freebooters who are prisoners to be shot Their case will be decided strictly in accordance with the traditions of the Republic, and in sharp contrast to the unheard-of acts of these freebooters. So many lies and false reports are published in even the influential newspapers in England that I deem it advisable to add that the freebooter prisoners have been treated with greatest consideration by our burghers, despite the fact that the latter have been more than once compelled to take up arms in defense of the dearly bought inde- pendence of our Republic. I hope you will kindly pardon the liberty "I am taking when I say that our confidence in Rhodes has received such a rude shock that his repudiation of the proceedings at Buluwayo ought to be received with the greatest caution. Even now we have news that an armed force is collecting on our borders. If this is true I trust that not the word of Rhodes, but the influence of the Govern- ment will suffice to prevent further incursions. Will you, with a view to checking further lying reports, publish this?" Mr. Chamberlain replied : "I thank you ftar your message, which I will publish as you desire. The press has not given credence to the rumors about cruelty of your magnanimity. I have sent an Imperial officer to Buluwayo to see that my orders are obeyed, and to prevent a further raid. You may rest confident that I will strictly uphold all the obligations of the London convention of 1884." The same day a cable dispatch from Johannesburg was received at the office in London of the Johannesburg Standard, stating that in reply to an address presented to him by a deputation, Pre«d«nt' Kruger O H H S5 CO z o I u a w SI a w o p h o 2 I O SI < m o n W on cs Z b w H a d to c o o HI c H THE JAMESON RAID. 301 answer myself. I knowjihat there are thousands in Johannesburg to whom I can with confidence intrust this. Let the Johannesburgers make it possible for the Government to appear before the Volksraad with the words, 'Forget and "forgive !' " At a meeting at Manchester, England, January 15, presided over by Arthur J. Balfour, First Lord of the Treasury, the chairman, in the course of an address, made incidental mention of Emperor William of Germany, which was greeted by his hearers with groans and hoots. Referring to the Transvaal difficulty, Mr. Balfour declared that he could not discuss the gravity of the offense of those who would be arraigned for their operations in the South African Republic, but he said he was sure that those who were responsible for the movement there were not guided by mean, sordid motives. The Government, he said, was of the opinion that it was impossible for affairs in the Trans- vaal to reach a satisfactory condition while its Government was founded upon so artificial and inequitable a basis as it is at present, the Out- landers, who are vastly in the majority, paying the greater proportion of the taxes, and not having the smallest share in the government. President Kruger, Mr. Balfour admitted, had displayed great generos- ity and political vdsdom, and he hoped, therefore, that the promised reforms would not be delayed longer than was necessary. "It is beyond question," said Mr. Balfour, "that the Transvaal Republic is free in the administration of its internal affairs, but its ex- ternal affairs are subject to the control of Great Britain. Call it suze- rainty, or by any other name chosen, there is no mistaking this fact, and foreign interference will not be permitted." Nevertheless, Mr. Balfour said, he was not aware that any foreign country was prepaf ed to dispute the doctrine. General N. H. Harris, of San Francisco, January 17, received a cable dispatch from Mr. A. Wiltsie, dated London, January i, which read as follows : "Hammond in solitary confinement; position most critical. .Others all right. Strong demand on United States Government in his behalf necessary forthwith." Another dispatch read: "London, January 17, 1896. "General N. H. Harris, San Francisco : "Following cable received from Connor, Johannesburg: 'Use all 203 THE JAMESON RAID. possible influence in Washington in behalf of American prisoners. My worst fears of their critical position is now confirmed. Hammond is likely to be sentenced to several years' imprisonment. Push Wash- ington.' E. A. Wiltsie." According to a dispatch from Cape Town Cecil Rhodes, the former Premier of Cape Colony, was interviewed previous to sailing for Eng- land, and said: "I am no coward, and I shall not resign my seat in Parliament. I shall meet my detractors and shall be satisfied if civil rights are granted to the Outlanders. I intend to be present at the annual meeting of the Chartered Company in London, when I shall address the share- holders on recent events. It was also said to be quite untrue that President Kruger was aware of Dr. Jameson's intention to invade the Transvaal territory. On the contrary, the President, after having been told that Jameson had crossed the border, said : "Don't tell me that Englishmen would do that. Whatever may be said of them, they are open and brave, and woilld not make a cowardly, unprovoked attack upon us." President Kruger readily accepted the assistance of the governor of Cape Colony 'in bringing about a settlement of the disturbances, and they parted cordially. Di". Jameson and his officers, after having been released by the Boers, arrived at Durban, Natal, from Pretoria at daybreak, January 20, and were forthwith escorted on the British transport Victoria, which sailed for England the next day. A London^Times' correspondent also had an interview with General Joubert, commander-in-chief of the Boer forces, wlio said : "I think there is only one braver than Dr. Jameson, and he is the devil. I would never have had the courage to break into another man's house as he did. Is Jameson a barbarian, or did he think us barbarians?" General Joubert, in a speech at Heilbron, January 23, in which he thanked the burghers for their prompt, energetic and patriotic action in the troubles in the Transvaal, said that the raid of Dr. Jameson and his followers was not the work of the "honofable and noble section of the British residents," but, on the other hand, was a "cunning and insidious attempt to overthrow law and order." THE JAMESON RAID. 203 Secretary Olney, January 31, requested the assistance of the Brit- ish Government for the protection of the lives and interests of Amer- ican citizens in the Transvaal and received a prompt and favorable reply. By appealing to Great Britain for this courtesy the United States Government indorsed the Convention of 1884, by which British su- zerainty was acknowledged over the South African Republic. At the same time it announced its determination not to recognize Emperor William's position as t>eing well taken. As soon as it was learned that John Hays Hammond, the American mining engineer, had been arrested at Johannesburg on a charge of treason in connection with the rising of the Outlanders, and that other American citizens might be in danger of similar treatment. Secretary Olney cabled instructions to the United States consular agent at Johannesburg, Mr. Manyon, to take such steps as were in his power for the protection of his countrymen in the Transvaal. The Secretary also cabled to Ambassador Bayard in London asking him to call at the Foreign Ofifice and securfe the good offices of British representatives in South Africa on behalf of the Americans there, who are said to number about five hundred. Secretary Olney received an answer from Ambassador Bayard to the eflfect that the United States Government's request had been received in the most friendly spirit. Mr. Bayard was given prompt assurances by Mr. Chamberlain that the governor of Cape Colony would secure for Mr. Hammond and all other American citizens the same protection as would be accorded to British subjects in like circumstances. For some time after the news of the surrendier of the Jameson raid- ers had spread throughout the world there was a lull in the storm, though the air was full of conflicting rumors. The British Colonial Office received a dispatch, January 4, 1896, from the Governor of Cape Colony, saying: "De Wet (Sir Jacobus De Wet, the British agent at Pretoria) wires : 'Everything is quiet and no further serious disturbances will occur. A deputation from the Johannesburg Reform Committee came over yes- terday evening, giving guarantees to keep the peace and maintain order. I waited upon President Kruger and informed him of the guarantee. He gave me the assurance that pending your arrival, if the Johannesburg people keep quiet and commit no hostile acts or in 304 THE JAMESON RAID, any way break the laws of the country, Johannesburg will not be mo- lested or surrounded by the burgher forces. The deputation was highly grateful for this assurance and pledged the conimittee to pre- serve peace and order. " 'I take this opportunity of testifying in the strongest manner to the great moderation and forbearance of the Transvaal under excep- tionally trying circumstances. Their attitude toward myself was everything I could wish. " 'The prisoners have just arrived. The casualties on their side are said to be severe, and on the side of the burghers very slight.' " Another dispatch from the Governor read : "De Wet wires that Jameson's wounded number over thirty. They are all at Rrugersdorp and attended by doctors. Their names and the details of their wounds cannot yet be given." The number of killed is estimated at seventy, but no reliable information is obtainable. The bodies are still being picked up on the battlefield and buried. "The Cape Town papers say that Dr. Jameson, Sir Charles Wil- loughby and Captain White (a brother of Lord Annaly) are lodged in the Pretoria jail. Grey and Coventry (Captain Charles J. Coventry of the Bechuanaland police and a brother of the Earl of Coventry) are wounded. The Boers captured about 500 prisoners." Later in the day a dispatch was received at the Colonial Office from Cape Town, and said the battle lasted from 3 o'clock in the afternoon until 1 1 o'clock at night. Dr. Jameson led the three principal at- tacks, and, it was added, his men distinguished themselves by their great gallantry. This dispatch also gave the first details of the engagement. It said the Boer position was a right-angled one and Dr. Jameson attacked it at one point, and in entering the angle had the fire of the Boers on his front and flanks. The Boers, it appeared, were much superior in numbers and their position was unassailable. Dr. Jameson and 550 men were taken prisoners at Krugersdorp and were afterward sent to Pretoria. A large deputation of merchants and others interested in South African matters called at the Colonial OAice the same evening to urge the Government to take steps for the protection of their friends and relatives. Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary of State for *:he Colonies, replied that, so far as could be seen, further disturbances were improb- THE JAMESON RAID. 305 able. The British Government, he said, "sympathized with the un- doubted grievances of the Outlanders." He also explained that the Government "acted in the most energetic fashion imaginable in trying to stop the raid and in attempting to avert further trouble." Mr. Chamberlain addted that Ministers of the Government pro- posed to adhere to their obligations under the Convention of 1884, and that they would continue to uphold that convention and all its provisions. From this position, he explained, nothing that had oc- curred could possibly induce them to recede. The British press continued to rage against Germany, on account of Emperor William's dispatch to President Kruger, and the German newspapers violently attacked Great Britain. The Jameson raid brought out all the latent feeling of hostihty in Germany to England, and evoked a similar outburst to that produced by President Cleve- land's Venezuelan message in the United States. The general belief in Germany that the duplicity of the British statesmen was deliberate, in their policy of keeping Europe divided into two camps in order to facilitate British aggressions and encroachments in Africa and else- where, received supposed confirmation in the news of Dr. Jameson's -piratical venture. In spite of the disavowal of the British ^cretary of State for the Colonies of any knowledge or responsibility for the step taken by Dr. Jameson, little doubt was felt in Germany that it was prompted in high quarters, and the weighty terms of the German Emperor's message were interpreted as indicating the same mistrust of British protestations as was felt in Government circles. Everybody understood that the Emperor's message to President Kruger was not due to mere impulse, but was decided upon and drafted after a grave council of ministers, and it was regarded as an open pro- houncement of a change in German policy toward Great Britain. After immediate news of the invasion of the Transvaal was re- ceived the Emperor summoned the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baron Marschall von Bieberstein, and Dr. Kayser, Director of the Colonial Office, to Potsdam and spoke to them in strong terms of the breach of international law. Later an official note was sent to the British Government asking, curtly, the meaning of Dr. Jameson's raid and what steps would be taken to neutralize it. Moreover, it was asserted, the intention to land 206 ~ .. 'SHE JAMEBO^ kAlD. German sailors at Delagoa Bay was abandoned only on the receipt oi the. news of Dr. Jameson's defeat. The consent of Portugal, it was added, had been asked for the transit of troops across Portuguese territory. Another statement, made on good authority, was that Germany already had come to an agreement with France to arrest the British advance in South Africa, and that 1,500 German volunteers, well equipped, would start on board a North German Lloyd steamship for Delagoa Bay to assist the Boers. At the New Year's reception at the palace Emperor William was frigid in his treatment of the British \ Ambassador, Sir Francis C. Lascelles. It was remarked that His Majesty addressed barely a few words to him and eyed him sternly. On the other hand, the Em- peror's reception of the United States Ambassador, Mr. Theodore Runyon, was most cordial. Besides the usual congratulations, His Majesty took pains to manifest the undisturbed relations of intimacy between Germany and the United States, talking with Mr. Runyon most pleasantly and amicably for some time. Then came another mild and unexpetted thunder-clap. It was announced, January 5, 1896, that Cecil Rhodes, Premier of Cape Col- ony, had resigned, but, il«was further said, the Governor of Cape Colony had declined to accept his resignation. Mr. Chamberlain telegraphed to Pretoria asking if it was true that Dr. Jameson had been shot, adding that Mr. Rhodes had telegraphed a positive denial of the rumored gathering of a second force of the British South Africa Company's troops at Buluwayo. President Kruger replied that he had given no order to shoot the captured freebooters, but that they would be punished according to law. He said they had been treated with the greatest consideration by the burghers, despite the fact that the latter had more than once been forced to take up arms in defense of the republic. President Kruger concluded with saying: "Our confidence in Mr. Rhodes has received such a rude shock that his repudiation of the proceedings at Buluwayo ought to be re- ceived with the greatest caution. Even now we have news that an- other armed force is collecting on our borders. If that be true, I trust that not the word of Mr. Rhodes, but the influence of your Gov- ernment will suffice to prevent the further incursions of freebooters, THE JAMESON RAID. 207 although it was not successful in arresting the advamce of Dr. Jame- son." Mr. Chamberlain thanked President Kruger for his assurances, • and added that he had always felt confidence in his magnanimity. Mr. Chamberlain also announced that he had sent an imperial officer to Buluwayo to see that his orders were obeyed and to prevent the possibility of another raid. He assured President Kruger that he could rest confident that the Convention of 1884 would be strictly observed. Replying , to ■ the congratulatory message of Emperor William, President Kruger sent His Majesty the following reply; "I testify to Your Majesty my very deep and heartfelt thanks for your sincere congratulations. With God's help we hope to do every- thing possible to hold our dearly bought independence and the stability of our beloved republic." It was reported at the same time in Vienna that Prince Hatzfeldt, the German Ambassador in London, had informed the Marquis of Salisbury that Germany refused to recognize British suzerainty over the Transvaal, and it was believed that Austria supported Germany in this view. Dr. Jameson's expedition into the Transvaal, it developed later, was undertaken, on the understanding that there was to be an uprising of the Outlanders in Johannesburg to co-operate with him, and his raid might have been successful if he had received the expected assistance. The failure of Johannesburg to take part in the fight at Krugers- dorp, where Dr. Jameson met his disastrous reverse, was partly ex- plained by cablegrams received in London, January 5, dated December 30, the day before Dr. Jameson's start, A^nfirming the reports that President Kruger had received a deputation of aggrieved residents and had promised to take off the duties on foodstuffs, to give equal subsidies for schools of all languages and to advocate the desired change in the franchise. This, it seems, satisfied the Outlanders, and the leading men of all nationalities united in trying to allay the agitation fostered by certain capitalists to bring on a conflict with the authorities which would give an excuse for Imperial intervention and give the conspirators a chance to gobble up a rich country. 1 The National Union, an organization of British subjects living in 308 THE JAMESON RAID.' the Transvaal, of which Charles Leonard was the chairman, issued a manifesto, December 26, addressed to the people of the republic, in which it announced that it would labor for these ends : 1. The establishment of a republic as a true republic under a con- stitution approved by the whole people. 2. An equitable franchise and a fair representation. 3. The equality of the Dutch and English languages. 4. The responsibility to the legislature of the heads of the great departments. 5. The removal of religious disabilities. 6. The establishment of independent courts of justice, with ade- quate pay for the judges, which shall be properly secured. 7. Liberal education. 8. An efificient civil service, with an adequate pay and pension system. 9. Free trade in African products. The manifesto concluded as follows : "We shall expect an answer in plain terms according to your de- liberate judgment at the meeting to be held January 6." The following telegram from Berlin, printed in the London Times, December 27, throws light on the then recent events in the South African Republic: "It is hard to say what amount of significance should be attributed to the increasing attention bestowed in this country upon South Afri- can questions, with which, at first sight, Germany would seem to have little reason to concern herself. But it is worth noting that, of late especially, the position of the Transvaal and of the Orange Free State appears to exercise the German mind as keenly as if those republics were the direct offshoots of the German Fatherland, and the dangers which are supposed to threaten them from the insatiable ambition of Cecil Rhodes, the Napoleon of South Africa, form a frequent and con- genial theme of discussion in a spirit of anything but friendliness to- wards England. "Now, if one may be allowed to vary a remark recently made by the North-German Gazette, with reference to British sentimentality leaving off where British interests begin, it may be said that Gerinan sentiment is not easily aroused where German interests are not believed to be involved, and one is driven to the conclusion that Germany would THE JAMESON RAID. 209 not display so much sympathy 'for her very distant kinsmen in South Africa if she had not some special use marjced out for them in the in- terests, either actual or prospective, of the German policy. "As an illustration of the spirit in which these questions are ap- proached by the moderate and responsible organs of German public opinion, I "may quote the following passage from a letter in the Cologne Gazette, which, although dated from Amsterdam, would ap- pear on internal evidence to have been inspired much nearer home. After recapitulating some of the statements and arguments set forth in the leading article of the Times of the i6th inst., it went on: 'As for the Outlanders, whose "legitimate" claims are thus endorsed, it may be well to remember that if they form the majority of the population, they have only come into the Transvaal in order to make money as quickly as possible and then go away again. They refuse to surrender their' British nationality, and yet they demand the same civic rights, including that of the sufiErage, as the Boers. Originally, too, these rights were a matter of complete indifference to them, and it is only recently, and at the instigation of the Cape Government, that they have suddenly awakened to their importance.' "Cecil Rhodes has certainly succeeded in sowing the seeds of dis- content, and in view of the moral and intellectual standard of the Rand adventurers one may well expect that the explosive materials constantly irnported from Cape Town will, before long, produce serious commo- tions. Then, of course, according to the calculations of the Cape politicians, British blood will be shed, England will have to intervene, and the rest will follow of itself — namely, the incorporation of the Boer repubHc with British South Africa. That so much irritation should all at once be displayed in England against the Boers is very significant, and it would seem to show that Mr. Rhodes has already laid his train to his own satisfaction, and that the signal to fire it may at any mo- ment be given." The Novoe Vremya of St. Petersburg urged Russia to join the alliance of the Powers for intervention in South Africa. She would thus, it claimed, secure the Dutch and Portuguese coaling stations in the event of an Anglo-Russian conflict. It was difficult to get any definite expression of opinion at that time in St. Petersburg upon the subject qf the Transvaal difficulty, owing to the fact that Russia did not take much interest in that part 210 THE JAMESON RAID. of the world. The Russian Governmebt made it a point of invariably confining its attention to^territorial questions immediately affecting the empire, and even about these it said as little as possible. The few opinions gathered, however, simply re-echoed the views current in Germany, nearly all the views given at the Russian capital being quoted from the German newspapers. Emperor William's message to President Kruger, however, met with but little sympathy in St. Petersburg as not being in accordance with Russian ideas, and also because of its tendency to disturb the peace of Europe, the maintenance of which, Russian statesmen claimed, constituted the whole aim of Russia's policy at that period. Emperor William gaVe an audience, January 6, to. Dr. Leyds, the representative of the South African Republic. His Majesty, it was as- serted, assured Dr. Leyds that the Transvaal republic could reckon upon the protection of Germany. It was also said that the Emperor promised Dr. Leyds that Ger- many would recognize the independence of the TransvaaJ republic by appointing a German resident at Pretoria instead of a consul, as previ- ously, and also assured the Transvaal representative that the Triple Alliance would recognize the independence of the South African Re- public. A member of the Portuguese legation in Berlin said, January 6 : "In the present juncture Great Britain is completely isolated. Even Italy and Austria refuse to accord her any support. The de- velopment of the present crisis, which may change completely the situation in Europe, is being followed with the greatest attention in Portugal. A Franco-Russo-German alliance seems to me to be ex- tremely probable, but an understanding between them on various questions as they arise threatens the domination of England all over the world. "Austria will try to bring about an amicable arrangement between Germany and Great Britain, without, however, expressing any disap- proval of the Emperor's telegram to President Kruger." Incidentally it was said that the British Government was hurrying troops from India to Cape Town. Frequent and prolonged confer- ences took place between Joseph Chamberlain, G. J. Goschen, First Lord of the Admiralty, and the heads of the War and Admiralty De- partments. Field Marshal Lord Wolseley, Commander-in-Chief of THE JAMESON RAID. 211 the British forces, and the entire headquarters staff busied themselves at the Horse Guards (War Office) until a late hour January 6. The opinion in well-informed circles in Paris was that the exchange of telegrams between Mr. Chamberlain and President Kruger showed that neither side was prepared to make any concessions. Emperor William's allusion to friendly powers which might aid the Transvaal republic in case of necessity was made the most of in President Kruger's reply to Mr. Chamberlain. The situation then was: The Boers claimed their absolute inde- pendence and the abrogation of the treaty of 1884, which prevented them from concluding engagements with foreign powers. The Ger- man Emperor upheld them in this attitude. The British Government, on the contrary, declared that it would uphold the Convention of 1884 at all hazards, even if doing so involved war with Germany. CHAPTER XXIV. FMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT KRUGER, Shortly after the news of the defeat and capture of Dr. Jameson and his followers had been given to the world Great Britain was startled by the announcement that Emperor William of Germany had sent a message of congratulation to President Kruger. The report turned out to be correct, and the message was worded as follows : "I express my sincere congratulations that, supported by your people, and without appealing for help to friendly powers, you have succeeded by your own energetic action against the armed bands which invaded your country as disturbers of the peace, and have thus been enabled to restore and safeguard the independence of your coun- try against attacks from outside." This dispatch was not the result of impulse. It was a deliberate step taken by the German Emperor, for he conferred with the Imperial Chancellor, Prince Hohehlohe, January 3, the morning before he sent the cable message to Pretoria. This nearly caused a' war between Great Britain and Germany. His Majesty's action was most severely de- nounced by the British press. The Times said : "It is grave and distinctly unfriendly, and, being composed after a conference with Chancellor Von Hohenlohe and the Foreign and Naval Secretaries, imparts to it the importance of a state act." Continuing, the Times argued that Germany had no ground to contend that any doubt existed as to Great Britain's right of suzerainty over the Transvaal, and asks : "Is our Berlin correspondent indeed right when he confesses that he is driven to the conclusion that Germany has gladly seized "this opportunity to humiliate England?" The Berlin correspondent of the Times expressed the fear that Emperor William's telegram would induce President Kruger to annul the Transvaal treaties with Great Britain. The Morning ^ost of London said: "It is evident that the Emperor considers war with England some- thing to be prepared for. We cannot hide from ourselves that Eng- land stands alone. The proper reply to the Emperor's telegram is the S13 EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. 813 recall of the Mediterranean squadron to join the Channel squadron." The Standard gave Germany to understand that England would brook no interference between herself and the Transvaal. The Daily News (Liberal), on the contrary, said : ' "There is nothing hostile in the Emperor's words. They are a warning, which is sorely needed in some quarters, that the encourage- ment of filibusters is playing with edged tools. England has no right to interfere with the internal affairs of the Transvaal." i The Berlin correspondent of the Telegraph telegraphed that Dr. Leyds had news that the fighting at Krugersdprp was desperate and lasted for twenty-four hours, with heavy slaughter. Dr. Jameson and all the survivors, the advices, state, were prisoners, and it was pretty certain that some of them would be hanged or shot as an example. The Times thought that the complete cessation of news from the Transvaal was incompatible with the reports already received, and suggested that the Government should assume control of the Eastern Telegraph Company's offices, as it was empowered to do in an emer- gency. A 'Berlin dispatch to the Post reported that the evening papers there hurled insults against England, the South Africa Company and Cecil Rhodes. The Norddeutsche Aligemeine Zeitung headed its ar- ticle "A Wild Dance." ,The Berlin correspondent of the News said: "The afifair threatens to become a trial of strength between Eng- land and Germany. I leaTrij that the cruiser Condor has been ordered to Delagoa Bay." A dispatch to' the Daily Telegraph said: "The relations between England and Germany, which on Wednes- day were dangerously near a formal rupture, have now reassumed their normal character. A German ' protectorate over the Transvaal has never been contemplated, and it is to be tioped that the Emperor's telegram to President Kruger, generous but impulsive, as is usual with him, will not be interpreted in England as an act of hostility. Mr. Chamberlain's prompt and just action in disavowing Dr. Jameson is warmly appreciated here." The Standard said that Emperor William's message was a striking- ly unfriendly act. It raised the presumption that he wished to either challenge or destroy British suzerainty in the Transvaal. Germany, 214 EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. it added, had no more locus standing in the Transvaal than Great Bri- tain had in Havana. Great Britain could and would not tolerate the slightest interference between the Transvaal and herself. The paper then dilated upon German hostility to Great Britain everywhere, and avowed the latter's desire for friendship. It then is- sued a warning, saying: "If Germany insists, upoh trespassing upon our rights we are well able to defend them. We are a peaceable people, but if others will not permit us to remain in peace we are capable of accepting the un- welcome ordeal with composure." The Chronicle said: "The Emperor's message comes near being an offer of armed re- sistance. We hope and believe that President Kruger will take no no- tice of it. The Emperor has nothing to do with this business, which Mr. Chamberlain is trying to settle on lines of perfect justice." The Paris press was jubilant over the defeat of Dr. Jamesoii and his followei-s. The Figaro, in an article under the caption, "Will Cecil Rhodes Remain Premier of the Cape Colony?" said : "How President Kruger must laugh at the result, and how abund- antly justified he is in doing so." The Gaulois said: "The Boers merit the public esteem which their grand victory has gained for them by showing that they are as wise and liberal in their triumph as they are energetic in the hour of danger." The Rappel said that Germany, France and Russia are in accord, and asked what England would do in the circumstances. "Having the United States already on her hands," the paper asked, "will she dare to defy the military powers of Europe?" The Lanterne said: "Great Britain's contention that foreign powers have no right to intervene in the Transvaal is neither more nor less than the application of the Monroe Doctrine, pure and simple, to her own advantage;" A proclamation issued by President Kruger the same day assured the Outlanders that the Government was willing that they should sub- mit their grievances for the immediate consideration by the legislature. To prevent suffering at Johannesburg the Transvaal Government removed all duties upon foodstuffs. While these events were transpiring Great Britain, owing to EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. 815 the attitude of Germany, had not been idle. She was resolved not to be caught napping and orders were sent to the dock yards at Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham for the immediate commission- ing of six ships to form a flying squadron, the object of which was to have a number of vessels ready for any required emergency. It was also decided to dispatch a British naval force to Delagoa Bay and the British Mediterranean and Channel squadrons were brought up to the highest point of efificiency. This had a calming effect, and though it was admitted that the action of Emperor William in congratulating President Kruger on his defeat of the Jameson raiders was premedi- tated, matters soon assumed a more peaceful aspect, though the war- like utterances on both sides continued. There was talk in Great Britain of calling out the Army Reserves and the British War Office staff was busy night and day. The flying squadron was ordered to be ready for sea January 14, and the following ships were detailed for service in this connection : The Revenge, first-class battleship; the Royal Oak, first-class bat- tleship; the Gibraltar, first-class cruiser; the Theseus, first-class steel cruiser; the Charybdis, second-class steel cruiser; and the Hermione, second-class steel cruiser. In addition. Rear Admiral Harry W. Rawson, C. B., in command of the Cape of Good Hope station, was ordered to proceed from Cape Town to Delagoa Bay, on board the flagship St. George, a first-class steel cruiser, accompanied by another cruiser, with all possible speed. This step was in connection with the report that Emperor William had the intention of sending a German force to Delagoa Bay in order to support the Boers, and, it has been claimed, that he was only pre- vented from so doing by the news of Dr. Jameson's defeat. Besides these preparations upon the part of Great Britain, the greatest activity was displayed at all the British dock yards. It was proposed to commission all the ships necessary for a European war, and the Naval Reserve lists were prepared in readiness for an emer- gency. The British army officials made similar preparations. All the regi- ments of the British army, together with the Army Reserves, volun- teers, militia, etc., were ordered to make immediate returns of their .strength for mobilizatio'n. Among the volunteers and militia there was a strong feeling in favor of enrollment for active service, and 216 EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. troops returning from India or bound for that part of the British Em- pire were ordered to call at Cape Town, so that all that was necessary was to instruct their commanding officers to land drafts at the Cape. In short, Great Britain rattled her sword in the scabbard, and it seems to have had the effect of calming the feeling in Germany look- ing to intervention in South Africa. The war spirit spread ali over the British Empire, all classes eagerly supported the Government in resenting the attitude of Germany to- wards Great Britain and the British press was unanimous in its approval of the preparations of the naval and military authorities. The Globe, an influential London afternoon newspaper, which fre- quently receives inspiration from high official sources, said January 8 : "There is absolutely no difference of opinion among Britishers in their keen resentment of the wholly unprovoked affront put upon this proud land by Emperor William and his foolhardy counsellors. In- stead of working England harm with the Americans, the Emperor's insolent interference has revived the feeling of kinship and is making easier a friendly arrangement of the Venezuelan question." Regarding the report that Germany had prevailed upon Portugal to allow German troops to traverse the Portuguese South African ter- ritory adjoining the Transvaal, with the view of re-enforcing the Boers, a dispatch from Berlin said it was rumored there that Portugal had positively refused to consent to any such movement upon the part of Germany. The idea that a combination of the powers of Europe had been formed against Great Britain gained ground, and the Paris newspapers announced that the movement was really on foot to establish an anti- British alliance. Oil was poured upon these troubled waters by a dispatch from the Governor of Cape Colony, saying : "You may be satisfied that the crisis is over and that all danger of further hostilities is ended." The clouds of war were still further cleared away when it was an- nounced in Berlin that the German Counoil of Ministers did not fully approve of Emperor William's dispatch to President Kruger, but that the Emperor insisted upon having his own way and handed the message himself to the telegraph bureau, ordering that a copy of it be given to the semi-official newspapers. z CO o H 2 O o z o 2 ts p EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. 219 Finally, the sun of peace broke through the clouds when the Lon- don Times, in a dispatch from Berlin, referring to the supposed pur- pose of Germany to dispatch troops to South Africa, said: "It is now explained that Germany only desired to protect German residents and its consulate at Pretoria, and that no arrangement had been previously made with Portugal, and, after hearing that Dr. Jame- son had started, Germany only had time to telegraph an explanation of its intended action to Lisbon. The news of Dr. Jameson's defeat arrived before Portugal had time to reply. It is a pity that this ex- planation was not published earlier." On the Continent it was openly charged that not only was. Cecil Rhodes fully aware of the movements of Dr. Jameson, but that the British Government was also aware of what was going on. Had the raid been successful, according to popular belief in Europe at the time, Great Britain would have stepped in and occupied the Transvaal, ostensibly to protect her subjects, but really to establish an occupation similar to that in Egypt, which would have been tantamount to the annexation of the South African Republic. But, as the raid resulted in a miserable fiasco, the British Government was accused of attempting to forestall condemnation by emphatically denying any prior knowl- edge of the proceedings and taking measures to prevent the departure of the Jameson expedition after it knew it had departed and had re- sulted in a failure. These statements were denied in London, where the Government newspapers insisted that Mr. Chamberlain had acted throughout with clean hands. Senator Morgan, of Alabama, in the United States Senate, January 10, introduced a resolution in behalf of the Transvaal republic, which gave color to the report that President Kruger had asked for the moral support of the United States. This resolution, which was referred to the Foreign Relations Committee, read: "Resolved, That the people of the United States of America, through their representatives in Congress assembled, convey to the President and people of the Republic of the Transvaal their earnest congratulations upon their success in establishing a free representative government, republican in form, and in their opposition to any foreign power that denies to them the full enjoyment of these rightful liber- »20 EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. ties. The people of America, having realized, through the favor of the God of Nations, the blessings of government based upon the consent of the governed, entertain with confidence the pleasing hope and belief that the principles of self-government will be securely established through the influence of the Republic of France in her colonies, and of the republics of Liberia and the Transvaal, founded by the people in Africa, and that these republics will foster and give firm support to the peaceful progress of Christian civilization in the new and vast field now being opened to the commerce and institutions of all the nations, of the earth throughout that great continent. "Resolved, That the President of the United States is requested to communicate this action of Congress to the President of the Trans- vaal republic." At about the same time it was announced from Berlin that Ger- many had no intention to call a conference of the Powers or to pro- pose an abrogation of the British-Transvaal Convention of 1884, and it was hinted that some future agreement between Germany and the Transvaal was all that might grow out of the then existing unpleasant- ness. The correspondent of the London Daily News, at Berlin, tele- graphed : "The whole action of Germany was a mistake. She did not desire to quarrel with England, but only to prove the value of her friendship. Tn pursuance of this object Germany overstepped the limits of precau- tion. "It is significant, however, that all the papers connected with the Government published statements about the abrogation of the Con- vention of 1884. And, although they have no correspondents at Pretoria, they display a suspicious acquaintance with the intentions of the Transvaal Government." Queen Victoria, January 10, addressed an autograph letter to Mr. Chamberlain, thanking him for his services in connection with the disturbances in the Transvaal, and Mr. Chamberlain went to Osborne. Isle of Wight, to visit Her Majesty. Alfred Austin, the then newly-appointed poet laureate, published a poem entitled "Jameson's Ride." The concluding stanza was as fol- lows: EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. 321 "I suppose we were wrong — were madmen, Still I think at the Judgment Day, When God sifts the good from the bad men, , There will be something more to say. We were wrong, but we are not half sorry, And, as one of the baffled band, I would rather have had that foray, Than the crushings of all the Rand." Eventually the trouble between Great Britain and Germany passed into history as a thing of the past, and it really led to a better under- standing between the two countries, which, some people claim, was the aim which Emperor William had in view when he stirred up the vials of British wrath by sending his message to President Kruger. During the incident it was announced that Emperor William had sent a conciliatory letter to his grandmother. Queen Victoria, in re- sponse to an autograph letter of rebuke sent to him by Her Majesty. Although correspondence was exchanged between their majesties, it did not have the color popularly attributed to it. The Westminster Gazette, of London, commenting on the rela- tions between the Emperor and the British royal family, said that these relations were ofifensive. The paper claimed, that the German Em- peror used the imperative in his intercourse with all his relations in England and Germany, and held himself to be the head of the family, next to Queen Victoria. It was added that, as the son of the British Princess Royal, he always contended that he was heir to the British throne, in connection with which the Frankfort Zeitung renewed the story that Emperor William, in the event of the death of Queen Vic- toria, would claim the throne of the United Kingdom and prepare to enforce his rights by force of arms, which caused considerable amuse- ment in Great Britain. A proclamation issued by the Governor of Cape Colony, January II, removed Dr. Jameson from his position as administrator of Mash- onaland. He was replaced by F. J. Newton, Secretary of the British Colony of Bechuanaland. Delegates from the Orange Free State were sent to the Transvaal to confer with the Government of that republic regarding the steps to be taken in the event of the Orange Free State being asked to assist the Transvaal. 222 EMPEROR WILLIAM'S MESSAGE TO KRUGER. Among the members of the Johannesburg Reform Committee arrested on the charge of treason was Solly Joel, a nephew of Barney Barnato, and it was reported that it cost him $60,000 to get out of the Transvaal. Barney Barnato came in for his share of the Transvaal trouble. There was quite a scene January 14, when he faced a meeting in Lon- don of the shareholders in his South African Bank, which he had launched a few months previously without any statement as to its assets or purposes and without as much as a prospectus. Yet, the value of the shares almost immediately rose to such a figure that he was understood to have made a million pounds sterling or more in an hour. The meeting was held for the purpose of hearing a statement on these points. An extraordinary scene followed. The meeting was held in a great gilded chamber in the Cannon Street Hotel, and the gallery was filled with gayly-dressed ladies. By noon the whole hall was so densely packed that there was hardly room to move, and self-respect- ing business' men had to climb upon stoves, shelves, or anything af- fording them points of vantage. Shortly before noon a ringing cheer hailed the arrival of Barney Barnato. Unfortunately, , as Barney en- tered, a screen fell upon him and somewhat dampened the proceedings. He proceeded to make his statement, but as soon as the doubting shareholders began to ask questions he bundled up his papers and made his escape amid hisses and general confusion. CHAPTER XXV. INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. Under date of Johannesburg, January 8, 1896, Mr. Harold Boic'e wrote the following account of what he claimed to be the inside history of the Jameson raid. He said : It has been impossible up to this date to communicate with John Hays Hammond, the American engineer, and his fellow-prisoners now held in durance at Pretoria, but I am able to throw some inside light upon the incidents which led up to the present state of affairs. The real story of the revolution has, not been told. Over a year ago plans were begun for a rebellion. Lee Metford and Martini- Henry rifles by the thousands and Maxim and Nordenfeldt guns were smuggled into the Transvaal from England.' The rifles were con- signed variously as diamond drills, iron pipe and sometimes as coke, an outer shell of coke making the deception successful. The big guns came as steam pumps, battery engines and electrical apparatus. As mining machinery is being constantly imported by the ship load to the gold fields, the Government made no discoveries. Meat and breadstuffs, upon which there has been an exorbitant duty, were brought in as cyanide, the import duty on which is slight. So that at the beginning of the hostilities Johannesburg was prepared for a six months' siege. The chief fear was of a water famine, and at the outbreak of the rebellion the proyisiona,l government at Johannes- burg detailed 2,000 armed men to guard the water works lest the Boers should' cut off the supply and thus make capitulation necessary. Much international sympathy for the Boers has been created bj the reports cabled to Europe that the movement of the Outlanders was a downright attempt to take a free comn^onwealth by force, and abso- lutely usurp the rights of the original burghers. These reports have not told the whole story. There are about 30,000 voters in the republic. These are the Voortrekkers, or pioneers, and their descendants. These Boers are unprogressive. With one of the richest countries, not only in minerals, but in agricultural possibilities, the country was bankrupt before the advent of the Americans and English. Even now, while Johannes- 22S -534 INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. biirg offers every inducement for agricultural industry, the Boers raise only enough to live on, and are poor, with their farms untilled, with this city paying $20 a sack for imported flour and about the same price for potatoes, also imported. Nearly everything used in Johannesburg is imported. While the Boers will not raise anything themselves they will not allow any one else to develop the soil. Added to this, they have placed excessive duties on all the necessaries of life. The duty on pork, for example, is £4 ($20) per 100 pounds. Every effort has been made to make living impossible in Johannesburg, the Boers saying that if the aliens do not like it they need not stay. The Voortrekkers want to remain unmolested in their careless hunter life. Therefore, they are opposed to all attempts to develop and civiliz6 the Transvaal. In Johannesburg, and in the fifty miles of mining camps along the Witw;atersrand, the world-famous gold reef which runs through the ) city, there are, according to conservative estimates, over a quarter of a million of white people — English, American, German, Scotch, Irish, and various European nationalities. The exact number cannot be known, as the Government has prohibited the taking of a census, fearing that any public acknowledgment of the great preponderance of inhabitants denied any voice in the government would result in lower- ing the international status of the republic, and give the Outlanders tangible cause for their demand for citizenship. ' All along the Government, in refusing to accede to any of the de- mands of the unenfranchised, argued that the country belonged to the original settlers and their children; that the community on the Rand was made up of brilliant adventurers, lured by the lust of gold, and that these men cared only to amass a fortune and return to their respec- tive countries, and that the Government, in denying them citizenship, was not ignoring the rights of man, but was merely protecting itself from absolute overthrow at the hands of adventurous speculators. So the burghers framed and ratified a grondwet, or constitution, virtually proclaiming as political outcasts not only the thousands of Anglo-Saxons and others already in the country, but the countless numbers who should come in in the future. Thus they established an oligarchy of pioneers. It was as if the Pilgrim Fathers had denied citi- zenship to all who followed them to the new world. The Outlanders contended that they were not a horde of nande- INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. 225 script money grabbers. They had invested great amounts of capital in industries and would continue active at least one hundred years, as all the mineralogists and engineers here agree that the gold of the Rand cannot be exhausted within that time. Having, in addition to in- vesting their capital, built their homes and brought their families here, the Outlanders maintain that they should be recognized as peaceable and well-meaning aliens. Their grievances they compiled at length and presented to the Government. They were living in a large city and paying excessive taxes, but receiving but little benefit therefrom. The taxpayer was vouchsafed no information as to the Government's disposition of the revenue. The city was wretchedly governed, con- ducted without regard to sanitary laws, unprotected by the police, its inhabitants denied the right of trial by a jury of peers, blackmail was extorted from merchants by license collectors, and altogether the city was sufifering from a reign of mingled provincialism and cupidity. Last year a petition signed by 40,000 Outlanders asking for the franchise was greeted with derision in the Volksraad at Pretoria, the capital. This treatment made possible rebels of two-thirds of the Outland- ers in Johannesburg. Every one knew that sooner or later there would be trouble. The Government also expected an uprising and appropriated $1,500,000 for forts at Pretoria and Johannesburg. One of the newspapers here, owned by Cecil Rhodes, fulminated war cries; at public meetings the grievances of the Outlanders were reviewed, and the phrase, "No taxation without representation," which did duty in Revolutionary times in America, became the shibboleth of the gathering sedition. * A manifesto issued by the Transvaal National Union, an organiza- tion controlled by the Consolidated Gold Fields, was generally looked upon as a declaration of war. The position of the Americans was a peculiar one. They wanted to see a change in the constitution of the republic, but they did not want to join in any movement that should pave the way for British occupa- tion of the country. The fact that meetings where resolutions were passed adjourned with the song "Rule, Britannia," gave a sinister sug- gestion to the movement. The Americans wanted a complete democracy. They recognized all the grievaaoes Vikkk lite iwsifrrett'itini^s jAriattiti out, but they did 236 INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. not want to see the Boer flag pulled down to make room for the Union Jack. Trouble would have been precipitated long ago in the Transvaal had it not been for the calmer counsel and more statesmanlike course of some of the leading Americans here. For, while J. S. Curtis, the well-known American geologist; R. E. Brown, of Cceur d'Alene, Idaho; V. M. Clement, of Idaho, formerly of Grass Valley, California; George Starr, of Grass Valley, and others held the more recalcitrant insurrec- tionists in check to prevent precipitate riots that should end in futile slaughter and sacrifice, they advocated a compromise on the basis of a just constitutional republic. In the meantime arms and an;iniunition were being distributed. The news of this warlike attitude reached Pretoria, and intense excite- ment spread throughout the republic. While both the Government and the rebels were preparing for war, the news came to Pretoria and Johannesburg that a large force of mounted men from Bechuanaland had crossed the border and were en route to Johannesburg to assist in the revolution. War now seemed inevitable. The Americans, hoping to bring about a pacific termination of the trouble, hurriedly called a meeting. Captain Mein, manager of the Robinson mine; Hennen and Sidney Jennings, of the house of Eckstein; Charles Butters, of San Francisco, manager of the Rand Central: Ore Reduction Company; J. S. Curtis, John Hays Hammond, consulting engineer of the Consolidated Gold • Fields; R. E. Brown, consulting engineer of the Research & Develop- ment Company; F. R. Lingham, of the Puget Sound Lumber Com- pany; y. M. Clement, assistant consulting engineer of the Consolidated Gold Fields and manager of the Simmer & Jack, the largest mine on the Rand; A. W. Stoddart, of Grass Valley; George Starr, consulting engineer and manager of the Barnato mines; J. McDougall, of Butte, Montana; W. E. Mellen, of Arizona, secretary of the Research & De- velopment Company; W. A. Bos, of Michigan, engineer with R. E. Brown; J. H. Davis, of San Francisco; G. H. Leggett, consulting engineer of the wealthy house of Neumann & Co., and about fifty others were present. After discussing the situation it was decided to send a committee to the President to inform him that the Americans on the Rand wanted to unite with the burghers to tnaintain the repu'blic; that the general » § ffi w w 1^ M O III W H 1-3 W >■ to o 55 H ►J n n 1 fc»^ j^i^*4I3»v L ,_„. ^ .,..,^_,__,.^ •! ,^ l^HHIHI' t 1. '■ sc lp< ^i^^ ^^^,«^?^""'^Hw*.^.,,j«a«. , 1 ^"ni^^- ^a 1 i H N- tt E-i O &i- 1^ »-t- » o p o ti. t-t- 3 C5 2 w » » 1 o o H a 14 i p4 « P a CO z o h] -ti Pi z; a O P4 O u u lit S O p o o m 1—1 » U of H &< P o m a is (-I o O P9 INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. 231 sentiment of the Outlanders was against any alien ordomestic usurpa- tion of the country; that war would mean the ultimate overthrow of the republic, and the military occupation of the country by the English forces, an event that many of the English inhabitants of the Transvaal, as well as the Americans, would seriously deplore; and that with these serious consequences of war confronting them the necessity for just concessions upon the part of the Government was imperative. R. E. Brown, J. S. Curtis and F. R. Lingham were selected to go to Pretoria. They went the next morning, returned in the evening, and addressed a big mass meeting assembled at the Chamber of Mines to hear the report of the committee's conference with President Kruger. Mr. Brown said that the President had received them in the most kindly way. The Chief Justice acted as interpreter, and the Executive Council gave up an hour's time to attend the conference. Mr. Brown was spokesman for the American delegation. He admitted that hither- to the demands made by the Outlanders either ignored the rights of the burghers or were indefinite. He then outlined some proposed constitutional amendments whereby the Outlander could secure justice and at the same time not nullify the political status of j;he burgher or usurp any of his inalienable rights. Mr. Brown suggested further that the Rand should be represented by two members in the Volksraad I (the upper house), and according to population in the Raad (the lower house). This would give the Dutch absolute control of the most im- portant legislative body and a fair representation in the other, and would satisfy the Outlanders. But President Kruger argued that the country belonged to the Boers, and that to admit outsiders -to the franchise would mean the political extermination of the original burghers. He refused to make any concessions. ' The storm was coming, the President said, and he was prepared for it. The next day the news of the entrance of a mounted force from Bechuanaland was confirmed amid great rejoicing and preparations for war in Johannesburg. It was learned that there were 800 picked men of the Bechuanaland mounted police under charge of Dr. Jameson, Colonel Gray, Colonel the Honorable White, and Major Sir John Wil- loughby, all brave men who had earned glory in fearless campaigns in Matabeleland. They were taking desperate chances to reach Johannes- burg. They' had two hundred miles to ride across a wild country, 33» INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. ' where every Voortrekker is a skilled rider and an expert rifleman. All the Dutch farmers in the Transvaal are trained hunters. Their method of warfare is exactly like that of the American Indians. They never fight in the open veldt, but always ambush themselves behind rocks or trees. Yet they are a brave people. They feel that God is on their side; that they are waging a righteous war in defense of their homes, and that the Outlander has come as a wealthy highwayman with a powerful retinue, to deprive them of their coutitry. On the day of the confirmation of the report of Jameson's intrepid entry .President Kruger issued two proclamations, one removing the special duty on breadstuffs, providing for English instruction in the Johannesburg public schools, promising the franchise to all friends of the state in the present trouble, and agreeing to enact laws to solve the labor difficulties. The other proclamation warned all people in the Transvaal to remain within the pale of the law. Meanwhile Dr. Jameson and his daring band were riding on, cut- ting telegraph wires and making prisoners of the fieldcomets, who went out and read messages to them from President Kruger com- manding them to withdraw. The commandant at Marico also sent a message requesting Jameson to return to Bechuanaland. But Dr. Jameson was riding in with secret orders to Johannesburg. In reply to the command from Marico to leave the country, Jame- son wrote to the Landdrost, saying that he intended to proceed with his original plans, which had no hostile intentions against the people of the Transvaal. They were there, he said, in respofise to an invita- tion from the principal residents of the Rand, to assist them in their demands for justice and the ordinary rights of every citizen of a civilized state. While Dr. Jameson was riding night and day to reach Johannes- burg the army of Outlanders, about 1,500 Strong, was being drilled and intrenched on the outskirts of the city. Day and night the Re- form Committee sat in star chamber sessioh. What would be Johannesburg's attitude toward the fearless man who was coming to help them fight for liberty? Solly B. Joel, Barney Barnato's representative; Abe Bailey, who gave valiant lip service to the cause; George Richards, who, as the representative of Cecil Rhodes, was mysterious and oracular; Major Bettington, one df thfe Transvaal "^dirOrs df pte&tfe;'' atittl W. St^. jV/btn INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. 233 Carr, J. P. Fitzpatrick, F. L. Gray, A. R. Goldring, W. Hosken, A. P. Hillier, Charles Leonard, J. W. Leonard, Max Langermann, F. Low- ery, E. H. V. Melville, H. F. Strange and V. Wolff all gave grave counsel. TETey argued that Dr. Jameson's advent would, no doubt, assure the success, of the rebellion,, and as successful rebels they would all share the glory of his incomparable ride through a wild, hostile country. Therefore, they argued that they should be waiting to re- ceive him loyally when he arrived. On the other hand, there were grave dangers that he would be hemmed in by the Boers, and either shot without mercy or taken and hanged by the Boers or by the British Government. These gentlemen called attention to the insecure position the lead- ers in Johannesburg would be in if Dr. Jameson met with defeat, if prior to that catastrophe they made any show of lending him aid. He had been ordered back by the High Commissioner; his immediate master had tendered his resignation in ostensible repudiation of his campaign in the Transvaal. If he succeeded in reaching Johannesburg he would be the hero of the nineteenth century. If he failed he would be a filibuster who undeftook a sad mission in defiance to higher pow- ers at Cape Town. Thus reasoned the politic rebels of the Reform Committee. There were some brave men in the city who did their best to save Johantiesburg the shame of abandoning the intrepid cavalry com- mander whom the leading citizens of the Rand had sent. But perfidy in the guise of a wise expediency prevailed. It was decided to keep on fortifying the town. Then, if Dr. Jameson arrived, they could escort him in triumphal entrance through the city, and if he failed they would simply be in a position of defending themselves without having vio- lated any of the terms of international peace. If the Boers attacked them they could, as British subjects, call in the help of the Cape Colony and Natal armies; the Boers could not constitutionally appeal to Eng- land, for they would be in a position of having fired on British subjects whd were defending themselves against any hostile people, whether they were Boers or filibustering British rebels, riding as guerrillas through the republic. Thus Johannesburg secretly prayed that Dr. Jameson would arrive, while ostensibly fortifying the city against him. The wild ride df t>r. Jameson's Sod will tte remembered in histtH^. 234 INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. They rode ninety miles a day, fighting their way from Malmani to Krugersdorp. At Naauwpoort, /twenty miles from Johannesburg, 2,600 Boers, under Malan and Cronje, met Dr. Jameson. He refused to lay down his arms, and a pitched battle ensued. Dr. Jameson's men were weakened from hunger and thirst and lack of sleep. But they fought desperately. It was a brave conflict. Out of it Dr. Jameson; with a brave remnant of his band, rode victorious over the Boers. About fifteen miles from Johannesburg, near Krugersdorp, Fieldcornet Lieutenant Elofif.and several hundred Boers were taken prisoners. The boom of the guns could be heard in Johannesburg, but not a man left the city to help the men from Bechuanaland. Meanwhile the Boers were riding in from all directions toward Krugersdorp. The wagon roads from the Hooge Veldt, from the Vil- gen River, from Blaauwbank, Lichtenburg and Gemsbokfontein, were lined with determined burghers carrying rifles and mounted on fleet horses. No effort was made by the insurrectionists to intercept them, and no assistance was sent to Dr. Jameson. Famished, having gone without food and sleep for forty-eight hours, almost out of ammunition, Dr. Jameson and his brave followers charged on until they could be seen from the tops of buildings at Johannesburg. Between Krugersdorp and this city, about ten miles distant, near the Steyn estate mine. Dr. Jameson found himself surrounded by 6,000 Boers ambushed behind rocks arid eucalyptus trees on the Kopjes hills, near Doorrikop. There the fearless wreck of the eight hundred fought with futile desperation, expecting every moment to receive the promised assistance from Johannesburg. While Dr. Jameson was thus left to fight a forlorn battle, great crowds gathered about the Gold Fields Building and clamoring for news about him. There were thousands who would have gone to his aid, but they were kept ignorant of his whereabouts and misinformed as to his condition. To satisfy the crowds it was announced that he had routed the Boers and would be within the city in two hours. This caused the greatest enthusiasm. Dr. Jameson is a popular hero in South Africa. He won a great name in connection with the famous march of the Six Hundred from Mashonaland to Buluwayo during the Matabele war. The leaders of the Reform Committee kept all news from the in- sistent crowd as long as possible. When at length J. W. Leonard INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. 235 solemnly announced that Dr. Jameson had been forced to surrender to save his brave men from utter annihilation there were many demon- strations of grief, "which gave way to bitter indignation against Mr. Leonard and his confreres. Some of the crowd wanted to wreck the building and tar and feather the members of the committee. The people of the Rand, with 15,000 armed men at their disposal, rested supinely while Dr. Jameson's gallant band was being butchered. They fought for two days without food or water or sleep, after having ' ridden nearly 200 miles without camping. They looked for help from the Rand, which did not come. They were trapped and caught within sight of the armed forces of Johannesburg. The spectacle of the desertion of the brave men from Bechuanaland is a sad commentary on the cowardice and double-dealing of hijman- ity, but it was not without its comedies. One of the comical incidents was the inglorious retreat of Colonel Bettington, with a troop of mounted men. When it was learned that Dr. Jameson was within an hour's ride of town, Bettington led sixty rebels to meet him. Had Dr. Jameson reached the city Colonel Bettington would have marched ■ in at the head of the column and would have eclipsed Sir John Falstaff with stories of his opportune valor in going to the rescue. But when they reached the settlement called Florida they met a trooper with dispatches to the effect that Dr. Jameson was completely surrounded. The trooper, after imparting this ijews, hurried on to the city. Colonel Bettington and his men considered a moment and then turned and fled after the trooper. Two miles out of the city they took to the hills above Auckland Park, where they could get a good view of the conflict at the Steyn estate. There, out of harm's way, they saw Dr. Jameson's men sacrificed. Later Colonel Bettington rode majestically into the city and received the cheers of the populace. There was a feeling of relief in several quarters January 6, when it was learned that the resignation of Cecil Rhodes as Premier of Cape Colony had been accepted and that he had been succeeded by Sir J. Gordon Spriggs. The same day belated dispatches from Johannesburg began to ar- rive. They said that, January i, there was intense excitement, the people hurrying into the town from the mines and suburbs. The Cen- tral Committee constituted itself a provisional government for the town 236 INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. and announced that ample provision would be made to defend it against any body of Boers. The provisional government was established in the Consolidated Gold Fields Building, and three Maxim guns were placed in advantage- ous positions about it. The new Government then sent an ultimatum to the Government of President Kruger, who proposed a conference at Pretoria the next day. The committee hesitated to go to Pretoria without safe con- duct. Dr. Jameson was hourly expected, at Johannesburg crowds of people surrounded the Consolidated Gold Fields Building, and the work of recruiting was in full swing. Many people left town during the night in bands of fifty. The Central Committee of the National Union was bitterly indig- nant at the terms President Kruger had imposed and declared the position the Outlanders were placed in was solely due to the Imperial proclamation forbidding British subjects to aid Dr. Jameson. General Joubert guaranteed the safety of Johannesburg. A dispatch received at Johannesburg from Krugersdorp that night reported that the survivors of Dr. Jameson's force were in a terrible condition, having had no food for days. Later the committee sent the following communication to the Governor of Cape Colony : "We have absolute information that a large body of Boers has been commanded to immediately attack Johannesburg and shoot on sight all who have been concerned in the agitation. Affairs are so critical that we ask you to intervene to protect the lives of citizens who have long agitated legally their rights." It was reported that the Transvaal Government had demanded the banishment from the country of Cecil Rhodes and Dr. Jameson, and the payment of a large indemnity by the British South Africa Com- pany. The following statement was issued by the British Colonial Of- fice: "Governor Robinson, of Cape Colony, telegraphed to Mr. Cham- berlain from Pretoria, January 7: T communicated to F. J. Newton, Secretary of the Colony of British Bechuanaland, your telegram of the 5th, and received a reply from him that he had been absent from Bechu- analand nearly a fortnight prior to the raid into the Transvaal. He INSIDE HISTORY OF THE RAID. 337 arrived at Mafeking on December 29, and heard then, after the tele- graph hne had been closed, that Jameson's force was leaving. That night the wires were cut and the first message that got through, De- cember 30, was yours, directing me to send Dr. Jameson an order to return. About one-fifth of Jameson's force started from Mafeking, and the rest from Pictsani, in the British South Africa Company's new territory. Jameson left only ten policemen in the whole of the Bechu- analand Protectorate, and of these four were doing customs duty.' "Governor Robinson telegraphed Mr. Chamberlain January 7 : 'Johannesburg surrendered unconditionally this afternoon, and gave up arms. President Kruger has intimated his intention to hand over Jameson and the other prisoners upon the frontier of Natal. You may be satisfied that the crisis is over and all danger of further hostili- ties ended.' " ^ CHAPTER XXVI. TWO ACCOUNTS OF THE RAID. A citizen of the Transvaal, G. Von Deth, who was in New York in February, 1896, received letters from his country in relation to the , Jameson raid, and also files of the Amsterdam (Holland) Telegraff, which threw additional light upon some of the most important features of the affair. The facts published in the Amsterdam Telegraff were received by it from special correspondents and official sources in the Transvaal. Mr. Von D^th said: Jameson and his fellow-traitors, who have just arrived in England, knew well that it was to their interests to maintain silence in regard to their conspiracy, and accordingly they agreed to say nothing for publication. He departed from his resolution in only one instance, and then he uttered a falsehood. He said he had killed at least 280 Boers, whereas it was officially reported by Sir Jacobus De Wet, the British agent at Pretoria, that there were killed in all five Boers. This was also cabled to Lord Salisbury by Sir Hercules Robinson, as soon as he arrived at Pretoria. All that Jameson said while in Africa about his filibustering expedi- tion had the same sort of basis. But there are facts which have never yet been published, and which throw a new light over the whole history — ^facts which must shame every civilized nation, but particularly England, which pretends always to be the first to confer European civilization upon savage tribes. It is well known how Matabeleland was conquered by the Char- tered Company. They simply went to the poor Matabeles with Maxim guns and killed nearly the whole of the badly-armed Matabele nation. When but a few of them were left the Chartered Company declared themselves masters and owners of that country. To treat the Boers to the same kind of civilization was the purpose of Dr. Jameson. Yet knowing by experience that the Boers were better shooters than the Matabele Kaffirs, the whole force of Dr. Jame- son was armed with explosive bullets. Many thousands of cartridges loaded with explosive bullets were found in the possession of the prison- ers and also on the battlefield. They were all of the latest pattern. 238 OFFICERS IN THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA SERVICE. Colonel R. S. S. Badoa-Powell. Brigadier-General H. A. M:icdonald. A Typical Veteran British Officer. CaptaiD Rivers. Major-General Sir Walter Batlci. '■*''**