INTRODUCTION

THE chief object of this book is to render the position of Her Majesty as Suzerain over the South African Republic intelligible to all.

Few persons seem to be aware that Her authority as paramount Power is derived from the Convention of. Pretoria of 1881, and not from the London Convention of 1884.

The former Convention is still in full force in so far as the Queen's guarantee and Suzerain rights are concerned, and the 1884 Convention is only supplemental and ancillary to it. The latter deals solely with the substitution of Articles for those of the former Convention, and it in no way alters the declaration made in 1881.

It will be found that the story of the Transvaal has been told in chronological order, from the trek in 1836 down to the present day; and almost all the facts set forth, save what have come under my personal observation whilst in South Africa, are corroborated by evidence

from Blue Books placed from time to time before

Parliament.

Thus I have dealt :

(1) With the manner in which the South African Republic sprang into existence.

(2) With the annexation by us of that country in 1877, and the incidents which compelled us to that step.

(3) With the events prior to the Convention of 1881.

(4) With the Convention itself.

(5) With what transpired after the ratification of the Convention, and the surrender in 1884 by Mr. Gladstone's Cabinet of its most important provisions.

(6) With the situation to-day.

I have felt it my duty from my own personal experience of the brutal treatment of Kaffirs by Boer officials, in open violation of Article 19 of the Convention of 1884, to devote a chapter specially to this subject.

Outrages on the persons and property of natives, as well as murders in cold blood, have reached such proportions as to rouse the indignation of every British man and woman; and, for the honour of England, it is to be hoped that Her Majesty's Government will peremptorily demand that this portion of the Convention be strictly observed.

I have further introduced a chapter on the Hollander,

which I regard as very necessary, when we consider the enormous influence now exercised by this group of foreigners over the Boer Executive and Government.

My work has no pretensions to literary merit. It is a plain, unvarnished tale, and the information thus collected will, I trust, be found useful to the great masses of those, both at home and abroad, who have interests in South Africa. If, perchance, its perusal should incite the members of the Parliamentary Committee, now sitting, to make inquiries as to the guarantee and obligations undertaken in 1881 towards the inhabitants of the Transvaal State in the name of Her Majesty, and should further induce them to take a firm stand, I shall feel I have not laboured in vain. I have added an Appendix (including the texts of the Conventions of 1881 and 1884), in which will be found copies of several documents corroborative of my views.

J. P.

May 22, 1897,