CHAPTER III.

THE TRANSVAAL FROM THE SAND RIVER CONVENTION TO THE ANNEXATION BY ENGLAND.

Four republics in the Transvaal-Disunion-Expulsion of missionaries -Laws against strangers, and prohibiting prospecting-Attempts to block up the road to the interior-War with the Orange Free State-Junction of the four republics-Proclamation against slavery-Defection of Pretorius-Fighting between Schoeman and Kruger-The episode of the "little bottle "-More fighting between Schoeman and Kruger-Return of Pretorius-His election as President-Issue of paper-money-Discovery of gold -Its effect on the country-The Keate award-Pretorius compelled to resign-Burgers elected President-His characterHis attempts at reform-The Delagoa Bay Railway-Burgers' journey to Europe-The war with Sekkukuni-Its origin-Boer encroachments on the natives-The immediate cause of the war -The attack on Johannes - Boers defeated by Sekkukuni-The Zulu difficulty-Remonstrances of England-Sir Theophilus Shepstone sent as Commissioner-Meeting of the VolksraadThe new constitution-Its rejection by the Volksraad—The annexation proclamation-Mr. Burgers' vindication.

WHEN the Transvaal was handed over to the Boers under the terms of the Sand River Convention, there were four republics in the country. One had its headquarters at Lydenburg. There was another in the Zoutspansberg district, which afterwards joined the Lydenburg Republic. A third comprised the Utrecht district. The largest one, which made Potchefstroom its capital, absorbed the others in course of time; but a complete union did not take place till 1860. The

largest Republic was at first known as the "Hollandsche Afrikaansche Republiek." In 1853 it assumed the more ambitious title of "De Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek" (the South African Republic). The second Republic in the Transvaal still calls itself by this name, in spite of a provision in the convention concluded after the recent Boer war, by which it was to be known as "The Transvaal State."

Disunion not only existed between the several republics, but within their own borders there was little unanimity. In the principal republic there was much jealousy between two of the leaders, Pretorius and Potgieter. The former had been mainly instrumental in bringing about the independence of the country, and he could not brook a rival. The contention, which at one time threatened an open rupture, was put an end to by the death of Pretorius. Potgieter submitted to the Volksraad, or national assembly, and Marthinus Wessels, the son of Pretorius, was elected President. Marthinus Wessels Pretorius played many parts in the subsequent events which happened in the Transvaal. He is the same Pretorius who formed one of the Triumvirate, by whom the recent war with the British was brought to a successful issue.

One of the first uses the Boers made of their independence was to get rid, as far as possible, of the missionaries. They neither liked them as Englishmen, nor the principle of the equality of all men which they inculcated. The Boer view of native equality is pithily put in their Grondwet, or constitutional ordinance :"The people will admit of no equality of persons of colour with white inhabitants, neither in Church nor State." The story of the attack on Sechele's town is familiar to all readers of Livingstone's "Missionary

Travels." It is referred to more fully in the chapters which succeed. In this particular case the Boers defeated their own object. Dr. Livingstone states that it was the attempt to drive him out which brought him to a determination to start on his famous journey across Africa. The Boers did everything in their power to close the road to the interior; the doctor threw it open, and, once opened, it cannot permanently remain closed.

In some cases the efforts of the Boers to put a stop to the civilizing influences of the missionaries were successful. Two missionaries of the London Missionary Society, named Inglis and Edwards, were fined and expelled. Their offence was that they had written to the Cape papers remonstrating against the capture of native children by a Boer commando, under the leadership of Commandant Scholtz. Other attempts to oust the missionaries were equally successful; according to the Rev. Mr. Mackenzie, no less than five mission-stations were broken up within a few years.'

Besides attempting to oust the missionaries, the Boers did their best to get rid of all other white intruders except themselves. Their dislike to other white men is shown in rather an amusing manner by some of the early attempts at legislation by the Volksraad. One law was to the effect that no Englishman or German should be allowed to possess landed property within the limits of the Republic; another law

1

See his "Ten Years North of the Orange River," a book in which will be found one of the best accounts of the Betshuana yet written. The book is interesting as a record of the work of a "plucky" minister, whose name I often heard mentioned with admiration when I was in Betshuana-land in 1880.

forbade the raising and working of minerals under a fine of 500 rix dollars.2

Besides imposing disabilities on Englishmen and other foreigners, the Boers also laid a penalty upon any person trying to open out a way to the countries beyond the Republic. Thus a trader, named McCabe, was fined 500 rix dollars for making public the road to Lake Ngami; and other instances of this dog-inthe-manger spirit will be found in the books written by the early explorers of the Zambesi basin.

In 1857 the South African Republic laid claim to the territory between the Orange and Vaal rivers, forming the Orange Free State. Pretorius actually crossed the Vaal at the head of a small army to take possession. He was met by Boshoff, the President of the Orange Free State, at the head of another small army. The two forces remained facing one another some time, neither being very willing to fight. At length a peace was concluded, and each republic recognized the independence of the other. There was even some talk of a union between them, but the negotiations fell through. It has been stated that the British Government prevented the union; but this is not correct, as Sir George Grey, the Governor of Cape Colony, explicitly stated that it was a contingency in which England had no concern.

2

In 1859 the Lydenburg Republic joined the South

I quote these laws on the authority of the "Transvaal Almanack," a useful publication, to which I am indebted for many of the facts mentioned in this chapter. Among other curious freaks of the Transvaal Government, the almanack mentions a Government notice which appeared in the State Gazette as late as 1866, signed by the Acting President and Government Secretary, prohibiting a certain widow from marrying anybody but a person named in the notice.

African Republic. It had previously swallowed up the Zoutspansberg and Utrecht Republics. The year was further signalized by the issue of a proclamation against slavery by Pretorius; the proclamation was really meant for outsiders, Pretorius, as will be seen from the succeeding chapters, being himself a slaveholder. The proclamation ran as follows:

The inhabitants of this Republic have been declared a free people, and acknowledged as such under conditions in the fourth article of said convention "that no slave-trade or slavery shall be carried on or tolerated in these parts, but shall be most rigidly obviated by the Government." The commandants and field-cornets are hereby ordered to bring the same to the notice of the inhabitants of their wards without delay, and shall report all such cases having the least semblance of slave-trading to the Landdrosts.

These were brave words. Whether they were worth anything will be best seen by a perusal of later chapters.

In 1860 Pretorius, under cover of leave of absence granted by the Volksraad, proceeded to the Free State ostensibly on private business, and was elected President of that territory. He was suspended from his office in the Transvaal in the first burst of indignation, but later on the suspension was revoked, and he was allowed to resign his post in the Transvaal peaceably.

His disappearance was followed by internal dissensions. Schoeman, who had been appointed Acting President, refused to acknowledge the Volksraad, and raised the flag of rebellion. He was attacked by Snyman and Paul Kruger (now the President of the South African Republic). Schoeman took refuge in Potchefstroom. The hostile commando blockaded the town, and bombarded it at a great distance with small cannon, not doing much harm. After some experience