The herald., 1896-01-12

The Transvaal, in my opinion, today has
| the greatest mineral resources OF any sec
ton of country on the face of the earth.
They are simply unrivalled in their ex ra-
ordinary variety. They include precious
| metals and diamonds, iron, copper, lead,
sulphur, saltpetre and coal.
In the early days the Transvaal was a
real paradise for hunters, abounding in
| large game such as lion, leopard, rhinoc-
eros, elephant. etc. These animals are
still there, but in greatly reduced numbers.
The country is occasionally swept by dis
astrous flights of locusts, but the great
enemy of the stock breeder is fly called
the testse, which infests the coast lands
and river tracts. The Beers are the de-
scendants of the early Dutch, French and
German emigrants to the Cape. They are
about $4,000 strong. The British COM
menced to come in as soon as the rich
mineral discoveries were made, and num-
ber about $4,000. They are greedy and
desire to gobple the whole country, al
though it must be admitted thai there are
probably some grievances which the Boer
government should adjust for the benefit
of the people. The British, however, used
the spirit of discomfort created by the fail
ure to adjudicate these complaints of the
people as a means of cloaking their at
tempt to overthrow the Boer government
and set up regime of their own.
The Transvaal is really divided into three
including about $4,000 square miles, the
terrace lands, including about 10000
square miles, and he bush country, includ-
ing about 10000 square miles.
Eorgovernme ital purposes, the country is
divided into thirteen provinces. There is a
general body known as the volksrad, which
occupies the same relative position to the
Transvaal that our congress does to this
country. The volksrad is made up of
for y-four members elected for four years,
twenty-five retiring every two years. Then
there is a president elected for five years
ecutve is assisted by council of four, the
ex officio vice-president, the state secre-
tary and two other officers appointed by
the volksrad. In the past the government
derived its chief revenue from the sale of
lands, amounting to about 5 10000 per
annum. The country has debt of several
million dollars. In 1889 the public reve-
nue. was over $5O,OOU,OOO, an extraordi-
narily large body of land having been sold
that year.
The original Boer population of the
Transvaal came north from the Colony
that they were dissatisfied with the British
government and its policy which prevailed
in the Colony at that time. The Beers
were perpetually fighting with the natives
and with the Zulu chiefs. The Beers
suffered severe losses of life and property
as 500 being killed in one fight. The poll
tical independence of the Trausvaai was
secured in 1852 and was conceded by
Great Britain. Marthinus Vessels Preto-
rius was the first president of the Dutch
African republic. Affairs of government
continued to be more or less complicated
until S67, when the diamond fields were
discovered and there came au influx of
EnglIshmen into the Transvaai. In 1871
President Burgers was elected. and mat
ters continued in peace and amity until
1876, when fresh English governor an
nexed the Transvaal and appointed
British administrator for the stolen prop
erty. This caused war be ween the Eng
lish and the Beers, and it proved very
disastrous to the former. The Beers, like
the Massachusetts farmers of revolution
ary fame, were expert marksmen. They
avoided all pitched battles and fought
along the skirmish line and from cover,
picking off the Brtishers in large numbers.
After about four years of this kind of war;
fare, Great Britain concluded she had
about all she desired, and Mr.. Gladstone
again recognized the independence of the
republic. In that war the Beers estab.
lished worldwide reputation as fighters;
and they also demonstrated the further
fact that they were practically invincible
in their country. Their leaders became
skilled military chieftains and the rank
and file of their army was made up
of that stolid. Indifferent Dutch ele-
ment of character which simply hangs