The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-03


that the aliens are mainly British. ana
| that Loers and British are hereditary
| foes. The Beers, %Ao are OF Dutcn on
| gin ana were the original colOnists or
| so lth Africa, began 70 settle at the '-apc
| OF GooG Hope about the middle Of the
| seventeenth century Not long AIT .rVird
| they were reinforced by a certain number
Of French HuguenOts, eXlled from france
| by the cdict OF Nantes, and the desssn-
| cants OF these Two peoples. who Ind
| quickly become assmlated, now form the
| sturdy. obstinate, aud God-learing race
/ OF farmers known Under the name OF
| Airicanders or Boers. and settled IN the
| territory OF the IransYaal.
The gradual migration northwlrd II
| these Beers from The Cape OF Good iiope
| 10 the broad lands lfing beyond the Naal
| river was due 10 the successive cncrEch-
] meats OF the Lngis1 IL was an In'qral
contest WDged netN cCn mighty RATION
| ana small colony or settlers. AID could
| nave but one result-the eNprOpnAtion cf
! the Beers from the rich lands nlon which
| they had originally planted tccmseINes
| ana the substitution lor them of the
! Ubiquitous cOlOnists % Great Britain. We
! founded Natal, the Orange Free State.
| and the South AfTi IAN Republic" the
| Beers declared in or Of their proclama-
| lions, and three tim the English tram
| pied under foot our autonomy ana the
| nag baptized In the blood and tears Of
| our fathers!" il is under the cireum-
/ stances not surprising that the Boer
should s5i hate the briisher 5ansd saa MAJ
4
| Enslishman') shoult be the phrase IN
! which he rs accustomed tO designate him.
/ Driven from the tape in 1884, from
| Natal in 1910, and from the Orange State
| IN ls4o, the Beers finally established
| themselves 10 the north of the Naal
| river, where they founded a new republic
that of the Iransvaal. An that part OF
! Africa was then an Unknown wild srnrss,
| ano On 1852 England signed a convention
| guaranteeing 10 the Beers north Of tie
Naal river the right 20 MANAGE tntr
| own Affairs and to govern themseltes
! according 10 their own laws" Then for
I q quarter of 4 century they lived in peace.
| The population rose ~ between thirty ana
! forty thousand whites, and the revenue
amounted TO $4,000 a year. Then came
| the discovery Of gold. and with IL q swarm
| OF traders and land speculatOrs into the
| BOer territory. An agitation In favor Of
| annexation by Great Britain was started
! toi lANllh, anu was FtIrIe llehtu ~ tie
| iear which then prevailed that q German
| prOtectOrete WOul1 be declared The
/ Beers themselves Were bitterly opposed 10
| such a step. More than 600 persons out
| OF 5000 qualified 10 vJte upon the subject
! protested against IL But all protesta-
! tlons went Tor nothing. and in 1917 the
! boer Republic was annexed to the British
| Empire.
a considerable body OF public opinion
| IN England was ayerse TO the annexation
! Air Gladstone, in one of tine best speeches
! delivered during his famous pilgrimage
| OF passion" in lSiy, complained bitterly
I
| neXed I'm Africa the Transyaal Territory
| inhabitated by free European, Chris
| tlan' republican community and de-
| nOunced as an act OF insanity the WantOn
| INVASION OF free people in the Trans
| v2el, protestant I'm religion Hollanders
| ln origin, vigorous, obstinate, tenacious
| In character even as We are ourselves
and protested vigorously against the cfn-
| plOyment Of coercion ITO compel them TO
| accept a citizenship which they decline
| ana refuse. year after the utterance
/ of these sentiments Dir Gladstone found
| himsclf IN ONCE ana called upon 10 sup
I press rebellion which the Beers, an
/ gered 10y the unitness of the administra-
| uon Set over them and brOOdng over
| memories OF their former freedom, had
set on foot 20 recover their lost lude-
| pendence.
The rebellion, as all the world knows
| was completely succe slul. 10 WAS in tle
| middle OF December. $50. that the repuh-
/ hcan fag was raise in Heidelberg a
| Noiksraad conFcfel q the South lfri-
| can Republic proclaimed Three months
! later on March -lst. the convention was
| signed by which, subject 10 d peculiar
! form Of prOtectorate known as the "suze-
/ rainty,' or 0reri0rdsniD. OF Queen Aie-
| tofia, the independence oi the South Airi-
| can Republic was formally recognized.
Between those two dates many stirring
| events had taken place. AMI "a series OF
geNerses had beialien the British arms
| Lleutenant-COlonei Anstiulhor was SUR
| uTised az kronker's Sprul, while marching
| OBLIGED TO surrerder vim fis enffra DO
Iachment British sarrie eous were closely
| beleaguored in Pretoria and Potehcf-
stroom. Natal was ovcrrun as Gar as
| NeWanka. and the Barkly district OF
| lrqualand West was seized. Sir George
| tolicy, attempting 20 force the pass of
| tle DrHkensbcrg at Lainga Neck. was re-
| pulsed with heavy losses. 4 few days
later De Yves attacked hy the Beers near
| lue crossing or tic lugCgO river. and
/ lost 100 men and sIE officers.
But the cr0wning calamity OF an was
the famous battle of Majuba Ilnn. on
| February 2ftn. when the British forces
were entirely defeated. COiley. with about
seven hundred men, had occupied the
heieht known as apitzhOp, which COM
manded the Beers position. and the
B0als by dint OF the most heroic efforts
succeeded bon carrying the eminence by
storm.
AN English correspondent who was
present gave the following account OF the
battle. "rhe advance of the enemy had
been thoroughly checked. when one OF
| tlc Beers FOR the urst time. calculated.
OH there they are. quite close. and tine
very man of the newly arrived reinforce
mems holted panic-sfricxon This was
more than flesh and blood could stand
and The -kirmishire line under Hqmilfon
ave wav also. ana the retreatine tr00us
being exposed. of course, TO the Boer fire
with disastrous effect.
Il was on the lett of the ridge when
lhe men came back on us ana was a
witness Of the wild confusion which then
prevailed. 1 saw Macdonald of the Nine
iv-secOnd. revolver i'm hand. threaten 10
shoot anv man who Dassod him. ard in-
Iced everybody was hard al work raIiv-