Connecticut western news., 1899-10-19
THE BOER COUNTRY.

luo 1ThubVhhi UT OUubu hltiCau Iso- public began its civilized history in 1883. From then until 1858 it wss known as the Dutch African Republic or Acknowledgements "tronsfol. ' Between 1888 and '37 several thousands of tine Cape Colony Boers had removed beyond the Vsal river in southern Africa because of being dissatisfied with the liberal policy of England toward the natives.
 The Boers are descendants of the early Dutch, German and French immigrants to the Cape of Good Hope in 1852 and later. Cape Colony has been under the rule of the British since 1906.
 Ia their invasion of the country be- yond the Vaal the Boers met with . stout resistance from the Zulus and Kaffir natives and not till 1840 were the Zulns finally defeated. Natal was then proclaimed Boer republic, but the British occupied the territory in 184S and the Boers again "trscked" in two large divisions, one settling the Orange River Free State and the other occupy ing Transvaal.
 Owing to the internal dissensions and personal jealousies, organized govern ment could not be maintained until 1852 when the British government were induced to practically establish politi- cal independence in the Transvsal which included what is now the Orange Free State. Marthinus Vessels Pretor- jus was the first president. In 1859 after an invasion of the Free State he was also elected Its president. The Free State is TOW an independent republic.
 President Pretorius in 1868 extended the eastern and western boundaries of the Transvaal which led to trouble with Portugal and England. In Fl Presi- dent Burgers assumed control on the resignation of Pretorius. England in 1876 issued a proclamation snnexing the Transvaal and this gave rise to a war between the English and Zulus over the boundaries, and resulted in British disaster. In 1880 the Boers, becoming desperate at the usurpations of the British, again proclaimed their republic and took steps to expel the English troops from the Transvaal. Then followed a war in which the Eng fish were defeated in every battle, or more properly skirmish, as the Boers are great sharpshooters and did not fight many pitched battles. At the last battle lat Maiuba Mt. the English gen. eral, Sir George Colley, was so dis hesrtened at seeing his superior num- bers defeated, that he committed sui. eide. The British restored the repub- lie in 1881, but it is now nominally un- der the suzerainity of the English crown and the present war grew out of the demands of England that the Eng lish in the Transvaal should have the same voice in the government of the republic as the Boers. The Boers claim their rights are infringed upon, as by convention sigred in 1884 by the British Government, the British retained only a power of vetoing treaties between the Boers and any other country, during six months after after their conclusion; and Lord Derby expressly stated that England gave up all pretentions to interfere in the inter- nal affairs of the South African Repub- lie.
 Dom Paul Kruger is the president of the South African Republic today and although an old man, is wonderfully active and an able executive.
 The Orange Free State has ioine issues with the Transvaal in the pres ent war, and they have the sympathy of Holland, the mother country in Flu rope.
 Boer is Dutch word meaning fsrme r or counrryman. Transvaal means "be- yond the Yaal The Boers are farm ing people, but the country contains priceless diamond and gold mines. The farmers are engaged chiefly in stock raising. The Transvaal contains about 112. TOO square miles and is in- habited by about one million people, oi whom 260.OOO are whites, the Boers numbering about 60,000.
 The winter season is from April to September, and is the dry season. The summer is from October to March, and is the wet season. January is the hottest month. The farther north one gets in the Transvaal the warmer he finds it as he is going toward the equator. Trans vaal is partly in the South Temperate and partly in the Torrid zone, the Trop ic of Capricorn passing throu gh the northern part of the republic.
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