The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-02-28
BnIEr HISTORY o. THE BoERs.
Facts of Interest in Regard to this
strange People-A Peculiar Race
of Mixed Blool

Facts of Interest in Regard To this !
strange People n Peculiar Race !
OF Mixed Blool
The part OF South Africa in which |
the Republic Is situated was discovered
IN It9' oy the Portuguese, and this dis !
coYery opened the way for the English |
and the Holanders Of the Netherlands. !
The latter settled principally in the
Cape COuntry.
ln 1853, by the Ellie. OF Nantes, the
HuGucnots were driven out Of France,
and many OF these also settled in the
Boet country. Later the Germans
came and from this straLge intermix.
ing OF Holland, French and German
blood. resulted the present race OF
Beers, or Afrtkanders, as they are
often called. la lG9I Eugland took the
Cape from the Dutch, aud it became
an .lglish colony, remaining such
until 1903, when it was given back TO
the Dutch. la 1906 it was again takcn
by the English, and has remained in
their possession ever since. La 1913
six OF the leading men Of the Beers
were hanged by the Englsh for u
trihtng Oilense, and this and other op.
presslons caused them 10 plan to escape.
This Was not attempted until 1884
when the Beers, about 800 in number
sold their farms where they could and
left them where thev could not. They
crossed the O;ange River and trekked
north into Africa
After much wandering about thew
| finally crossed the Naal River, and
| founded the Transvaal state. La 1852
q proclamation was issued by the f. lg-
J lish that oil the farmers who lived be-
yond the O.ange River were free of
Engllsh rule. ~ treaty to this effect,
which Is the Boer Magma Charter, was
signed at Sand River.
In 1888 constitution was adopted
and president elected. Ia 1877 Eag-
land issued a proclamation declaring
the Republic colony Of England. a
huge massmeeting was held by the
Beers. 1t was decided 10 fight, and
Kruger, Pretorious and Joubert were
made q triumvirate TO govern the r.
public until after the war. Several
skIrmlshes occurred and on Feb 27
1851, came the historic battle Of Maju.
ba Hill, where $50 Beers climbed the
mountain slopes and routed 400 Eag.
lish soldiers, killing 300 and putting
the rest to light, with the loss OF but
one Boer. Later that year Gladstone
recalled the Euglish troops and gave
the country back to the Beers, with
the stipulated agreement that England
| Shouiu lSeoih ouHCIidulUJ anu UIlaU GuS
Boers should make no treaty with q
} foreign power without her consent
In 1881 the suzerianity was dropped
and only the treaty que $ lion remained
The adventurous American and Eng
lishman in 1886 discovered the wealth
, in gold mines aud diamond fields an(
immediately began to develop them
, to such an extent, that IS early as 1S9t
} the South African mine, Johannes
, burg, paid in dividends TI,45O, 900, anc
} In 1897 the amount was $l3, 5OO,0 ant
} last year it went up to $24 $50 600
These mines, OF course, are in the
} Bocrs' possession, but .hey have beer
developed almost exclusively by for
eign money, for with the discovery o
SUCH vast riches people locked from
all parts OF the world to Johannes burg
; untll there were more foreigners thar
l'oers. Soon they demanded citizen
, ship, and the Nolksraad decided the,
must live in the country fifteen years
Later this WAS reduced to seven years
Things remained in this state unit
Jameson, backed by Rhodes aac
Chamberlain himself, invaded tn,
country with 800 cavalry and thirt,
Maxim guns. The resu. t Of this feebl,
iiAsco was that both countries hav,
regarded each other with an ever in
, crsasing suspicion which finally cul
minated in the bloody war, with the
details OF which all readers are famil
, lar, AT the beginning OF this war i
was estimated that there were 40, ,00(
lighting men in the Transvaal ant
10000 in the Orange Free State ant
, about 10000 in the Cape country, ant
while the latter were all technical,
, British subjects, the grand total o
Beers united in blood and sympathie
, made up the formidable number o
about 100, 900.