Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-07-05

100000. OF the more than
100000 whites, only 10000 or
$4,000 are Beers OF Of Dutch descent, about
100000 are OF British birth or descent,
about 10000 German and 10000 American
The Boers mostly are farmers; the other
white inhabitants mostly are miners or
have mining interests, or are employed in
the townA-
The first Dutch settlement IN South
Africa was about 1854. The British took tho
Cape in 1913, returned it to the Dutch in
1903, captured it again IN 1905, and received
the formal ceSsion Of IL from Holland in
1915. The Dutch farmers have, from q very
early date, pushed their settlements into
tho wilderness, DOUBTLESS looking to Escape
beyond British control, but in every in
stance creating new British territory, sinoe
they were British Sobjects. From the FIRST
they made slaves of the natives, and the
English act OF manumission throughout the
British colonies led TO sheir great emigra-
tions, called tricks" reported as compris-
ing 5000 persons, in 1885, and large ad-
ditional number IN 1888. In ls4s British
proclamation of authority, extending to the
VaA river, was the cause Of a. Boer emf
grafton seeking peace and freedom" be-
yond. This led to the Sand river oonven-
tien In 1882, by which the Transvaal Beers
were granted independence, and to a>sim-
liar treaty with grant to the Orange Free
State Beers in 1884. The latter treaty stood
unchallenged and unchanged up to The time
of the last war,
With the TrAnsvaAl, the British govern
ment has had successive disturbances. Ia
the act Of nsnumission, appropristing $780,
100000 in payment for the slaves in all the
colonies, more than s., 00o, geo was assigned
to the slave owners in South Africa. The
Beers in Cape Colony protested against the
act for various reasons, but especially Is
robbing them Of their slaves; and when
they had migrated beyond the Wal, one Of
their hrst acts after proolAiming their new
Independence Is recorded to have been
great slavs-hunt by 400 Beers against the
Bechuans. 1t was about 90 years age, and
It IL not at all 70 be presumed that the
crualties practiced then eould be allowed
among them now; but the records may show
that it In not wonderful that the British
government should have repeated Difficult
ties with them aAd should have incurred
their hereditary dislike.
In 1877 the Beers of the Transvaal found
themselves in serious difficulties as an in
dependent nation. Their government was
In financial straits and IN general confusion.
A powerful chief of the wsrlike Kafirs with
IN their own territory Yves harassins them
while they were also mGnacsd by an in
vaSion of the Zulus. Their oOndition was
deemed by the Bfitish to involve peril 70
al she South African oolopies; and under
a show of British fierce, aAd partly for pro-
lection, they Asssnted to the annexation Of
their territory to the British empire. But
the English governor was either ill-chossn
or unfortunate In his methods, and In 1880
they rose in . courageous and well-directNd
revolt, which was ended by q grant to
them, in the London convention of 1881, Of
self-goyernment subject 20 the suEarainty
of her majesty" The revolt above referred
to soon ended In the crushing defeat at
AAjuba Hill, where a force of few hun
dred British troops was almost snnihAated
By large Beer fierce of expert mArksnen,
firing mostly from behind rocks or other
cover. This made known the T%nsvaal
riasmeo as most dangerous fo4s. 1t was
near the beginning Of the revolt; and when
the British reenforcements arrived the
Beers, as military authorities agree, could
have met only defeat, at which point the
British government, then led by Mr.. Glad
stone as head Of liberal ministry, granted
Q conference, whose final Issue was, as above
noted, the self-government Of the republic
under British suEerainty.
With this as one step out Of the imme-
date difficulty, the Bosr was Quoted. But