cipal leader was Andries Pretorius, under whom they had formed a political organisation as early as 1842, and to whom they were said to have taken an oath of allegiance as President of their republic. The three individuals who mainly opposed the pretensions of the Boers during this period were Moshesh, chief of the Basutos, Waterboer, chief of those Griquas who occupied the country near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange rivers, and Adam Kok, chief of the Griquas in the district of Philipolis, so called from a missionary station which had been founded by Dr. Philip in 1825. Of Moshesh we shall presently have more to say, but it is with the other two that our diamond-field history is most concerned. Waterboer had frequently rendered important services to the Colonial Government in protecting the northern frontier from the depredations of the uncivilised tribes beyond, and had thus proved himself a valuable ally to the cause of order and good government. His power had originally sprung from disputes among the Griquas under Adam Kok, which resulted in the establishment of a separate government under each chieftain in 1834.

The country of these two Griqua chiefs being continually threatened by the Boers, the British Government interfered for its protection, and after many futile attempts to arrange matters peaceably, British troops were employed against the Boers in 1845, and treaties were entered into with the native tribes. It was under these circumstances, and whilst the country was in a most unsettled state, that Andries Pretorius made an attempt to set matters right between the British Government and the malcontent Boers with whom his influence was paramount. With the intention of laying their case before Sir H. Pottinger, he journeyed to Graham's Town, and sought an interview with that officer, who was then Governor of the Cape. Unfortunately, Sir Henry refused him an audience upon a technical objection, which, however valid, was impolitic in the extreme, and produced consequences which might have been avoided by more conciliatory action. Almost immediately afterwards, Sir Harry Smith came out from England as Sir Henry Pottinger's successor, and it is from this epoch that the history of the Orange River Territory becomes more interesting to English readers.

Sir Harry Smith's course of action has frequently been blamed as precipitate, and his mode of procedure condemned as productive of the troubles and complications which have subsequently occurred. Whilst, however, such condemnation is intelligible when proceeding from those who consider

colonies as a burden, acquisitions of territory as a misfortune, and a policy of abandonment, wherever abandonment is possible, to be the only wise policy on the part of a mother country, it is not so easy to understand how Sir H. Smith can be blamed by those who take a different and higher view of colonial policy. Sir Harry found, close to the borders of the Cape Colony, a large tract of country, partly occupied by native tribes in alliance with England, partly by emigrant Boers, subjects of the Queen, of whom many were loyally disposed and many more probably only disloyal from the force of circumstances rather than from any inherent hostility to British rule. The one thing wanted for the pacification and prosperity of the country was the establishment of a fixed and settled form of government, and to obtain this result no other course appeared feasible save the annexation of the country and the proclamation of British sovereignty. In the precise manner and the moment of taking this course Sir H. Smith may have erred, but a calm retrospection will convince the impartial critic that no other course could have afforded to the people of the terriory in question so fair a prospect of future tranquillity and government.

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In the interests therefore of the inhabitants of the district hemselves, in the interests of the Cape Colony (to which the ranquillity of their neighbours was of vital moment), and in he interests of England, if she intended to preserve her conlexion with her colonies and share their good or evil fortune, nnexation appeared to be desirable. Accordingly, having letermined on this course, on the 3rd of February, 1848, Sir larry Smith proclaimed the Queen's authority over the territories north of the Great Orange River, including the countries of Moshesh, Moroko, Moletsani, Sinkonayala, Adam Kok, Gert Taaybosch, and of other minor chiefs, so far north as to the Vaal River, and east to the Drakensberg or Quathlamba Mountains; and in March, 1851, the Queen, by letters patent nder the Great Seal, annexed these territories to the Governent of the Cape of Good Hope, and gave to them the name f the Orange River Territory. Thus, then, the whole of the erritory in which the diamond fields have now been discovered, as formally brought into the possession of the British Crown; nd there can be but little doubt that had a judicious policy of onciliation and good management been pursued, any temporary iscontent would long since have passed away, the whole ountry would have settled down quietly under British government, and the recent discoveries of diamond fields would have een regarded by us at the present moment with unalloyed

satisfaction, as an unexpected but welcome development of the resources of a British colony.

According to Sir Harry Smith's proclamation, all the native chiefs within the annexed territory were to be under the sovereignty of the Queen, while their authority over their own tribes was to be maintained according to their customs and usages. All her Majesty's subjects were to be governed by the laws of the Cape, and were to pay an annual quit-rent for their lands to Government, which quit-rents would be first applied in indemnifying the native chiefs, and then in defraying the expenses of their own government. Major Warden was appointed British resident magistrate at Bloem Fontein, and, under him, a civil commissioner and magistrate, combined in one person, was to be stationed at Wenberg, and another on the Caledon River. A land commission was also formed, who, among other things, were to register each farm, and fix the amount of quit-rent according to the value of the land.

These proceedings were all approved by Lord Grey, then Secretary of the Colonies. Now, however, began to be seen the ill effects of the offence given by Sir H. Pottinger to Pretorius. The partisans of the latter refused obedience to Sir H. Smith's proclamation; and Major Warden was stopped by a party of armed Boers within a few miles of Bloem Fontein, and narrowly escaped being captured by them. Pretorius issued a proclamation declaring that the Boers would not submit to British authority, and warning those emigrants who would not join him that they must quit the country, and that neutrals would be treated as enemies. Waterboer, Adam Kok, and Moshesh remained firm and faithful in support of the British Government. In August 1848, Sir Harry Smith arrived with troops at Colesberg; and in answer to communications from the rebels, declared that the proclamation would be maintained; that four-fifths of the people were in favour of British sovereignty, and had merely been intimidated by the violence of Pretorius; and that most of the latter's followers were strangers and persons ruined in circumstances. On the 29th August a severe engagement was fought at Boemplats, which resulted in the total defeat of Pretorius; and in the following month Sir H. Smith proclaimed the inclusion of the Vaal River district under British sovereignty. Pretorius was outlawed. Fines were levied upon those who had taken part in the rebellion; the Governor was satisfied that the Dutch farmers would gradually settle down, and the general appear ance of affairs was for a time satisfactory.

Unfortunately, however, this was of no long duration. The great Basuto chief, Moshesh, had beeome discontented, and had quarrelled with his neighbour, Sinkonayala. In consequence of the disturbances which followed, and of several robberies having been committed by some of his tribe, Major Warden called out a patrol of burghers for the protection of the farmers. Whether, however, from chronic discontent, or owing to the intrigues of Moshesh, the Boers responded to the call neither promptly nor in sufficient force; and in a skirmish with the Basutos, Major Warden gained a very equivocal advantage. The result was that the loyal Boers became lukewarm and unwilling to offend their neighbours by rendering assistance to the Government, and the disaffection appeared to gain strength daily. It is true that Moshesh disclaimed hostility towards the British Government, but the result of his intrigues with the Boers (hereafter to be visited with heavy retribution) was to greatly increase the difficulties of carrying on the government of the country. Wearied with the continuance of these difficulties, and the consequent expense to the Imperial exchequer, on the 15th December 1851, little more than nine months after the issue of the letters patent annexing the Orange River Territory, Lord Grey wrote a despatch as precipitate in the direction of abandonment as any action of Sir H. Smith's in a contrary direction. He stated that if the inha'bitants would not support the authority of the British Govern'ment, which had been established in the sovereignty solely for their advantage-but, on the contrary, desired to be re'lieved from it-there was no British interest to be served by maintaining it, and that it was impossible the expense could be incurred of keeping up a force sufficient to maintain in that distant region an authority which the great majority of the 'inhabitants would not obey. But that it would be necessary, in the first place, that the superiority of the British arms over those by whom they had been resisted should be established; and next, that the interests of our allies should be ' attended to.'

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Meanwhile, during these disturbances with Moshesh, Pretorius, who had crossed the Vaal, evinced a much more wise and conciliatory spirit, refusing to join the Basuto chief, or to uphold the cause of the rebellious Boers. In consequence of this good conduct he was relieved from his outlawry, and friendly relations re-established with the Trans-Vaal Boers under his control, a convention being carried out with them in 1852 by assistant-commissioners Major Hogg and Mr. Owen, on the part of the British Government.

VOL. CXXXIV. NO. CCLXXIV.

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And now comes the most incomprehensible part of the whole history. Lord Grey quitted office, Sir John Pakington succeeded him during the short administration of Lord Derby. and was in turn replaced by the Duke of Newcastle in the autumn of 1852. În April 1852, General Cathcart having succeeded Sir Harry Smith, moved up a strong body of troops against Moshesh, and fought an action at Berea upon the 20th December in the same year, after which the Basuto chief gave in his entire submission, and acknowledged his vassalage to Her Majesty's authority. The victory having been by no means of a decisive character, this submission was readily accepted. Compensation was made to the loyal chiefs and farmers from the cattle taken from Moshesh, the troops were withdrawn, and the Governor expressed his belief, that whilst among the native tribes a good understanding and peaceful ' relations had been restored to a degree which had not existed for many years, all claims upon the British Government had been sufficiently compensated, all wrongs redressed; and unless wilful aggressions should take place on the part of the colonists of European origin, a degree of security and peace might result from recent events which had not been experienced since the assumption of the sovereignty.'

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These sentiments were conveyed by the Governor in a despatch to the Duke of Newcastle, written in January 1853, in which he characterises the general aspect of affairs' as 'most cheering;' and the answer to that despatch, upon the 14th March, conveyed the information that her Majesty's Government had decided to withdraw from the sovereignty!

'The rude government which had hitherto existed had not answered? its purpose, and there were no advantages which would compensate for the risk and expense attending its retention. Moreover, the present conjuncture was a favourable one, and the late expedition and engage ment would remove any misconstruction to which the relinquishment of territory might be able to give rise.'

The determination to which Her Majesty's Government thus arrived was in effect to abandon the sovereignty of the Orange River Territory, precisely at the moment when the difficulties which had followed the assumption thereof had been nearly or entirely overcome; and when a firm hand and a wise head at the seat of government would have maintained the tranquillity of the country, and gradually welded it into one united province, which, eventually incorporating Natal and the Cape Colony with the intervening land, would have worked out that future to which even now South Africa must look for her best chance of permanent prosperity.