eminent scientists and men of most advanced technical proficiency. The
site is a farm named Modderfontein of about 8,000 acres near Pretoria.
The industry provides employment for over 5,000 persons. In connection
with this factory is a foundry at Pretoria for casting shells, etc. The
various ingredients, such as sulphur, guhr, saltpetre, etc., are
believed to be plentiful in the State, but their exploitation is found
to be more costly than it is to import the pure articles from Europe.
The investment is represented mostly by French and German shareholders,
the Transvaal Government also possessing a portion of the shares. The
contract with the State conveys a complete monopoly for the manufacture
and importation of all descriptions of explosives, and is so framed as
to base its subsistence upon international rights. One of the conditions
is that the issue of ammunition is relegated to State control. In this
manner burghers only get supplies, whilst Uitlanders are limited to very
small quantities for sporting purposes by special permits.
BOND FIGHTING STRENGTH IN BEGINNING OF 1899
Efficiently _Mounted Infantry._ At least about 142,000
trained.
15,000 Orange Free State, between 18-50
years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,000
25,000 Transvaal, between 18-50 years . . 30,000
40,000 Cape Colonies, between 18-50
years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,000
2,000 Natal and elsewhere, between 18-50
years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000
18,000 Of above, aged 16-18 and 50-60 . . 30,000
------- ------
100,000 _Artillery_ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000
600 Orange Free State, including
trained reserves . . . . . . . . 600
1,400 Transvaal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,400
------- ----- -------
102,000 . . . . . . . . . . . Total at least about 144,000
102,000 highly efficient, and 42,000 partly trained.
The mounts are docile, hardy and nimble, with large reserves available.
The above includes 500 Johannesburg Mounted Police, a picked body of men
armed with carbine, revolver, and sabre.
_Small Arms_ . . . . . . . . . About 250,000
Martini-Henry rifles in Orange Free State }
} 100,000
" " " in Transvaal }
Guede rifles in Transvaal . . . . . . . . 10,000
Mauser rifles in Transvaal . . . . . . . . 120,000
Revolvers in both States . . . . . . . . . 20,000
------
_Artillery, both Republics_ . . . . . . . . 140
Maxims and Nordenfeldts, modern . . . . . 50
Field cannon and Howitzers " . . . . . 70
Siege and heavy guns " . . . . . 20
BOER CONSERVATISM
Rudyard Kipling truly said "the Boers are the most conservative people
on earth." Habits and views which had prevailed two hundred years ago
with their forefathers are still tenaciously preserved by them. We see
this in matters of language, religion, in certain antipathies, and even
in attire. They are justly famed for hospitality, not only amongst
themselves, but also towards strangers, and a very pleasing trait, no
doubt handed down from the seigneurial Huguenots, is the genial
politeness which a stranger will receive in an otherwise wholly
uncultured Boer family.
On his farm the Boer is chief and supreme after the patriarchal
fashion--no thought of tolerating an equal or a rival in authority.
Collectively also, as in governmental representation, he is extremely
averse to the introduction of any foreign element; such a factor would
meet with his undisguised suspicion and jealousy. It must be Boer
supremacy, and to this strangers must submit; the Boers to figure as
the only caste or military aristocracy privileged to carry arms, very
much like the Samouris nobles of Japan, who from of old until recently
had represented the feudal estate, and had made quite a famous cult of
personal bravery, chivalry and devotion to their Mikado and for their
independent caste. Long intercourse and inter-marriage with a Boer
family would ultimately remove the barrier. With such rooted
exclusiveness it is only in accord with Boer nature to be reluctant in
admitting Uitlanders to burgher franchise, and the greater their numbers
and influence of wealth the more would they be viewed as an innovating
menace and their admittance to political equality be resisted.
Upon newly occupied farms a Boer will always seek to locate one or more
squatters of his own nation upon allotments ultimately intended for the
occupation of some of his own children as soon as they are grown up. The
usual conditions for privileges of residence, grazing, and cultivation
are that the squatter builds a dwelling and does all the other permanent
improvements at his own cost, that he accounts to the owner for half or
one-third of all products raised, and that he and his family should
render services whenever required. When the squatter acquires land of
his own he will in turn adopt similar feudal methods to get it improved
and to obtain services without expense. Should the conditions accorded
to the squatter result in advantages which prove any way lucrative to
him, the owner would in nine cases out of ten immediately impose more
exacting conditions, upon the plea of making provision for his own
children. Such dependants are otherwise treated with familiar equality,
as are also other white employees, and are admitted at the common table
like any of the family, but below the salt.
To acquire farms is a Boer's greatest ambition. The love of land is his
special passion, so that his children also may be independent owners of
farms. Formerly such land acquisitions were made by encroachments upon
the possessions of natives or by purchases from them and by barter, and
failing those means, by conquest. Since 1885, however, the stipulations
in connection with the Anglo-Swaziland settlement effectually barred
expansion and encroachments in any direction. The Boers resent this
check as an exceedingly sore point. There is not enough land for the
sons who have since grown up. These cannot possibly compete with the
educated Hollanders in quest of good positions, nor are they taught any
handicrafts, and the galling prospect is inevitable that they will have
to content themselves with very humble stations in life, dependent even
upon the more prosperous Uitlanders. No wonder these Boers fell an easy
prey to the seductions and deceptive fallacies of the Afrikaner Bond
doctrine of conquest, for dispossessing England of her Colonies, and to
resume a free hand for expansion northwards as well.
In connection with the stated inadequacy of spare land it is well to
note that, of the two Republics, the Transvaal only possesses
undeveloped Government reserve land. This is all situated in more or
less low-lying and fever-stricken parts, large tracts being absolutely
uninhabitable for that reason, especially in summer. Some of the rest is
occupied on terms of lease by burghers, and has up to the present
afforded scope for some of the less aspiring class. About one-quarter of
the aggregate Transvaal farms are owned by Uitlander individuals or by
companies who are mostly English. But the bulk of the land owned by
burghers in both States has gradually become cut up by the process of
succession into holdings so small as to admit of hardly any further
division. There are, of course, numerous exceptions of wealthy farmers
who can still bequeath to each of their sons a whole farm of 6,000
acres, or half a farm. In the face of these restrictive circumstances a
scheme has been in preparation during the past years, promoted by the
Bond coterie in Holland and the Governments of the two Republics, to
effect a large emigration from Holland to those States. A company has
thus been formed, called "Nederlandsche Emigratie Maatschappy voor
Transvaal en Oranje Vry Staat." The prospectus describes the objects as
agricultural, pastoral, and industrial, but, as "members," only such are
invited as are disposed to join hands with the Boer cause. That scheme
came into operation before the outbreak of the war. What else does it
reveal but a thinly veiled recruiting device for auxiliaries against
England?
Education
What has been said about the ignorance and illiteracy of the Boers may
be admitted to apply to the great majority of the grown-up and of the
more maturely aged population; those of youthful age have of late years
had the benefit of a better education than had before been possible to
provide. But the great drawback consists in the still very imperfect
knowledge of High Dutch, and it will take many years yet before a more
general proficiency in that language will qualify the youth for more
than purely elementary studies. There are numerous exceptions, however,
of very creditably educated Boers, whose parents have been able to get
them taught at Colonial schools, such as the Stellenbosch seminary, and
even in Holland. Besides this, there are the children and grandchildren
of the many educated Hollanders who have continued to stream into the
Republics since 1854, and who had the advantage of learning High Dutch
from their parents. Those, as a rule, bestowed great attention to their
children's education, and in many cases sent them to Holland to complete
their studies. The greatest factor of the educated Dutch element in
South Africa consists of the mass of Hollanders itself, who have made
their way to the Republics, and especially to the Transvaal, during the
past eighteen years, among whom are many of highest European
attainments, so that altogether a big muster is made up of
well-instructed people, comparing well enough with other nations, and
ample to meet all the exigencies of the two rapidly developing
Republics. This educated contingent is being continuously supplemented
by like arrivals from Holland, including eminent technical experts and
scientists. It is a well-known feature that many chief posts of the
administration are filled by aged, uneducated burghers who are
altogether without the qualification required for the exercise of their
function, but this drawback is effectually remedied by the expedient of
providing proficient Hollanders as working adjuncts and secretaries, in
which manner all the branches of the administration are nevertheless
efficiently and most creditably served. Hundreds of young Boers are
admitted as supernumeraries into the various offices to prepare them for
responsible positions later on.
Dundee Secret Dossier
The greatest stir was made upon the discovery of secret documents left
behind by the British military at the hurried evacuation of Dundee
(Natal).
It was made public that those documents contained all the details of a
plan of invading the Orange Free State, and that it furnished most
incontestable proofs of British designs as early as 1896 against the
independence of both Republics. It was promised to publish those
details, but this has not yet been done. It appears, however, that no
incriminating details exist. Nevertheless, the matter has been made to
serve calumniating reports on a considerable scale in the pro-Boer Press
abroad, declaring that those documents conveyed absolute proofs of
England's perfidious intentions of attacking the Orange Free State
unawares, whilst all the time professing friendly relations and
undertaking to respect the complete integrity of the Republican status
of both States. What actually has transpired is that the whole thing was
a mare's nest, simply and nothing more than military information under
cover marked "secret," giving topographical and other details upon the
Orange Free State--a proceeding which is carried out by all military
authorities of any pretensions to prudent activity in the information
department, and no more construable into actual hostile intentions than
are other geographical surveys for general instructions or for school
use.
The incident again shows the absence of tangible grounds for accusations
against England when a foolish invention as the one cited must do duty
for such, and to rekindle race hatred.
The interest and the manipulation devoted to that fabrication by the
pro-Boer Press have, however, scored another success to Bond propaganda
in fixing the belief with Boer partisans, of England's really
predetermined designs to annex both Republics. Every Boer has since been
more than ever so persuaded, the conviction fanning the fervour of
patriotism and stimulating his eagerness to resist the would-be
ravishers of his country.
Considering, on the other hand, that the English Government had known
much about the Afrikaner Bond menace, it is singular that precautionary
measures had halted with that bare effort of making military
observations. The only way to account for this apparent lethargic
inaction is the assumption that a persevering patience and friendly
attitude was expected in time to effectually dissipate all trouble in
South Africa, and that a display of anxiety or of force would have
frustrated such peaceable tactics. In refutation of the aspersion
against England, it may be sufficient to point to the fact that during
those very years (1896-7) both Republics were in a condition of complete
helplessness through the rinderpest scourge which was then raging. If
any hostile designs had in reality existed they could have been carried
out with utmost ease then, as that scourge presented no obstacle to
England. But it was the programme of peace which was pursued as
undeviatingly then as since, with a constancy which refused to be
foiled.
Pamphlet entitled _A Hundred Years of Injustice_
A mass of so-called proof against England of her guilt in provoking the
present war and justifying the Boer attitude was presented to the public
in South Africa and abroad in November last in the shape of a voluminous
pamphlet entitled _A Hundred Years of Injustice_ (published both in
English and Dutch, and later even translated into French). That
production covers Boer history and its troubles with England up to 1881.
It then travels over the diplomatic appeals of the Transvaal delegation,
which resulted in the renewed convention of 1884. Then it wades through
all the mire of academic squabble _re_ suzerainty, etc. After exhausting
the Jameson episode with bitter invective, and seeking applause for the
Transvaal Government for its professed desire to conciliate and to
propitiate England by the offer of a seven years' franchise, the reader
is, in conclusion, 'treated to a literary display of pyrotechnic
denunciations and prophetic burdens against wicked Albion, with appeals
to divine justice for righting the cause of an innocent nation so foully
driven to a war of pure self-defence.
Lest he be taken unawares the reader of that pamphlet would do well to
note the significant fact in connection with those preferred accusations
and aspersions that not a single act construable to the prejudice of
England is adduced dating after the Anglo-Transvaal peace of 1881, that
peace which had been mutually understood to close up all by-gones. But
the recriminations all revert to previous history, nothing having
occurred since 1881 to form real grounds for accusations. There had, on
the contrary, been an exhibition of unwearied friendly endeavours on the
part of Great Britain to maintain loyal peace with an ever-shifty and
truculent Government, and to induce it to desist from scandalous
intrigue against imperial interests in South Africa, and to adopt a more
rational attitude towards Uitlanders, which in itself would have
precluded troubles like that of the Johannesburg revolt and the Jameson
raid.
AN OLD FREE STATER'S ADMONITION
The doctrines of the Afrikaner Bond coterie have been so assiduously and
deeply instilled into the Boer mind that demonstrations are utterly
futile in shaking the national conviction of the divinely approved
justice of his cause. The first occasion when I saw this illustrated,
and also the people's unreasoning adherence to their leaders' opinions,
happened about ten years ago at burgher meetings which had been convened
to discuss the then projected law for restraining Uitlanders from
admission to Transvaal franchise and other political topics.
An old Free State burgher was led then and subsequently to express his
views upon the subject in about the following strain: "It is our duty to
guard our nation against being swamped out or supplanted by strangers;
they are in great force already, and their number will constantly
increase, yet what attracts them, as you know, is our gold. That will
give out eventually, when the majority will again depart. Those
strangers, who then elect to remain with us, might be admitted to full
burgher rights. In the meantime it behoves us to reserve the full
franchise, nor will many aspire to it if they are only treated well as
strangers should be, as we should wish to be treated if we were in their
place. This is what they expect from us, and it can well be done without
giving full franchise, which they indeed do not need and will then not
claim. They will be content if their own interests are not hampered or
interfered with, and will be satisfied with such rights and privileges
as are reasonably due to guests, and we may say welcome guests (for it
is plain that the land is also largely benefited by their presence). In
other respects let us support law and order to suppress evil, which they
desire as well as we do.
"Does the Bible not say, 'The Lord loveth the stranger?' so also then
must we; and again, 'Thou shalt not devise mischief against the stranger
who dwelleth in peace with thee.' We are reputed as a God-fearing
people. Is it not well that we should take great care to act in
accordance? But I have observed with shame that instead of love and
peace a spirit of hatred and strife has been allowed to gain upon us.
Let us strive to expel that evil, lest we fall under God's displeasure
and forfeit His favour. We cannot afford to lose that."
At this stage the speaker was interrupted by violent remarks about
England's incurable perfidy and the like, when he added, prolonging his
speech more than he had probably intended: "Yes, we may not trust
England, but what we must do is to trust in God. Did God not pull us
through all along? was it not He who provided the peace of 1881 which
restored our independence? And can that gracious Lord, if we only let
Him act, not also protect us against any wiles and dangers if such
should occur in the future? As yet none such have arisen. The Lord was
with us in our battles for liberty; He was equally present and prompted
the sense and conditions of that very convention of 1881, which the
people were subsequently dissatisfied with and in their own wisdom
sacrificed for that of 1884. It is just possible that that presumptuous
act of wanting to improve upon the Lord's work will result in trouble
and prove to our sorrow that we have simply tampered and tinkered with a
good thing and spoilt it to our hurt.
"'Thou shalt not provoke thy children to wrath lest they be discouraged
and be tempted to do evil,' applies specially also to the duties of
Governments. Our rulers need wisdom in this direction, and will be
responsible if our strangers are subjected to unfair laws. The older
people here will call to mind, when the old voortrekkers were obliged to
go hundreds of miles, as far as Pietermaritzburg, for their supplies,
that we prayed for shopkeepers in our land so that we might be spared
those long journeys. What was done soon after we had attracted strangers
to establish businesses with us? We were seduced to deliberately attempt
their ruin by starting those _nationale Boerenwinkels_ (national Boer
stores), supported by our own capital, but governed by Hollanders who
eventually squandered our money. Was that dealing fairly by confiding
strangers? Later on, again in response to our prayers, we got railways;
skilled men and much capital from foreign countries, first to prospect
for gold and then to develop and exploit the mines. Their labour and
hard-earned money were risked when the return was still problematic.
Shall we begrudge them their successes now, seeing that our whole land
is equally enriched at the same time, and but for them and their
enterprise the gold would still be lying uselessly hidden in the depths
of the ground? There are now, in 1890, over 100,000 such strangers in
the land, and probably over 200 millions capital invested. Shall they be
treated in a manner to justify the accusation that they were inveigled
into our land with the object of despoiling them afterwards after the
style of 'Come into my parlour, says the spider to the fly'? These
people count upon our honest friendship, especially the many English
among them who ground that confidence upon the honourable peace accorded
us in 1881. Shall we deceive them? May we hate them for old questions
which that peace was intended to bury for ever? Think of the Lord's
dealings with our people--poor, wandering, and despised at first. He had
blessings in store for the tried voortrekkers and their children. 'The
beggar was raised from the dunghill [_asch-hoop, i.e._, ash-heap, was
the word he used] to sit with princes'--'a table laid for us in the
sight of our enemies.' All this is literally fulfilled. Our President
and others representing us have been to Europe and sat with princes, and
we have a country full of riches enough to make any enemy to rage with
jealousy at the sight. Who else but the devil is that enemy? It is he
who persecuted our Dutch and Huguenot ancestors for their faith, and is
pursuing us since. It is he and his army that rage the most at our
unexampled blessings. It is he who wants us to forfeit them all and the
Lord's favour as well. It emanates from the evil one that so many among
us are seduced into wicked political plans to subvert authority
installed by God, to incite our brethren to sedition in the Colonies,
wanting to dispossess the English. For the Queen's Government there is
as much from God as are the authorities over us here and in the Orange
Free State.
"God saith by Solomon (Prov. xxiv. 21-22): 'My son, fear thou the Lord
and the king; and meddle not with them that are given to change: for
their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the destruction of
them both?'" and he finally warned them of the risk they incurred, after
having been advanced and blessed in an unexampled way, of being flung
back to their previous ignoble position upon the ash heap. There are
plenty of respectable Boers in whose ears those expressions still
tingle.
The man, who is no speaker, was, nevertheless, apt to grow warm and
impressive, drawn out probably by interruptions and opposing views. The
speeches terminated on one occasion by one of the party saying in
violent Bond fashion: "The English hired the Zulus to massacre our
people. They robbed us of Natal, and drove us from the Colonies. There
can be no peace with them until we have our own. God helps them who help
themselves. Whoever takes their part is against us and against every
true Afrikaner."
_MODUS VIVENDI_ SUGGESTED BY OLD FREE STATER