THE DISQUIET IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1190, 19 December 1884, Page 3

THE DISQUIET IN SOUTH AFRICA.

: Notwithstanding' violent 1 ' reproachful Speeches and letters on the smijdqj;,, notwithstanding the satire o! Pituch, "which • ledicateaaciirtopn—“ A terrible’ threat ” the Government (writes the London* orrespondent ot a contemporary)’have m ole no announcement.- ‘‘ Look here*- tuy Kristian friend,” ; Mr Punch makes.-Mr Gladstone say, habited in a (besting ’ gown, slippers on feet, and paper irt' : fend; 1 to a villainous-locking Boer, - roughly with sword and gun and tophoots. --‘‘Look j here' my Christian friend, . you have threatened to horsewhip onr ford s ; you’ve Violated our treaty ; you’ve matched into j S tel inland ; and you’ve nulled down our flag. -’ A little more and and —you’ll I rouse the British Li n.” The only member j of the Government who. has spoken is Mr | Courtney, and he not only seems aroused, I but acquiescent in the IJoer’s doings. “So I far as I know,” says Mr Courtney, at a recent meeting, “ nothing so far has been done by the Boer Government at variance with the Convm ion. ' They have entered into an agreement with a certain chief - Monrsio)—which has been submitted to the English Government for their approbation. ’’ Mr W. E. Forster yesterday quoted this paragraph before a meeting at tde Westminster Palace Hotel, and its advent was received with loud cries of.. “Shame." Now, it is very doubtful it the English people as a body, and. non-partarian. will echo th t ery of shame which -.sprung from the hearts of the Cape capitalists,. I believe that they vote in their hearts Solith Africa a nuisance, but other consideiatinns ente r into the (statesman’s mind besides that of present loss and profit, and it has just com" to hand that the Government Intend to uphold the Convention. If this-is"so, then we must expect im oher bloodshed, Mr Poster, notwithstanding hfe nntinathies and pri”Ciples, thinks the thing in South Afnca at,-stake so import nt that be would risk bloodshed‘ After dea’ing with the purely colonial aspect in South Africa, lie deals in his peroration with the following, which is of general interest:—“ But there is much more at stake. There aie the trade relations of England with Jin lia and Australia at stake. There is an opinion in the min I of some people that this Cape, Colony is a -troublesome Col ny. 1 ‘Let us,’ they say, ‘get rid of it all except our c ailing station and our fortifications at.Simon Bay.’ If this is done I can only say that 1 am glad I am an old man, because if that is done it would mean that the days of English power are quickly coining to an end. But it is an entire allusion to' suppose that, we could keep the coaling station. Do yon suppose lhat if we were to leave a large portion of Capo Co’ony our Continental neighbours would leave it alone? I have very little doubt that Germany would step in. I should not blame her. . But would Germany allow us to keep without the gravest possible caum of offence another Gibraltar in , a German colony ? That would be a Very serious thing to deal with. 1 b lieve 1 am speaking a thing in which I shall be confirmed by soldiers and sailors, when I say that Simon Bay is not at all easy of defence. I take g-eat interest in pre-erving our relations with the c donies, and nothing has given me greater pleasure than one bright spot in this dark prospect, and that is to know as 1 do know that both in Canada and Australia there is the greatest feeling upon this question—a trust and hope that England will not sacrifice her possessions and a determination to support her in the fulfilment of her duty and the preservation of her power. You have . stated that* there were wider interests than the Cape .concerned. That is quite true. It is a question whether England is to retain her Em* pireor not. I have long believed that unless England fulfilled her duties to the Natives of the colonies our punishment, our Nemesis, would co ne to us, and that we should loose our Empire, which we are using forbad purposes. I know that the fulfilment of our duty and the preservation of onr power are one and the same , thing, and I trust that quite irrespective of any feeling of party there will be such an outburst ot English feeling throughout the country as will tell the Government that they will be supported in spirited and firm action, and that they will he greatly blamed if they (leraevere in letting things alone, in I letting things fr»m had to woree until they pet rid of the difficulty by having uo Cape Colony at all.