The Transvaal Question.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3198, 20 May 1879, Page 2

The Transvaal Question.

The special correspondent of the Cape Argus at Peite?maritzburg writes as follows? upon the. subject:—" As though the, Zulu difficulty, were not enough,, (he l Transvaal question, which is scarcely second to the other in concern and importanoe, has suddenly assumed a formidable aspect. It seems that the resolutions of the Wonderfontein meeting held on the 10th of last month, suffered a great deal in the 'course of translation, their true intent and meat-ing being briefly as follows: —r" If, the British give vi back our land, then we will extend to them the hand'of friendship, but failing this vre purpose to fight for our liberty.''* It has been said that the resolutions were only the resolves of! mere unthinking boys. There is little to !warrant the/ assertion, unless- every-, recent account referring,to,the present condition of affairs can be set aside as a l' pure fabrication. Mr Jbubert, the delegate appointed once more to iritervieWSir Bartle Frere, came aWayi apparently convinced that, his countrymen were quite earnest in their determination to escape, ifl not in one way then in another, from what they? consider intolerable Bondage and oppression., Mr;Jpubert if ;;ftr pat riot r wjth a heart as warm as the warmest. Whether fciis patriotism'ii :a**iWis« la^iß'isj: i indubitably honest is a question' susceptible; of more than ■ one opinion; 'In what, respect the condition of the country would: -be improved, br^thjd|!cpm|Dfg6f its people o ultimately! enhanced,,; by a reversion to the old form, of Government is morethan anyone can make a pretence, to determine. That annexation, ;W,§s fhe best possible fate which; rould, have,) befallen the Transvaalers it ;an .argument advanced the more pertinaciously by some: ■ who !'cannbt be: sus'peote'd of'sihistef.or unfriendly motives'. When >Mr Jbubert Was last, in Natal,.upon his recent return from "Europe in s; cbmpjiny'y wM-! Mr Kruger, they were met 1 by Mr!Boshoff, a gentleman, held in" universal ( respect throughout the length and breadth ;of South Africa/ This; veteran pioneer recounted .his ,experiehce for the .benefit of the iVansvaalers^ Re vfw6iie<of the original' colonists! of "Natal, who' had no 'sooner made sure their footing in the country at the cost of a vast expenditure ;in bVobd and treasure^ than they were driven put. Mr Boshpff ultimately :.bev !came President of the Free State/V His; f Grovernment " engaged ! in ! !a'!'war ■.With the neighbouring Basutps, and when on the pointof.securing?.'an o'effectual triumph; the rßritish, (Government thipt in its good offices, and, |he Free Staters Were denied their legitimate advantage., Then,; Upon the discovery, of diamonds', the| ne^v! province jwai f'ieizefd with none but the most "visionary pretext: of f yight i,or justice. In all these ca3esr irguetl' MirBoshoff, the action of the Government appeared harsh in the extreme to those who were the immediate victims of the ,sppli|^ tion, but he how felt himself free to admit that the things which he iat one time warmly condemned had bean necessary, inevitable, and justified by events. In the case of STatal, its Boer colonists had no prospect before them but that of perpetual war end chronic bankruptcy. The country needed a strong Government. When: the British came in, the colonists were granted institutions framed in accordance with their own aspirations. In less than three-years time they were glad enough to, exchange the constitution for one wlrohwhile restricting their liberty of action,' relieved them of an immense burden of responsilility. So also as regards the Basutos, the action of the British Government left the Free State without anynative difficulty, and as for thepamohd. fields, it" was how self-evident that the rule of the State would soon h^ve been exchanged for 1 the rule bF the diggers. Mr .could not help->ut «ympathiie. with the stubborn opposition/offered to the annexation by his brothers,,of t the Transvaal, but the step .w^npw past recal, he thought its : ultimate, result be nothing .but ,gp6d;t6' all-.parties concerned, and he counselled the people anc their Readers to close with the liberal concessions which the High Commissioner was prepared to offer^.and to.settle down with a; cheerful determiria'iiohtd makethe very f best of what, possibly, was. a ha^rd-driven-bargain. ■ :l'. v';'■'■' l 1" :'';.HJA,'i JL This sagacious counsel wQu]d«not *eem unfortunate, to. have cpmmen|e'd'itself to the irreconcileable element of the country and Mr Joubert came away with a profound conviciion, which seems to be deeper departure as bf'morel recent date, that the issue can only be settled by an appeal Jp force,, a contingency wh-ch the delegate himself and all moderate men hold in unfeigned horror. It is not difficult to; imagine thattheSnterl, view between the.High Commissioner and the delegate was of an extreniely'awkward nature, the one askirg fori that'Wiich he knew could not be given, the other refusing that which he' felt oiight to be withheld, Through Mr Joubert's impe*-'; feet knowledge English, in 1 which' language the conversation was principally, conducted, he seems to have come away from the interview with some misappi'ehehsion./as to the purport of a: gdoid'deal: that Sir Bartle Frere'had said. For* instance; he had already imbibed: the, notion that the High Commis ioner had used against the Transvaal a threat that England would exhaust her last resources rather than make terms with the Boer«i if they should take advantage of the present situation. In point of fact, Sir Bartle took it for granted that the leaders of the Transvaal would not make this use of

their opportunity, and the opposition to which England would make no concession was stated to he that of the Zulus, not of the Boers. Then again, Mr Joubert labored under the delusion that His Excellency had expressed his belief in the existence of an alliance or tacit understanding between the Boers and the Zulus.