SIR BARTLE FRERE AND THE TRANSVAAL QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1709, 19 June 1883, Page 4

SIR BARTLE FRERE AND THE TRANSVAAL QUESTION.

. Tug Times contains a long letter from SW'Barilo Fret* on the question at issue between .the ,Bechuana tribes ami the Transvaal Boers. He says that nothing can be more unjust and untrue than the statement that the Bochuana chiefs have on^ly themselves to blame for giving r occaai6n to filibustering interference, through their own quarrels anil aggression* on the Boers. He suggests the apbomttnent of an English officer to live in Bechuanaland as the representative of the Government. In reference to the expense, he believes that if the English Government were known to be in earnest, no cost need bo incurred beyond that of a Resident in Bechuanaland and a very small body of border police, the cost of which might, he is satisfied, he met by a voluntary hut tax, which the Bechuanas would be only too glad to pay for protection in the peaceful possession of their country, as do the Zulus in Natal. "At any rate, if we once knew the real facts on unquestionable evidence, such as the British report would afford us, there need be no thought of military expeditions till there had been ample time to count the cost of doing whatever the Resident's report showed it was necessary to do. What will be the expence of now folding our arms and doing nothing ! No one, I supposo, doubts now that we have, to some I extent at least, lost character by entering in the Convention of August, 1881. When that Convention was made and we evacuated the Transvaal there were, roughly speaking, 700, 0U0 of tho older inhabitants of the country who wished US to stay and rule them, and 45,000 at the outside, of new comers, every man of whom had arrived there within living memory, and of whom it was said that a majority — but certainly not the whole — wished us to go. After a series of military deteats we broke one set of very solemn engagements to those who wished us to stay, and we evacuated the country, leaving the 700,000 original inhabitants to be ruled by the nominal majority of the 43,000 ; but hoping, as was then pleaded, that our motives of self-denial in declining the trouble of expence of doing our duty and keeping our promises would be appicciated, and would secure a good treatment of the 700,000 by the 43,000; and, further, to ensme such good treatment for them, we made the Convention of August ISBI. Can anyone suppose, in the face of the Blue Book revelations, that such good treatment has been secured, or that the Convention has obtained for us the respect of either Boers or natives? The Convention we know well lias not been observed. The question now aiises, shall we say we intend to insist on its observance, and say it with earnestness, as men \\ ho mean what they say ? What will be the effect of our now deliberately telling the people of South Afiicathat we find the task we undertook in ISSI, of holding tbe Boers to their engagements in favour of tlic Natives, too enormous for us to attempt to perfoim it ?—? — that for the second time, .md moie delibeiately, and without any excuse of the Queen's adviscis in England, we must decline to pcifoim our engagements ? It is easy to .«ay that the good or bad opinion of the Boeis need not concent Iks ; but any low estimate of our power or will to perform our engagements must affect very serious)} our position in .South Africa. Filibuster, once successful in Bechuanalaud, \\ ould beyond doubt, say, ' It the Biitish Go\ eminent could be tet rified, first into relaxing its former hold on the Tiansvaa.l, and next into repudiating the protection of the Bechuanas, why should they not bo amenable to the i disserting of unprovoked violence, and be induced to withdraw fiom the diamond field-* in the Cape Colony ''• ' A considerable suction of advanced politicians in England <ne in the habit of saying • ' J'eiish British South Afiiea ! wliat intcicsts have we in it exeeept as a tioublesoine appendage to to the Cape peninsula ? Let us turn that into a Gibraltar, and leave colonists and natives of all nationalities to fight out the battle for supremacy among tliemseh es, and trust to our new doctrine of sun ival of the fittest.' Let us count the cost of this mode of cutting the Gordian knot. At present in oidmaiy times, with our command of the ocean and our so\ ci eignty oxer the Cape Colony and Natal, to hold the Cape requires one regiment at Capetown, and a ptopoition of aitilleiy, in Natal and clswhere. In time of war we might always rely on a, large foiee of colonial Volunteers to supplement any rcinfoi cements we might have to send. B it to convert the Cape peninsula into a Gibraltir, with a hostile or neutral continent behind it, would lequire, in pe tee as well ao m time of war, two or three times the cjanisou winch would be needed to hold Gibi altar. The Cape is not, as of old, the only or piincipal key to all our India or China tiade, but is a gieat satcguaid for moie thin half that trade, and \eiy essential to our best alternative toute, should the .Sue/ Canal ever be threatened or stopped up. It is essential also to the pi otection of all the Atlantic Ocean ttade, to Austi.ilin and South Amciica, which thew existed when the possession of the Cape was the great object of Colonial contest between Great Britain and the confederated naval Powers of Continental Europe. Out commercial rivals are well aware that no single blow could be inflicted which would injure our shipowners and our seaborne commerce so much as the loss of the Cape, and any repudiation of our engagements to the Bechuanas tiibe would bring us perilously near the necessity for mci easing the g>iriisonand fortifications of the Cape Peninsula, till they cost us moie than the present cliaige for Gibialtar, and infinitely more than the whole piesenfc cost of South Afuca. There is. then, no economy, present or prospective, in repudiating our engagements to the Bechuanas."

A New Rkaoino or "Hold tiii; Fort." — According to an English exchange a copy of Moody and Pankey's volume of hymns lately reached one of the Turkish Post offices in Armenia to the address of an Atneucan missionary. Of late the Impeiial resti ictions on the importation of foicign liteiatuic, as well as on the printing-press, have become more stiingent than ever, so, as a matter of course, Moody and Sankey must pass under the eagle eye of Bukhsheesh EfFendi, the C!o\ ci norUencral's factotum, ■who knows a few words of English. "Dogs," he exclaimed, as he turned over the leaves. "Hold the Fort! What fort ! Treachery, as I live ! May Satan seize them !" They were patriotic songs for the use of the Armenians, those hymns, and the musical notation proved it ; and that particular song, "Hold the Fort," must have reference to an intended insurrection. So " Hold the Fort" was cut out by order of Bukhsheesh, and the expurgated volume sent to its destination. Lifk ix tiikßitsh— Then and Now. — It is generally supposed that m the bush \\c ha\e to put up with many dis< omlotls and pmalions in the shape of food Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to T. B. Hill, who has himself dwelt in the bush, if food docs consist chiefly of tinned moats his Cor os'iai. Sai tii gi\cs to them a most delectable fl.i\our, making thorn as well as the plainest food most er.jovib'c, and instead of hard biscuits and indigestible damper his Improvfd Coioviai Raking Powdir nvikes the very best bread, scones, cakes, and pastiy far superior and more wholesome than Kast or len\en. Sold by all storekeepers who can obtain it from any merchant in Auckland. You will do well to furnish your house from Garlick and Cranwell'h. They have now the most complete Furnishing Warehouse in Auckland, furnituic to suit all classes, good strong, and cheap. They have Tapestry Carpets from 2s 3d per yard, Brussels from 3< 3ld per ■yard. Linoleum from 3s 9d to ss, Oil Cloths from Is Od to 4s 6d per yard, good 12 feet wide Oil Cloths at 3s Gd per yaid. Immense assortment of Iron Bedsteads from Infants' Cots to s' feet wide half-tester Bedsteads. Double iron Beds teads from 255. 480 Bedsteads in itock to select from. Beddings of all kinds and sizes kept in readings. . pining, Sitting, Drawing-room Furniture, and and alarge assortment of Manchester and Furnishing Good*, including 1 , a lot of Cretonnes? Book Catalogubs u sent free to intfivftmg' pqfcKiWer*.' ? GaVlicfc and Cranwell,, C»ty Ha)! Arcngp^ewi'Ftrcot;, Auckland; t •