Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/262

201 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. Accordingly a British Commissioner, attended by a handful of armed men, made his appearance in 1877 at Pretoria, capital of the state, and issued a proclamation suppressing the republic, and formally annexing Trunsvaal to the colonial posses- sions of Great liritain. To such a desperate condition had the Boers been reduced at this critical juncture, that no opposition was offered to this summary proceeding, which was in fact approved of not only by the English residents, but even by many of the Dutch republicans themselves. At this time it seemed the <mly means of saving the country from total ruin, although when the danger of a native rising was over protests began to be uttered against the foreign domination. The discontent continued to increase, and came to a head when some inju- dicious measures were taken by the administrator tending to make English the offtcial language in the courts and schools, A deputation was sent to London with instructions to demand the maintenance of the local usages, administrative auto- nomy, the right of continuing the official use of the Dutch language, and some other provisions which seemed scarcely compatible with the established order. Anyhow, the deputation was coldly received, and the whole Boer nation felt aggrieved and insulted at the supercilious conduct of the British authorities. They began to prepare to assert their rights by force of arms, probably not with much hope of success against the inexhaustible resources of Great Britain, but in the expecta- tion that the struggle might ut least secure for them the respect and consideratioi of the conquerors. But to the surprise of everybody, and even of themselves, they triumphed over the British troops in three successive slight encounters, in the last of which, at Majuba Hill, they certainly showed themselves worthy descendants of the brave trekker who had Faced so many dangers and fought against such overwhelming odds in their endeavours to secure political freedom in their new homes beyond the Vaal, The war now threatened to assume formidable propor- tions, and possibly to change the whole of South Africa into a battlefield, when the GoveriK)r of Capo Colony received from the Gladstonian Ministry a memorable despatch, such as has seldom been recorded in the annals of international strife, to the effect that the Boers had been wronged, and that peace was to be concluded without further bloodslied. Despite the superiority of their forces, which were preparing lo ci'ush all resistance, the English generals were fain to withdraw without being afforded an opportunity of removing the sting of defeat, and the Transvaal Kepublic resumed its political autonomy, now cemented by the terrible ordeal through which it had passed. Elated by the satisfaction given to their national sentiment, the Boors, although accepting the nominal suzerainty of Great Britain, have become far stronger than they were before the war, and any renewed attempt on the part of England to deprive them of their freedom would undoubt- edly be attended by dangerous consequences, Thk Transvaal Boers. The Boers of the Transvaal, being farther removed from the centres of culture than their kindred of the Orange Free State, are also less polished. They are even