The Last Boer War

H. RIDER HAGGARD

THE LAST BOER

WAR

Москва, 2018

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H. Rider Haggard

The Last Boer War / H. R. Haggard. – М. : T8RUGRAM / Original, 2018. – 268 с.

ISBN 978-5-521-06637-7

Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer, largely of adventure fiction, but also of non-fiction. The eighth child of a Norfolk barrister and squire, through family connections he gained employment with Sir Henry Bulwer during the latter’s service as lieutenant-governor of Natal, South Africa. Haggard travelled to southern Africa in 1875 and remained in the country for six years, during which time he served as Master of the High Court of the Transvaal and an adjutant of the Pretoria Horse. Rider Haggard’s time in Africa proved inspirational for him, and while still in Natal he wrote two articles for The Gentleman’s Magazine describing his experiences.

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CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CHAPTER I.

ITS INHABITANTS, LAWS, AND CUSTOMS. . . . . . . . . 28

Invasion by Mosilikatze – Arrival of the emigrant Boers – Establishment of the South African Republic – The Sand River Convention – Growth of the territory of the republic – The native tribes surrounding it – Capabilities of the country – Its climate – Its inhabitants – The Boers – Their peculiarities and mode of life – Their abhorrence of settled government and payment of taxes – The Dutch patriotic party – Form of government previous to the annexation – Courts of law – The commando system – Revenue arrangements – Native races in the Transvaal

CHAPTER II.

EVENTS PRECEDING THE ANNEXATION.. . . . . . . . . . 49

Mr. Burgers elected president – His character and aspirations – His pension from the English Government – His visit to England – The railway loan – Relations of the republic with native tribes – The pass laws – Its quarrel with Cetywayo – Confiscation of

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native territory in the Keate Award – Treaty with the Swazi king – The Secocœni war – Capture of Johannes’ stronghold by the Swazi allies – Attack on Secocœni’s mountain – Defeat and dispersion of the Boers – Elation of the natives – Von Schlickmann’s volunteers – Cruelties perpetrated – Abel Erasmus – Treatment of natives by Boers – Public meeting at Potchefstroom in 1868 – The slavery question – Some evidence on the subject – Pecuniary position of the Transvaal prior to the annexation – Internal troubles – Divisions amongst the Boers – Hopeless condition of the country

CHAPTER III.

THE ANNEXATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

and ability – His progress to Pretoria, and reception there – Feelings excited by the arrival of the mission – The annexation not a foregone conclusion – Charge brought against Sir T. Shepstone of having called up the Zulu army to sweep the Transvaal – Its complete falsehood – Cetywayo’s message to Sir T. Shepstone – Evidence on the matter summed up – General desire of the natives for English rule – Habitual disregard of their interests – Assembly of the Volksraad – Rejection of Lord Carnarvon’s Confederation Bill and of President Burgers’ new constitution – President Burgers’ speeches to the Raad – His posthumous statement – Communication to the Raad of Sir T. Shepstone’s intention to annex the country – Despatch of Commission to in-

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quire into the alleged peace with Secocœni – Its fraudulent character discovered – Progress of affairs in the Transvaal – Paul Kruger and his party – Restlessness of natives – Arrangements for the annexation – The annexation proclamation

CHAPTER IV.

THE TRANSVAAL UNDER BRITISH RULE.. . . . . . . . . 112

Reception of the annexation – Major Clarke and the Volunteers – Effect of the annexation on credit and commerce – Hoisting of the Union Jack – Ratification of the annexation by Parliament – Messrs. Kruger and Jorissen’s mission to England – Agitation against the annexation in the Cape Colony – Sir T. Shepstone’s tour – Causes of the growth of discontent among the Boers – Return of Messrs. Jorissen and Kruger – The Government dispenses with their services – Despatch of a second deputation to England – Outbreak of war with Secocœni – Major Clarke, R. A. – The Gunn of Gunn plot – Mission of Captain Paterson and Mr. Sergeaunt to Matabeleland – Its melancholy termination – The Isandhlwana disaster – Departure of Sir T. Shepstone for England – Another Boer meeting – The Pretoria Horse – Advance of the Boers on Pretoria – Arrival of Sir B. Frere at Pretoria and dispersion of the Boers – Arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley – His proclamation – The Secocœni expedition – Proceedings of the Boers – Mr. Pretorius – Mr. Gladstone’s Mid-Lo- thian speeches, their effect – Sir G. Wolseley’s speech at Pretoria, its good results – Influx of Englishmen and cessation of agitation – Financial position of the coun-

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try after three years of British rule – Letter of the Boer leaders to Mr. Courtney

CHAPTER V.

THE BOER REBELLION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Accession of Mr. Gladstone to power – His letters to the Boer leader and the loyals – His refusal to rescind the annexation – The Boers encouraged by prominent members of the Radical party – The Bezeidenhout incident – Despatch of troops to Potchefstroom – Mass meeting of the 8th December 1880 – Appointment of the Triumvirate and declaration of the republic – Despatch of Boer proclamation to Sir O. Lanyon – His reply – Outbreak of hostilities at Potchefstroom – Defence of the court-house by Major Clarke – The massacre of the detachment of the 94th under Colonel Anstruther – Dr. Ward – The Boer rejoicings – The Transvaal placed under martial law – Abandonment of their homes by the people of Pretoria – Sir Owen Lanyon’s admirable defence organisation – Second proclamation issued by the Boers – Its complete falsehood – Life at Pretoria during the siege – Murders of natives by the Boers – Loyal conduct of the native chiefs – Difficulty of preventing them from attacking the Boers – Occupation of Lang’s Nek by the Boers – Sir George Colley’s departure to Newcastle – The condition of that town – The attack on Lang’s Nek – Its desperate nature – Effect of victory on the Boers – The battle at the Ingogo – Our defeat – Sufferings of the wounded – Major Essex – Advance of the Boers into Natal – Constant alarms – Expected attack on Newcastle – Its unorganised and indefensible condition – Arrival of the reinforcements and retreat of

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the Boers to the Nek – Despatch of General Wood to bring up more reinforcements – Majuba Hill – Our disaster, and death of Sir George Colley – Cause of our defeat – A Boer version of the disaster – Sir George Colley’s tactics

CHAPTER VI.

THE RETROCESSION OF THE TRANSVAAL. . . . . . . . 182

The Queen’s Speech – President Brand and Lord Kimberley – Sir Henry de Villiers – Sir George Colley’s plan – Paul Kruger’s offer – Sir George Colley’s remonstrance – Complimentary telegrams – Effect of Majuba on the Boers and English Government – Collapse of the Government – Reasons of the surrender – Professional sentimentalists – The Transvaal Independence Committee – Conclusion of the armistice – The preliminary peace – Reception of the news in Natal – Newcastle after the declaration of peace – Exodus of the loyal inhabitants of the Transvaal – The value of property in Pretoria – The Transvaal officials dismissed – The Royal Commission – Mode of trial of persons accused of atrocities – Decision of the Commission and its results – The severance of territory question – Arguments pro and con – Opinion of Sir E. Wood – Humility of the Commissioners and its cause – Their decision on the Keate Award question – The Montsioa difficulty – The compensation and financial clauses of the report of the Commission – The duties of the British Resident – Sir E. Wood’s dissent from the report of the Commission – Signing of the Convention – Burial of the Union Jack – The native side of the question – Interview between the Commis-

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

It has been suggested that at this juncture some students of South African history might be glad to read an account of the Boer Rebellion of 1881, its causes and results. Accordingly, in the following pages are reprinted portions of a book which I wrote so long ago as 1882. It may be objected that such matter must be stale, but I venture to urge, on the contrary, that to this very fact it owes whatever value it may possess. This history was written at the time by one who took an active part in the sad and stirring events which it records, immediately after the issue of those events had driven him home to England. Of the original handful of individuals who were concerned in the annexation of the Transvaal by Sir Theophilus Shepstone in 1877, of whom I was one, not many now survive. When they have gone, any further accurate report made from an intimate personal knowledge of the incidents attendant on that act will be an impossibility; indeed it is already impossible, since after the lapse of twenty years men can scarcely trust to their memories for the details of intricate political occurrences, even should they be prompted to attempt their record. It is for this reason, when the melancholy results which its pages foretell have overtaken us, that I venture to lay them again before the

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public, so that any who are interested in the matter may read and find in the tale of 1881 the true causes of the war of 1899.

I have written “which its pages foretell.” Here are one or two passages taken from them almost at hazard that may be thought to justify the words:

“It seems to me, however, to be a question worthy of the consideration of those who at present direct the destinies of the Empire, whether it would not be wise, as they have gone so far, to go a little farther, and favour a scheme for the total abandonment of South Africa, retaining only Table Bay. If they do not, it is now quite within the bounds of possibility that they may one day have to face a fresh Transvaal rebellion, only on a ten times larger scale, and might find it difficult to retain even Table Bay.”

And again: “The curtain, so far as this country is concerned, is down for the moment on the South African stage; when it rises again, there is but too much reason to fear that it will reveal a state of confusion which, unless it is more wisely and consistently dealt with in the future than it has been in the past, may develop into chaos.”

One more quotation. In speaking of the various problems of South Africa, I find that I said that “unless they are treated with more honest intelligence, and on a more settled plan than it has hitherto been thought necessary to apply to them, the British taxpayer will find that he has by no means heard the last of that country and its wars.”

Perhaps in a year from the present date the British taxpayer will be in a position to admit the value of this prophecy.

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