Origin of the Anglo-Boer War Revealed | Page 4

shortly afterwards. After many
vicissitudes and nearly twenty years of wanderings, and a nomadic life
attended with untold hardships and dangers, intermittent conflicts with
native tribes, and at times also contests with British forces, they were
eventually permitted, under treaty with England, to settle down and to
constitute the independent Orange Free State and Transvaal Republics.
That was in 1854 and 1852 respectively.
But, until then, progress in the British colonies and peaceful relations
with the several Kaffir nations had at times been sadly impeded by the

aggressive native policy pursued by the Boers after the pattern adopted
from the previous Dutch _régime_, which admitted of slavery, whilst
English law had abolished and forbade that practice as contrary to a
soundly moral method of civilizing natives and inimical to prosperous
and peaceable colonial progress. Broils and wars between Boers and
Kaffirs had been almost incessant, and intervals of peace only proved
their mutually latent hostility. Besides being occasionally engaged in
unavoidable wars with neighbouring tribes themselves, it became
frequently incumbent upon the British military authorities to intervene
in conflicts induced by the Boers, alternately protecting them against
natives and natives against the Boers, and all that at the unnecessary
expenditure of much blood and treasure.
The Boer occupation of Natal was found to be wholly prejudicial to
British interests on aforesaid accounts, and was, besides, contrary to the
express declaration of the Boer emigrants at the time of their exodus
from the Cape Colony, which was that their new settlements should be
located north of the Orange River. Stepping in to the eastward and
claiming part of the littoral constituted a rivalry in conflict with that
understanding, and England therefore considered it within her rights to
expel the Boers from Natal, and to proceed with the colonization there
with British settlers instead. That temporary occupation of Natal had
been fraught to the Boers with most stirring episodes--some of the most
melancholy description, and others representing records of really
unsurpassed heroism, which can but arouse deepest emotions and
admiration in any reader of their history. There was the treacherous
massacre of Retief and Potgeiter and his party by the Zulu king
Dingaan at his military kraal, followed by other wholesale massacres of
men, women, and children at Weenen and other Boer camps in Natal.
Then came the punitive expedition of 450 Boers, armed with flint-locks
only, who utterly defeated Dingaan's most redoubtable impi of 10,000
warriors, and resulted in the complete overthrow of that Zulu monarch.
When that punitive Boer commando was about to start upon its mission
it was solemnly vowed to observe a day of national thanksgiving each
year if Divine aid were vouchsafed to accomplish the object. That
brilliant victory had occurred on the 16th December, 1838, and the day
has ever since been religiously observed as had been vowed. The
celebrations in the Transvaal take place at Paarden-kraal, near

Johannesburg, and some other accessible and central camping grounds,
where the burghers with their families congregate in thousands--a sort
of feast of tabernacles, lasting three days, undeterred by the most
boisterous weather. The declaration of independence fell on that same
date at Paarden-kraal in 1879, and it was also in December of the
succeeding year that the Boers proved victorious over the British troops
in Natal, after which the Transvaal had its independence generously
restored by the Gladstone Ministry (subject to treaty 1881).
On those anniversaries stirring speeches would be made by the elder
leading men, rehearsing the events of the nation's history so as to grave
them upon the minds of the younger, and to revive the thankful
memories of the elder people. It is only in human nature that
unsympathetic feelings against the English would intrude upon the
thanksgivings on those occasions, especially as it continues yet to be
averred that the British authorities had incited the Zulu king Dingaan to
those massacres. Nevertheless, except in instances of implacable
natures, the predominant sentiments at those gatherings were those of
gratitude to the Almighty and good-will towards all men. After the
peace of 1881, it used to be publicly recognised that the English were
entitled thenceforth to a first place in the nation's friendship, and that
the retrocession put a term to all recriminations applying to previous
dates.
The sequel has shown that soon afterwards another spirit was allowed
to intrude to displace those good and just sentiments, and that without
any reason or provocation and despite a persistently loyal and sincere
attitude of friendship and confidence observed towards the Boers by the,
British Government and the English people in South Africa. As
instances may be cited: (1) England's conceding spirit in assenting to a
modification of the convention of 1881 and agreeing to that of 1884; (2)
genial treatment of the colonial Boers on perfect equality with English