e to
maintain an intercourse on the basis of sincere amity, desirous only of
reciprocity, which indeed could be expected in willing return, seeing
that England took upon her own shoulders to provide for the protection
and welfare of the entire area of South Africa by sea and land, whilst
both Republics freely participated in all the great benefits so derived.
These considerations should substantially disprove the wicked aspersion
lately made that British policy aimed at the subversion of republican
autonomy in those two States. All that Great Britain needed and
confidently expected in return for her goodwill was friendly adhesion,
and a willing recognition of her paramountcy in matters affecting the
common weal of South Africa as a whole, and also such reciprocity and
mutual concern in the welfare of all as consistently comport with common
interests. How fell and malignant the "influence" which operated a
treacherous ingratitude and hostility instead!

TRANSVAAL HISTORY--SUZERAINTY

The references made to the history of the Transvaal so far reach up to
the rehabilitation of its independence and the convention of 1881. Some
of the conditions of that treaty, especially the subordinate position
imposed by the suzerainty clause, were found to be repugnant to the
burghers. Delegates were therefore commissioned to proceed to England in
order to get the treaty so altered as to place the State into the status
provided by the Sand River convention, which conceded absolute
independence. Mr. Jorrison, a violent anti-English Hollander, was the
chief adviser of the members of that delegation.

To that the English Ministry could not assent, but sought to meet the
wishes of the people by agreeing to certain modifications of the
convention of 1881. This was effected with the treaty of 1884. The
delegates had specially urged the renunciation of the suzerainty claim,
but that claim appears not to have been abandoned, to judge from the
absence of such mention in the novated treaty. Had its renunciation been
agreed to, as has been since averred, it is quite certain that the
delegates would not have been content without the mention in most
distinct terms of that, to them, so important point. It may therefore be
assumed as a fact that the negotiations did not result in an active
suspension of the relations as set forth in the convention of 1881, and
that the Transvaal continued in a status of subordinacy to England, but
only with