vourable and unpromising
there came to the Uitlanders one bright ray of sunshine. Dr. Leyds
who had been re-elected State Secretary on the understanding that he
would resign immediately in order to take up the post of
plenipotentiary in Europe, and whom the Boers with a growing
anti-Hollander and pro-Afrikander feeling would no longer tolerate,
relinquished his office. In his stead was appointed Mr. F.W. Reitz
formerly President of the Free State, a kindly, honourable, and
cultured gentleman, whose individual sympathies were naturally and
strongly progressive but who, unfortunately, has not proved himself
to be sufficiently strong to cope with President Kruger or to rise
above division upon race lines in critical times. Shortly afterwards
Mr. Christiaan Joubert, the Minister of Mines, a man totally unfit
from any point of view to hold any office of responsibility or
dignity, was compelled by resolution of the Second Volksraad to hand
in his resignation. His place was filled by a Hollander official in
the Mining Department who commanded and still commands the confidence
and respect of all parties. The elevation of the Acting State
Attorney to the Bench left yet another highly responsible post open
and the Government choice fell upon Mr. J.C. Smuts, an able and
conscientious young barrister, and an earnest worker for reform. An
Afrikander by birth and educated in the Cape Colony, he had taken his
higher degrees with great distinction at Cambridge and had been
called to the English Bar.

But there came at the same time another appointment which was not so
favourably viewed. There was still another vacancy on the Bench, and
it became known that, in accordance with the recommendation expressed
by the Raad that all appointments should whenever possible be first
offered to sons of the soil, _i.e._, born Transvaalers, it was
intended to appoint to this judgeship a young man of twenty-four
years of age lately called to the bar, the son of the Executive
Member Kock already referred to in this volume. The strongest
objection was made to this proposal by all parties, including the
friends of the Government; the most prominent of all objectors were
some of the leading members of the bar who, it was believed, carried
influence and were in sympathy with the Government. A delay took
place and it was at one time believed that President Kruger had
abandoned his intention, but it is understood that pressure was
brought to bear upon the