istration was necessarily autocratic in
form, and became autocratic in spirit also. He was described to me by
some who knew him as stiff in mind and arrogant in temper, incapable of
making allowances for the homely manners of the Boers and of adapting
himself to the social equality which prevailed among them. A trifling
cause aggravated their dislike. His complexion was swarthy, and they
suspected that this might be due to some tinge of negro blood. He
refused to listen to their complaints, levied taxes strictly, causing
even the beloved ox-waggon to be seized when money was not forthcoming,
and soon turned their smouldering discontent into active disaffection.

Finally, the British government removed the two native dangers which the
Boers had feared. In 1879 Sir Bartle Frere's war with Cetewayo destroyed
the Zulu power, the dread of which might have induced the Boers to
resign themselves to British supremacy, and an expedition under Sir
Garnet Wolseley reduced Sikukuni's strongholds and established peace in
the north-east. It was probably necessary to deal with Sikukuni, though
the British government seems to have forgotten its former doubts as to
the right of the Boers to the territory of that chief; but in
extinguishing the Zulu kingdom the High Commissioner overlooked the fact
that he was also extinguishing the strongest motive which the
republicans had for remaining British subjects. The British government
were doubly unfortunate. It was the annexation of the Transvaal in 1877
that had alarmed Cetewayo and helped to precipitate the war of 1879. It
was now the overthrow of Cetewayo, their formidable enemy, that helped
to precipitate a revolt of the Boers.

At this time, however, everybody in British South Africa, and nearly
everybody in England, supposed the annexation to be irrevocable. Leading
members of the parliamentary Opposition had condemned it. But when that
Opposition, victorious in the general election of 1880, took office in
April of that year, the officials in South Africa, whose guidance they
sought, made light of Boer discontent, and declared that it would be
impossible now to undo what had been done in 1877. Thus misled, the new
Cabinet refused to reverse the annexation, saying by the mouth of the
Under Secretary for the Colonies, "_Fieri non debuit, factum valet_."
This decision of the British government, which came as a surprise upon
the recalcitrant republicans in the Transvaal, precipitated an out