ceiving
the support of the Bond and the Dutch party generally, was known to be
also a strong Imperialist, eager to extend the range of British power
over the continent. At the same time, the attachment of the colonial
Dutch to the Transvaal cooled down under the unfriendly policy of that
Republic, whose government imposed heavy import duties on their
food-stuffs, and denied to their youth the opportunities of obtaining
posts in the public service of the Republic, preferring to fetch
Dutch-speaking men from Holland, when it could have had plenty of
capable people from the Cape who spoke the tongue and knew the ways of
the country. Thus the embers of Dutch and English antagonism seemed to
be growing cold when they were suddenly fanned again into a flame by the
fresh Transvaal troubles of December, 1895, which caused the resignation
of Mr. Rhodes, and the severance from him of his Dutch supporters. Too
little time has elapsed since those events to make it possible to
predict how parties may reshape themselves, nor is it any part of my
plan to deal with current politics. In 1897 feeling still ran high, but
it had not destroyed the previously friendly social relations of the
races, and there was then reason to hope that within a few months or
years mutual confidence would be restored.

So far as I could ascertain, both local government and central
government are in the two Colonies, as well as in the Orange Free State,
pure and honest. The judiciary is above all suspicion, and includes
several distinguished men. The civil service is managed on English
principles, there being no elective offices; and nothing resembling what
is called the "caucus system" seems to have grown up. There are in the
Cape Legislature some few members supposed to be "low-toned" and open to
influence by the prospect of material gain, but, though I heard of
occasional jobbing, I heard of little or nothing amounting to
corruption. Elections were said to be free from bribery, but as they had
seldom excited keen interest, this point of superiority to most
countries need not be ascribed to moral causes.

Reviewing the course of Cape politics during the thirty years of
responsible government, that course appears smooth when compared with
the parallel current of events in the Australian Colonies. There have
been few constitutional crises, and no exciting struggles over purely
domestic issues. This is due not merely to the absence of certain causes
of strif