RHODES 



5001 



RHODESIA 



against repeated attacks till 1522, when they 

 were compelled to abandon the island to the 

 Turks. In Turkish hands it has since re- 

 mained; its glory has departed and the island 

 shows few signs of its former grandeur. The 

 modern capital is Kastro. See SEVEN WON- 

 DERS OF THE WORLD. 



RHODES, CECIL JOHN (1853-1902), a British 

 colonial statesman and empire builder, during 

 his lifetime the most eminent representative of 

 England in South Africa. He was born at 

 Bishop Stortford, in Hertfordshire, studied in 

 the grammar 

 school there, and 

 in 1870, instead 

 of entering col- 

 lege, was sent by 

 his family to 

 Natal, South 

 Africa, because of 

 ill health. In the 

 next year he 

 made his way to 



Kimbcrlov, where 

 , CECIL RHODES 



diamonds had South A r rlc an empire build- 

 been discovered, er, and founder of the Rhodes 

 and within the Scholarships, 

 space of two years had made an independent 

 fortune. 



His health restored, he determined to have 

 the university education which earlier he had 

 been compelled to forego, and from 1876 to 

 1881 spent half of each year at Oxford, where 

 he graduated in 1881. Meanwhile, he did not 

 neglect his business pursuits, but succeeded in 

 combining into the De Beers Consolidated 

 Mines most of the companies operating in 

 Kimberley. 



In 1881 he was elected to the Cape assembly. 

 His purpose was already formed to advance 

 British imperial authority in South Africa and 

 he at once set himself to its accomplishment. 

 Bechuanaland was annexed to the British posses- 

 sions in 1884 through his efforts, and four years 

 later valuable concessions were gained from the 

 Matabeles, who practically surrendered to Eng- 

 land the territory known as Rhodesia. Of tin- 

 latter the British South Africa Company was 

 put in charge, and Rhodes was the dominant 

 influence in the company. 



As premier of Cape Colony, an office to 

 he had been chosen in 1890, Rhodes planned 

 and promoted the Cape-to-Cairo Ra.lway, did 

 t>est to bring about local self-government, 

 and crushed a serious rising among the Mata- 

 beles. At first he labored to establish friendly 



relations between the Dutch and English colo- 

 nies, but later, when il seemed that English ex- 

 pansion must be at the expense of the Dutch, 

 he did not hesitate to interfere in the politics 

 of the Transvaal, and thus was in a large 

 measure responsible for the Jameson Raid of 

 1895. He resigned his position as a result of 

 that unfortunate incident, and withdrew to 

 Rhodesia, where his influence was still para- 

 mount. In a second outbreak among the 

 'Matabeles he again proved his courage and his 

 knowledge of men. When the South African 

 War broke out Rhodes was at Kimberley, and 

 he assisted in the defense of the city. 



He died before peace was restored, and was 

 buried on his estate in the Matopo Hills. Ten 

 years after his death a monument was dedi- 

 cated to him on Table Mountain, six miles 

 from Cape Town. As important as any fea- 

 ture of Rhodes' life work was his will, by 

 which he left his fortune to the public sen-ice. 

 Most important of his bequests was that to 

 Oriel College, Oxford, for scholarships. Rhodes 

 takes rank with other renowned builders of 

 empire whom Great Britain honors; and while 

 certain of his acts have been severely criticized, 

 it seems from his will that the steadfast pur- 

 pose toward which his whole life was directed 

 was the spread of empire, not merely for Eng- 

 land's sake but because to him this seemed one 

 of the greatest possible agencies for the good 

 of the world. A.MC c. 



Consult Hensman's Life of Cecil Rhodes, and 

 Cecil Rhodes: His Political Life and Speeches, 

 by "Vindex." 



Related Subject*. The following articles in 

 these volumes will give additional Information 

 and make clear the references in the above dis- 

 cussion : 



Cape-to-Calro Railway Rhodes Scholarships 

 Jameson, Leander Starr South African War 

 Matabele Transvaal 



Rhodesia Union of South Africa 



RHODESIA, an inland protectorate of the 

 British Empire in South Africa, extending from 

 the Transvaal on the south to Belgian Congo 

 on the north. The Zambezi River divides it 

 into two sections, Northern Rhodesia and 

 Southern Rhodesia, both of which are under 

 the administration of the British South Africa 

 Company. Northern Rhodesia has an area of 

 about 200,000 square miles, Southern Rhodesia 

 of 148,575 square miles. The name was derived 

 from that of Great Britain's "empire builder" 

 Ccc 1 Rhodes. 



Northern Rhodesia. This region is chiefly an 

 elevated plateau, sparsely covered with trees. 



