THE TRANSVAAL. 175 



the Imperial Government, and the Chartered 

 Company, with the addition of an attempt to 

 delineate the Boer character, and some of his 

 habits, of which, for the most part, the authors of 

 books on South Africa seem to me to entertain 

 very elementary and superficial ideas, merely 

 touching on such obvious facts and appearances 

 as the most secretive, clannish people in the world 

 expose to the view of Philistine travellers and 

 sojourners within their gates. 



It may be taken for granted that the British 

 public is by this time quite sufficiently acquainted 

 with the principles and details influencing the 

 questions at issue between the Uitlanders and the 

 Krugerian Government, and not a little wearied 

 of being spectators of casuistic combats between 

 Paul Kruger and Mr. Chamberlain, which combats 

 are prolonged by the former merely with a view 

 to gain time and concentrate any strength Kruger 

 may acquire as the result of intrigues with any 

 important European Power, or of those which are 

 quietly but unremittingly employed to stir up 

 hostile demonstrations among the rustic Africander 

 population of the Cape Colony. 



Surely the time has come when, if the Convention 



