BECHUANALAND. 



BELGIUM. 



89 



The great chief Khame, who claimed that his 

 territory extended to the Zambesi, offered to 

 cede all his land, except a portion reserved for 

 his people, to the British Government on con- 

 dition that it should be colonized by English 

 settlers. The London authorities concluded 

 not to accept this offer, which came up for 

 consideration after the change of government. 



The agreement made with the chiefs was 

 that in return for the protection of their rights 

 in their remaining lands, they should grant to 

 the British Government 70,000 square miles 

 of land in the most fertile districts, about one 

 half of the entire area of Bechuanaland. They 

 stipulated that this land should be held forever 

 as a Crown domain and settled by Englishmen 

 to the exclusion of the Dutch, and only such 

 persons as are approved by themselves as well 

 as by the British authorities. Sir Charles 

 Warren accepted the gift as affording the 

 means of effecting a permanent settlement and 

 preserving order, without further cost to the 

 Imperial Government. The lands were suffi- 

 cient to provide 7,000 farms of 6,000 acres 

 each. Settling upon these men of English 

 race or in sympathy with English methods of 

 colonization, would render the blacks safe from 

 seizure of all their lands by the Afrikanders, 

 and the promise of protection would be kept. 

 It was proposed to rent the farms at 9 each per 

 annum. The dominant party in the Cape Par- 

 liament, however, objected loudly to a settle- 

 ment that raised invidious distinctions of race 

 and politics and shut out the Afrikanders from 

 the new dependency. In accordance with the 

 request of nearly all the chiefs, Sir Charles 

 Warren recommended the prohibition of the 

 sale of intoxicating liquors. He presented a 

 complete plan for the organization of the new 

 territory. In order to deprive the Cape Gov- 

 ernment and the Dutch of all control or influ- 

 ence in this and the other large sections of South 

 Africa recently brought under the immediate 

 direction of the Crown, he folio wed the sugges- 

 tion of the extreme anti-Dutch faction in South 

 Africa, and their English supporters, in propos- 

 ing that the office of High Commissioner for 

 South Africa should be separated from that of 

 Governor of Cape Colony. The government 

 proposed for Bechuanaland was to consist of a 

 Lieutenant- Governor, under the High Commis- 

 sioner, and a Legislative Council, partly offi- 

 cial and partly elective. South of the Molopo 

 the colonial laws were to be applicable. The 

 budget of receipts was estimated at 63,000, 

 derivable from Cape customs, an imperial con- 

 tribution, a police allowance, the land receipts, 

 the hut-tax, and stamps. The estimated ex- 

 penditures, taken at 62,000, provided for the 

 official establishments, with five magistracies, 

 judicial, legislative, and hospital expenses, po- 

 lice, telegraphs, and interest on a loan for pub- 

 lic works. 



Sir Charles Warren's Recall. The Conservative 

 ministers were less inclined than the Liberals 

 had been to embark in the ambitious enter- 



prise urged by Sir Charles Warren, who was 

 himself spoken of by imperialistic enthusiasts 

 for the position of High Commissioner for all 

 South Africa outside of Cape Colony and !Na- 

 tal. The scheme of Crown administration 

 would consume at least 100,000 a month for 

 Bechuanaland alone if a large military force 

 had to be maintained. The divergence be- 

 tween the High and the Special Commissioners 

 continued. The troops were disbanded and 

 replaced by a frontier police. Isothing oc- 

 curred to disturb the peace and security of the 

 country. The land question remained to be 

 settled for Stellaland, and subsequently the 

 claims for farms in the Land of Goshen to 

 be considered. Sir Charles Warren asserted 

 that the Rhodes agreement could not be car- 

 ried out without breaking the pledges given to 

 Montsioa, Moshette, and Mankaroane, because, 

 according to his maps, there were more titles 

 on the register than there were farms in the 

 district. To avoid the precipitation of fresh 

 troubles with the finally tranquillized "filibus- 

 ters," the land question was taken out of the 

 hands of the energetic Special Commissioner 

 and intrusted to a land commission presided 

 over by Judge Shippard, of Cape Town. Be- 

 fore the 1st of September, Sir Charles Warren 

 was recalled, with expressions of praise and 

 satisfaction. 



BELGIUM, a kingdom in western Europe. 

 The legislative power resides in the Chamber 

 of Representatives and the Senate, both elect- 

 ive. The representatives are elected for four, 

 the senators for eight years, one half retiring 

 every two and four years respectively. The 

 tax-paying qualification admits to the franchise 

 only about one thirteenth of the adult male 

 population. The neutrality and inviolability 

 of Belgium are guaranteed by the great pow- 

 ers. The King of the Belgians is Leopold II, 

 born April 9, 1835, who succeeded his father, 

 Leopold I, Dec. 10, 1865. 



The present Council of Ministers, constituted 

 Oct. 26, 1884, is composed as follows: Presi- 

 dent and Minister of Einance, M. Bernaert; 

 Minister of the Interior and of Public Instruc- 

 tion, M. Thonissen ; Minister of War, Gen. 

 Pontus ; Minister of Railways, Posts, and Tele- 

 graphs, M. J. Van den Beereboom ; Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs, Prince de Caraman-Chimay ; 

 Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Public 

 Works, M. Chevalier de Moreau. 



Area and Population. The area of Belgium is 

 11,373 square miles. The estimated population 

 in the beginning of 1883 was 5,655,197, com- 

 prising 2,825,722 males and 2,829,475 females. 

 The average density of population is 497 per 

 square mile. About one half of the population 

 speak Flemish and the other half French, with 

 a small proportion of German-speaking inhab- 

 itants. In the census reports 244,308 persons 

 are returned as employed in mining and metal 

 industries, 236,744 in agriculture, 64,996 in 

 stock-raising, 406,899 in mixed industries, 244,- 

 247 in commerce, 649,156 in the professions 



