AFRICA, SOUTHERN, COLONIES IN. 



powers, and not against any who could prove that 

 they had gone into the rebel ranks under com- 

 pulsion. The procedure of the commissions was 

 to cite all who had delivered up their arms or who 

 were denounced as rebels and pronounce them 

 disqualified from voting or holding office for five 

 years unless they appeared in court and proved 

 their innocence. The Attorney-General was em- 

 powered to indict before the special court after 

 preliminary investigation by the military author- 

 ities, without requiring that preparatory examina- 

 tions should be taken in the usual manner; but if 

 satisfied that the investigation was insufficient he 

 could direct a supplementary investigation. The 

 court could impose any penalty that a judge of 

 the Supreme Court was entitled to impose for 

 high treason. Its object was the trial and punish- 

 ment only of those rebels who had been ringleaders 

 in instigating rebellion or who were sufficiently 

 influential in their districts to have seriously en- 

 couraged rebellion by their example. Martial law 

 had already been suspended in three districts when 

 Mr. Merriman offered a resolution for its general 

 repeal on the ground that its continuance after 

 the termination of armed resistance and the re- 

 opening of the civil courts was contrary to the 

 inherent rights of British subjects. He described 

 the rule of martial law in Cape Colony as a reign 

 of terror, and said that the districts which had 

 been occupied by the enemy were now overrun by 

 informers who from political motives were anxious 

 to proscribe the entire Dutch population. When 

 the resolution was toned down by an amendment 

 into a form which Mr. Schreiner and his followers 

 felt constrained to approve, calling for the repeal 

 of martial law in districts where armed resistance 

 had ceased or where it was not indispensable for 

 the success of the imperial forces, Sir Gordon 

 Sprigg, while declaring that the Government 

 could not accept the amendment any more than 

 the original resolution, said that it would not 

 consider a defeat on the amendment as in any 

 way implying that it had not got the confidence 

 of the house. Its adoption, therefore, did not 

 upset the ministry, which carried through the 

 treason bill after a long debate. Dr. Jameson 

 sat in the Assembly as a member for Kimberley, 

 and Gen. Brabant, whose cavalry had done more 

 than the British troops to turn back the tide of 

 rebellion, was there to defend the actions of his 

 partisan troopers. Cape Colony raised altogether 

 24,000 volunteers to fight on the British side, more 

 than all the other colonies combined. The act 

 to punish rebels, compensate loyalists, and ratify 

 martial law was the only legislative measure of 

 the session. Mr. Schreiner explained that his 

 ministry had not demanded amnesty, as that was 

 the prerogative of the Crown, and that the Im- 

 perial Government had modified its first proposals 

 at the suggestion of the ministers. He offered 

 an amendment, which was carried, enabling the 

 Governor to proclaim an amnesty at any time 

 within five years if it were sanctioned by the 

 Crown and by the Cape Parliament. The rebels 

 themselves were generally willing to accept dis- 

 franchisement when it saved them from going to 

 prison, but the Bond politicians asserted that it 

 would make of South Africa a second Ireland 

 instead of a Canada; that the disfranchisement 

 of 10,000 citizens would perpetuate racial feeling 

 and the animosities of the war. 



Basutoland. The Basutos, whose country lies 

 between Cape Colony, the eastern part of the 

 Orange Free State, and Natal, are governed by 

 a Resident Commissioner, Sir G. Y. Lagden, under 

 the direction of the High Commissioner for South 

 Africa. The area is 10,293 square miles, with an 



estimated population of 250,000. The natives raise 

 sheep, horses, and cattle and grow mealies, wheat, 

 and Kaffir corn. The imports in 1898 were 100,- 

 280 in value, and exports 138,500. The revenue, 

 raised by a hut tax of 10s., the sale of licenses, 

 and a contribution from the Cape Government of 

 18,000, amounted in 1899 to 46,847; expend- 

 iture, 46,417. 



Bechuanaland Protectorate. The Bamang- 

 wato under Chief Khama, the Bakhatla under 

 Lenchwe, the Bangwaketse under Bathoen, the 

 Bakwena under Sebele, and the Bamaliti under 

 Ikaneng have been governed since 1895 by a 

 Resident Commissioner, Major H. J. Goold Adams. 

 The area of the protectorate is 213,000 square 

 miles, with a population estimated at 200,000. 



Natal. The colony of Natal has had a modi- 

 fied form of responsible government since 1893. 

 The Legislative Assembly contains 39 members, 

 including 1 from Zululand, elected under a prop- 

 erty qualification for four years. The Legislative 

 Council contains 12 members, including 1 from 

 Zululand, appointed by the Governor for ten years. 

 The Governor at the beginning of 1900 was Sir 

 Walter Francis Hely-Hutchinson. The ministry, 

 constituted on June 9, 1899, contained the follow- 

 ing members: Premier and Minister of Lands and 

 Works, Lieut.-Col. A. H. Hime; Attorney-General 

 and Minister of Education, H. Bale; Secretary for 

 Native Affairs, F. R. Moor; Colonial Secretary, 

 C. J. Smythe; Treasurer, W. Arbuckle; Minister 

 of Agriculture, H. D. Winter. Money bills must 

 be first introduced in the Assembly, and may be 

 rejected but not amended by the Council; but, 

 unless recommended by the Governor, no money 

 bill can become law during the session in which 

 it is passed. The assent of the Governor is re- 

 quired to all legislation, and under certain con- 

 ditions this may be revoked within two years. 



Area and Population. The area of the col- 

 ony, including that part of Zululand that has 

 been annexed, is estimated to be 35,019 square 

 miles. In a total population of 902,365 there are 

 only 60,000 whites, in part the descendants of the 

 early Boer settlers, but mainly of British origin 

 or extraction. Labor is performed by natives and 

 by imported Indian coolies. 



Finances. The revenue for the year ending 

 June 30, 1898, was 1,964,315; expenditure, 

 1,812,318. The chief items of revenue were 

 1,000,323 from railroads, 383,813 from customs, 

 21,893 from excise duties. 39,094 from sales of 

 land, 25,625 from telegraphs, 32,428 from 

 stamps and licenses, and 129,596 from the native 

 hut tax. The chief items of expenditure were 

 538,356 for railroads, 92,947 for public works, 

 and 61,054 for defense, besides 607,464 from 

 loans. The public debt on June 30, 1898, amounted 

 to 8,019,143. 



Commerce and Production. The chief culti- 

 vated commercial crop is sugar, of which 581,533 

 hundredweight were produced in 1898. Tea is also 

 grown for export, the crop in 1898 amounting to 

 1,037,500 pounds. Europeans had 157.370 acres 

 under cultivation in 1898, natives 360,232 acres, 

 and Indians 24,725 acres. Europeans owned 

 155,456 cattle, 98,510 goats, 543,619 sheep, and 

 32,771 horses; natives possessed 122,077 cattle, 

 351,528 goats, 56,403 sheep, and 24,611 horses. 

 The coal raised in 1898 amounted to 387,811 tons. 

 The total value of imports in 1898 was 5,- 

 323,216, about 70 per cent, coming from Great 

 Britain. The value of exports was 1.246,000, of 

 which 68 per cent, went to Great Britain. Of 

 imports, clothing amounted to 368,072 ; haber- 

 dashery, 492,818; flour and grain, 368,101; 

 iron manufactures, 539,046; leather manufac- 



