Shall we Surrender Swaziland ? 93 



ground and a line opening on to the coast. They 

 aver, with what amount of truth I Ivnow not, that 

 Swaziland has been more than once promised to 

 them by persons holding official positions under 

 the British Crown. The main cause and object of 

 the recent threatened " trek " into Mashonaland 

 was to put 23ressure upon the High Commissioner 

 in this matter of Swaziland. " If you will redeem 

 your pi'omise of giving us Swaziland we will drop 

 the trek." Such was always the Boer thouoht, 

 and such was often the Boer expression from 

 President Kruger downwards. Two circumstances 

 undoubtedly militate in favour of the cession of 

 this territory to the Boers. In the hrst place the 

 British Commissioner, Sir Francis de Winton, 

 sent out specially by the British Government to 

 inquire into and report upon the condition of 

 things in Swaziland, recommended the cession of 

 the territory to the Boers. In the second place 

 the present arrangement, namely, a joint Govern- 

 ment of the country l)y British and Dutch Com- 

 missioners, is unsatisfactory to all parties con- 

 cerned, cannot be regarded as a permanent one, 

 and could very easily be made unworkable l)y 

 the Boers themselves. 



In spite, however, of these considerations, in view 

 of the utter misgovernment of the Transvaal, of the 

 insolent denial by the Boers of all political and even 

 municipal rights to persons residing in the Trans- 

 vaal, other than of Dutch birth, strongly imjDressed 

 ^v^ith the knowledge of the vicious and cruel senti- 

 ments which the Boers entertain toAvards the nati\'e 



