134 A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



country will be in the hands of the colonists from whom 

 he trekked, the British whom he not unnaturally 

 dislikes, and the Hollander, who in his heart he 

 distrusts and hates. 



The present inhabitants of Pretoria, ignoring the few 

 Boers for the reasons just given, are Colonials that is, 

 descendants of colonists who have settled near the Cape 

 or at Natal and even Australians, the Briton, the 

 Hollander, the German, and Jews of various nationalities. 

 Some of the largest stores belong to old British Colonists, 

 who have come up to the Transvaal and now form a 

 nucleus of the most reliable residents in the state. 

 Many of these men are wealthy, their property is 

 inseparably connected with the Transvaal, and having a 

 large stake in the country, they do all they can to 

 preserve its integrity, to develop its resources, and to 

 improve the social condition of the towns in which they 

 live. In the earlier days, before the influx of the 

 mining migrants, their trade was principally carried on 

 with Boers ; and though they now do a larger trade with 

 the different nationalities who have made the Transvaal 

 their home, they have not forgotten their earlier and 

 still constant customers, and are true in their allegiance 

 to the Republic. Fortunately some of these merchants 

 do also a large Kafir trade, and the aborigines thus 

 procure advocates whose interest it is to see that they 

 are neither driven from the country nor prevented from 

 earning a just wage, some of which must find its way to 

 the store. Though undoubtedly large quantities of 

 alcohol do pass from their hands and through their 

 agents to the native races, to the utter demoralization 

 and physical deterioration of the Kafir, who cannot drink 

 in moderation when liquor is to be procured, the injury 

 thus done is somewhat compensated by the interest 

 these traders bestow in seeing that the Kafirs are not 

 unduly oppressed by some native Commissioners, whose 

 policy can only be improved by the utmost publicity that 

 can be given to it. The British South- African Colonist 

 is still destined to play a large part in the fortunes of 

 the Transvaal. He is the merchant of to-day, and will 



