Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/40

20 amicable settlement should be effected, one difficulty would be removed. The plan of a conference in Natal, however, was soon abandoned.

On the 20th of June Mr. Froude, who had been nominated by Lord Carnarvon to represent Great Britain, arrived in Capetown from England. He had visited South Africa once before—21 September 1874 to 10 January 1875—and had made a tour to the principal towns, gathering information on the country and its people. He announced himself as a private gentleman unconnected with government, and was everywhere well received as a distinguished visitor. To the residents in the Free State he had made himself particularly agreeable by praising their institutions in his speeches at public meetings and commending their love of independence. He could not fail to be impressed with the harsh treatment the Free State had sustained, and as he freely expressed his opinion that a great wrong had been done, the Dutch-speaking people throughout the country together with the moderate English residents—those who placed a higher value upon Great Britain's strict adherence to treaty obligations than upon territorial expansion however alluring—regarded him with much favour. When he arrived the second time he came as a confidential agent of Lord Carnarvon, expecting to take part in a conference, and anxious to carry into effect the wishes of that minister in regard to the union of the colonies and the republics. No abler person could have been selected for the purpose, if it had been practicable.

He found that the colony would not take part in a conference, and that consequently without the member of the proposed confederation that would have to bear the greater part of the burden of defence of the whole, any union of the others would be a farce. He therefore set to work to create such a strong opinion in favour of the measure as would compel the ministry either to change their attitude or to give place to others more tractable.