Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 2 (1919).djvu/145

1881] The War of Independence. 129 were disposed to accept. The arrangement regarding the Batlapin and Barolong tribes alone took up a great deal of time. Earl Kimberley felt bound in honour to maintain the independence of Mankoroane and especially of Montsiwa, who had given protection to a number of refugees during the war, and the triumvirate pointed out that the consequence could only be constant war with other Betshuana. On this point Earl Kimberley was firm, and the triumvirate could only submit.

So time passed away in debate until at last on the 3rd of August 1881 a document termed the convention of Pretoria was signed. It contained thirty-three articles, providing for the self-government, under certain conditions, of the European inhabitants of a territory whose boundaries were defined, and which, though it embraced land far beyond the Keate award line, was much smaller in extent than the old republic. It was to be under the suzerainty of her Majesty the queen of England, who was to have the right of appointing a resident, of moving troops through the country in time of war, and of controlling all the external relations of the state. The resident, besides other duties, was to guard the interests of the Bantu inhabitants, and no legislation affecting these people was to be in force until approved of by her Majesty's government. The Transvaal state was made liable for the debt of the old republic, amounting to £155,667, for the expense incurred by the British government in carrying on the civil administration from 1877 to 1881, amounting to £127,000, and for certain sums which would be advanced to meet legal claims for compensation, that were afterwards found to amount to £143,225. The government, under these and other less important conditions, was to be transferred to the triumvirate on the 8th of August 1881, and the convention was to be ratified by a duly elected volksraad within three months after that date, otherwise it was to be null and void.

It is impossible to see in what respect a state created by such a convention could be regarded as more independent