cent."

On the 19th July, 1872, a very large meeting of diggers was held at the
Market Square, New Rush, when the following resolution, among others,
was unanimously passed:--

"As this meeting is of opinion that, with a view to the prevailing
disturbances in this camp, the Commissioners ought at once, with the
Diggers' Committee, to make such amendments in the existing
unsatisfactory state of the law as will as far as possible prevent the
thefts of diamonds by native labourers, and their purchase by
unprincipled dealers, and will also make such alterations in the law so
as to promote the general welfare."

In the Cape Parliament, commencing the 5th June, 1872, Mr. Merriman
said:--

"The Fields ... were annexed and a form of government was introduced
there which could not be more ludicrous. A sort of irresponsible
Commission (the Rovers junta) was established, in which the members
could not agree, and were not responsible to anybody; he could imagine
nothing more ridiculous or which worked worse. The Orange Free State had
given the people a sort of representation, but the first act of our
Government was to abolish all the Commissions, and the result was that
the people were burdened with an irresponsible body.

"The Orange Free State had appointed a responsible official ... who was
efficient ... while we had established a court twenty miles away from
the most populated part; whereby grinding expenses had been entailed on
those who sought justice, just as if it was the only object of the
British Government to pile up heavy law costs."

Mr. Knight said: "One of the chief reasons why he was against Annexation
was that nine-tenths of the population on the fields would hold up
their hands to get rid of the present Government because they felt that
they were far better off before they were annexed."

Mr. Buchanan declared: "He himself, when he visited the Diamond Fields,
had wandered from camp to camp, and from the one sorting table to the
other, and had talked with the diggers in order to acquaint himself as
to their feelings about various matters, and he had obtained the
conviction that there was a great deal of feeling against the British
Government."

In the subsequent debate in the Cape Parliament Mr. J.H. Brown said, in
regard to Mr. Orpen's motion: "That the diggers look with the greatest
contempt on the Government which was there now, and that this Government
was quite as much hated as it deserved to be."--(