o
over, and then we come to the border of this province, and of British
Bechuanaland. Farther north, we get to that ill-defined sphere, called
the sphere of influence, that extended the power of Britain in South
Africa, as far as the Zambesi.... Now that we have our railway up to
Kimberley, we have the British South African Company to take it in hand,
and the object of the Government is to see that we have an extension
line into these territories which will, in time to come, be recognised
as portions of the Cape Colony. Gentlemen, I and my colleagues have come
to the conclusion, that we cannot better advance the best interests of
South Africa than by joining hand-in-hand to advance British interests
westward of the Transvaal State, and right up to the Zambesi. Well,
then, that being so, I may say, that the first object of the Company,
in order to carry on their operations to the best purpose, is to
construct a railway from Kimberley to Vryburg. The section from
Kimberley to Warrenton has, of course, first to be undertaken, and from
there on to Vryburg, as the second section. The Company are in
possession of the requisite funds to carry out this great work; and
there is no reason why it should not be accomplished before many month's
are over. The Government of this country (Cape Colony) have come to the
conclusion that it is desirable that this work should be carried out,
and an arrangement has been made between the Government of this country
and Mr. Rhodes as representing the British South African Company,
whereby a railway starting from Kimberley up to Vryburg will be
constructed by the British South African Company. Certain conditions
have been entered into between the Company and the Government of this
Colony, under which the Government of the Colony will have the right to
take over the railway at any time they think proper, on certain
conditions to be entered into by one side or the other. This railway
extension is to be immediately proceeded with. You may take it as a
moral certainty that you will be able to travel by railway up to
Warrenton, some time in the course of next year. The Government have
come to the conclusion that it is in the interests of South Africa that
this work shall be carried on; that, in short, it would be highly
injudicious to place any obstacles in the way of an undertaking which is
calculated to have so beneficial an effect on the prospects of this part
of Her Majesty's Empire." This Speech,