d that for the simple
reason that it establishes two facts, each of which is essential to
the complete understanding of the situation in the Cape Colony as it
developed immediately after the Raid. First, that all through the
years of the Rhodes-Hofmeyr alliance the Bond remained at heart true
to the aim which it had at first openly avowed--the aim of
establishing a united South Africa under its own flag. And second,
that Rhodes was equally staunch in maintaining his ideal of a united
South Africa under the British flag. The incident which exhibits both
these facts in the clearest light is the refusal by Rhodes of the
overtures made to him by Borckenhagen. At the time when these
overtures were made Rhodes was Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, the
Chartered Company had been successfully launched, and the alliance
between himself and Hofmeyr was in full operation. The occasion which
led to them was the opening of the railway at Bloemfontein in 1890--a
railway constructed by the Cape Government under a friendly
arrangement with the Free State. And it was one, therefore, which
afforded a conspicuous example of the value of the Bond influence as a
means of securing progress in the direction of South African unity.
The story was told by Rhodes himself in a speech which he made in the
Cape Colony on March 12th, 1898.

[Sidenote: Rhodes and Borckenhagen.]

"I remember," he said, "that we had a great meeting at
Bloemfontein, and in the usual course I had to make a speech. I
think I was your Prime Minister. And this speech pleased many
there, and especially--and I speak of him with the greatest
respect--a gentleman who is dead, Mr. Borckenhagen. He came to me
and asked me to dictate to him the whole of my speech. I said, 'I
never wrote a speech, and I don't know what I said; but I will
tell you what I know about it.' He wrote it down, and afterwards
came to Capetown with me.... He spoke very nicely to me about my
speech. 'Mr. Rhodes, we want a united South Africa.' And I said,
'So do I; I am with you entirely. We must have a united South
Africa.' He said, 'There is nothing in the way.' And I said, 'No;
there is nothing in the way. Well,' I said, 'we are one.' 'Yes,'
he said, 'and I will tell you: we will take you as our leader,'
he said. 'There is only one small thing, and that is, we must, of
course, be independent to the rest of the world.' I said