he past, gave valid
instances of their distrust of the present policy, pointed to the
breaches of the Convention of 1884, and the manifest disregard of them
by the Colonial Secretary, described at large the conditions under which
they lived, and demanded to know if the manner in which the charter of
their liberties was treated was at all compatible with what they had a
right to expect under the express stipulations of the Convention.
"Why," said they, "between Boer arrogance and British indifference,
every condition of that Power of Attorney granted to Paul Kruger has
been disregarded by the Boer, and neglected by the British." They then
proceeded to dilate upon Boer oppression, Boer corruption, the cant and
hypocrisy of President Kruger, the bakshish-begging Raad, the
bribe-taking Ministry, the specious way in which promises were made,
and, when their trust was won, the heartless way in which these same
promises were broken. From these eloquent themes they proceeded to
detail their worries from taxation, high wages, extortionate freight
charges, the exactions levied upon every necessity of their industry,
the exorbitant price for coal, and imposts on food designed expressly to
pamper the burgher at the expense of the miner. Then in a more
melancholy tone they discussed the mistakes of their friends--Jameson's
tactless raid--the poverty of the country, the decline of business in
the city, the exodus of the Australians, and the prospects of a deficit
in the Treasury, etc., etc.

CONTACT BRINGS CONVICTION.

I wish that I could have taken down verbatim all that was said to me,
for the spokesmen were of undoubted ability, fluent in speech, and full
of facts, not a tithe of which I can remember. As I fear I cannot do
justice to what was urged with such vehemence and detail, you must be
content with the broad sense of their remarks only. These men have
stories to say which should be said to shorthand writers. I have read
many books and articles on South African politics, but I was never so
interested or convinced as when these men told their stories straight
from the heart.

JOHANNESBURG EARLY LAST MONTH.

I then turned an inquiring attention to the Johannesburg newspapers, and
from a heap of them obtained their opinions on the gloom prevailing in
the "Golden City." There were columns of allusions to the general
distress, of the unemployed becoming numerous, of tradespeople unable to
find custom. Clergymen had be