in order to secure money with which to purchase wives. In view of all things connected with his situation he took this opening as being of the Lord, and so, in January, 1897, he left Natal for Johannesburg.

Before giving an account of Mr. Agnew's work among the natives assembled in the compounds at Johannesburg a sketch of the history of the Transvaal, or of the South African Republic, will be in place, with a brief description of the gold fields, and also of the compounds within which most of his labors there were carried on. The sketch which follows was copied by Mr. Agnew, from the "Guide to South Africa," before the breaking out of war with Great Britain, and · is here given with only such slight modifications as later changes in the country have made necessary:

"Early in the present century Matshobane, chief of the Amendebel (later corrupted into Matabili), a tribe living in the northwest of what is now known as Zululand, voluntarily entered the confederation of warriors organized by Dingiswayo, chief of the Ababetwa, and commanded at the time by his successor, Chaka. His son, Umziligazi, or Mosilikatz, became a favorite of Chaka and a leader of a large part of the Zulu army; but, failing to obey orders, he was condemned to death

Rather than submit to

in 1817, together with all his men. the punishment the whole band ffed into what is now Bechuanaland and the Transvaal.

"Here they at once commenced to exterminate the inhabitants, an operation in which they seem to have been quite successful.

"The Boers first came into collision with the Matabili in the Orange Free State, but finally drove them north of the Vaal, which they crossed themselves in 1836. Several detached parties of whites were massacred, until, in January, 1837, one hundred and seven Dutchmen and one hundred and five natives, headed by Potgieter, Maritz and Peter Davids, signally defeated the Matabili, who, a few months later, were sought out and attacked by Dingaan, the successor of Chaka. The Zulus were repulsed, but the Matabili, in order to avoid further onslaught, took refuge in flight beyond the Limpopo river.

"It was some time before the Boers adopted a system of government, and it was not until 1852 that their independence was recognized by Great Britain. The population was too scattered and resources were too small to allow of the existence of any very stable authority, the country being divided into three republics, which were not finally united under one government until 1860.

"On April 12, 1877, the country was annexed to Great Britain by Sir Theophilus Shepstone, an informal promise of home rule being made. Allusion to the nomadic spirit of the Boers has already been made, and one can hardly be surprised at their discontent being very deep. Two deputations visited England successively, but the foreign office utterly failed to recognize the gravity of the situation, or even to view the matter fairly. Sir Garnet Wolseley, when he was in the country, publicly declared that so long as the sun shone' the Transvaal would remain under the British flag-and, to the appeal for political freedom made by the Boer delegates, Mr. Gladstone returned a decided 'No.'

"War broke out on December 13, 1880. The English population, which, depending on the promises of the government, had flocked into the country, were beleaguered in the different towns, and a small force under Colonel Anstruther was

almost annihilated at Bronkhorst Spruit. General Sir George Colley, then governor of Natal and commander-in-chief of the forces, marched to the relief of the beleaguered towns with a small army of 1,000 men. His progress was arrested by a Boer commando under Joubert, and, in attempting to force the passage of Laing's Neck on the 28th of January, 1881, Colley was driven back to his camp on Mount Prospect with heavy loss. On the 7th of February another crushing reverse was experienced on the Ingogo heights.

"After a fortnight's delay, during which reinforcements arrived, Colley, with six hundred men, executed that amazing night ascent of Majuba Hill. His position was attacked at dawn on the 27th of February by a small party of Boers, and nearly half the British force, which ran short of ammunition, were killed or wounded in the panic which ensued. Colley, whatever his capabilities as a general may have been, met his death like a soldier, whilst endeavoring to bring his men to the charge. Only one of the Boers was killed, their loss in the three engagements barely exceeding a dozen men. We can well understand that their 'predikant' in his thanksgiving sermon should take for his text, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.'

"This action practically closed the war, and the reinforcements which arrived were never used. Peace was concluded as soon as possible, and the government of the South African Republic was again formally recognized.

"Within three years the presence of rich gold reefs in the country was proved beyond doubt. Foreigners commenced to pour in, large cities were built, and the revenue increased in an almost fabulous manner. The increase in revenue, however, soon became a great political factor, for the foreign element, who paid the greater part of the taxes and who had no voice in the expenditure or in the administration of affairs, not unreasonably imagined that they ought to be given some sort of control over a matter in which they were directly concerned. The citizens, however, who had created a republic in an unknown desert, who had fought with the colored population for their homesteads, and who had maintained their freedom against what they believed to be the whole

might of England, were with justice indisposed to grant the franchise to a host of newcomers of every nationality, of whom few thought of permanently remaining in the country.

"In 1892 the Transvaal National Union was formed for the purpose of watching the interests of the 'Uitlanders.' In 1894 a law was passed curtailing the rights of public meeting, and in 1896 other laws gave the government control of the press, the right of expulsion of aliens without trial, and the right to prevent aliens from entering the country. The last law being adjudged contrary to the convention with Great Britain, was repealed on May 12, 1897, and the expulsion law was to be modified.

"On December 25, 1895, the Johannesburg Reform Committee issued a manifesto, which was to have been discussed by the government at a meeting to take place on January 6. Unfortunately for the well being of South Africa, a force of about five hundred and thirty men, led by Dr. Jameson, who, up to the day he crossed the frontier, was administrator of Rhodesia, started on December 29 from near Mafeking for Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Boers hurried to meet them, and after a march of over ninety hours, during which they covered some one hundred and sixty miles, and a series of skirmishes lasting some twenty-four hours, Dr. Jameson and his followers were forced to surrender near Krugersdorp on January 2, 1896.

"After the surrender of Dr. Jameson's force Johannesburg was left at the mercy of the Boers. Disputes regarding the flag round which they were to rally had caused dissensions in the Reform Committee as early as December 15. Under the advice of Lord Rosemead, who came to Pretoria, the commit. tee now gave orders to lay down arms. Four of them pleaded guilty to high treason and the remainder to lèse majestè, but all were at length released on payment of various fines and on making certain apologies and declarations. On the representations of Lord Rosemead, and after Johannesburg had given up its arms, Dr. Jameson and his men were delivered over to the British government. Several of the officers were condemned to various terms of imprisonment,