§ EARL CADOGANasked Her Majesty's Government, Whether the memorial contained in Blue Book [C.—2695] South Africa, stated to have been addressed by the Boers to Mr. Gladstone, was ever received by the Prime Minister; whether it was signed, and, if so, by whom; whether any answer was returned to it by the Prime Minister, and, if so, whether there was any objection to laying on the Table of the House such answer and any further corre- 754 spondence on the subject? The noble Earl said he should be able in a very few words to explain the character of the Memorial. It was sent by Sir Bartle Frere to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the 8th of March, 1880, and was received on the 31st of March, before the late Government left Office. The document sent was only a copy of the Memorial which was proposed to be addressed to the right hon. Gentleman, and it was stated in one of the newspaper criticisms inclosed in the despatch that the Memorial was still lying for signature. It contained this language—
To the Right Honourable William Ewart Gladstone, M.P., &c.—We, the undersigned, who venture to address you, are men of European extraction living in the Cape Colony, and, with few exceptions, belong to the class generally known by the name of 'Dutch Boers.' Living scattered over great stretches of country, far removed from the busy centres of population and civilization, and occupied with the care of our flocks and herds, we have but a scant opportunity of becoming acquainted with the names and deeds of the great men of the British Empire. But yet, from time to time, the name of William Ewart Gladstone has reached even our isolated South African farms. We heard of him as one of those famed statesmen and orators across the water who, by the power of their genius, exercise so marked an influence on the destinies of their country. We heard of his magnificent eloquence, of his splendid services rendered in the cause of human liberty without distinction of race or creed, and of his undeviating loyalty of conscience, not only as a private Member of Parliament, but in that most difficult of all positions, a political Party Leader and a Cabinet Minister. We were told how he carried the first rays of hope into the hearts of a cruelly oppressed Italian people, how he had aided the cause of the poverty-stricken Irish peasant, and how he had made the whole of England ring with his indignant denunciations of the nameless atrocities perpetrated by a barbarous soldiery on a Christian population in the Turkish Empire. Sharing the feelings of a common humanity, we could not learn of these, your services in the cause of liberty, without feeling some responsive chord touched within us. And yet we would have hardly thought of addressing you, if we had not heard of late how the wrongs of even some few thousands of Dutch Boers—as many thousands of miles away—had called forth your sympathy and a decided expression of your disapproval and condemnation of the treatment to which they have been subjected.The Memorial gave their views of the annexation of the Transvaal—views which, he confessed, so far as he was able to judge them, might be described as erroneous. It referred to the speech uttered at Edinburgh by the right hon. Gentleman and another on the 70th, 755 anniversary of his birthday; and, having stated that they felt they would not appeal to him in vain, concluded by hoping that he might be spared for many years. When he read that Memorial—a copy of which was forwarded to them at the Colonial Office—he imagined that the original would have been forwarded to the right hon. Gentleman, and duly acknowledged. In the meantime, however, a change of Government took place, and the right hon. Gentleman became Prime Minister of England. Five months after the receipt of this Memorial he found it presented to Parliament, and in September last it found its place in a Blue Book circulated among Members of both Houses of Parliament. He could hardly believe that if it had not reached the Prime Minister duly signed and authenticated it would have found a place in a Blue Book of the character to which he alluded. It was quite evident that in discussions which might take place, and which must take place on the subject of the annexation of the Transvaal, they should have to be guided in the opinions they formed of the policy of the late and the present Government by the expressions which might from time to time be received of the opinions of the inhabitants of the Transvaal themselves. He could not but think, therefore, it would be unwise and prejudicial to the interests of the country that ex parte statements, such as those contained in this Memorial, should find their way into official Papers and Blue Books intended for the instruction of their Lordships' House, without anything being said as to whether they were duly signed, by whom they were signed, whether they were received by the person to whom they were addressed, and, if so, whether any answer had been returned, he had omitted to mention that in the same despatch which inclosed this Momorial were numerous criticisms upon it sent by Sir Bartle Frero. Here was one—Our readers will find in our Dutch columns the text of an address to Mr. Gladstone to be signed by the people of the Cape Colony' in behalf of our Transvaal brethren, The idea was first started by The Patriot and supported by The Zuid Afrikaan; and seeing that the address makes a fair statement of the case of the Transvaal, without containing- anything calculated to make a wrong impression in England about the sentiments of the Colonists as regards the manner in which Native affairs have of late been conducted, we 756 cordially recommend our readers to sign it as readily as, in former days, they signed Memorials to Her Majesty the Queen in favour of the repeal of the annexation. We should rather like the present Imperial Ministry to rescind the annexation than to have the matter left to a Liberal Cabinet; but Mr. Gladstone may prove a most useful ally to the Capo Africanders."— Het Volksblad, February 28, 1880.Here was a criticism which showed that a different view had been taken—Cape Town, Saturday, March 6, 1880.—Ministerial.—It was a happy thought to address to Mr. Gladstone that composition in choice English with which Dutch Boers, living scattered over great stretches of country, far removed from the busy centres of population and civilization, and occupied with the care of nocks and herds,' propose to enlist the sympathies of the English Opposition in behalf of the restoration to the inhabitants of the Transvaal of their so-called independence. Mr. Gladstone, when he undertakes a cause, undertakes it with all his might. He is as 'thorough' as the hapless Wentworth.…The Transvaal annexation may provide him with another article of impeachment, and although the surrender of the territory might be found to involve some sacrifice of Liberal principle, any stick will serve to boat a dog; and so the promoters of this remarkable document may have good hope of securing the great man's countenance. That it is a remarkable document no candid person who has taken the trouble to read it through will deny. It is remarkable, considering its asserted origin, in its literaryaspect. Seldom are scattered Boers occupied in simple pastoral pursuits found to possess such mastery of the English language as the Memorial exhibits. It may be answered that the original document was composed in the vernacular Dutch of the rural districts. But even thus the literary achievement would be no less remarkable. For the Colonists who use the vernacular Dutch are not generally credited with the copiousness of thought exhibited in the Memorial, or with the fervid interest it displays in the career of English statesmen. They are a homely people, and, like English folks of the same class, limited in their range of ideas. Travellers who visit them at their homesteads find them kindly, inquisitive, and loquacious; but their talk is of oxen and kindred subjects. They are not apt to discuss the characteristics of famed statesmen and orators across the water, the power of their genius, their influence on the destinies of nations, their magnificent eloquence, their splendid services rendered to the cause of human liberty. It is truly a remarkable document in its now revelation of the breadth and depth of inquiry and reflection, hitherto unsuspected, in the class of Dutch Boers living scattered over great stretches of country, and far removed from the busy centres of population and civilization. Remarkable also is it in some of its representations."—cape Time's.The main result, however, was that this Memorial had been presented to Parliament. It was forwarded in the month of March, and presented to Parliament in 757 September. He might add that another Memorial, written in May, and addressed to Mr. Gladstone, was duly answered by him in a letter of which they all approved, and was published and given to their Lordships' House in August. He did not understand why the other Memorial was detained a month later. It was to be hoped that the noble Earl (the Earl of Kimberley), or some other Member of Her Majesty's Government, would kindly inform the House whether any Correspondence had ensued upon this Memorial. He trusted to hear that the right hon. Gentleman received it, and either committed it to the waste-paper basket, or, perhaps, laid it on one side with the intention of making use of it at some time or other when the occasion should arise.
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYI have communicated with my right hon. Friend Mr. Gladstone, and he says that, so far as he can remember, during the hurry of the Election, this address did not reach him, and that also, so far as he can remember, he did not send any answer to it. The reason that it appears in the Blue Book is that it was sent as an in closure in a despatch from Sir Bartle Frere; and as it was necessary to present that despatch, of course, the in closure was published with it. My noble Friend is anxious to know what value should be attached to it. He is as able to judge of that as I am. The document was received during the time that he was in Office, and when the information of the Colonial Office was at his complete disposal. It was transmitted by Sir Bartle Frere; and I apprehend that it is a document which expresses the opinion of a certain number of persons in South Africa. I am really quite unable to give my noble Friend any further information on the subject.
§ EARL CADOGANI hope the noble Earl will clearly understand that the point I wish to put is this—that when it was received by us it was the copy of a document which had been addressed to the right hon. Gentleman. When the right hon. Gentleman became Prime Minister, and my noble Friend opposite became Secretary of State, they were able to ascertain the importance to be attached to it.
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYI was not able to form any opinion of its importance. The importance to be attached 758 to it is exactly that which may be ascertained by any person who reads it. It was a document prepared for the purpose of being sent home to Mr. Gladstone, and I do not attach any importance to it further than Sir Bartle Frere did. He has considered it as of sufficient importance to transmit it to this country; and Sir Bartle Frere having so regarded the document, I considered that his despatch being laid before Parliament this ought to be laid before Parliament with it.