Sir Garnet Wolseley, though a good General, lacks, we fear,
tact as a Governor. In his speech at Pretoria, which has greatly irritated the Boers, he told them that it was impossible to grant them representative government, for 2,000 men were camping on the High Veldt and talking treason ; and that no Government in England, Whig, or Tory, or Radical, " would dare to give back the country." The Ministry in England would always maintain a considerable body of troops in the province, and would assist it " not only in a political, but in a monetary point of view." He also intimated that the Transvaal would remain British for ever. We hope it will, believing that the Boers need more enlightened leadership on native questions, and that they are taking an unfair advantage of a security obtained for them by British exertions ; but all this forcing the hand of the Govern- ment is most imprudent. The pledge of self-government to the Boers has not been discussed in Parliament, and the newspapers which go out by this mail will show Sir Garnet that there is hesitation on the Transvaal question among the strongest supporters of the Ministry. Even the Times is ready to throw them over. The ultimate decision will be, we believe, for retention ; but there will be, and must be, some compromise as to self-government, which will be hampered by Sir Garnet's vehemence. If, moreover, he is going to try Mr. Erasmus for encouraging Secocoeni—as appears from the news of his arrest—he should not publicly threaten before trial to hang him whenever caught. The Boer may deserve it as much as the Governor thinks he does, but injustice of that sort "'demoralises the guillotine."
