Mr. Rylands on Friday week brought forward a motion re-
gretting the annexation of the Transvaal, and trusting the Government would not maintain it. His speech was a feeble one, as he wholly ignored. the native question, and rested his case on the assertion that the late Government had in- creased the responsibilities of the country, and had unjustly terminated Boer independence. He was completely answered by Sir John Lubbock, who, in a most instructive speech, showed that while the natives in the Transvaal were 800,000, the Europeans were only 8,000 males, of whom only 6,000 were Dutch, while the territory was equal to half France; that the Boer regime had only produced anarchy ; that they had established slavery, in direct broach of Treaty, and in a most cruel form; and that they had at first acquiesced in annexation. Sir T. Shepstone invaded the country with only twenty-five men. Mr. Gladstone followed, with a reasonable speech, iu which he deprecated the annexation, but maintained that to undo it without subduing resistance would do great mischief to all South Africa, for which we are responsible. He refused to " penetrate into the future," and give distinct pledges, but inti- mated quite clearly that when the Boers had laid. down their arms, the Government were perfectly willing to compromise with them, on any terms satisfactory to them, to the natives, and to the English settlers. It will come, it is pretty evident, to a Reserved. Territory for the Boers, who do not want a whole planet to grow produce in.
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