[Sidenote:  The London Convention.]

The suzerainty was above all an absurdity which was not possible to reconcile with practical efficacy.  So with the approval of the British Government a Deputation went to London in 1883, in order to get the status of the Republic altered, and to substitute a new Convention for that of Pretoria.  The Deputation proposed to return to the position as laid down by the Sand River Convention, and that was in fact the only upright and statesmanlike arrangement possible.  But according to the evidence of one of the witnesses on the British side, the Rev. D.P.  Faure, the Ministry suffered from a very unwholesome dread of Parliament; so it would not agree to this, and submitted a counter proposal (see Appendix A.), which eventually was accepted by the Deputation, and the conditions of which are to-day of the greatest importance to us.

This Draft was constructed out of the Pretoria Convention with such alterations as were designed to make it acceptable to the Deputation.  The preamble under which complete self-government, subject to the suzerainty, was granted to the Republic was deliberately erased by Lord Derby, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, so that the suzerainty naturally lapsed when the Draft was eventually accepted.  In order to make it perfectly clear that the status of the Republic was put upon another basis, the title “Transvaal State” was altered to that of the “South African Republic.”  All articles in the Pretoria Convention which gave the British Government any authority in the internal affairs of this Republic were done away with.  As far as foreign affairs were concerned, a great and far-reaching change was made.  It was stipulated in Article 2 of the Pretoria Convention that “Her Majesty reserves to herself, her heirs and successors (a), the right from time to time to appoint a British Resident in and for the said State, with such duties and functions as are hereinafter defined; (b), the right to move troops through the said State in time of war or in case of the apprehension of immediate war between the Suzerain Power and any Foreign State or Native tribe in South Africa; and (c) the control of the external relations of the said State, including the conclusion of treaties and the conduct of diplomatic intercourse with Foreign Powers, such intercourse to be carried on through Her Majesty’s diplomatic and consular officers abroad.”

This was superseded by Article 4 of the Convention of London, which was to the following effect:—­

“The South African Republic will conclude no treaty or engagement with any State or Nation other than the Orange Free State, nor with any Native tribe to the eastward or westward of the Republic, until the same has been approved by Her Majesty the Queen.

“Such approval shall be considered to have been granted if Her Majesty’s Government shall not, within six months after receiving a