had nobly retrieved his reputation by the decisive victory of Ginghilova and the overwhelming defeat of the Zulu king at Ulundi.22 Cetewayo's power was now completely broken, and he himself soon afterwards captured." was then dethroned, and his kingdom broken up into thirteen separate sections. He Two other native kings 24 had to be suppressed before peace was restored to our African possessions. Hardly had this been done, when the worst consequence of our hasty annexation of the Transvaal showed itself. Having been freed by British arms from their most dangerous foes, they declared that they had never consented to the union with Britain. They accordingly rose in rebellion, and re-proclaimed their republic. These Boers are coarse but very brave men, accustomed from childhood to the rough life of herdsmen and hunters. Accordingly, they are almost to a man skilled marksmen, and in the wild country which they know so well are most formidable foes. Thus they defeated with great slaughter the British troops under General Colley at Majuba Hill.25 When the sad news reached England, General Roberts, the victor of Candahar, was sent out with reinforcements and to take command. However, to the disappointment of our exasperated soldiers and of many people at home, peace was made before he had the opportunity of striking a blow at the enemy. Our Government virtually acknowledged that they had been misled in regard to the annexation of the Transvaal, and the Boers regained their independence. Since that time, to complete the reversal of our former policy, the Zulu king has been restored to a portion of his former power. From beginning to end the disturbances in South Africa are the most unfortunate of the Prince foreign troubles that have disturbed Britain since the Crimean war. One sad occurrence may be mentioned here as typical of the whole series of blunders. Louis Napoleon, the only son of the fallen Napoleon III., joined our army during the Zulu war as a volunteer. He went out to make a reconnaissance with a few men; the party were, while resting, surprised by the Zulus; the rest escaped, but the unfortunate Prince was unable to remount his horse,27 and was killed, fighting to the last with his face to the foe. 1. This passes over the renewal of the Chinese war, which was closed by the Treaty of Pekin in 1860. 2. The pioneers of the expedition landed in the beginning of October 1867. 3. Sulky passion, either because the Queen had not answered according to his liking a letter which his sable majesty had sent to her, or because the British Consul, Mr. 26 Cameron, had visited some provinces 16. Boers (pronounced 'boors"), the name for the 4. So great were the difficulties of transport 5. They had to carry all their supplies of food, &c., with them. The cannon were carried on the backs of elephants. 6. Magdala, a fortress built on the summit of a steep hill in the very heart of the mountains to the south of Abyssinia. 7. The fortress was stormed on the 12th April 1868. 17. people of Transvaal. It is a Dutch word meaning 'farmers,' and is from the same root as the last syllable of our word 'neigh-bour,' i.e., nearest farmers. Zululand, directly north of Natal. 18. Tugela River, the boundary between Natal 19. Kraal, the Dutch name for a native village, 20. 8. The Ashantee war began in 1873. Coomassie 21. Rorke's Drift, across the Buffalo River, a was captured in 1874. tributary of the Tugela. The victory was gained on the 4th of July, Cetewayo was captured on the 28th of 9. Sir Garnet Wolseley. This distinguished 22. Ulundi, in the very centre of Zululand. officer had previously taken charge of an expedition to the Red River Settlement in British America. He has since conducted 23. to a successful termination the Egyptian war, and been elevated to the peerage. 10. The Gold Coast. A British dependency to the north of the Gulf of Guinea. Its capital is Cape Coast Castle. 24. Two other native kings. Secocoeni, who was Garnet Wolseley; and Moirosi, who was killed at the storming of his kraal. Majuba Hill, near the point where Natal and Transvaal meet. 11. Ashantee. A negro kingdom, directly north of the Gold Coast, adjoining the larger state of Dahomey. The king's naine was Koffee Calcalli. 25. 12. The Fantees. 13. Jungle. The trees were interlaced with dense thickets of prickly shrubs. 27. Some strap connected with the saddle gave way, and he could not mount in time. WARS IN DEFENCE OF INDIA. HE Afghan War.-In 1878 this country was involved in a war with a much more formidable enemy than either the savage tyrant of Ashantee or the half-civilised king of Abyssinia. Our foes on this occasion were the brave mountaineers of Afghanistan ; and the object of our government was to render our influence in that country safe from the encroachments of Russia, and to form what was called a 'scientific frontier' for the protection of our Indian Empire from attack on the north-west. Russia had just emerged in triumph from its war with Turkey, and the renown of its victories had penetrated into every bazaar1 in Asia. Accordingly, when it became known that a Russian embassy had been received at Cabul,2 our Indian Government thought they had just ground for alarm. The memory of the horrors of the Indian Mutiny may have made them dread the effect of such a disturbing influence upon the excitable Eastern imagination. An English mission was therefore sent to Afghanistan; but, upon reaching the fortress at the head of the narrow pass3 which leads across the mountains from Northern India to that country, the embassy was stopped, and informed that the Ameer, Sheer Ali, refused to receive them and ordered them to be turned back. 4 5 To avenge this insult, and effect the other aims mentioned above, a British army entered Afghanistan in three columns, and successfully forced its way across the difficult mountain-passes, defeating the foe in several engagements. The Ameer fled either along with or after the withdrawing Russian embassy; and not receiving the enthusiastic welcome and military help he had expected, died of a broken heart six weeks later. 6 His son and successor, Yakub Khan, afterwards signed the treaty of Gandamak, agreeing in all his dealings with other powers to be guided by British advice, and to receive at Cabul an English Resident. Little more than two months had passed, however, when the English Residency was attacked by some of the Ameer's soldiers; and, after a brave defence, the ambassador and his escort were cruelly butchered. A single native Indian soldier alone escaped to carry to the English camp the tidings of the treacherous slaughter. Immediately the English army was led by the gallant General Roberts to the work of vengeance. Within little more than five weeks after the destruction of the British Mission, he had defeated the Afghans in several sharp battles, and entered Cabul in triumph. The ringleaders in the massacre were at once put to death; and the Ameer, who was glad to resign his crown, was sent a prisoner to India. The victorious army spent the winter in a fortified camp near Cabul, and in the summer of 1880,8 Abdurrahman Khan was selected by the native chiefs as their ruler. Hardly had this been done, however, when tidings came from the south that a small British army, under General Burrows, had been cut to pieces at Maiwand by the troops of Ayub Khan, a disappointed rival of the new Ameer. This disaster led to the most brilliant achievement of the war. Setting out from Cabul with a body of picked troops, General Roberts made one of the most striking marches in the annals of our Indian warfare; and in three weeks had led his troops in perfect order and security over the three hundred and fifty miles of difficult and hostile country between the capital and Candahar. His enthusiastic and unwearied soldiers were ready to attack the enemy on the very next day, and their bold but skilful commander reaped the fruit |