The State Which
They Were In Arms To Defend Had Really Ceased To Exist, For Already
It Had Been Publicly
Proclaimed at Bloemfontein in the Queen's name
that the country had been annexed to the Empire, and that its style
Henceforth was that of 'The Orange River Colony.' Those who think
this measure unduly harsh must remember that every mile of land
which the Freestaters had conquered in the early part of the war
had been solemnly annexed by them. At the same time, those
Englishmen who knew the history of this State, which had once been
the model of all that a State should be, were saddened by the
thought that it should have deliberately committed suicide for the
sake of one of the most corrupt governments which have ever been
known. Had the Transvaal been governed as the Orange Free State
was, such an event as the second Boer war could never have
occurred.
Lord Roberts's tremendous march was now drawing to a close. On May
28th the troops advanced twenty miles, and passed Klip River
without fighting. It was observed with surprise that the
Transvaalers were very much more careful of their own property than
they had been of that of their allies, and that the railway was not
damaged at all by the retreating forces. The country had become
more populous, and far away upon the low curves of the hills were
seen high chimneys and gaunt iron pumps which struck the north of
England soldier with a pang of homesickness.
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