opinion, and I am justified in all by these eminent men, that it is absolutely impossible to go on with the government of this country much longer under the present system. Either you must introduce responsible government, or your constitution will be gradually undermined and destroyed. If you make no change, the only way the government can be carried on will be by getting the Parliament into due subordination to the Governor. You must get it to be practically a Parliament that can be managed. . . . You will drive out of the Parliament the independent men whom the country ought to have in Parliament. I do not think you can any longer continue to get good men to come down here and waste their time in making laws and regulations for the government of the country, unless they feel certain that the policy they lay down, and the views they advocate, will certainly be carried out by the Executive. . . . The only security we can have is the responsibility of the Ministry.

He said that the Executive Council were placed in a most humiliating position, and he wondered that any men could be found who would consent to take such a position:'I think it must ultimately destroy every bit of patriotic or sound political feeling in them.' It was a clear, lucid, wellarranged, and well-constructed speech, delivered with that clearness and force for which Mr. Molteno was so well known; and it was large in conception, and worthy of the important question with which it dealt. He pointed out that eventually the existing system would lead to a deadlock, and to a direct conflict between the people and the Governor. It was too late in the age, he said, to think of coercion by force, and he referred to what was then passing in Prussia and Austria in the direction of a representation of the people in the Government.

The motion was seconded by Mr. F. S. Watermeyer, and supported by Mr. Solomon, who said that the real ground upon which I advocate responsible government is not that we have so weak a Government, but such a dangerously strong and irresponsible Opposition.... the consequence being that every measure of importance which the Government brings in

is thrown out, and the Parliament itself is unable to bring in anything in its place.'

Mr. Harries, the leader of the Separation party, opposed the resolution on the ground that the time was not ripe; there were too few public men, and the Colony would have to bear the cost of its own defence.

After the debate had lasted three days, it was adjourned. The eastern members made constant motions for adjournment, and delayed the measure as far as the rules of the House would permit, in order to give time for their members to arrive from the east. When they were present in full force, Mr. Harries moved the order for the discharge of the motion, and Mr. Molteno said he would not oppose the order. He felt perfectly certain that the question of responsible government had advanced a considerable step; people understood it better than they did before, and he thought, placed as it had been before the country, it would be discussed, and people would find gradually that they could not much longer do without it. It was not desirable that such a subject should be unduly pressed forward.'

Mr. Molteno, in the manner in which he brought forward responsible government, gave evidence of that use of caution and patience which is characteristic of the truly scientific spirit. He advocated the treatment of the confederation of South Africa on the same lines. Let the people gradually see the advantages and realise the value of a united Colony; in the meantime, do all that is possible to facilitate intercourse, by overcoming the natural obstacles to communication, trusting to time and better knowledge of each other to heal old sores. Sir Bartle Frere and Lord Carnarvon said no, the federation must be accomplished in two years -hinc illa lacrymæ.

The Executive had naturally found Mr. Molteno a very awkward critic of their proceedings, and a dastardly attempt was now made to destroy his influence by suggesting that

he had made an improper claim in regard to the boundaries of his land at Nelspoort. A statement was made by the Treasurer-General in the preceding session in connection with the Land Boundaries Act, that there was a discrepancy between the original diagram of that property and the re-survey which had just been made, and it was insinuated that Mr. Molteno had made an improper attempt to enlarge his property at the expense of the Government land.

Mr. Molteno had immediately written to the Colonial Secretary explaining that he had no knowledge whatever that there was a discrepancy when he had joined with other proprietors in requesting a re-survey under the Land Boundaries Act, for the purpose of ascertaining the just and true extent of their property, and he expressed the hope that he would not be considered unreasonable in pressing upon his Excellency the Governor my very great desire for a speedy and final settlement of this matter, by which I may be relieved from a position which, especially as a member of the House of Assembly, I feel to be uncomfortable, and likely to interfere with my public duties.'

He declared that he had never had any idea of profiting by the Land Boundaries Act, which he had advocated in the public interests, with a view to obtaining definite and indisputable titles. With these views I wish the Government to consider that I, in the most unqualified manner, give up and cast overboard all and every possible benefit or advantage which I might or could derive in the settlement of this case from the Land Boundaries Act, and that I am perfectly willing and satisfied, and desirous to accept the decision of the Government in the matter, without any reference whatever to that Act.'1

Some of the members of the Government appeared to think it was a good thing to leave this charge hanging over Mr. Molteno; and although in the preceding ses'C. P., A-65 of 1863, p. 2.

sion after angry discussion, the Colonial Secretary had undertaken to advise the Government that an investigation should be made, that investigation had not been entered upon. In answer to a question in the House, by Mr. Molteno, as to what steps had been taken in regard to the proposed enquiry, the Colonial Secretary replied that the Governor had not done anything because there was no trigonometrical survey of the Colony, and without this it would be difficult to fix definite boundaries.

A debate was raised upon the subject again, this time upon the motion of the Government to defer the operation of the Lands Beacons Act. Mr. Molteno had complained of the delay in carrying out the Act, which was an Act devised by the Colonial Secretary, and carried through by the AttorneyGeneral, and now there appeared to be an attempt to change the whole policy, and to keep the question open for other purposes. The Lands Beacons Act had been passed in 1859; no action was taken till 1860, and in 1862 the Colonial Secretary said it was generally considered imperfect.

Immediately after the responsible government debate, Mr. Franklin, an 'anti-responsible,' made a fresh attempt to make use of this question to discredit Mr. Molteno in the eyes of the public, and moved for all the papers connected with this matter. Mr. Molteno immediately said that he had no objection; those papers were for the most part already before the House, the Government had promised an enquiry, and had taken no steps to carry it out. The motion was a strange one, he added, if it were meant to be in his interests, as he had received no notice of the member's intention to make it. The Colonial Secretary maintained that he had only undertaken to advise the Governor to have an enquiry made, and that he had kept his promise.

In order to show what were the motives and the objects of the officials in this action, we quote from the speeches

of the leading members of Parliament. Mr. Brand, who later on in this year became President of the Orange Free State, said:

That while giving the hon. member for Albany credit for acting bona fide in the matter, he must express his surprise and indignation at the course pursued by the instigator of this motion. Fair play was said to be the characteristic of Englishmen. Boldness was also a characteristic of Englishmen. Therefore let the instigator, whoever he might be-whether he filled a high position or not come forward if he had the courage and put a motion upon the paper impeaching the hon. member for Beaufort of the crimes of which it had been insinuated he had been guilty. With regard to what has been said as to the warmth of temper displayed by the hon. member for Beaufort, he was astonished that in respect of unworthy insinuations made for political purposes, without an atom of truth, by individuals who had not the courage to bring forward a charge against him, he had displayed so much coolness to-day. He considered this an attempt to destroy the political influence of the hon. member for Beaufort.

Mr. F. S. Watermeyer followed with a vigorous speech in vindication of Mr. Molteno, and Mr. Solomon said :

He could not but believe, as he had said, that it was a concerted movement of the anti-responsible government party to strike down the leader of the opposite party. He might judge wrongly, but he must say that it looked very much like a concerted movement when two motions of such a character were put upon the paper on the same day-and that day the day following the discussion on responsible government-by two gentlemen occupying prominent positions in the anti-responsible government party, living in the same town, and probably talking together as to the most effectual means of striking at the influence of certain hon. members. This was his view of the case.

Finally the Government were compelled to appoint a commission, which took evidence and reported. This report was presented to Parliament upon the motion of Mr. Molteno in the session of 1864, and finally disposed of the whole question. It appeared that the original survey, as had been the case almost throughout the Colony, had been made with extreme carelessness.