Government had felt it incumbent to advocate the cause of coloured
British subjects and to remonstrate against their ill-usage. The matter
was ultimately submitted to arbitration at Bloemfontein, under the
umpireship of Sir Henry de Villiers, whose award, contrary to
expectation, was adverse to the coloured people. Here was indeed a
unique occasion for the Transvaal Government to exercise geniality upon
a point sorely felt by the British Government; but the very contrary
course was adopted under the ægis of that notorious award, and upon the
untenable plea that sanitation and regard to public health necessitated
that measure of segregation.

Despite the fact that no royalty was yet exacted upon the gold output,
probably to please French, American, and German investors, there seemed
to exist a veiled hostility against the representatives of mining
capitalists, as if the Government regretted to have allowed the
exploitation of the mines to fall into private hands and would welcome
an opportunity to take them under State control altogether.

The Uitlander Press vented public sentiment and denounced the Government
attitude in unmistakable terms; there were besides some angry public
demonstrations. It was an alarming time of impending crisis, rife with
signs of open revolt; the Government looking calmly on awaiting
developments. It was then that the President's since famous saying was
pronounced, viz., "that the tortoise must first be allowed to put out
its head before it could be struck off, and that he was ready for any
emergency."

The situation had a truly anomalous aspect. More discoveries of gold and
even of diamonds followed apace, and the scope for mining, commercial
and industrial enterprises expanded to an incalculable magnitude. All