sense of the term, suffers very keenly from homesickness when away from his family or tribe, especially when he abandons conditions under which he was a man of consequence and becomes a member of a community where he is not merely condemned to daily drudgery, but where the public law forbids him to walk upon the same sidewalk as a white man, or to appear upon the public street after nine o'clock at night. How far this feeling of the negro springs from affection for his family, and how far it is the result of injured vanity, I cannot say, for in general the negro has a species of local loyalty reminding one of cats-a loyalty to certain comfortable surroundings rather than to the individual. In the four jails of South Africa where I made inquiries, the testimony of those in charge appeared to agree that the negro

in confinement was apt to suffer much more keenly than the white criminal; that the native fretted feverishly in his isolation, and frequently contracted nervous disease culminating occasionally in insanity.

It is unfortunate that religious scruples have so far prevented the Boers from taking a census of their country, although a beginning has been made at Johannesburg, for reasons more akin to military than political expediency. Perhaps if I take a typical mine of the so-called "Rand," of which Johannesburg is a part, I can give a clearer idea than if I dealt exclusively with statistics. Mr. Edward J. Way is general manager of one of the one hundred and seventeen mines registered there. His is fifth on the list as far as milling capacity goes, and about fif

WASHING AT THE HOSPITAL.

teenth on the list of producers, so that his experience I regard as typical enough for my purposes. He told me that the natives of the Cape Colony were generally better educated than those of any other, but were, in consequence, "greater blackguards and schemers." To quote this gentleman: "These furnish the sealawyer and agitator class, and are generally idle and good-for-nothing. A great many of these boys profess Christianity, but they lack all sense of right, and gratitude is unknown amongst them."

At his mine (the Goch) from 250 to 300 natives are paid weekly, and when Mr. Way gave me information on the subject it was with bitterness, for he assured me that for two days out of every week about half the number of his men spent their time in visiting the drink-shops. And it

is greatly to the credit of these natives that, in spite of the fact that liquor of a very bad quality was to be had at every corner, there were very few fights. Since my visit, the Transvaal government has followed the good example set by the Orange Free State, and suppressed the sale of fire-water amongst the natives-a measure which will undoubtedly prove of enormous economic advantage.

One Christmas day the natives of Mr. Way's mine challenged the natives of a neighboring mine, and for five hours a

A MATABELE NATIVE.

battle raged between infuriated blacks, who numbered about seven hundred on each side. Fifteen were killed on one side and thirty on the other, while the number of disabled was four times as great. Thus did a little rum create a military episode more bloody than Jameson's famous battle of Krugersdorp. But, after all, the marvel is not that the natives do have occasional fights, but that these fights occur so seldom, considering the fact that so many different tribes are often mixed up in the same mine.

Of the total number in this mine of Mr.

These figures will give an idea of the distribution of laborers and the kind of

work they have to do. The number named will efficiently handle from 13,000 to 15,000 tons of ore per calendar month through the different processes in use.

Since my visit to Johannesburg, Mr. Adolf Goertz has united all the mine-managers and reduced the wages of the sixty thousand blacks, so that the average monthly rate is about forty five shillings, which, although twenty-five per cent. less than prevailed in the summer of 1896, yet represents very high wages to an African. This reduction was effected without serious opposition from the blacks, nor were they consulted on the subject. They have accepted the situation, and, so far as I can gather, the labor question is no less satisfactory in Johannesburg to-day than it was when higher wages prevailed. The old high wages were more than justified when there was no railway from the goldfields to the different centres of native labor, and when, therefore, Kaffirs had to trudge two or three hundred miles through unfriendly country; but now that the railway runs to Delagoa Bay and to Natal, and through the Cape Colony, the black man can reach his home in comparative security and at small cost. blacks do not bring their wives with them to the gold- mines, and the Transvaal government rather discourages the settlement of natives in the country. Consequently no native will work at Johannesburg longer than is absolutely necessary for accumulating the amount

The

of money required for the purchase of a good social position at home-that is to say, a few wives. Thus the black population at the gold-fields is perpetually changing, and mine- managers have to reckon that as soon as a native has acquired some skill, after a few months, he pockets his earnings, returns to his kraal, sheds the garb of civilization, and once more resumes the more congenial habit of his tribe. Economically speaking, the white population of the Transvaal suffers enormously by reason of having to bring workmen from far-away countries, instead of offering inducements to all natives to settle with their families.

It is a strange fact that the Cape Colony, which is the oldest and strongest of the South African communities, should be the one which still permits the free sale of liquor amongst the natives. The reason is that many Cape Colonists make brandy, and this industry in the eyes of many legislators deserves encouragement. In Portuguese East Africa the government draws much revenue from the pestiferous traffic, and frankly encourages it. Basutoland and Natal, together with Zululand, have protected their natives from drink, with excellent results, while the Boers of the Transvaal only late in 1896 roused themselves in this matter, not so much from interest in the welfare of the blacks in general as from a desire to have more efficient labor at the mines.

The Orange Free State is almost equally divided between Boers and English, and the political fight over the question of selling liquor to natives was severe. Their experience is the most valuable in South Africa, and their success has encouraged the Transvaal to attempt the new liquor law.

Let us look for a moment at the principal provisions of the Orange Free State liquor law, for by so doing we may get some idea of what such legislation may be worth in the Cape Colony should her Parliament ever have the

courage to act without reference to the wine-growing interest. For all such information as I may be able to give under this head I must express great indebtedness to Mr. William H. Poultney, of Bloemfontein. Many and long were the conversations I had with this Africander while travelling about the Orange Free State.

In the first place, no license for the sale of liquor is granted except in towns where a magistrate is stationed; and nobody is allowed to sell without a license.

Secondly, nobody is allowed to sell to colored men, or to any one under twentyone years of age.

Thirdly, no grocer or general storekeeper is allowed to combine the sale of liquor with the sale of other commodities, nor is any strong drink permitted on his premises even as a gift from him to a customer.

This is an important clause, for in many stores it is found very profitable to pre

A ZULU WOMAN, NATAL-FULL DRESS.

sent customers with a drink or so of liquor before commencing to bargain.

In the fourth place, no unlicensed person is allowed to buy or import into the state more than two gallons of liquor without a special permit from the magistrate.

Fifthly, the state sees to it that such liquor as is brought in shall be at least good liquor, and not the horrible stuff which has been blazing in the brains of the Johannesburg blacks.

A WITCH-DOCTOR OF DELAGOA BAY.

Finally, the law forbids all sale of liquor on Sunday, excepting to bona fide travellers, under penalty of fine or imprisonment and forfeit of license. For the contravention of any of the first five articles the punishment is from £5 to £50 ($25 to $250) fine, or imprisonment up to six months, for the first and second offence, and imprisonment without the option of a fine for any subsequent offence.

These are the salient features of the best liquor law in Africa, and, what is more to the point, a law which is enforced not merely by the machinery of the state, but by the much more efficient force of an intelligent public opinion a public opinion which, however, required considerable education before it could be made to appreciate the enormous economic benefits that come from merely not getting drunk.

The best-informed man in South Africa gave me the following account of how the Orange Free State managed to secure the passage of this Law of 1883, as it is known. Before that time way-side hotels were allowed on any main road, provided they were never less than twelve miles apart. This of itself would seem a pretty hard rule at Highland Falls, on the Hudson, where the average distance between the different liquor saloons is about ten yards; but it was discovered in Africa that drunkenness and crime increased in an even ratio, and that jails could not be built fast enough to accommodate those whose crimes were traced to the abuse of strong drink. The ministers of the Gospel joined hands with the advocates of temperance, and commenced a crusade of education so vigorous and intelligent that on the 31st of December, 1883, the pestiferous way-side liquor traffic was wholly abolished, and the new era commenced.

At the time the law was passed it was very strongly