NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5832, 24 February 1906, Page 16

NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS.

"Pax. Dritnnnicu in South Africa," by Francis P. Fletcher-Vane. London; Archibald and Co. Captain Fletcher-Vane is well known In the literary world as tho writer many articles on lSwiiUi Alrica.ii snh,icct« in Untidi newspapers and reviews. Hi* present book in a sustained account of his own experience both military and luhniiiistralive an .South Africa, with a presentation of facts and opinion* for the guidance of his conn-ti-ymcn to a better understanding of the cliaractcr of the colonists and ua(.iviTi of that part of tho Umpire. In his narrative -of ouch military o|»'j-al:ions an fell under his own chservation tho author claims to have used real naim« of his follow' officers- and official* only where lie could award praise, and to have meted out censure in others under names tint arc fictitious. This, of course renders his I mol; of hw. value from the historical point, of view. Captain Flefieher-Vane admits that when lie went out to South Africa, as a captain of militia, he wan largely ignorant of I.ho merits of the tpiarrel between llriton and Jtoer. "I felt. ea!l----«l upon,” he says, “to oiler my-services for the war. became of a soldier race, and trained as isneh. no other action wail possible for me. I liad earlier read nmeli of tho history of .South Africa, from its first colonisation by the Dutch ami Frimah Huguenots, through the period when we purchased tho ( ape from (ho Stadtholder, to tho present time. Tho conclusion I had como to with reference to our loutish control was one which is, I think, new universal, namely, that we had made many blunders, with the best intentions, and that oar Governments, of various political colours, sulfured from short,neAs or di,iooiiiiccUdiie>s of memory. After the Jameson Hard to October 13!)!) my opinion, then mi ignorant one, was fixed that iv war was neexvtsary to chair tho atmosphere in Sooth Africa, a nar which would at feast show tho people tliat we intended to he predominant, in that country in the same manner, hut no more than wo are ascendant in Canada. It never occurred to me that we would wish to dominate; itho country by ford mi the people to adopt British customs and British ideals. . . I darted. therefore, not a-, prejudiced ns miim of mv comrades, for I did not Ik--lieve tho butch were all liars, thieves and cowards with a strain of Kallir in their veins. . . It. will therefore ho seen that tho views I hold in resjieet to the present condition of tho country and its people are actually the product of i-emoiml experience. . . At a very early period in tho war f discovered fjnlt there was no essential antagonism between tho two races, and to offer some evidence for this opinion it is only necessary to point out that most of tho trusted leaders of the Dutch i»utty in tho past have !»een of British birth. Tho lino of cleavage in South Africa lies between the dwellers in the towns and tho fanners in the country, ami more than that, between the new-comer and mere sojourner in tho land, and die permanent dweller and original settler.” In the course of 20 long chapters the author recounts the incidents of his experience during field operations and administrative work in various capacities. lie learned that for the mast prf. tho Hocrs wore honest, peace-lov-ing people, and that in many cases tho operations of military law pressed not merely heavily but unjustly upon tho non-combatant portion of them.

,\.-i military commandant of O-'en district near Bloemfontein Captain Flet-cher-Vane much in contact with the people, and justly prides himself on haring secured not only their strict obcdionco to the lair, but also their

sincere* personal friendship. At tho j time of his appuinlment tin* war li;u! i endured UO months. Many official letters," Ik* nays, "awaited iiw :it my head- . quarters, advising im* to net in a most . strenuous manner if m-ec-sary to clear . tin* country, for they told me this di<1,l ift, laid become a centre of informs- ( lion for tho enemy.” Tho chapter in which the* author re- i counts tho measures by which ho secured loyal adherc-co to an engage- ( merit to observe the law on tho part of , tho Dutch residents makes pleasant | reruling. Nor was his immediate sic- . cesser in the same position less loyally ‘ respected ami obeyctl. At Karroo Cap- i tain Fletcher-Vano was after,yards as 1 successful, and ho left that district , with a. warm testimonial from tho peopie. .Somewhat unwillingly ho accepted , an appointment on tho Intelligence Department at Bloemfontein. ‘‘An officer j of tho Dorsets," ho says, "to my groat ( grief, came to relieve mens command- , ant. He was a most charming man, and when I first saw him I had hopes | that lie would intelligently carry out tin* work which we* had inaugurated at j Cllcn and Karroo. So far as every mill- 1 tary detail was concerned, in handing over these, I found him alert and in- ‘ terested. When, however, on tho second day. it was my business to hand over to him tho civil administration of the district ho frankly said ho knew nothing about such work, and, To quote his own words said ho was not going to take over tho whole blooming county council from me. What, then, was he going to do? ‘Oh, I shall bring in all tho farmers and send them to the refugee camp.’ It is to bo regretted that ho carried out his intention, and within three weeks tho Boers over-r.m tho district, shooting a number of his men, and completely justifying my contention that the only" way to defend a district and railway in South Africa in 1901 was to enlist tho sympathies of tho peo-

ple hy administering to them just and well understood laws.” Tho author tolls several humorous stories cf incidents in the field, among nhieli tho following will rank with anything that Lever wrote- of the operations in tho Peninsula. It is tho history of tho ‘ battle of Springfontein." which war. fought and won by some newly arrived Irish yeomanry t-r “After being detrained they received orders to march out and join a column, and started in full fettle. For three or four days nothing was heard of them, and tho authorities, getting nervous, sent out in all directions with orders for them to return to Springfontein. This they did, lint struck tho lino some miles south of that station, coming within range of ono of onr blockhouses, which, not recognising them as friends, promptly opened fire. When this occurred tho colonel put his horses under cover, lined out his men, and returned tho lire with interest. On the right another blockhouse, hearing tho hullabaloo, also joined in, and for over an hour tho contest continued, until at last an armoured train arrived and divided tho combatants. The commandant at Springfontein, naturally worried over tho affair, asked tho Irish officer why on earth ho had thought fit to fire on ono of onr own blockhouses, seeing that ho must have known it to bo English. Tho reply given was, ‘Hcdnd, they fired on us first.’ ” Captain Fletcher-Vane’s period of sorrico as a judge of a military circuit court affords some of tho most painful reading in his book. The persons tried by these courts wore civilians charged with various offences from high treason downwards. In tho author’s opinion tho constitution of tho judiciary wan very faulty, and their work, on account of incompetence and pressure from without, “turned out a complete fiasco, in that the courts committed so

in.':ny mi-takes mi tho ciilc* ot teraeily. fin the colony liny have breit ehri.-*<*t»> <1 the 14!i?;m;v A,-izc. but mijustly, I thick. a. tar :n- the jndg.iT i!«•: I! •■?’! Vl■.Veil' COliHTIIlll." The m;.>v r;iv-u in illu-tni-tiun of tfi<—laulty d.-oi-ions maim sad reading. After del litimc several ef these. im mv-, "I v. ill give lien* an amusing ( ri definition oi a military (•(iin't whieh Xorrio ami I evtdvi d la: lini in-lruction of the youth ot the 11..X1 lymaa!im." (Major .Mi NVivi. wax t<:r some time a. judicial coil.-ague of Captain Flctch'-r-Vaue on t !i>Western Circuit I'ertnanent -Military (‘min .) "A milerry eoir.t." i.tio; a <■ iiirimarthi! he St uml.-re cadi “iK an dh-e-d trihiinal. e.dl.-d to • : ::: ... oi-m person- (r-ii;;-! at ; h <-acnif t e.e; newly-invented cninr. by meat;- of totally ina-dmis-ibb- ( videnec." Tim Mory M lilt- an’.h'.'- > i.s presumably nai-a He name.-, araoil per-ams anil giv. - d-‘- ' - ami pine-' ■. and on Hn> -.vimlo I.- tv.-, she impr-s-don tint much ot tho work done by lire- -0,callid jii'liciu! Imi;.v, ipiite ju-'itad hi. definition. Captain Fletcher-Vane is a loyal Id glislnmui. ol' f.i'i ami artstcerai m lit,. - am*, ami hi virtue ol la. hdlm-me and of the convictions at winch lm aniv. l. obviously regard* it sis his mi.--■me to lirins about a baiter uuder-tamlim; lietween Ids own countryi.mu ami the •Soutil African Dtitcii. His cbpot in going at length into the faulty administration of tho wr Mays is avowedly to secure an adequate review of many uent-enees inflicted by military courts which wort 1 not looked into by Lord AI verst one's Itoyal (Vimim-..;0a. Tho expenditure of the moneys voted for repatriation is another matter which ho insists should b:> invest Igated. Ho is also desirous of rec:,uieilin;» the Dutch to British rule !>y convincing them that friemlship ami loyalty will ho productive of mutual- henelit. 'Jo that end ho tried hard, at considerable private expense, to form in Cap,. Town a clnh consisting of moderate and inlluontial men on both aides. Tho attempt was a failure, hut the author lias hopes that tho principles the rapprochement wan meant to transform into action may yet prevail. These ho expresses as follows: — “Loyalty to the Imperial connection is valuable only when associated with loyalty to tho colony in which tho elector dwells. These two things should ba maintained as i-ipiaHy important. Hie latter, in tho interest of the people, connotes the primary condition that justice should ho done to onr Dutch and British neighbours, even if tho enforcing of it should cause ns to lie at issue for a time with the Imperial authorities.”

“Justice to Britain’s late antagonists demands,” ho says, “that faith should bo kept with them in quito a number of important details which he enumerates, chief among those being the payment of British commandeering notes and compensation to burghers who accepted Lord Roberts's proclamations.” Wisely ho says: “Tho Boers aro not improved in character by injustice, nor aro they made loyal hy oppression, ami tho only chance of their becoming more than passive resistors to the ICmpire is in their being convinced that tho oppression, hardships, trials and all that, they have endured were not u part of a deliberate policy, authorised by tho British people, but accidental occurrences duo to the chaos into which things had drifted during an abnormally long war. And this is indeed the fact."

“These pages, ’’ lie continue*? in a later chapter, “are intended to appeal to the 'honest, nn massed imperialist, who wishes by justice to maintain the Umpire. No Englishmen I have met, Conservative or Liberal, but has been shocked ivbon told that ire had not paid our debts to the people of that, country, holding, apart from morality, that tho course was impolitic and trcosca to tho Crown.” He conics to the conclusion, after long travels through the country snhso-

Tis:r■: 11 ly to the war. that tin* Dutch hi South .Vh'icv :\ ill :iv imilato to ihcmvlv**-. 5 hi’ Drhidi who sctth* on i hi* ■land. In tlin ra t ion o: this t-rndenry ho n-lil.s that durhr.; the rfnnv.' oi a vint to a country *chool of I*3o pupils, the headmaster. isii Kn;;h.>uman, itir*u-tim.-d thnT ♦in* Prit-i-h children often know Dut-wi h'uo-r than ami that. whdo children of ho.h nationalithx* a-Lpvd easily together. the Date’’. | arc* the inoro c;'-v*r in acquiring knowhalo**. -\Vhrn,“ Captain I'h tchcr-Vano says' in ii,-!f>n. "o:ir p wjjh* have pr.rln- i a.’ly learn* the far*?,., and taken again ■ to h o'laui; iho riplit hm>e' in South; ,\fr.r.n Invinj* f<«r period hacked a| verv "wrem* one' imheei. Driti-*h j 1 n.-tmi i; a piin n-vered as it. was cor-! I ninlv rev.-rml before the I*aid j !ai r'u> war: then, ami only then, can 1 a*» h -p*- to v.dlneo> Pax Hritnimira. | Prhhh p.-ac* -vtahhslud throughout* m ,* : ;’t i ‘ cohmio;; for future wo j nc>* r. and in whoso interests j n 1 ’ r a; .- so deeply involved.”