But no possible treatment of the natives, or of Griqualand West, would have endangered the supremacy of Cape Town.
The Confederation of which Froude and Carnarvon were champions would have avoided tremendous calamities if it could have been carried out.

The chief difficulties in its way were Colonial jealousy of interference from Downing Street and Dutch exasperation at the seizure of the Diamond Fields.

"You have trampled on those poor States, sir," said a member of the Cape Legislature to Froude, "till the country cries shame upon you, and you come now to us to assist you in your tyranny; we will not do it, sir.

We are astonished that you should dare to ask us." Such language was singularly inappropriate to Froude himself, for the Boers never had a warmer advocate than they had in him.

But the circumstances in which Griqualand West were annexed will excuse a good deal of strong language.