Lord Kimberley has been more successful in his management -of
the dispute about Basutoland than was expected. The Cape Colonists appeared determined either to resign that territory to the Crown, or to govern it as they pleased, their pleasure in- cluding wholesale confiscation of the soil. Lord Kimberley, weakly, as we confess we thought, at last threw the whole re- sponsibility upon them, only explaining that they could hope for no assistance from the Queen's troops. The Ministry thus left free, but responsible, have explained to Parliament that -three courses are open to them,—to abandon Basutoland, to sub- jugate the Basutos by a determined war, and to repeal the Disarmament Act, the Basuto grievance. The Premier pro- posed the last, as the least expensive, and the proposal will, it is believed, be accepted, and the Basutos, who have always been loyal, will remain armed. This is far the best solution, and a remarkable instance of the way political judgment increases with responsibility. Had the mother-country had to find the troops, the Basuto lands would have looked much more tempting.
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