in and occupy Mashonaland with the consent of the Mashonas, and then we had to deal with the Matabele. At the present moment there is a civilised government over the whole of that. We also possess the land and minerals, and from a sentimental point of view I will say this—that I visited the territory the other day and saw nearly all the chiefs of the Matabele, and I may say that they were all pleased, and naturally so. In the past they had always “walked delicately,” because any one who got to any position in the country and became rich was generally “smelt out,” and lost his life. You can understand that life was not very pleasant under such conditions. In so far as the bulk of the people were concerned they were not allowed to hold any cattle or possess anything of their own. Now they can hold cattle, and the leaders of the people know that they do not walk daily with the fear of death over them. We have now occupied the country, which I think we administer fairly, and in that territory also we possess the land and minerals.
“With regard to the South, in the country termed the Bechuanaland Protectorate, we possess all the mineral rights of Khamaland, and we have the negative right to the land and minerals as far south as Mafeking. What I mean by the negative right is, that from Mafeking throughout the whole Protectorate, since the grant of the Charter, no one has any right to obtain any concession from the natives except through the Chartered Company. We therefore possess the land, minerals, and territory from Mafeking to Tanganyika—that is, twelve hundred miles long and five hundred broad. I might say, with respect to that country, that I see no future difficulties in so far as risings of the natives are