Adamantia : The Truth about the South African Diamond Fields (1873)

xiii + 423pp with a number of maps and diagrams. Coloured frontispiece of the arms of the Free State. Lacks map of "Adamatia" facing page 1.

'The avowed object of this volume "is to inform the British Parliament and the British public how their government has robbed the Orange Free State...of its diamond fields." The author states that he resided in the "plundered territory" for two years, during which time he carefully observed "the progress of political events, having all the time carefully studied the merits of the case." He asserts that as soon as it was discovered (in the year 1869) that diamonds existed on the banks of the Vaal and in its vicinity, "the colonial government at the Cape of Good Hope, aided and supported by sundry private individuals, entered into a selfish, illegal, and dishonourable combination to wrest the diamond fields from its rightful owner, the Orange Free State." He maintains that "gross misrepresentation and false evidence has been persistently supplied to the British Government by the late colonial administration, the last, and the present Governor," and that the territory included in the diamond fields was "part of the Orange Free State, by right of occupation and settlement, by right of purchase from original native owners, and by right of title, actually transferred to it by the British Government in 1854...the petty Griqua chief, Waterboer...has not, and never did have, any right or title whatsoever." It is stated that whereas Sir H. Barkly was authorised "to proclaim and annex the diamond fields, or the so-called Griqualand West," to the Cape Colony,...he actually had the temerity to seize and forcibly take possession of part of the Free State." Some reference is made to a correspondence which appeared in the Standard (London) newspaper, at the end of the year 1872, between the author and Mr. R. N. Fowler, M.P., on the subject of the annexation, Captain Lindley observing that from the controversy it appeared "that there actually exists a small party of politicians who defend the illegal and dishonourable acts of Governor Barkly...upon the plea...that the Free State has badly treated the natives around it." - (Mendelssohn Vol.I, page 902)