I860s, in the belief that Britain had less interest than his aggressive neigh-
bors in exploiting his people. For their part, British officials doubted the
wisdom of the conventions soon after they were signed. In 1857, High
Commissioner Grey checked a movement toward the unification of the two
republics by threatening to cut offtheir ammunition supplies. In reasoning
similar to that which had led to the British annexation of Natal, he argued
that a united highveld republic might create disturbances along the coloni-
al frontiers. Wodehouse agreed with that analysis. Sympathetic to the
Sotho in their distress, he thought that the convention policy had produced
106