AFRICANWARSAND WHITEINVADERS
withdraw, rather than attempt to assault the stronghold of Thaba Bosiu,
The British government then empowered another special commissioner to
negotiate a withdrawal from-the sovereignty with men who would accept
the responsibility for governing the territory. That was done on February
23, 1854.
In those two agreements, known as the Sand River and Bloemfontein
conventions, the emigrants achieved their major political goal-indepen-
dence from Britain. That was not all. Both conventions stated that the new
governments would not allow slavery in their territories. They also said that
the new governments would be permitted to buy ammunition in the British
colonies, but the Sand River Convention added that "all trade in ammuni-
tion with the native tribes is prohibited both by the British Government and
the emigrant farmers on both sides of the Vaal River."59 The Bloemfontein
Convention
declared, moreover, that the British government had no al-
liances with any "Native Chiefs or tribes" north of the Orange River except
Adam Kok and that "Her Majesty's Government has no wish or intention
to enter hereafter into any treaties which may be injurious or prejudicial to
the interests of the Orange River Government."60
In London,
the phi-