AFRICANWARSAND WHITEINVADERS
Peregrine Maitland, went a step further. He amended Kok's treaty to allow
emigrants to acquire land in the northern part of his territory.
Sir Harry
Smith-the
epitome
of British
military
arrogance
and
naivete-c-rook
the final step. .In 1848, having annexed Xhosa territory
between the Keiskamma and the Kei rivers and having misled both Pre-
torius and Moshoeshoe
about his intentions,
he issued a proclamation
annexing the entire area between the Orange and the Vaal rivers, for the
"protection
and preservation of the just and hereditary rights of all the
Native Chiefs" and "the rule and government of Her Majesty's subjects,
their interests and welfare."55 That area, which became known as the
Orange River Sovereignty, included not only numerous emigrants but also
nearly all of Lesotho. The British government reluctantly accepted Smith's
fait accompli, noting his assurance that the territory would be financially
self-supporting. The attempt to raise a local revenue in fact produced no
more than £12,000
a year, with the result that only a handful of officials
and a puny military detachment were stationed there. 56
Major Henry Warden, the British administrator of the sovereignty, made
a bad situation
worse. Succumbing to pressures from emigrants
and