buchanan fell on hard times during the extremely depressed years of the late 1860s. around the time he spent more than a year petitioning in france and england on behalf of cetshwayo and the basotho people for more equitable terms on the treaty entered by the basotho. he ended up not being paid for his efforts when cetshwayo died during the trip and he was punished with non payment by government officials who he had lambasted for corruption, who blocked payment and got their retribution. this along with failed investments in the economic downturn left him financially weak and he left pietermaritzburg for the diamond diggings (later kimberley) in 1872. here he became very ill as a result of the unsanitary conditions and died most likely of tuberculosis in september 1874 at his brother's home in cape town.