第35部分(第2/7 頁)

as　well　as　at　home；　he　had　a　very　difficult　position　at　first　—　one　of　his　principal　difficulties　arose　from　the　impossibility　of　foreseeing　how　far　his　views　would　be　supported　at　home　—　and　while　he　appears　to　me　to　have　acted　with　unswerving　loyalty；　his　influence　has　done　much　to　mitigate　antipathies　of　races　and　to　maintain　our　character　for　fair　dealing　with　whites　and　blacks。

I　also　received　letters　from　the　late　Lord　Lytton；　Lord　Randolph　Churchill；　and　others。

Except　for　any　influence　it　may　have　had　upon　certain　leading　minds　and　organs　of　opinion；　the　book　at　this　time　proved　a　total　failure。　At　this　date　（1883）　an　eager　public　had　absorbed　one　hundred　and　fifty…four　copies　of　the　work。　Say　Messrs。　Trubner：

You　will　no　doubt　consider　the　account　a　most　unsatisfactory　one；　as　we　do；　seeing　that　we　are　out　of　pocket　to　the　extent　of　82　pounds　15s。；　5d。　Against　this；　of　course；　we　hold　the　50　pounds　advanced　by　you；　but　we　fear　that　we　are　never　likely　to　recover　the　balance；　32　pounds　15s。　5d。

As　it　happens；　however；　Messrs。　Trubner　did　in　the　end　recover　their　32　pounds。　When　I　became　known　through　other　works　of　a　different　character　the　edition　sold　out。　Perhaps　the　public　bought　it　thinking　it　was　a　novel；　at　any　rate；　I　have　e　across　a　letter　from　a　melancholy　youth　who　made　that　mistake。

Since　that　time　there　have　been　other　and　cheaper　editions；　and　in　1899；　at　the　time　of　the　Boer　War；　that　part　of　the　book　that　deals　with　the　Transvaal　was　republished　at　one　shilling　and　sold　to　the　extent　of　some　thirty　thousand　copies。

To　this　day　there　is　a　certain　demand　for　the　book。　That　it　has　already　been　extensively　used　by　writers　dealing　with　this　epoch　of　African　affairs　in　works　of　reference　and　elsewhere　I　have　re