"Until within the last ten years, our South African colonies have been the least known, the least inquired after, and by far the most backward of all our foreign possessions. The stubborn conservatism of the Dutch Boers, the absence of men of vigour and enterprise, the occasional visitations of drought and locusts, the desolation and ruin caused by frequent wars with the barbarians, all helped to produce stagnation, and hinder here that progress which every other country was so rapidly making. A new era dawned, on the discovery of diamonds, in the year 1868..." (The Cape and the Caffres, by C.F. Overton)

The Gold Fields and Diamond Beds of South Africa, by T. Baines (Leisure Hour, 1868)

Life in the Diamond Fields (Harper's Monthly, 1873A)

A Kaffir Sham-Fight (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

A Zulu military drill in 1860.

The Queen's New Subjects (The Transvaal Republic) (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

The Cape and the Caffres, by C.F. Overton (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

A look at the Transvaal colonies and their troubles.

A Chat About the Zulus and Their Customs (Little Folks, 1878)

Travel and Sport in South Africa, by Lewis Hough (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

A brief overview of Captain Parker Gillmore's travel account, The Great Thirst Land.

An Ostrich Feather (Demorest, 1879)

A look at ostrich farming.

The Zulus and Their Country, by Robert Brown (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

Domestic Life on a Natal [Transvaal] Farm (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

The Colonies and Dependencies of Great Britain: The West Indies, Central and South Africa, by Emma Brewer (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

Read the entire series.

Farming for Feathers, by E.B. Biggar (Century Magazine, 1883A)

Ostrich-farming in South Africa.

The Oxford of South Africa (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

The Dark Continent (Century Magazine, 1889B)

Speculations on the future of Africa.

A Holiday in South Africa, by M. Kelly (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890A)

The Mystery of Mashonaland (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1893)

The archaeological discovery of ancient gold mines in South Africa.

A Woman in the African Diggings, by Annie Russell (Century Magazine, 1893B)

"No one did more to establish the notoriety and success of these gold-fields than my own sister, and she must, in the history of South Africa, rank as one of the pioneers of the enterprise. She was not only the first white woman to set foot in the little settlement [Pilgrim's Rest], but probably the first white woman who had ever looked on those deep, broken heights." So writes the author, who also notes that her sister proceeded against the profound disapproval of their father, who "was steeped in the traditional prejudices of the Englishman against a woman who should venture to step out of the sphere of domesticity."

Ostrich Farming in South Africa, by Charles Carey (The Strand, 1894B)

Diamond Mining in South Africa, by J. Bucknall Smith (The Strand, 1896A)

Impressions of South Africa, by James Bryce, MP (Century Magazine, 1896B)

Life on a Transvaal Salt Farm (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

The Imperial Heritage 6: South Africa & the Indies by Ernest Williams (Windsor, 1898B)

Looking past the sensations of gold and diamonds, this article focuses more on the African colonies' agricultural offerings. Read the entire series.

From the Cape to Cairo, by C. De Thierry (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

"A description of Mr. Rhodes' great scheme of building a railway from one end of Africa to another. This railway will pass through districts inhabited by very strange tribes, some of which are here depicted by photographs taken by different travelers."

Where the Diamonds Come From, by Robert M. Sillard (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

A visit to the diamond mines of South Africa.

The Cape to Cairo Railway, by W.T. Stead (Windsor Magazine, 1899B)

The Boer "Tower of London": A Visit to the Staats Museum, Pretoria, by the Rev. John C. Harris of Johannesburg (The Strand, 1900A)

Christmas at the Front, by W.B. Wollen, R.I. (Cassell's, 1900)

A reminiscence of Christmas at Modder River, South Africa.

An English Girl in South Africa (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Log of Voyage to the Cape, and Diary of Army Nursing in South Africa (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Home and Social Life in the Transvaal, by Neville Edwards (Lady's Realm, 1901)

The Locust Plague in South Africa, by Frank A. Pym (Strand, 1901A)

Girl Volunteers for South Africa (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

"Over three thousand British girls have volunteered to go out to South Africa to teach the little Boer children how to read, write, and spell and do their sums, and sing." Actually only 100 girls were requested, and this article spells out what they could expect in terms of working and living conditions.

Greater Britain: A Birds-Eye View, by the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, MP, Secretary of State for the Colonies (Good Words, 1902)

This 45-page overview of the status of Britain's colonies looks at the past history of colonial administration, the present, and plans for the future. It then takes the reader on a tour of the colonies of India, Ceylon, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Lots of photos!

Laying the Boundary Line from the Orange to Vaal Rivers, by Lt.-Gen. Sir Charles Warren, GCMG (Good Words, 1902)

Establishing the borders of the Orange Free State.

The Industrial Reawakening of South Africa, by Neville Edwards (Windsor Magazine, 1903A)

• See also African Colonies & Dependencies