Basutoland (now Lesotho) was a native province and British South African possession, inclosed between the Orange River Colony, Natal, Griqualand East, and Cape Colony. The Basutos belong chiefly to the great stem of the Bechuanas, and had made greater advances in civilization than perhaps any other South African race by the start of the 20th century. In 1866 the Basutos, who had lived under a semi-protectorate of the British since 1848, were proclaimed British subjects, their country placed under the government of an agent, and in 1871 it was joined to Cape Colony. In 1879 the attempted enforcement of an act passed for the disarmament of the native tribes caused a revolt under the chief Moirosi, which the Cape forces were unable to put down. When peace was restored Basutoland waa disannexed from the Cape Colony in 1884, and was then governed by a resident commissioner under the high commissioner for South Africa. Basutoland later became known as Lesotho. Research Basutoland
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Gazetteer
Research Basutoland