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Auction: 18043 - The Philatelic Collectors' Series Sale
Lot: 567

(x) Basutoland
The Basutoland Rebellion (The Gun War)
1883 soldier's envelope "From Trooper R. Holmes, C.M.R. Fingoland S. Africa" at Southeyville to England, countersigned by Sergeant Hopgood of the Cape Mounted Rifles at "Bolo Drift", showing despatch datestamp on face, Queenstown (3.4), Cape Town (9.4) and small part of U.K. (1.5) datestamps; some creasing though an unusual cover written after the peace treaty was signed though during a period of continued unrest. Photo

Note: A peace treaty was signed with Basotho chiefs in 1881, in which colonial authorities conceded most of the points in dispute. The land remained in Basotho hands and the nation enjoyed unrestricted access to firearms in exchange for a national one-time indemnity of 5000 cattle.
However, unrest continued and it quickly became clear that Cape Town could not control the territory. In 1884, the British government returned Basutoland to Crown colony status, granting internal self-government in the process. With effective power once again firmly with the chiefs, the conflict subsided

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Estimate
£600 to £700