BASU'TOLAND. A British Crown colony of South Africa, situated between Orange River Colony, Natal, and Cape Colony, covering an area of nearly 10,300 square miles (Map: Cape Colony, M 6). It has an elevated surface and a very rich soil, being considered one of the best grain-producing countries in South Africa. In regard to climate, Basutoland is considered the most healthful place in that section of the Con tinent. The principal products are cereals and live animals. Minerals, are supposed to exist, judging from some indications, but so far none has been worked, with the exception of coal. The commerce of the colony, while not very extensive, shows a constant increase. The imports consist chiefly of clothing and blankets, agricultural im plements, metal products, and groceries. The imports and exports for the fiscal year 1000 amounted to IS5,523 and /133,864 respectively. Basutoland is administered by a resident gover nor, under the High Commissioner for South Africa. It is divided into seven districts, subdi vided into wards administered by native chiefs. The administration of justice is also, to a very large extent, left in the hands of native judges. The revenue of the colony is derived chiefly from a native but-tax, license fees, post-office receipts, and an annual contribution from Cape Colony. The revenue and expenditure for 1900 amounted to f69,769 and 159,492 respectively. Education is well advanced, and is carried on almost exclu sively by missionaries.
The population of the colony is estimated at about 260,000. and consists almost entirely of Basutos, a Bantu people, composed of several coalescent tribes, short in stature, regular in features, and with thinner lips than the Kaffirs, whom they resemble. They have advanced re markably through the efforts of French mission aries, and are becoming a civilized Christian na tion. taking up readily modern ideas. Their lan guage was reduced to writing by missionaries, and forms a considerable literature. The capital of the colony is Maseru, with a population of about 900. Basutoland was established a sepa
rate State at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. The first collision between the Basutos and Great Britain occurred in 1852 and resulted in the defeat of the former. In 1856 a boundary dispute arose between the Basutos and Orange Free State, which was continued for about two pars without any results. In 1866 a part of Basutoland was ceded to the Orange Free State, whose authority was recognized by the Basutos. But this settlement did not mark the termination of hostilities, which still continued for several years. As the result of an appeal from the Basu tos to Great Britain, Basutoland was annexed to Cape Colony in 1871. For the next twelve years the colony was in an almost uninterrupted state of rebellion and chaos, which culminated in its separating from Cape Colony in 1884; since then it has been administered as a separate col ony. Consult: ?1rs. Barkley, Among Boers and Basutos (London, 1900) ; Lagden, "Basutoland and the Basntos," in Colonial Institute Journal, Vol. XXXII. (London, 1901) ; Bryce, Impres sions of South Africa (London, 1899) ; Widdi eombe, Fourteen Years in Basutoland (London, 1892).
BAT (Fr. bat, OF. bast, paek-saddle). A British army term, originally the name of a kind of pack-saddle, used on foreign service, for the transpott of baggage, etc. A bat-horse is an animal carrying such a pack, and the soldier or man in charge would be termed a bat-man. By a modification of meaning bat-man was used to denote a soldier allowed to act as servant to an officer. At the present time, the term `bat-man' is applied only to the soldier responsible for the care and cleanliness of the clothing, arms, and equipment of a warrant, staff, or regimental non commissioned officer. The money received for such service, wheh is paid by the interested non commissioned officer, is termed bat-money. The former commissioned officers' bat-man is now known as soldier-servant.