Men, Mines and Animals in South Africa - Lord Randolph S. Churchill

Lord Randolph Churchill, father of the illustrious Sir Winston, had a brilliant political career. Having entered Parliament aged 26, he was appointed Secretary for India 10 years later and the following year became Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons.

In 1891 his interests as a share-holder in the Charter Company prompted a visit to Mashonaland to investigate the gold finds. His book Men, Mines and Animals in South Africa, which ran to several editions, originated as a series of letters to The Daily Graphic for which he received £100 each. As would be expected, he was a keen and far-ranging observer of all aspects of life in the Cape Colony, the Transvaal and Bechuanaland through which he passed en route to Fort Salisbury.

Accompanied by a large entourage, including an eminent American mining engineer, he spent several months in Mashonaland inspecting newly-developed mines but, much to the irritation of Rhodes, showed little enthusiasm for their future. The incongruity of a high-ranking Englishman of noble birth roughing it in the Rhodesian bundu of the 1890s is heightened by the delightful illustrations. The book makes a worthy contribution to recreating the picture of the countrys past.