Disraeli’s speech is worthy of close attention, if only because it forecasts the ultimate federation of South Africa. Disraeli defended Sir Bartle on the score that to succeed in impugning error, if error it was, of a distinguished public servant chosen by the Crown, was to impugn its prerogative. “_Great services are not cancelled by one act or one single error, however it may be regretted at the moment._ If he had been recalled ... in deference to the panic, the thoughtless panic of the hour, in deference to those who have no responsibility in the matter, and who have not weighed well and deeply investigated all the circumstances and all the arguments ... which ... must be appealed to to influence our opinions in such questions--no doubt a certain degree of odium might have been diverted from the heads of her Majesty’s ministers, and the world would have been delighted, as it always is, to find a victim.... We had only one course to pursue, ... to take care that at this most critical period ... affairs ... in South Africa should be directed by one, not only qualified to direct them, but who was superior to any other individual whom we could have selected for the purpose.” It would be a bad precedent, he resumed, for the safety of the empire if an exceptional indiscretion were to efface a long record of signal ability; and he drew to the recollection of the House[122] the case of Sir James Hudson at Turin, whose conduct had been similarly attacked, and whom he, as the leader of the Opposition, had refused to make a party question, and had himself then defended on the same public considerations. But adverting to policy, he used these weighty words-- “... Sir Bartle Frere was selected by the noble Lord (Carnarvon) ... chiefly to secure one great end--namely, _to carry out that policy of_ CONFEDERATION _in South Africa_ which the noble Lord had carried out on a previous occasion with regard to the North American colonies. “If there is any policy which, in my mind, is opposed to the policy of _annexation_, it is that of _confederation_. By pursuing the policy of confederation, _we bind states together, we consolidate their resources, and we enable them to establish a strong frontier; that is the best security against annexation. I myself regard a policy of annexation with great distrust. I believe that the reasons of state which induced us to annex the Transvaal were not, on the whole, perfectly sound._ But what were these circumstances?... The Transvaal was a territory which was no longer defended by its occupiers.... _The annexation of that province was ... a geographical necessity._