Empire (61st of 90) -- The Empire in the 1860s [15min]

By the start of the 1860s, the empire was quite different from what it had been at the start of the previous decade. The 1852 Sand River Convention for the moment strengthened British authority in southern Africa. By the 1860s with the discovery of diamond and more gold in Dutch held Africa, Britain was heading for inevitable conflict in that continent. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of India in the 20th, told in 90 programmes written by historian Christopher Lee and narrated by actor Juliet Stevenson. ...Visit website to listen again to 5 most recent episodes, plus interactive maps and timeline, biographical dictionary, image galleries, listeners' comments, quizzes, sources and resources.