The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-09 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

We have Cape Town journals of the 15th January.
The great meeting of Kaffirs at King William's Town
took place on the 7th January.
The day previous a large number of colonists
arrived at the scene of meeting, as well as a
considerable concourse of Kaffirs. The latter,
however, were not so numerous as expected, at no
period exceeding, as supposed, 2,000 men. mere
were present, however, all the chiefs and head men
of British Kaffirland, as also Umterara and Nlapassa,
the principl Tambookie chiefs; 31adoor, the Bush-
man chief, and a deputation of six or eight councillors
from Kreili and Booko, the great chiefs of Eastern
Kaffirland.
At half-past ten o'clock Sir H. Smith arrived, surrounded
by his ',toff, and was received with a deafening shout by the
assembled Kaffir,, all rising simultaneously. All the pun
cipal chi. fs were in the centre of the circle, his excellency
placing himself immediately in front of them. After the
commotion consequent on his appearance had somewhat
subsided. Sir Harry commanded silence, and proceeded to
address them, stating that, before enterog upon the business
of the meetior, he would call upon one of the ministers of
religton present to pray to Almighty God to bless the pro-
ceediegs, and to proper them in the work in which they
were about to engage..
The Rev. 11. Dugmore, Wesleyan Minister, offered
up, in Kaffir, an impressive prayer.
His excellency then spoke as follows:
"My people, God, you see, blesses this occasion. Your
gardens were dry and burnt up, and he last night tent you
a copious rain.
"My people, and if good, again my children,—The day I
arrived at Kinu Willi.an'a Town, the 23rd of December, 1817,
I read to you the pmclamation in the name of her Majesty
the Queen of England, which described your true position,
the consequence of the wicked and unprovoked war which
you had made upen the colony, viz,, that conquest which
you
you of all riirbt to thecountry upon which you are now
permitts d to build ; that between the Keiskamina and the
Kei is British Kaffraria ; that neither Rili or Boko's people
shall occupy one toot of it ; sad that in future you hold
these territories of and from her Majesty; that all your
political independence as a people is at an end ; that no
treaties will ever again be entered into with you ; that you
shall acknowledge no paramount chief but the ( Inkosi
Inkulu) great chief whom her Majesty of England places
over you, from whom you hold your leads, and not in
any right of your own ; for you well know that war—
the war you made—has deprived you of them for ever.
It is woe to industry and labour, and to them only, you
must look, that you may become like your brethren, the
English—clothed, hound, and fed, honest, and indus-
trious. This I told you at my great meeting twelve years
ago, of which this very day is the anniversary. After that I
ruled you for nearly two years. I left you learning to be
English—rich, your people protected, all of you happy. Look
upon } ourselves now, and see the miserable wretches to
which war, the war you made. has reduced you Where
are the large herds of cattle of which I left you in possession ?
Fools ! now you are submissive at my feet- Hear then this,
my word :—The great Queen of England has sent me back
to you, to show
.you that her Majesty has not thrown you
away, if you desire to be her children. Did I ever tell you
a lie
Hear' I am your " Inkosi Inkulu!" and no chief of Your
own—no Rili. no Sandilli, no Macomo, no Siwini, no tin-
hala,—but I shall keep each chief at the head of his own
tribe, and I will make English sad good men of you. Now,
Pa great chiefs come forward, and touch my stick of office.
Ths stick of war I have thrown away. Now swear in the
name of the Great Spirit of us all—white and black—that
Omnipotent God who knows no distinction, when his people
are good, as follows. You kept your oath formerly, until I
absolved you of it. when I left you before as directed, and
when you were all in tears, wishing me to remain :
Oith.—Know you this, " Inkosi Inkulu," our own " Inkosi
Inkulu," representative of our great Queen of England, that
I (here the chief repeats his name) will be faithful and true
unto you, or to whomsoever her Majesty places over us, ana
faith to you bear for the lands which I hope to hold of you,
and that I will lawfully do to you the customs and services
which I ought to do in the terms assigned, viz :—To obey
the laws and commands of the " lnkosi Inkulu." To com-
pel my people to do the same. To disbelieve in, and cease
to tolerate or practice witchcraft in any shape. To
prevent all violations of our women. To abhor murder,