The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-07 00:00:00

SIR GEORGE GREY'S KAFEj

POLICY.

An important letter from Sir George Grey to
Col. Maclean, illustrative of his Kaffrarian policy,
published in the King William's Town Gazette, has
special reference to the plan recently announced of
allocating 200 farms in British Kaffraria to settlers
from the eastern and western provinces of the Cape
colony. His Excellency at the outset says :—" The
line of policy I have aimed at has been so to inter-
sperse, amongst each other, the European and native
populations of this country, that neither of them
might remain an object of dread or apprehension to
the other, but that they might become mutually
beneficial to one another. From what has taken
place in various parts of the colony no doubt can
exist that such relations may be established between
Europeans and the coloured population of South
Africa ; that from their union, a society of the
most harmonious elements may be formed, in which
the two races live together in a. state of happiness
and contentment, _forming loyal subjects, and a
productive and well organised society in which
crime is remarkably infrequent, and life and pro-
perty secure." He then describes the means adopted
by Min to that end, the military posts and villages,
the extensive roads and other public works, the
industrial institutions, and native constabulary,
all of which he provided for. He next refers to
the immigration from Britain, which he had pro-
posed securing, but which the home government
disallowed ; and the system of German immigration,
which had been also disapproved by her Majesty's
ministers. He then proceeds A part of my
original design was to mix up with-the population
newly incoming from Europe a considerable num-
ber of settlers, whose experience in the country,
and whose knowledge of its climate, its soil, its pro-
ductions, andthe character of its native inhabitants,
would have been of great use to the newly-arrived
emigrants. The disallowance, however, oft both the
plans I had formed for the introduction of emi-
grants from Europe leaves me now no resource but
to obtain, if possible, from the Cape colony, a much
larger proportion of European settlers for Kaffraria,
than I had originally intended ; for it is impossible
to keep such vast districts of fertile lands bare of
inhabitants. If this were attempted, they would
either become irregularly occupied at the caprice
of individuals, by a population of dangerous cha-
racter, under no control, and who would hereafter
entail enormous evils on the colony, or great ex-
pense must be incurred in maintaining a moveable
force constantly watching that they were not so
occupied, and turning out intruders ; and as the
country was devoid of inhabitants, and conse-
quently, of production and commerce, there would
be no means of raising a revenue to pay the heavy
cost of such a force. The enclosed regulations will
sufficiently explain how I intended that sutlers
s
hould be introducrd from the Cape colony into
Kaffraria. Blocks of farms must be laid out for
these settlers, with as little delay as practicable,
upon each side of the road leading from East
London to King William's Town. Sufficient land
must be left around the German villages for
their extension, and to meet the just wants of
the present and. future inhabitants of those vil-
lages, whose town and suburban property will be
greatly enhanced in value, from the country round
them being occupied by a skilled agricultural and.
pastoral population." lowards the close Sir George
adds—" In taking so much care for the interests of
the settlers it is proposed to introduce in the part
of Kaffraria to which I have alluded, the welfare of
the native inhabitants of the country must, at the
same time, not be overlooked. At present it may
be said that no natives are to be found in that tract
of country. . . . But when the country is in
part occupied. by European farmers, who will afford
work and supply the means of existence to its for-
mer inhabitants, it is probable that many of them
who are now in the colony may ultimately return
there, and the discipline and training they have
here undergone as labourers will render them use-
ful to the European inhabitants of Kaffraria. It
will therefore be requisite for the European settlers
to reserve sufficient tracts for the future wants of
the former inhabitants of the district who are likely
to return there, selecting the localities with a view
to the safety of the European population, to the
tastes and habits of the Kaffirs, and with a view to
their location in villages under the existing sys-
tem."