The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-21 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF THE CAPE ti.u• f...."10P.
• HOPE.
(From the United Service Gazette.)
We have great pleasure in giving a prominent place
in our columns to the following judicious review of
the affairs of South Africa, illustrating, as it does,
most completely. the causes of the recent events at
Port Natal. It is from the pen of an intelligent officer,
who has resided several years on the eastern frontier
of the Cape of Good Hope, and does but confirm our
impression of the folly, as well as injustice, of the war
in which we are at present engaged with the Dutch
emigrants—a war which demands at least six times
the resources at present at our disposal in that colony
to conduct it to a successful issue.
" Sir,—The account of the late repulse our troops
have met with near Port Natal, in a conflict with the
Dutch emigrants, may render the following commu-
nication interesting to some of the readers of your
valuable paper. Having myself resided on the eastern
frontier of the Cape Colony from 1834 to 1841, during
which period I had many opportunities of acquainting
myself with the habits, character, &c., of the Dutch
farmers ; and having acquired a pretty intimate know-
ledge of their language, I venture to offer the follow-
ing remarks, which are mostly the result of my own
observation. I shall at first describe, in as few words
as possible, the origin of this emigration.
" It began on a grand scale in 1836, and the chief
causes which led to it are enumerated by Major
Chartres, R.A., in some excellent letters published
by him in the United Service Journal (see 'Notices
of the Cape and Southern Africa,' United Service
Journal, 1839) as follows :—First, ' Abolition of
slavery,' and the compensation money being made
payable in London, so that the Boer (farmer) had to
submit to the tender mercies of certain Cape Town
merchants, who brought the money to such a concen-
trated state, that he had no need of his ox or waggon
to carry it home. Secondly, ' The abuses in the
measurement of their farms, and titles to property.'
In several instances the Dutch farmers have paid
for the measurement of their farms twice and
thrice over, being anxious to get the diagram
and title, which in many cases laid in the Sur-
veyor-General's-office at Cape Town for years.
Thirdly, 'Seizure ofproperty during the Kafir War of
1834-5 by the. Colonial Government, to the amount
of 25,0001., without adequate remuneration for the
same.' Fourthly, ' Insecurity of the frontier.' As
these causes are so well explained in the article above-
mentioned, I merely refer to them as being well-
known matters of colonial history, ; but I shall add a
fifth cause, . Which is not so well known. On the
arrival of Captain
(now Sir Andries) Stokenstrom, on
the eastern frontier, as its Lieutenant-Governor in Sept.
1836, he received, among several addresses from the
frontier towns, one from Leitenage, a town 95 miles
west of Graham's Town. In this address the emigra-
tion was not alluded to, but Capt. S.'s reply contains
the following paragraphs relative thereto : ' It is but can-
did at once to state that lam not aware of any law which
prevents any of his Majesty's subjects from leaving his
dominions and settling in another country, and such a
law if it dil exist, would be tyrannical and oppressive ;
nor could we wish to prevent our brethren from bet-
tering their condition.' —(Dated 14th September;
1836.) Upon Capt. S.'s arrival on the immediate
frontier, a correspondence commenced between him
and Field Commandant Retief, who was preparing to
emigrate, with a numerous body of farmers, from the
Winterberg di§trict, should their condition be not bet-
tered and rendered more secure. In a letter to Re-
tief, dated Shiloh, September 24, 1836, Capt. S.
writes as follows :—' With respect to those who in-
tend leaving the colony, I can only say I cannot pre •
vent them from so doing ; and if they could be hap-
pier in another country I would advise them to
remove.' The written opinion thus given by the
Lieutenant-Governor of the eastern frontier to his sub-
jects, and which he repeated in addressing the Dutch
farmers, operated as a fifth cause to the emigration ;
the result was that many who were previously
wavering, from their doubts as to the legality of the
step, decided at once ; the sluice was withdrawn, and
the full tide of emigration swept across the northern
frontier. No attempt was
made by the authorities to
stop this movement. I believe Mr. H. Cloete, an ad-
vocate of Cape Town, an able lawyer, and a country-
man of the emigrants, offered the Governor to visit
personally the emigrating farmers, and expostulate
with them on the step they were taking; but his
services were declined. It was not until May, 1838,
when Sir G. Napier (then appointed Governor of the
colony) addressed the emigrants in terms of con-
ciliation, on his visit to the eastern frontier, but
without effect, and several times afterwards with as
little success; this is not to be wondered at, when the
movement had been allowed to progress so long
" Before proceeding farther with the history of the
without interference.
emigration let us take a glance at the early history of
Port Natal. We first hear of Port Natal in 1589,
when it is said to have been purchased from the na-
tives by the Dutch East India Company for 20,000
guilders. Mr. Sake Bannister mentions this, and
a so that, in 1690, a
tract of land was again bought
by the Company for a like sum ; moreover, that ' the
Dutch, after abandoning, the Cape colony, settled De-
la-Goa Bay and Port Natal in 1820, but abandoned
them both in 1831. The Portuguese soon after set-
tled the former. In 1823, the Salisbury trader, char-
tered by Lieut.-Fanwell and Mr. ' Thomson, visited
Port Natal on a commercial speculation. On the Ist
of May, 1824, Lieut. F. reported his proceedings to the
establishment there ; it was granted,.
tCoafpeormCoalotnriadalinGgovernment, and requested permission
with this proviso,' that Government would not sanction
the acquisition of any territorial possession, without a
full communication to the Governor of the circum-
'tances under which it might be offered, and be in-
tended to be received.' In September, 1824, Lieute-
nant F. reports to the Governor that he had received
a sale and grant of land from Chaka, King of the
Zocloos, nearly depopulated, and having 35 miles of
coast-line, and extending 100 inland. Mr. Saxe Ban-
nister, in Isis valuable work already referred to, urges
the necessity of the Government taking possession of
it. Sir G. L. Cole, then Governor of the Cape, and
the Secretary of State, seem to have held a different
opinion, for the latter states in answer to S. B.'s re-
commendation,unbo Majesty's Government could
,
such advantages would accrue to the
is suggestions, would coun terba-
ppublic,
c perceive, b by
ad ot
p that
adopting
s that his
as
u h
lance the expense, &c., which must inevitably attend
the formation of a new settlement.' In 1835 the same
request was urged by the merchants of Cape Town,
and the Colonial Government returned the same an-
swer. From the foregoing facts it is evident that
Port Natal never belonged to the English Govern-
ment, and that they, moreover, disclaimed all idea of
forming a settlement there. It has been already
stated that the ground granted by Chaka to Lieute-
nant Fanwell was nearly depopulated. The actual
population was between 300 and 400 souls, over an
extent of countrly of upwards of 3,000 square miles.
Chaka by a series of bloody wars laid waste this
and the country south-westward of Natal for two
hundred miles. It has been supposed that one mil-
lion of human beings were destroyed by him, so that
he has been well designated -the ' Attila' of Southern
Africa. Dingaan, his brother, murdered him, about
twelve years ago, and by his cruelties has well
earned the title of 'Nero' of that country. When
the first division of the emigrants under Retief arrived
in the Zooloo country, they treated with Dingaan,
and were by him granted the Natal territory.
Soon afterwards, however, Retief and a hundred of
his party were treacherously butchered by Din-
Dutch encampment, and murdering the remainder,
Pan, who consummated this act by surprising the
with the women- and children. This was the be-
ginning of hostilities
between the emigrants and
the Zooloos; The Primary aggression was Din-
gams's. I. am induced to dwell upon this, as many
the
es e
aggressors,the opinio n
that the emigrants were in all cases
and behaved in a brutal manner
towards the aborigines. The path of their emi-
gration was, indeed, marked with blood, but not by
rggresaion. They
to act offensively, had they wished,
prove, that in everyand just sufficient
carried too many cattle with them
to excite the cupidity of clic aborigines. The paper
written by Major Chartres, before referred to, will
the farmers were first
attacked. A series ofconflicts, therefore, ensued after
the treacherous murder of Retief and his party, and
Unmini, the rightful possessor of the Natal country,
from whom Chaka
had wrested it, assisted the emi-
grants in their war, instance
and agreed to their possessing
their territory.t It was in this state of affairs that Sir
G. Napier, Governor of the Cape Colony, considered
it advisable to seize on the Port of Natal, for which
purpose, in November
egim,e 1838, be sent the light com-
pany
.of the 72d Reginvent, with some artillery thither,
and issued a proclamation, in which he assigned
as a reason for such ' seizure; the maintenance
of peace between the emigrants and native tribes,
and 'not partaking in any degree of the nature of
colonization, as annexed to the Crown of Great Bri-
tain, either as a colony or colonial dependency.' This
force was withdrawn in December, 1839, by orders
from the Home Government. It was not, then, until
January, 1841, that the present force under Captain
Smith wagsent, besides fifty Cape Mounted Rifle-
men, who were latterly
ex-
pense. This force at first marched no further than
giant 'Boers 1 '
commandant,
Fakoo s countrwithdrawn owing. to the ex-
chief of the Amaponda), and its
ostensible motive(
was to protect him from the emi-
' Pretorious, their present
, • wio under
near Fakoo. Centel Smith's force only marched to
Natal recently, - n
"Having no
leaving the colony,
had attacked N'Capai, a chief living
belonged to the British Government, but was ceded
by treaty (a written )of the Dutch emigrants,
w shown that the Natal territory never
one
and that little or no opposition was offered to their
from a high authority which touches upon both these
'
points, viz.,l shall conclude this by a quotation
.Vattel's Laws of Nations,' book 2d
chap. vie, sect, 96_' An independent individual,
whether he
has been driven from his country, or has
legally quitted of his own accord, may settle hi a
P

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