The republic., 1851-08-07
THE REPUBLIC.

party, undoubtedly, had given the other sufi-
cient cause for hatred and war; but, If we be-
leve the English reports, the colonists bad
behaved the least like Christians According
To the account Of an English missionary, the
Beers invited one of the most obnoxious of the
Kaffir tribes to friendly conference, and while
the Kaffirs were collecting together the presents
of trlnkets which their treacherOus friends had
given them, they were fired upon, and great
numbers were killed. These disturbances
between the Dutch Beers and their trouble
some neighbors had taken place before the
English took possession of the colony, and
when the new masters attempted to enforce new
laws they found the Beers almost as difficult to
manage as the Kaffirs. In their ignorance of
the people whom they had to govern, and the
sayages with whom they had to contend, the
English appear to have been peculiarly unfor
tunate in all their movements in South Africa;
and the difficulty of the case seems to have
been still further increased by the introduction
of English settlers in the disaffected districts. In
the year 1890 considerable number of Scotch
men attempted settlement, which they called
Albany, on the Great Fish river, and built a
town called Grahamstown, six hundred and
fifty miles from Capetown, which has become
place of some consequence. The colonists
continued to thrive after fashion, and to
hold their own in spite of the predatory incur
sions of the Kaffir tribes; but there nothing
of THAI rapid increase of the whites and decrease
of the blacks that has marked the settlement
of our own frontiers. As further obstacle
| to the Kaffirs, the British government estab-
lished colony Of Hottentots on the Kat
river, and, as an English writer says, the ex-
pertinent of colonizing with Hottentots turned
out well, nasmuch as they proved capable
of prospering so long as they were lavishly
supplied with money. In 1884 another
war, on an extensive scale, broke out be-
tween the Kaffirs and the colonists, which
proved the former to be capable of more
systematic warfare than had been suspected.
An immense amount of property was destroyed,
cattle driven off, and lives sacrificed, and two
millions ofpounds sterling expended before the
kafflrs were brought to terms and made willing
to be subjects of England. Sir Harry Smith,
charge OF, the frontier, and affairs were tolera-
bly, quiet until 1916, when new war broke
out with the Kaffirs, which was not quelled
under two years, and with another two millions
OF expense. Since this year commenced the
kaffirs have again risen upon the colonsts,
and bloody war has commenced, which threat
ems to be more troublesome and costly than any
that has yet been waged. between the contend
ing parties. 1t is not strange that some of the
English journals have recommended that the
Cape, whose name seems to be very little in ac-
cordance with the destiny ofits inhabitants should
be abandoned, rather than any more millions
should be voted for supplies in its defence. But
the supplies have been voted, and the indomi-
table Kaffirs appear now to be the ugiest GUS
toners that John Bull has to deal with
The Dutch Beers, about twelve years ago,
being dissatisfied with English rule, and not
liking to pay taxes to government that could
not or did not afford them protection, emigrated
in great numbers from the territory, and, after
many wanderings, settled at Port Natal, where
they proposed putting themselves under the
protection Of Holland; but this plan was, as
matter of course, frustrated by the English gov
ernment, and the poor harassed Beers, who
have been alternately the prey of Kaf1irs,
Frenchmen, and Englishmen, have at last
yielded to their destiny, and agreed to be sub
jects of Queen Victoria. In the meanwhile the
war with the Kafirs is going on, and, although
there can be no question as to the final result,
it is not easy to foresee the extent of the dam
age which the British lion must receive i'm his
contest with the natives of southern Africa.