New-York daily tribune., 1854-09-15
CIVILIZATION ~ AFRICA.

I
influence and importance on the west the gen.
eral public have paid little attention to the In
roads which the descendants OF one OF the
sturdiest and thriftiest races Of Europeans are
making upon the primal wilderness between the
Cape of Good Hope and the Equator. There,
however, is a young and vigorous Stste, whose
action is perhaps less rapid than we are
wont to boast Of in this country. but
whose origin, at least, has some analogy
with that of the most industrious aud en-
liehtened communities in America. Indeed,
the peopling of South Africa by an agricul-
tursl population, sprang from the same cause as
did that of our New England States The first
settlers, flying from a religious persecution.
landed under the immediate protection Of the
Dutch. and lived untroubled by any further in
reference from the home Government than was
necessary to make their capital good and safe
harbor for vessels engaged In trading to and from
India very simple form of self-government
consequently arose among them.
The natives scattered in tribes, throughout the
neither willing nor able to oppose the colonists-
who indeed peaceably bought up nearly all the
adjoining lands. The colony, however, did not
increase very rapidly for when it first fell into
the haIds of the English, it still only consisted of
some go 600 souls, of whom about 10000 could
| claim European origin. The true cause Of the
Hottentots falling into state Of servitude was
their own shftlessne,s and weakness, and did not
spring from aggression on the part Of the first set
tiers. During the century and hslfthat the Dutch
possessed the Cape, we hear of only two wars
with the natives while the English have but
very recently concluded their seventh. When
ever the Doors we're robbed Of their cattle,
which was often the case while their number
was comparatively small, Commando" as he
was called, went to the native village whose in
habitants were suspected of the theft, and seiz
| ing on an equal number, carried them of. This
efIectual Ter tali0nis was perhaps the only law
perfectly ineligible to the wild natives. and the
| Government paid no further attention to these
acts of retaliation, than to prevent the safety of
the Colony being endangered by any sudden up
rising of the AborigineS in consequence Of them.
Such, briefly was the state of the Colony when
it fell into the hands of the English in the begin
ming of lo06. A foreign rule is never agreeable.
and various regulations of the English caused
feeling Of Dissatisfaction to spring up among the
! Doors, which, however, would never have
! amounted to anything except for the advent OF
the missionaries The theoretically philosophic
school of the 18th century had dressed itself out
in England in the gowns Of the clergy, and after
the brilliant success Of Wilberforces humane
efforts became apparent, the people gradually &C.
custOmedt themselves to consider sayages as the
pure guileess children of nature, while they per-
sisted in believing that Europeans generally were
their cruel masters and relentless foes. These
views caused much trouble; but more especially
were they the means Of creating disunion at the
Cape, where the missionaries, urged on by njudi-
cOus zeal defended the Kafirs in all their incur
siOns on the BoOrs and did no! hesitate calling the
Commands little better than thieves. Hence
mutual hatred ultimately arose; the missiona-
ries representing the Dutch settlers as cruel men
who delighted in bloodshed while they in their
turn painted the missionaries as political in
tTiguers, seeking for power. The worst of all
Was the fact that the missionaries possessed
great influence in England while the Doors we're
| regarded ds stlH-necked race.
At length the Doors were forbidden to take the
law into their own hands; when naturally they
looked for protection at the hands of the Govern
ment, since they might no longer defend them
selves. This, however, owing to the small num-
Der Of troops he had under his command, the
Governor could not always afford, and when he
was in position to protect them the missionaries
iDterfered to prevent him. The fact of the Kafirs
always escaping punishment made them bolder
and bolder until at last in 1919, the whole affair
was accurately examined, when it was found that
instead Of the Doors being the aggressors, they
really did stand in need of protection. In order
to render this more efectuslly, England deter
mined to encourage emigration to the Cape, aud
to select the emigrants chiefly from discharged
tolders, halfpsy officers and ether similar classes.
These were settled between the territories of
the Kaffrs and Doors, in the District Of Albany,
lying northeast of the great Fish River, on
which the important place Of GrshamtOwn was
built
The arrival of these English eolonists gave a
new turn TO affairs, for they could make them
selves heard not only by the Governor, but even
in England itself; and as they and the Doors had
now many interests in common, they soon began
10 work together. Tho Kafir warfare pressed
60 heavily on the English settlers and was 40
Eksone to the whole of the cOlOnists, that the
missionaries durst no longer interfere. Sir Ben.
jsmin DUrban. the Governor, marched AGAINST
the enemy, drove them from the great Fish River
their old boundary liberated the Fingos. a peo.
pie who had always been oppressed by the K,f