New-York daily tribune., 1854-09-15


sonsries proclaimed them everywhere as vile ROD
bers, and stirred up the natives against them.
chief of the Mstabeli tribe, called MO'olekatzi'
who had himself been driven from the north, az
tackled them, stole their cattle, aud killed some
Of the Beors. To defend themselves, they col
lected together in large numbers, stormed his
c,mp. and drove him back to the north. They
then made peace with the surrounding tribes
who had suffered at the hands Of MosOlekstzi,
promising at once to respect their rights, and 30
give payment for everything they required for
their own use. BY steadily pursuing this line Of
conduct. they gradually obtained the confidence
of the different tribes. and BY the time that they
were reinforced by new company OF emigranss'
all was order and regularity in the new colony.
The first migration had consisted OF some oOOo
souls but it was not long before it had reached
to upward of $4,000. Rstief, the leader OF the
party last arrived, originated governing cham
ber consisting of twenty-four members, who reg
ulsted and made the laws, while nothing was
neglected to give permanency and character TO
their institutions.
Retief. however, soon found that the future OF
his countrymen could not be very brilliant, shut
out, as they were, from the coast The haroor
of Natal attracted his attention. Here some Eu-
plshmen had already settled, but entirely on
their own responsibility and not under the pro-
tecten of the English Government. Troubled by
the Zulu Kaffirs, under Dingan, they invited
Retief to come and join them on the coast Most
= al af wi hO at
menced ne egotiations for the purchase OF the lsud
from Dingan. Soon after Retlefs arrival az
Port Natal, Dingan invited him to an interview,
offering, at the same time, to give up the haroor
to the Doors. Many feared treachsry, but the
brave Retief, accompanied by seventy volunteers,
met Dingan, and concluded treaty with him,
which was afterward found among his papers;
for, as he was shout to return, he and bis people
were cruelty murdered. Before the news could
reach the Doors, Dingan fell upOh their encamp-
ment, but was driven back with great loss;
while OIL the llth of April of the same year lS3s)
the Doors, assisted BY the English cOlonists Of
Port Natal, gave battle to the Zulu-Kafhrs, and,
defeating them, killed upward of a thousand.
All this attracted great attention in the Colony,
and the Dutch inhabitants Literally supplied the
Doors with arms and ammunition. After several
hard battles, Dingan was thoroughly defeated
and bis army deserving him, his brother was sho-
sen King of the Zulu-Kaffirs, with whom the
Doors ultimately concluded peace. Immediately
on receipt of this good news they were joinei by
the other migrating Doors. The town of Peter
maritzburg was built and they commenced tilling
the land. The English government wasnowinara-
ther awkward predicament, for the! did not know
how to treat the migrated Doors, Who were suf-
fciently numerous to be Onethird of the civil
lied agricultural population of South Africa
The Dutch population rejoiced at the success Of
their cOuntrymen, while even the English were
pleased The government, however, hesitated
and hesitated and finally sent troops to Port Ma
tai to take possession of the harbOr, but aftera
few months they withdrew them; they forbade
the export of arms and ammunition from the Col
ony and then informed the Doors that they were
ready to negotiate with them, aud leave them
the management Of their own affairs, reserying
however, the right of appointing their governor
Tired at length with the regeneration of the
Colonial Government, the Doors declared them
selves free in le4O, under the name of the Repub-
lie of Port Natal. Negotiations were immediately
commenced, in which the Cape Government came
off second best, but these were suddenly brought
to close on the 10th Of June, l84l, by the Gov
ernor declaring the Doors to be rebels, and giving
them until January Of 1912 to determine as to
how they would proceed, when he declared, if
they were still contumaciOus, he would march his
troops into Port Natal. Knowing that they could
not resist for any length of time the power of En-
gland, however able they might be to cope with
the troops then in the colony, the poor Doors did
not knew what to do, when, just at the critical
moment, an English frigate entered the harbor,
commanded by a gentleman of Dutch descent.
The Doors wished to increase their trade. Capt.
Cloete proclaimed general amnesty excepting
only FIVE persons, who were pardoned some few
months afterward, promised them protection
against the Zulu-Kaffrs, and non-interferencs
with the internal administration Of their affairs.
The missionaries were of course dissatisfied
with this arrangement and many Of the Doors not
leSs so; consequently several wandered back again
and settled themselves once more north of the
Gariep. The Colonial Government when the
migation of the Doors first commenced had de-
clared its Jurisdiction to extend as far as 25o
south latitude; bat this was dead.etter. In
1915 new province was made, called the Orange
River Sovereignty, which included all the land
lying between the Gariep and yaal Rivers, where
the greater part of the migrating Doors were
settled. in spite of every attempt of the Colo
nial Government to satisfy the Doors, some 90, 900