The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-01

There has been no lack of praise for the gal.
lantry of the British troops who have fallen in
south Africa, in the valley OF the TugGla,
where King Cetewayo erwhelmed Gen. Lord
lChclmstord's command; but few tears are
wasted on the 5000 Xulus whom the English
commander claims to have killed
The Zulu war is one Of sheer conquest on
The part OF the British Government. 1t is the
direct fruit OF the British seizure and anncx;i-
tlon OF the Transvaa Republic measure
which even 50 high military authority as the
| MATED S6r0ice GazettG thus condemned:
Under the pretenCe that the Beers could
not keep the peace with their neighbors, and
that our internal tranquility was thereby jco-
pardized, the Govrrnment-or Lord Carnaryon
was induced TO commit high handed act
! of violence, which would have shocked and
disguised the people Of this country, had il
| been pelpctratcd by any Of the great military
powers against weak state in Europe. And
what has been the result? A rebellion in our
own land, suppressed with difficulty; a rising
of the border tribes, just terminated, after much
waste of property and of life, and the prospect
of II serious war with the Zulu King
| Up TO the time Of SciZing the Iransvaal Re.
public, the British had no trouble with the Zu-
| lus which could not be easily arranged. Sir
Henry BuIwer, the Governor of Natal, which
cent official plea that the British authorities
had been invited and urged by Cetewayo and
all his nation to take relghborly part in his
coronation, when he succeeded To the throne
half Il dozen years ago. And from that time
until 1874, when the Tran-vaai was seized, the
! British had no war or cause OF war with Cate.
| wayO Bat the Zulus, whose country extends
westward from the Indian Ocean 10 the Trans
vaal, and from the Tuegla on the south To the
| PongOa ON thc north, mad Tor generations been
in disputc with the Dutch Beers Of the Trans
vaal who claimed and tried TO hOlu the west
crn part of Xululand Thence arose many fer.
ays, and occasional wars.
With its seizure oil the Transvaal, the Colon
ial Government acquired this boundary dis
pute, anu undertook to settle il in It's own way.
Sir Henry Bulwer appointed Il commission of
three officers of his own Natal Government TO
determine it, The annexation of the Trans
vaal Republic led Cetewayo to suspect a pur-
pose to absorb his own domains, so as throw
open a commercial way from that republic to
the ocean. While this one-sided commission
was considering the matter, the i'll feeling be-
tween the Beers and the Zulus naturally did
not subside; and again led to hostile fOrays.
Catewayo put his troops on the disputed land
and he found British troops there too For,
on the 10Th of December, when Mr.. James in
quired, in the House of Commons, when the
arbitration of the boundary between the Trans.
vaal and Zululand will be completed, and
whether 1t is true that Col. Wood crossed the
disputed territory with military force before
the question of ownership had been settled"
Sir NJ. III. Beach thus replied:
Col Wood took a small force of his troops
to place which is itself not within he terri
tory respecting which this award Is made. In