The New York herald., 1879-08-05

DullulnR site near the palace which he erected
store. which is the only one at Ulundi to this day.
Here he established himself and bartered beads,
cloths. wine and "Kafr truck to the Zulus for their
cattle and hides. Mr. Mullins had the monopoly Of
supplying the King with tho strange fnery with
which the ladies of his harem decorated themselves.
| MULLINS DUNN.
| The business and private relations or the young
trader and the King increased daily. and it became
well known that Johnny Mullins" more inti-
mate with Cetywayo than any white man ever was.
He had entirely usurped what slight confidence the
| King had had in John Dunn, and was held in high
| respect by all Zulus who knew him. His time
not wholly spent at the Kings kraal for lie made
frequent trips into Natal TO Durham where he pur
chased goods, and to Mount Pleasant, near the
Umhlanga where his aged father and sisters lived
During such absent periods from the store his Kafr
servant carried the business just as faithfully
as it his master at hand. The place, being
der royal favor. was doubly secure. Mr. Mullins is
qualified to speak Of the King and his character.
having had more opportunities of studying him
than any other white man. He describes the sable
monarch as being exactly opposite to what popular
prejudice and rumor have painted him. According to
Mr. Mullins Cetywayo is the talest and finest made
Zulu in the nation, with intelligent, thoughtful. and
thoroughly noble features and royal bearing gesture
and manner; the most powerful pleasantes spoken
and fairest dealing man in the whole kingdom.
CETYwAYo's CHARACTER.
In administering justice he judges sternly and i'm
partially passing sentence his own brothers with
the same severity and fearessness that would be
ercsed the meanest subject; approachable at all
times and always pleased to strangers. whom he
treats with unvarying hospitality. In private the
King leads life of wonderful abstemiousness and
regularity. His wives live in the royal enclosure,
each one having hut Of her own and bevy Of Zulu
damsels who act as maids OF honor. He has fewer
wives than repute has palmed off him. Getty
wayo has several residences-one at each OF the
military kraals. Each Of these houses is built in
the European style but furnished after native GUS
tom-that is. they have little no furniture.
The principal article in each royal residence
is a State chair In which His Majesty sits while dis
pensing justice transacting State business. This
chair is hewn out of the solid trunk of and
carved and fashioned in the highest style OF Zulu
art. Presents of beautiful reception chairs have
been made to Cetywayo by John Dunn and others.
but he casts them all aside i'll favor OF home manu-
facture When not seated he rcclines on mat after
the fashion OF the At all times he is attended
by body guard and when sitting III state the great
councillors consisting OF the chief ndunos or head
men Of the nation, are grouped around him.
COUNCILS.
Sometimes such councils are held in the open air.
when q large umbrella is held over him or a lawn
tent is pitched. He may be thus when review.
ing his army or speaking to his regiments. The
Is s% ,
best makers. and is q fair shot. Six o'clock every
morning finds him afoot attended by his body
guard on his constitutional hunting expedition.
During this he walks from ten to fifteen miles,
turning to the palace ten. when he is Immediately
rubbed with soapstone and bathed by attendants.
After this the business routine OF the day com
mences. Kafir beer-a light beverage, about as in
toxicating as lager beer-is Cetywayos favorite
drnk-in fact, it is the only the people had
until white traders brought rum into the country,
the sale OF which is prohibited by the King Drunk
enness among has subjects is sternly frowned upon
by him. The moment subject is reported to have
committed crime the King says of the culprit, "He
does not belong to my people" and after hearing
the passes sentence in just manner 1t is q
precedent laid down by him ''that Zulu cannot
of refugees who are in Natal ana hare not return
Zuiuland
coNvERsATIoNALIsT.
His Majesty has pleasant powers of convers ition
and often induges in witty small talk. but is noted
at the sae time for his cute and logical sayings OF
course. he only knows the one language the Zulu
Kafhr dialect The Zulu King. like his subjects
has an inherent disirust and dislike to the Dutch
ooasd uma, on the the 1.msr ns hnd he has always
and coniding '"rhe English have
beaten all the white nationsand the Zuus all the
black ones. observes Cetywayo land why should
not two such great powers be the best of friendsH -
This is how matters stood until the British troops
sent across the Tugela rashly last January.
MIR. Mullins believes speaking of q man as he
finds HIM. and the above is now lie has always found
Cetywayo. the Zulu King. or, as hypocritical gov
ernors and mercenary coonists call him. ''the
bloodthirsty wretch"
.GUN RUNNING"
This is the term used in south Africa for the Illicit
trade Of supplying natives with firearms. In Natal
the Free State the Transvaa it is crime to either
sell or carry through the country guns to be sold
to Kaffrs. There are no restrictions placed ON the
trade in the Cape Colony, Diamond Fields Dclagoa
Bay territory. and thousands of firearms have
found their way into the hands of the
Zulus and other natives through those coun-
tries A duty Of s5 barrel is charged
on all guns entered at the port of Natal, aud
each one has to be registered. It IL common
knowledge that despite these restrictions several of
the largest merchants in Durham engaged in the
trade not only of selling firearms to the Zulus but
also OF smuggling them into the colony Most them
have agencies ut Delagoa Bay where the Portupuese
encourage the trade. Thr ,ugh this port il is com.
putod that one hundred thousand stand Of arms
have reached Zululand. 1t was so secret that owing
to Delagoa Bay being free port and Natal being
under such heavy restrictions, guns could be
purchased cheaper at Cetywayo's Kraal than in Dur.
JOHN DUNN, TRADER
Traders we're undoubtedly engaged in supplying
the Zulus with firearms, but IL well known that
they obtained their stock at Delagoa bay, in most
from the agents of the Durham merchants.
Tne man most , directly engaged IN the trade was
dent in the pay Of the Natal government. He has
been known to receive upward of $1,000 at a time
published recently which showed that ho re-
ceived $50 guns in lot in November 1871 and he
was selling others up to the time OF the In vasion
For obvious Mr.. Mullins never trafiicked in
firearms. First. John Dunn had the monopoly:
second, they could be bought cheaper in DeIaroa
Bay than In Natal; third the trade was contrabsnI
in Natal. Altogether there were about one hundred
traders IN zululand, many of whom. like Mr..
S"iAAios AsS'ei No"is ~ guns. DcslucS THESE
the missionaries numbered seventeen, nine
Norwegians. i've Germans and two Eng
lsh All OF them had resided there for
years No Americans had ever had mission stations
In Zululand; their places are in Natal where they
are respected by black and white On the other
hand. the most OF the Zulu missio nares ba ye had
bad name from those who knew their ways The
King could not understand their strange way of
making converts and he had very little respect for
them, but had never acted adversely. Previous to
the annexation of the Transvaal and before IL be-
came apparent that the same fato was in store for
Zululand. Natal never exercised herself about or
showed much alarm at tho way the Zulus managed
their affairs.