The Great Trek 9780713117288, 0713117281

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KEfGAN OOKSHOP SOUTHAFRIC4

60II SPECIALISTS

101 Nlain Road, Rondebosch

THE ARCHIVE SERIES General Editors: C. P. Hill and G. H. Iiell

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arin ton Senior Lecturer in History, University o f South Africa, I'retoriu, South Afr ic

Edward Arnold

© A. L. Haringson rgb

First published x9ya by Edvcard Arnold (Publishers) Ltd., ag Hill Stmet, London, vvxx gxx. ISBN o yxgx xyag x All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication rosy be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcnitted in any form or by any cneans, electronic, mechsnicai. photocopying, recording or otherwise, vcithout the prior permission of Edward Arnold 9 ubhshers) Ltd.

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ARC H I VE SERIES

at present eostuise thefo~

titf eee Disraeli and Conservatism by Robin Grinter. Lenin and the Russian Revolutions by F. W. Stscey. British Ixnperialism in the late x9th CenturybyI R. Gardiner and J. K Davidson. The Liberals and the Welfare Stateby R. D. H. ~. Mussohni and the Fascist Ersby Desmond Gregory. Hider aad the Rise of the Nasisby D. M. PMlips. Britain ancl Russia ftcnn the Crnnean to the Second World War by F. W Stscey. The General Strike, xcta6by C. L. Mowst. The Rise of the Labour Party in Great Britainby G. R. Scxuth. Bismarck ancl the Unification of Germany by Anthony Hewison. British Trade Unionism, rgb-x9xOby Lloyd Evans. Stalin and the ~ g o f M odern Russia by F. W. Stacey. Joseph Chamberlaint Democrat, Unionist and Imperialistby Robin Grinter. Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolutionby G. R, A. Withers. Chma Ill Revollctlon x91 x g9by Myra Roper, The Reform of the Lordsby R. D. H. Seaman. J. M. Keynesby I G. Bxandon. The Emancipation of Women inGreat Britain by 3largamt James. The Great Trek by A. L. Harington. The Origins of the Anglo-Boer Warby S. B. Spiel' Further titlesare in preparation.

Pristedin Great Britain by Con 8' 5'yncun I td., London, Readwg usd Euhenhusc

eneral Preface Today it is widely and strongly felt to be right to introduce college and school students of history to the raw materials of the subject. The aim of the Archive Series is to provide booklets of primary source material on historical topics, in a form suitable for students at various levels, including, for example, G.C.E. '0 Level' candidates and Sixth Forms in Britain, their equivalents in Australia and

elsewhere in the English speaking world, college of education students and others. Each topic has been selected for its interest and importance. The material ranges widely: extracts from newspapers, letters, speeches, diaries, treaties, novels, statutes, and autobiographies are all represented. Teachers, we imagine, will find the booklets useful in various ways: as a means to enrich a syllabus, as a supplement to textbooks, as the basis for elementary investigation of sources themselves, as illustrations of policies or attitudes, or merely as an occasional change from the normal routine. The series has a uniform format for ease of reference, but the author of each booklet has adopted his own plan of approach. We hope that the series will stimulate interest and increase understanding.

C. P. H.

G. H. F.

cknowledg ments D etailed sources foreach extract are given at the end of thebool' The Eront Cover shows a reproduction of the Retief-Dingaan treaty of 4th February, r838. The original disappeared at the time of the Anglo — Boer war. TheBack Cover shows part of a page from the minutes of the Republic of Natalia, 6th September, »39 Both are reproduced by permission of The Transvaai Arctu«s, Pretoria. The inside front cover shows a contemporary portrait of Andries Pretorius shortly after the battle of Blood River, where he was wounded in the arm, and isreproduced by permission of Th«ape Archives, Cape Town. The inside back cover shows a contemporary printof a Boerhunting camp in the Karroo, and is reproduced by permission of The Transvaal Archives, Pretoria.

ontents Introduction The Boers: a Nation in the Making a. The Coming of the British; as Rulers (xSo6) and as Settlers (x8ao) 3. The Causes of the Trek, and the British Attitude to it 4. The Trekkers and the Zulus in Natal g. De Repgbliek ¹talia and the British 6. The Highveld Republics Sources of Extracts

30

Intro uction South Africa is sometimes described as a 'new country', which is hardly correct, for permanent European settlement was begun at the Cape by the Dutch in the mid-seventeenth century, only a generation after the Pilgrim Fathers had sailed for North America. Though there are some obvious similarities the subsequent history of the two areas has been essentially difFerent. The Cape Colony, which became South Africa, was conceived as a refreshment station, being apparently fertile and, when the planetary wind system, ocean currents and international politics had been taken into consideration, the most suitable landfall between the Texel and Batavia for the ships of the Dutch East India Company. So, in April, i65z, a party commanded. by Jan van Riebeeck, landed on the shore of Table Bay, where they were to build a fort and a hospital, plant vegetables and rear sheep and cattle. Within 6ve years the Seventeen(directors of the Company), though generally hostile to colonization, had decided to grant land to 'Free Burghers', whose pursuit of private profit would, it was hoped, make them more productive than were unenthusiastic soldiers and other employees of the Company. The period of settlement which began in x6g with the establishment of nine smallholders along the Liesbeek River, in what is now a Cape Town suburb, lasted a mere fifty years. Continuous friction and one extremely serious dispute between the settlers and local ofEcialdom... led to a momentous decision early in the eighteenth century, whereby very nearly all European immigration was ended. Imported slaves would sufBce for the colony's limited labour requirements. The ultimate effect of this was to destroy any chance whichthewestern Cape, at least, mighthavehadofbecoming'awhite man's country', in any real sense of the phrase. More immediately it meant that about x65o colonists, about half of whom were of Dutch descent, the remainder German and French, had been practically marooned at the southern tip of Africa. The z,goo,ooo Afrikaners of today are almost entirely descended from them. In the early eighteenth century they were already divided, vertically, not horizontally, into three classes: the merchants and inn-keepers of De Ch the wheat and wine farmers of the immediate interior and, beyond this settled Mediterranean corner, the 6

eap,

IMRODUCTg)g

pastoralists of the open frontier. The latter, driven by their own increasing numbers and a rigidly restricted market, and encouraged by easy access to arid but seenungly unlimited land, had embarked upon a steady expansion which the Company could not prevent but only follow, with futile proclamations and exhortations. It was only in the x77o's, when the erstwhile re&eshment station had sparsely populated, mostly semi-desert interior twothirds the size of France, that the outward movement of the frontier was eventually checked. This occurred between the Sundays and Bushman's Rivers, some goo miles to the east of Cape Town, where the farmers encountered their first serious human obstacle, the Xhosa. This was a Bantu tribe, an early Iron Age people, whose culture was based on cattle, and who were far more advanced, numerous and resilient than the Bushmen and Hottentots that the white men had hitherto destroyed, driven out or subjugated. Those same whites had long since ceased to be colonists and had become Boers', an African people, knowing no other home, with their own (spoken) language, and a set of habits, beliefs and prejudices that had been shaped by the human and geographical challenges they had experienced, in the solitude of their vast 6,ooo acre ranches, on the infinitely vaster Karroo. Their one book, to which they clung, was the Bible, to parts of which they paid exaggerated attention; there, as in the precepts of their elementary and only half-understood Calvinism, they found abundant reinforcement for their deeply rooted racial prejudices. None the less, narrow and bigoted though they were it was their religion that had prevented their degenerating into barbarism. Hospitable though sometimes offensively curious, they were conservative to the core. They regarded easy access to land and a minimum of governmental control as essential parts of a free man's birthright. That happy state of affairs was terminated by the meeting with the Xhosa and the coming of the British, as rulers in x8o6, and as settlers in x8zo. The character of colonial and especially &ontier life began to change, and by the x83o's the Boers were considering a course of action which was a natural outcome of their history and way of life, a withdrawal beyond the reach of the g overnment. Tha t retreat, from the British and from change, was the Great Trek, the most significant event in the history of South A&ica to date, for it was through it that the very attitudes which had led to it, and which were enshrined in the constitutions of the Trekker repuMics, were preserved in isolation on the High Veld, to dominate the greater republic of the twentieth century.

acquired avast,

1. The Boers: a Nation in the Making Throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the cattle farmers « the eastern and northern Cape, the future Voortrekkers, were being moulded by their environment, until they

became as much African as European, ~ cIercr>p«'

2. The Corning of the British; as Rulers 1806, and as ettlers 1820 The character of the Cape began to alter after it was seize

the British in xso6. The government became at once more a«ho«tarian and more liberal. All laws regarding all men were enforce m ore strictly and consistently, while at the same t™ t against coloured people were first relaxed and then done away with, a Process which reached its culmination in the abolition of slavery in x834. These things in themselves dis«rbe the Boer colonists, who were as conservative as only the xxx»t remote rustics can be, but their effect was to some extent enhance

differe ntiating

by the introduction, not entirely efFectively, of EngHsh as the sole official language and, far more so, by the arrival of some 4,ooo British settlers in the eastern Cape in x8zo. This major event precipitated a series of political, social and economic developments which so changed the local environment that they must be regarded as having contributed to the decision to trek. xo. After a 6rtef struggle, the Bataeiatt authorities surrendered the Cape tp the British ott january zgth, 18o6. ARTXCLZS Op CAPXTVLATXON proposed by Lieut.-General JANSSENS,

Governor, and Commander-in-Chief of the Batavian Forces at the Cape of Good Hope, to Brigadier-General BsREsvoRD, duly authorized by Major-General Sir DAvxD BAxan, K.C., and Commodore Sir HOME POPHAM, K.M., Commanding the Military and Naval Forces of His Britannic Majesty. ARx'xcLxt x. As soon as this ARTxcLE x. Agreed to. Capitulation is signed the whole of the Settlement of the Cape of Good Hope, with all its Dependencies, and all the rights and privileges held and, exercised by the Batavian~ Government, will be considered as surrendered by the Governor, L i e u t .-General Janssens, to His Britannic

Majesty. x x. A Circuit Court seas esta6lished(May I6th, 18xr). I have judged it proper to order and direct, that a Conunission from the Court of Justice shall once within each year, or oftener, repair to the most distant County Districts, and take cognizance of all Cases concerning the Inhabitants of those Districts, the prosecution of which has hitherto been carried on before the Court of Justice. PRocLtumu'xoN.— By his Excellency Dv Pxtf,, EARL OP CALEDON, etc. oTbe Bataviau Republicseas thesatellite state set up by the Ilreuch seheu they over-rau gg gfggherlandsin sggg.

>HH NO Oe 'rsvp samSH

~he cooers bitterly resented being brought before the circuit courts by thei~ servants and other coloured persons, although many(butnot all) of the ch«ges proved to be un founded. » the morning the circuit court, which had been at Tulbach for a few days, left it to proceed to Graaf Reynet. This was the third ci«uit the court had made. It originated from various reports being circulated. for soine time after the Cape was taken by the Eng»sh, concerning murders of the Hottentots by the boors. A letter from one of our missionaries, containing such reports, was prmted in a periodical work in England, which reached the Cape during the government of Earl Caledon, who, anxious to ascertain . the truth of such reports, instituted this court, fully to investigate

the b»iness, a scheme which I understood his lordship was p«viously concertmg. I was favoured, at the Castle of Good Hope, with the perusal of all t"e papers relating to that business, and permitted to take what extracts I pleased; and I must, in justice to Lord Caledon say, that «om these documents, it appeared that every facility was given to obtain the truth of these reports. I was particularly pleased with « i» t r uction given to the circuit court, in which I perceived much wisdom, and evidently an anxious desire that the poor

Hottentots might have justice done them, and enjoy protection «om violence and oppression.

x3. To make matters morse the Dutch Language seas being squeezed out. • .. the moment appears favourable for giving full effect to His Majesty's Commands; and I, therefore, hereby order and direct, by»«e of the Power and Authority in me vested, that the Engli Language be exclusively used in all Judicial Acts and Proceedings, either in the Supreme or Inferior Courts of this Colony, from the »t day of January of the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty-seven; and that all 0%cial Acts and Docu~~~t~ of the several Public Offices of this Government, (the Documents and Records of the Courts of Justice excepted) be drawn up and promulgated in the English Language, from and after the xst day of January, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty-five.

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>R5 to the close of x834, the young colony made astonishmg strides. Fine wool farming was successfully introduced by Messrs. Daniel, GrHFiths, Qlhite, Korsten, and others. A direct «mmerce was established between England and the settlement by Messrs, Maynards in xSaS. Our Albany traders had opened a t»Sc, of a very lucrative kind, with the native tribes, as far as Natal on the east, and among the numerous aboriginal clans on the north, to an immense distance. Our travellers had ~e~~hed the Portuguese «»ny of Dela-Goa Bay, in one direction and the tropic of Capricorn in another. Our missionaries had carried the standard of the Christian faith almost as far as the traveller had set his foot. Po pulation, building, stock, and produce, rapidly multiplied, and the political and social reforms demanded by the new comers, for the most part, were conceded. The disastrous and unprovoked invasion of the frontier dis«xcts of the colony by the Kafirs, at the end of x834, was certainly a severe blow to the now 8ourishing settlement. Their irruption may be traced to the remissnessf o the Government, in alloreing afatal diminution of the military force on the border;in failing to watch and check theerst symptomsof aggression on colonial subjects in Ka«land, and on colonial property within the boundary; and also neglecting to curb certain intriguing demagogues and mischievous partisans in the colony, who, under the mask of philanthropy, tampered with the ignorant natives on the subject of their

imaginary wrongs, and thus precipitated them upon their own countrymen, the unoffending settlers. On the eve of that unexpected explosion, no other plantation of so short a date, assailed by so many difficulties, (principally artificial,) had ever accumulated an equal amount of wealth, enjoyed. so much ease, or exhibited so promising a prospect for the future. The towns and villages resounded with the voices of a busy and contented population, their flocks literally covered a 'thousand hills,' and rich and ripe harvests awaited the sickle of the reaper. By this unforseen and unmerited calamity the labours of fourteen years' toil, patience, and frugality, within that number of days were almost annihilated, and property to the value of goo,ooo, at the lowest computation, swept off or destroyed, besides the sacrifice of fifty valuable lives. This stroke has been the more severely felt, because the chief sufferers, the British settlers, were cruelly and falsely taunted as the cause of their own misfortunes; and not only has compensation and redress been denied them, but the public inquiry (by appeal to their sovereign and parliament, into their conduct, on the spot, and in the face of open day) which they courageously demanded, was most ungenerously and unjustly refused to them. The British settlers, so far from having been guilty of the smallest aggression upon the Kafir tribes, had been, on the contrary, their greatest benefactors, by subscribing several thousands a-year for their civilization and instruction by missionary efforts, and by opening a mutually beneficial trade. QUESYIDNB:

x. What justification is there for Boer dissatisfaction with ordinance

5ol a. Which would have had the greater effect upon the Boers: the political changes brought about by Britain's assumption of control at the Cape, or the social and economic developments that followed the estab ishment of the British settlementl

3. The auses of the Trek, and the British ttitude to it. As indicated in chapter z the Great Trek was in some respects brought about by the impact of the nineteenth century upon an unique people whose attitudes and beliefs had been formed in

THE CAUSES OP THE TREK ATGl TIKI' ERXTXSH ATTXTtH)E TO XT

isolation during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Rather more speciflcally the more articulate Boers felt that Britain' s philanthropic policy was being formulated by people whose ignorance of the South A&ican situation was only equalled by their self-righteousness, and whose lack of a stake in the country made them as reckless as their parsimony made them ineffectual, so that there was neither justice nor a future for the white man in the Cape Colony. It appeared to them that within the Colonial boundary a man had no proper control over his servants, and he was plagued by the depredations of Hottentot vagrants, while from beyond that boundary Xhosa raiders menaced his livestock and, indeed, the hves of his family and himself. Having no voice in the government, and no influence whatsoever in Whitehall, and since the hanging of the Slagtersnek rebels(xgxs) appeared to show that rebellion by whites was the one thing the British authorities took seriously, the Boers, with all Africa before them, reacted in predictable fashion', they trekked.

x8. Quite apart from politics, locusts assd drought caused distress. Towards the afternoon, as we approached the residence of another farmer, our attention was attracted by a so~ewhat novel sight. Several people were waving white flags in some cultivated ground near the house. Upon drawing nearer, we ascertained that this was a method adopted by the farmer and his family to expel an army of locusts which had just slighted on their corn. They had been thus employed since sunrise and described the insects as being so numerous, that it would take an hour's ride on horseback to reach the extremity of the ground which they covered. It was really distressing to witness the prospects of these simple and industrious people so utterly destroyed for that year. The Boor's wife told us they had seven grown-up children, who were their chief dependence, as they could not afford to purchase slaves. It appeared that the Hottentots whom they had brought up from childhood had lately left them, and they were at this time almost destitute of aid, having no means of engaging others. Their situation was truly pitiable: in consequence of the long droughts, their crops had entirely failed, and they had been unable to obtain corn from their own land for two years; and now, after plentiful rains and the prospect of an abundant harvest, the locusts had come as a scourge, eating up and destroying all their grain.

ExTRAcI8 x8-ao

r9. Insggcient compensation for emanripated slaves playeda part but lack of security along the frontier was certainly moreimpprtant. The last subject to which I shall advert, as infiuencing the emigration of the boers, is the insecurity of property along the Kafir frontier from the depredations of these people. The frontier Kafirs, particularly the Gaika tribe, steal cattle from the colonists whenever they have an opportunity; and these often occur, for they are guarded with extreme negligence by their owners. >hey are inimitable cattle stealers, and they set about their work with a degreeof dentersty which does infinite credit to their ingenmty and activity. The very cattle themselves seem to be in the plot, and they elope with them as if by appointment. The line of frontier is all in favour of the Kafire: a dense>ungiethe medium breadth of which is about fsve miles, tom and intersectedby deep ravines, a great part of it impenetrable, essceptto Kafsrs a„d the wild beasts, occupies about one hundred milesfofrontier, foiiowsng sinuosities of the great Fish River. The wholeBritish suey would be insugcsent to guard it. The frontier Kafirs were not always thieves. they were taught to be so by their rather more civihzed neighbours, the frontier boers, who, under ancient misrule, used to make inroads upon them at their pleasure.

ao. An Englssh big game hunter spoke to many fothe poortrekkers a„d put forward their view of a situation which had other aspects too. The first question that presents itself must naturally be what has led to so extraordinary an expatriation' The losses to which they have been subjected by the emancipation of their slaves absence of laws for their protection from the evils of uncontrpiied vagrancy, and from the depredations of the swarm of vagabonds by which the colony is infested, but above all the insecure state of the Eastern frontier, and the inadequate protection aIfor ed by the English Governments against the aggressionsof their wily and restless Kafir neighbours, by whose repeated predatory incursions the fairest spots have been laid desolate, and many hundred of the border colomsts reduced to rum, are the inciting causes assigned by the emigrants for the unprecedented. and hazardous step they have taken. It is impossible to view the violent remedy sought by th~~e oppressed but misguided men in other than a criminal light, yet no

~ C AUSES OF THE TREK, AND THE BRITISH ATTITUDE To IT

unprejudiced person who has visited the more remote districts of this unhappy colony will hesitate to acknowledge that the evils they complain of actually exist. Long subjected to the pilferings of a host of Hottentot vagrants, whose lives are passed in one perpetual round of idleness, delinquency, and brutish intoxication on the threshold of the gin shop, the South-African settler has lately, in too many instances, been reduced from comparative affluence to want, by bring unseasonably and without adequate compensation bereft of the services of his slaves, who prone to villainy, and no longer compelled to labour, have only served to swell the swarm of drones by which it is his destiny to be persecuted. Far greater than these, however, are the evils that have arisen out of the perverse misrepresentations of canting and designing men, to whose mischievous and gratuitous interference, veiled under the cloak of philanthropy, is principally to be attributed, the desolated condition of the Eastern &ontier, bounded as it is by a dense and almost impregnable jungle, to defend which nine times the military force now employed would barely be adequate, and Ranked by a population of eighty thousand dire irreclaimable savages, naturally inimical, warlike, and predatory, by whom the hearths of the Cape border colonists have for years past been deluged with the blood of their nearest and dearest relatives. And whilst during the unprovoked inroads of these ruthless barbarians — thrir wives and helpless offspring have been mercilessly butchered before their eyes — whilst their corn-fields have been laid waste, their Rocks swept off, and their houses reduced to ruin — to add bitterness to gall they have been taunted as the authors of their own misfortunes, by those who, strangely biassed by en parte statements, have judged them unheard at the distance of several thousand miles from the scene of pillage, bloodshed, and devastation. ~r. The mostfamous of the Voortrehhers leaders, Piet Retie f, published his folloroers' reasonsand intentions in >he Graham's Town Journal, a frontier nerospaper. MANIFESTO OF THE EMIGRANT PARI'HERS

Numerous reports having been circulated. throughout the colony, evidently with the intention of exciting in the minds of our countrymen a feeling of prejudice against those who have resolved to emigrate &om a colony where they have experienced for so many years past a series of the most vexatious and severe losses; and as we desire to stand high in the estimation of our brethren,

EXTRACT gX

and are anxious that they and the world at large should believe us incapable of severing that sacred tie which binds a christian to his native soil, coithout the most mordent reasons,we are induced to record the following sunIunary of our motives for taking so important a step; and also our intention respecting our proceedings towards the Native Tribes which we may meet with beyond the boundary. x. We despair of saving the colony from those evils which threaten it by the turbulent and dishonest conduct of vagrants, who are allowed to infest the country in every part; nor do we see any prospect of peace or happiness for our children in a country thus djstracted by internal commotions. 2. We complain of the severe losses which we have been forced to sustain by the emancipation of our slaves, and the vexatious laws which have been enacted respecting them. 3. We complain of the continual system of plunder which we have ever endured from the Kafirs and other colored classes, and particularly by the last invasion of the colony, which has desolated the frontier districts, and ruined most of the inhabitants. y. We complain of the unjustifiable odium which has been cast upon us by interested and dishonest persons, under the cloak of religion, whose testimony is believed in England to the exclusion of all evidence in our favor; and we can forsee as the result of this prejudice, nothing but the total ruin of the country. g. We are resolved, wherever we go, that we will uphold the just principles of liberty; but whilst we will take care that no one shall be held in a state of slavery, it is our determination to maintain such regulations as may suppress crime and preserve proper relations between master and servant.

6. We solemnly declare thatwe quit this colony with a desire to lead a more quiet life than we have heretofore done. We will not molest any people, nor deprive them of the smallest property; but, if attacked, we shall consider ourselves fully justified in defending our persons and efiects, to the utmost of our ability, against every eneiny.

7. We make known, that when we shall have framed a code of laws for our future guidance, copies shall be forwarded to the colony for general information; but we take this opportunity of stating that it is our firm resolve to make provision for the summary

punishment of any traitors who may be found amongst us. 8. We purpose, in the course of our journey, and on arriving at the country in which we shall permanently reside, to make known to

THE CAUSES OP THE TREK, AND THE BRITISH ATTITUDE TO IT

the native tribes our intentions, and our desire to Eve in peace and friendly intercourse with them. 9. We quit this colony under the full assurance that the English government has nothing more to require of us, and will allow us to govern ourselves without its interference in future. xo. We are now quitting the fruitful land of our birth, in which we have suffered enormous losses and continual vexation, and are entering a wild and dangerous territory; but we go with a firm reliance on an all-seeing, just, and merciful Being, whom it will be our endeavour to fearand humbly to obey. By authority of the farmers who have quitted the colony, R. Rxvrxp. (Signed) zz. >ut it seashis daughter, Anna Steenkamp,sohoscent dosest to the heart of the matter. Exp/aining the Trek years later she mentioned: The shameful and unjust proceedings with reference to the freedom of our slaves: and yet it is not so much their freedom that drove us to such lengths, as their being placed on an equal footing with Christians, contrary to the laws of God and the natural distinction of race and religion, so that it was intolerable for any decent Christian to bow down beneath such a yoke; wherefore we rather withdrew in order thus to preserve our doctrines in purity. z3. The complicated racia/ problem had other aspects. As regards the Hot tentots mithin the colony an s8ao Settler pointed out that: After the lapse of little more than a century, [sincetheestablish ment o f the settlement in z652] the European intruders had acquired possession of the greater part of the extensive region now embraced by the colonial boundary, including the entire country inhabited by the Hottentot race, with the exception of the arid desert, which afford a refuge to the wandering Namacqua, Coranna, and Bushman hordes, and which are too sterile and desolate to

excite the cupidity of any class of civilized men. But it was not the soil of their country merely of which the Hottentots were deprived in the course of these encroachments. In

losing the property of the soil, they also gradually lost the privilege «occupying even the least valuable tracts of it for pasturing their flocks and herds — their only means of subsistence. People without land could have no occasion for cattle — no means of supporting

them. Their Rocks and herds, accordingly, also passed by degrees into the possession of the colonists. Nothing then remained of which to plunder them save the property of their own persons; and of that, the most sacred and unalienable of all property, they were also at length virtually deprived. The laws enacted by the Dutch Home Government, it is true, did not p t he Hottentots to be publicly sold from owner to owner, as Negro slaves and other farm stock were sold in the same colony; but, by the colonial laws and usages, they were actually deprived of a right to the free a of degraddisposal of their own labour, a«reduced to condition jng, grinding, and hopeless bondage, in some respects even more intolerable than colonial slavery of the ordinary description.

ermit

zy. 8'bile travelling inthe dispu«d easternfrontier region in z83o Dr. fohn Philip, a famous mussonary and an acute observer, described hose: This morning ab«t 5 o'c »ck some farmers passed us going to Beaufort to solicit farms in this c«ntry formerly belonging to the Caffres, and now to be divided among the colonists[j.e. land from which chief Maqomo had been expelled in xSz9]. This craving for grants of land on the part of the Boers, and the means taken by Governments to gratify (it) call forsome stricturesin thisplace. The habits of a great proportion of the Boers belonging to this colony are perfectly Scythjan jn their character. Accustomed to large grants of land when land was abundant and c ~olonists few, they still think that they cannot subsist unless a farm includes the same range of country which it did in the days of their ancestors. Their habits are pastoral, they seldom cultivate more ground than is necessary for their own use, and their vrealth is in their cattle. Having extensive herds they n« «y «quire much pasture, but are not satjsfied if they have not different places to resort to at different seasons of the year. On these occasions, when they change their resjdences, their families generally accompany them, and they live jn their wagons. Besides what they require for their herds, to save them, they must have game also, and each farmer living in this manner, instead of a moderate sized farm, must have a district for himself. Their children are brought up with the jdeas of the:ir parents. ... All they can see they consider their own, and when needed, the Natives are obliged to remove(to make room for ) their cattle or their children. By this means they first take possession and afterwards get the Government to sanction the deed.(Nor is this practice) confined to those on the colonial boundary. Like the

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CA U SIS OF THETREK, iLGI THE BRITISH ATTlTUM TO 1 T

breaking out of water, although that nearest the break runs out erst, that behind, even to the extremity of the dam, soon foHows. AHured by the prospects of an estate in the new territory, such as have interest with those that have it in their gih soon sweH the tide of emigration, and others who are poor sell their estates to their next neighbours who want them for their sons and daughters, and with the price they receive stock their new ~ 8 %atecer the Boers' natives, and rehatever their calidity, the Colonial Attorney-Genera(mes quite sure theycould not be stopped. When the circumstances of this colony are taken into consideration, it would seem next to an impossibility to prevent persons who are so inclined &om passing out of this colony by the land bound-

aries thereof, either by laws now in force... or by any other laws which can be framed. The penalties provided by the existing laws, or any others which might be imposed, can only be levied so long

as the offender can be found within the colony; and if the penalties were exacted, even in a sohtary instance, there can be little doubt the effect would only be to put intending emigrants on their guard, and to keep their intentions secret until a favourable opportunity occurred of quitting the colony, before their removal was known to the authorities. - .. the class of persons under consideration evidently mean to seek their fortunes in another land, and to consider themselves no longer British subjects, so far as the colony of the Cape of Good Hope is concerned. Would it therefore be prudent or just, even if it were possible, to prevent persons discontented with their condition, to try to better themselves, in whatever part of the world they pleasel The same sort of removal takes place every day &om Great Britain to the United States. But it may be said that danger may arise to the colony from

acts and dealings of the farmers in question, in the progress of removal, with the fronts tribes, and that the Government is jusbSod in preventing anysuch danger. Admit thatit isso, is there any ef~

mea n s of arresting persons determined to run away,

abort of shooting them as they pass the boundary linef I apprehend not; and if so, the remedy is worse than the disease. The Government, therefore, if I am correct in my conclusions, is and must ever remain without the power of dfechhsHy preventing the evil, if evil it be, reported by the civil commissioners.

(Signed)

A. Ou F ~ .

EXTRACTS 2$-2/

26. So seas the American nn'ssionary lindley, one of thefere contemporaries to see that the Trek svould not endanger the security fo the

Cape. But suppose the British government shall say that the boundaries of its colonies shall not be enlarged from now forward to the end of time, what will follow such a decree? I answer, just what went before it, except that emigrants will go forth without sanction and protection of government. All England's power on land and water will not prevent the emigration of her subjects from her temtories. What can prevent the emigration of Americans to the west? A strong barrier, raised sky-high, would be pulled down so low that every little child that should come to it, would step over and not stumble. The boundaries of the Cape Colony may remain as they are now fixed — what will the English subjects care? These boundaries are not impassable, and it is not in the power of government to make them so. What has been said about the danger of natives destroying the Colony, is not worthy of much regard. It is just as probable that the abused western and southern Indians will destroy the United States. 27. But philanthropic influence had led to the Cape of Good Hope Punishment Act (August z3th, s836) a futile attempt by the British to retain controlof their expatriate subjects. Whereas the Inhabitants of the Territories adjacent to the Colony of the Capeof Good Hopeto the Southward of the Twentyfifth Degree of South Latitude being in an uncivilized State, OKences against the Persons and Property of such Inhabitants and others are frequently committed by His M ajesty's Subjects within such Territories with Impunity; for Remedy thereof be it enacted by... this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That the Laws which are now or which shall hereafter be in force in the Colony of the Capeof Good Hope for the punishment of crimes therein conunitted shall be and the same are hereby extended and declared applicable to all His Majesty's Subjects within any Territory adjacent to the said Colony and being to the Southward of the Twenty-fifth Degree of South Latitude. • . • QUESTIONS: x. What, in your opinions, were the three most important causes of the Trek? Give reasons for your answer. g. '5'hat part did. geographical and. climatic conditions play in bringing the Trek about, and making it impossible to stop? 29

4. The Trek ers an t e Zulus in Natal The first trek parties left the Colony in x835, under Louis T«gardt and Hans van Rensburg. Both met disaster in Mozambique. Far more important were later groups, under Hendrik Potgieter, Gerrit Maritz and Piet Retief. The first of these defeated the Matabele at Vegkop and Mosega (x836-7), by which time several hundred Voortrekkers had gathered at Thaba 'Nchu, and a primitive constitution was being worked out. This process was complicated by rivalry between Potgieter and Maritz, by uncertainty as to where the final settlement would be made, by religious difFerences, and by the arrival of the most able of all the leaders, Piet Retief. Later came Piet Uys, to reinforce Potgieter in his opposition to Retief, but not in his deterxnination to settle on the High Veld, for Uys, like Retief and Maritz, was a Natal man. tE>,

Ku]ua UnkunglIlglovo, Zoplu Country, South Africa. Npv. 8th, x837.

~ cuts oft jh eefdcat of th eMat ah el ecaus ed a s ti r at U m g u "g " "dl ohz'u y „g„d — ~ter a sleepless night thrp' excessive heat, almost at e go b ac k aIgnat o t h e to w n t o r e a d t h e ay bI e a k I w a s s „m m odnto

1 t . It i~ « m cd Dingarn that the Boer »ad sent another comt U~e}eke whp it appears was not altogether 5oo of his men and captu«d 3 o o "ca h 1st not onc of the Boers had perished. Dingarn seemed fprmcd by his own pcpplc of thc Boer lek~ a„d related tp us the manner in which „a,h;cv,d They were compl~t~ly surrounded by preparing tp rush pn thcnl ill every dlrcctlon

ack t thc enemy to the route, It is not without appl'cllcllslon

lively Interest that we trace the course of the Dutch and } lt w i }} terminate cspccia}}y ln what way tllc Zoo}op themselves, lf they are not cxt cmely cautious of offending or giv-

ing just provocationto thispowerful body, maybe affected by them.

3a. aspen's interpreter,SVlliasn8 oods, described hose Dingaan struch as soon as Retie f, over-confident and too trusting,reasin his pozoer. The farmers had been at Megoonloof about two days, during which they walked about the kraal unarmed, but had taken the precaution of placing their arms under the protection pf their servants or after-riders, who had taken up their quarters under the two milk trees without the kraaL On t}M morning « the third day, I perceived from Dingaan's manner that he intended spine 33

THE TBEI~

AND T H E ZULUS IN NATAL

mischief; although &om his conversation with his captains, I could not perceive that he had given them any ordets prejudicial to the farmers; I, however, watched my opportunity to warn them to be on their guard, This omurred when some of the farmers strolled into the kraal, and having come near the place where I wss standing, I told them I did not think aH was right and recommended them to be on their guard; upon which they ammedand said, '%e are sure the king's heart is right with us, and there is no causefor fear.'

A short time after this, Dingaan cameout of his hut, and having seated himself in &ont of it, in his arm chair, ordered out two

regiments, one was csHed the Umklanga Umklopa, or white shields; and the other, the Umkianga Umyana, or black shields;

the former were his best men, and wore rings on their heads, formed of the bark of a tree and grass, and stitched through the

scalp; and the latter regiment was composed entirely of young men. These troops he caused to form a circle, and having placed

his two'principal captains on his right and left hand, respectively, he sent a message to Retief, inviting him to bring his men and wish the king fareweH previously to ~ g. R e t ief, a short time after this, entered the kgaal, accompamed by the other farmers, and aH their servants with the exception of one or two who were sent out to fetch the horses; their arms being left unguarded under the two milk trees without the kraal. On Retief approaching Dingaan, the latter told him to acquaint the farmers at Natal, as soon as he arrived there, of the king' s desire that they should soon come and. possessthe land he had given them, also to remember him to them. He then wished the party an agreeable journey to Natal, and invited them to sit down anddrink some chuHah with him and his people, which invitation they unfortunately accepted. Retief sat by the king; but the farmers and their servants sat in a place by themselves, at a short distance &om the king and his captains. After ~ g so m e beer together, Dingaan ordered his troops to amuse the farmers by dancing and singing, which they immediately commenced. doing. The farmers had not been sitting longerthan about a q~r of an hour when Dingaan caHed out, 8egse thegnf upon rehjdg un ~h e I gngng tvlgk coue ngudeQpon trge par~y before they eoggkf get on their feet. Thomas Hahteugl then cried oggt,'5'e ure cygne fort' andthen udge in the Sookgrg langggage, 'Let nge epealg to the hgngJ' ehgeIgDg'nguan heard, bggt motioned Igil aluy voitlg Igig ~. Halsteud then frere his Iggn fe and ripped np one Sootalg

EKTMcf 3 3

and cntanother'sthrout,before he rsus secured: und u farmer also

sncceeded in rippingnp another Zoolah. The furmerssecre then dragged Iith their feet trailing u!ong the ground, each man being held by as many Zootuhs us could get to him, the presence of Dmguan, soho still continued sitting and culling out '8!alu mu tayate!' or 'Kill the rcinurdsP He then said, 'Take the heurt and the heer of the king of the funmers and place them in the road of the farmers.' ~ th e y hud drugged them to the hill, Klomu Amubootu, they commenced the rvork of deuth by striking them on the head roith knobbed sticks; Retief being held undforced to rcitness the deaths fohis comradesbefore they dispatched him. It seas u most asy fgl occnrrence, and seiil never be spacedfrom my memory ketief's heart and Rer secre taken out, scrapped in a piece of cloth, and bronght to Dinguan. His two captains Inlellah and Tambooza, then came and sat down by Dingaan, with whom they conversed for some time. About two hours after the massacre, orders were issued that a large party were to set o8 with aH speed and attach t he wagons that contained the wives and children of t h e murdered farmers, which were at a considerable distance from Megoonloof, as Retief and his party had left them there, not wishing to bring their families into any danger.

porn

33. Though the Trekkers Iere uneasy the Zn!n anny succeeded in taking them by snrprs'se. As the time Bxed by Retief for his return had elapsed, and rumours were spread about that a Zoola — ~ g a c ross the river at one of the encampments to another then in the service of the farmers — had said that all the white men were dead; as also that a large party of the Zooias hadbeen seen together on the other side o f the Tugala, a amaH patrol was at length sent out over the Tugaia

into Dingaan's territory, pretending to be hunting buffaloes; and as they actually took their cousse towards the spot where Dingaan's

army wasthen encamped behind a hiH, and had approached to within a few hundred yards, an old Zooia met them and enqujred

what they were lontung for, andupon beingtold that theywerehunting, he pointed in a cQFerent direction, where he said there were many buffaloes. But as theystill persisted in going on, the Zoola went before them, and strenuously insisted upon their taking the direction pointed out, by him. Here, again, they were unfortunate enough, with a view to avoid suspicion, actuaHy to suffer

themselves to be turned about. On their return a report was made, of course, thatthey had discovered nothing, and the people were once more persuaded that there was no cause for apprehending any danger — nay more, those who still inclined the other way were !aughed at and accused of coumdice. Early in the morning of the second day after the return of this patrol, on a Saturday morning, the hourwas come thatallshould be undeceived. The Zoolas,who by their spies had mixed frequently with the farmers, and who knew their position so weH that they could execute their bloody purpose to their utmost desire, began to attack both the encampments, situated at the Blsauw Krans River and Bushman's River, about ten miles asunder, at the same moment. The attack having been begun a little before day-light, many of the farmers at the out posts u ere butchered before they awoke; and others only just opened their eyes to close them for ever! As day began to dawn, the Zooias were perceived at some of the scattered wagons,— they had surrounded them,and the cries ofwomen snd children were heard led with the report of the few shots that were &ed now and then> but the word 'mercy' was unknown to these miscreants. So perfectly takenby surprise was the encampment that not a few of the parties in the i~rinity, upon hearing the few shots 6red, were congratu!sting themselves on the circumstance, thinking &at Retief and his party had at last returned, and vrere 6ring a salute. No preparation for defence was made until daylight enabled them to see the approach of the ferocious enemy. Then every one flew to arms, and a resolute resistance was made. Parties of three and four> their mght clothes, were seen to defend themselves with success whole Zoola regiments,— the women assisting in carrying about ammunition for the men, and enco~ g the m . A l i ttle son of Mr- Marits, about xo years old, was repeatedly told by his mother togo and hide himself, but he has often replied 'I see no place where to hide myself, give me the pistol and let me shoot too.' Sma!l parties of three, four and Sve, were now coming in from all

directional and at the Bushman's River thesavageshaving at last

been repulsed by lessthan go mm, they Bed precipitately through the river, which was rather swollen, and being Sred upon as they crossed the river up to their breasts and chin in water, hand-inhsnd to supporteach other,m any were drowned and shot. At the Bhauw Krans they were also repulsed,but the farmers, after pursuing them a short distanm, had to return to their wagons,

which they brought together to form a dose camp, and then to searchforand attend to the w ounded, which fully occupied them

EKTMGT 33

that day. On the following day Mr. Maritz, at the head of about so men, resumed the pursuit of the enemy, but as they had been left unmolested for the greater part of the previous day, they succeeded in carrying o8 to a safe distance over the Tugala, the greater part of the cattle, between ao and zg,ooo head, as also some sheep, and the goods plundered atthe wagons. Nlaritz only recovered what was still on their side of the river; and wherever his little band appeared

the enemy fled without offering any resistance. At the river they found a large body of Zoolas endeavoring to drive cattle and sheep across the stream, but upon being attacked they rushed into the water,and here again several were shot and many more drowned. It was now about dusk, the river greatly swollen, and the few fordable places dangerous in the extreme. Maritz and his party, therefore, with tears Sowing over their cheeks, were compelled to leave their property in the hands of the enemy, and to return to their wagons. This day search had again been made for the manned and wounded, and severalfound, but of these very few indeed were in such a state as to sword any hope of their recovery. To hear ofthe number of wounds inflicted upon some who have recovered is incredible; one child who had received 30, and a woman zz assegai-wouiids, are still living, though injured for life. It is believed that about 5oo Zoolas fell on this occasion, besides the wounded andthose that were drowned. At one place about eight or ten families, the Rensburg's and Pretorius', were driven from their wagons to the top of an adjoining hill, which was only accessible f'rom two sides. Fourteen men here stood to their defence against a whole Zoola regiment, the number of which increased to about x,goo. Repeated assaults were made for about an hour, but the gallant little party as repeatedly drove thein back, until at last their ammunition failed, and no hope um left. But providentially at this critical moment two mounted men came to their assistance, and made their way to the top of this hill through the line of Zoolas, and upon learning there that the ammunition of the party was almost expended, they undertook, at the most imminent peril of their lives, to force their way back to the wagons, from whence they safely returned at full speed with an ample supply. All this was done in less than 6ve niinutes, and as the firing now began with greater vigour den before, the Zoolas retreated, and as a few more burghers arrived, they were soon put to Right, leaving on that spot about So killed. Several more striking anecdotes of bravery and resolution on this trying occasion could be told on the part of the defenders; but it would require too much space.

THE TEHUtatS AND ~

3q a~

S~

defeated.

ZUL U S XN NATAL

setter> reere rSg S , bstk She rre~e m t/ E ~gRh

Accordingly on the 6th of April, a force consisting of between p and popmounted mcn, marched &om the encampment, under the

co~

d o f P i etUys and, J. Potgieter. On entering Djngaan's

territory they found the country abandoned, and it wasnot till they

came near Unkunginglove, the capital Rnd principal residence of the king, that they met with any obstruction. They arrived in this neighbourhood on the mo~ of A p r i l the xxth, and found the Z001R arlny dtRwn up ln three divisipns, 7,000 strong, and advantageously posted on some rocks which formed a half circle. The road to the royal residence lay through a narrow pass

circle, and on each side of this opening the enemy werc RYPBltmgthc attack, The third dlivjsjon lay jn ambush with t he evident intention of closing in upon the farmers in t h e rear, should they enter this circle, and so preventing their escape. Notwxthstandjng thc immense disparity of numbers the farmers resolved on an immediate attack. They divided themselves into two nearly CM di v i sions, and at once opposed themselves to the two divisions of the Zoola army. One division on the 6rst onset was completely routed. It appears that &pm thc npise made in beating their shields, and by the shouting of the warriors, their horses took &jght, and they were thus thrown into irrecoverable confusion. The division under Piet Uys was thus ldt to sustain the rush of the whole Zoola force, and it nobly did its duty. By a steady well-directed 6re, the farmers had thrown the cnclny into some confusjpn, but froxn this they recovered, and the gallant little band soon fpund jtsefhemmed in on every side.Every man fought desperately,and so did the Zoolas. The 6ght had continued an hour-and-a-half, when the farmers, 6nding every moment their danger becoming more imminent, directed, a steady 6re toone point of the circle, Rnd having made R hne completely through the enemy, they effected their r e treat leaving, at the lowest computation, &om g to 600 Zoplas dead on the 6eld. At the commencement of the engagement, when the Zoolas were thrown into confusion, the commander, Piet Uys, followed by about twenty men, rushed gallantly fprward upon the enemy> followed them into a kloof, and were there hemmed in by an jm mense body ofthe Zoolas,Uys fought in themost heroic manner,

com panions.Hk nw, a boy Ia yew'e ©f eIle

but fell with nine of his

~c

r+

fought arsd fell braeely by his father's side. Uyswas severely wounded by a spear, but he continued Hghting, until he fell exhausted from loss of blood. His last words were — 'Fight your seay out, my braes boys; I must die.'The Boers, on this occasion, lost ten of their number. The farmers, in their retreat, shot a great number of the Zoolas who were pursuing them, and the latter at length retired, after sending forward seven spies to watch where they should take up a position for the night. These were percrived,— a party of farmers were stationed in a field of Indian corn, the seven Zoolas were intercepted, and not one of them was left to fulfil the errand on which he had been sent. On the day on which this severe action was fought, the Natal settlers, under the command of Mr. R. Biggar, marched from the Port, to co-operate with the farmers. On the morning of the x7th April, they at length came in contact with the Zoola army, Hushed with the victory, as they conceived it, which they had just before gained over the farmers. The Natal force, it is said, consisted of Soo men, 3ooof whom were armed with guns and supplied with powder and balL The hostile forces immediately came to action. The convict was desperate and bloody, as the result was xnost disastrous. Two thirds of the Natal settlers felL Amongst them were thirteen Europeans and ten Hottentots. It is said that the Zoolas lost, in this engagement, three entire regiments, of xooo men each. After the defeat of the Natal settlers, two Dutch farmers, named Jacobus Uys and Badenhuis, arrived with a message from the emigrants' camp. Arrangements were made for mutual protection, and a promisegiven that aoo farm ersshould be sent to the Portfor the protection of the place. Previous to this, and shortly after the defeat of the Natal force, the Zoolas poured down upon the settlement at the Port. They remained there three day~, and swept it of every head of cattle. From thevesselin theharbour, those on hoard could perceive them marching down the heights, which it is said were black for several miles with their numbers. The nativesettlers Bed to the bush, and all the moveable property of value was conveyed on board the brig. The houses at Natal were not destroyed by the Zoolas, as they were deterred &om approaching the shore by a shot occasionally discharged from the vessel.

THE TM~

AND ~

EULUS I N I N N A TAL

Andries Pretorins's eictorions campaign, as descrihedhy Carel Ceiliers, lay preacher, cnlminatedin theBattle of Blood Piner (December s6th, s8g8), still celebrated annually as the Day of the Cessant. We then came to the determination that vre should make a solemn promise to the Lord our God, that if He were with us, and gave the enemy into our hands, we should consecrate to the Lord the dayin each year,and keep itholy asa Sabbath-day. We moved on to 'Dancekraal.' We determined that at that place the pledge should be given, and it was the general feeling that I should give it in the name of all. The general issued an order that no man should be absent on the occasion. It was on 7th December. I comphed to the best of my weak capacity with the wish of all the o%cers, and I knew that the majority of the burghers concurred in the wish. I took my place on a gun-carriage. The yo7 men of the force were assembled round me. I made the promise in a simple manner, as solemnly as the Lord enabled me to do. As nearly as I can remember, my words were these: — '3'Iy brethren and fellow-countrymen, at this moment we stand before the holy God of heaven and earth, to make a promise, if He will be vrith us and protect us, and. deliver the enemy into our hands so that we may triumph over him, that we shall observe the day and the date as an anniversary in each y and a day of thanksgiving like the Sabbath, in His honour; and that we shall enjoin our children that they must take part with us in this,fora remembrance even forourposterity; and ifanyone sees a difhc ultyin this, let him retire from the place. For the honour of His name will be joyfully exalted, and to Him the fame and the honour of the victory must be given.' The Lord was with us. On the xgth we formed our encampment at Blood River — so named af'ter the battle. A patrol had been sent out, and we received a report that Dingaan's army had been discovered. I cannot omit to bring to the notice of all how the Lord in His holy providence had appointed a place for us, in which He had determined that the 6ght should occur. On the west there is a ravine which discharged itself into Blood River, and the bank close to the edge of the caInp was fourteen feet high, and could not be scaled. Then there was the Blood River, which had a 'seacow-hole' at least zgoo yards long, on the eastern side. I am under the impression that the seacowhole was at right angles to the watercourse. So that the camp, by God's mercy, was protected on two sides. On the other sides the encampment wason open ground. Ithink,then, thathad God not f orbidden it, it might have been taken by the ~ , for t h e i r

ern,

EKTRAcT 3$

power was great, and the Ka6rs are brave. They had, however, open ground on two sides, on which they could make a rush and storIn the camp. It pleased God that we 'should see the sights of our guns.' On the x6th they came down on the camp with great courage, and, if I am not mistaken, endeavoured four times to take itby storm. Each time they were driven back. Wc could both hear and sce their commander, who wished to repeat the attack, but the men refused to do so. When the attack was whoHy discontinued, there were a considerable number at the edge of the 'seacow-hole,' who, being unable to cross the water, lay down under their shields; and we, dearing the edge of the encampment near the water, and reachingthe spot by a direct coume, Bred on and kiHcd them. And when theother ~ saw that they would aH be killed,they Hcd, but with great loss. There were still some of them in the ravine; I cIHcd for volunteers to clear the ravine, and we went with eightymen. The ravine was broad, and the ~ were huddled together, so that they could not use their arms to hurl thc1r asssgais. One, however, d1d so, and wounded a man in the thIgh. We Bred on them. There wss no steep bank on the other side of the ravine, and they were easily able to make their way out of it. And whilst we were preparing to attack the ~ near t h e bank, a great number ofour men had come to that side ofthe encampment, and, as the ~ we n t off at the other side, a severe Sre was opened on than. More ~ goo fell (the dead were counted ) in the attack on the ravine. The general then ordered the gates to be opened. Every horse had already been saddled by his direction. We sallied from thecamp. Then the word of our I,ord wss ~ed I 'By one way shaHyour enemies mme, but by the blessing oftheLord they shaH Qybefore your face.'There was a dense mass ofKs&s, Ithink the halfof their whole number, who had not fought. The general directed that they should be Bred on by the artiHery. When this was done, they came forward, as if to reinforce the assailants and renew the attack on the camp. About I so of our men rode towards this force in two divisions, and then a number, estimated by me at a~ooooscparatcd themselves ffoln the rest. Against this section of the enemy Iwas engaged. We were in an open country. They now OKered no further resistance. We were on their right and left, aud they were huddled together. We were animated by a great courage, and when we had got in front of them, the Kans lay on the ground like pumpkins on a rich soil that had borne a large crop. When they saw that there would be no escape, as we were driving them tovrards the 'seacow-hole,' they jumped into the water and were $X

~

TRIK K I RS AND ~

ZUL U S I N NATAL

amongthe rushes at the river's edge. I believe that sH were kiHed,

~t n o t one escaped. I was witness to the fact tEat the water looked likea pool of blood: vrhence came the name of Blood River. I have aaid what we did; but what did others do) It is calculated that not f'avmr than 3,ooo of the enemy perished on that day.

WiH not every onewho reads this be deeply affected, and. con~c e d t hat our great God gives ear to prayers Shall we not x adeem the promise made to GodP Afterthiswe advanced upon Dingaan's city;and when we were na this side of it, a patrol was sent to the summit of a hill which

commanded a view of the city. Co~

da n t Jacobus Uys some-

~hat thoughtlessly 6red a shot at a crow, and in less than ten

minutes after the king set &e to the palace of his city. There were,

'besides, in bis neighbourhood two large 'kraals,' inhabited by two nf his chief captains. From these also, a dense smoke arose; they, tom, had set Sre to their habitations. On the following day we xnarched on to the city, and arriving there we found no living thing. A31 had Bed. In searching the place, we saw the fearful spectacle of the inhuman ~ r d om in8ictedon our governor and sixty-four n f our fellow-burghers who had accompanied him to D~ with Me cattlebrought &om Sikonyela. We found the coqees about x,zoo yards &om Dingaan's dwelling. They had been dragged in wee direction. Their bands and feet were stiH bound with thongs ~f untanned hide, and in nearly all the corpses a spike as thick as mme's arm hadbeen forced into the anus, so that the pointof thespike +was in the chest t They lay with their clothesstill on their bodies. Mo beast of preyor bird had disturbed them. Those who hadknown Mm recognized Mr. Retief. A glossy waistcoat was part of his apparel; and he had a leather bag on his shoulder containing his gmpers, amongst them the treaty concluded by him with Dingaan, and the description of the territo~. It was matter of wonder to us aH that the bodies had lain there so long, and that the papers had r arnained free from corruption, and were as little soiled as if they h.ad been kept in a close box. I leave each one to imagine how we,

the beholders, were affected at the sight. One recognized the corpse ofa father, another of a son, a third ofa brother, etc.The general gave directions that a grave of great dimensions should be amcavated. This was done, and aH the bodies were placed in it and b~ ied. We traced the tragical occurrences of the murder all the ~ay &om the spot where the bodies lay to Dingaan'sdweHing. They appeared tome to have been aH dragged &om the dvreHing to the ~lace where we found them, and along the whole distance knob-

~C

r 3fj

kerries were strewn about. Had they been collected, they would, I think, have Sled a wagon. The general also directed a stone to be sought,to serve as a beacon. On thisthe date of the month and year were chiselled... • QUXSTIONS:

x. To what do you attribute the Boer victories over the Matabeles and

Zulus? a. %as Dingaan a treacherous savage, or a Zulu patriot?

5. De RepuMielr Netaliaand the British Blood River cleared. the way for the establishment of ¹taHa, the first organized Afrikaner republic. In February, x839 Panda, Dingaan's half-brother and supplanter, was recognized as chief of a chent Zutuland, beyond the Tugela, while Pietermaritzburg was founded, to be the capital of a new state in which the grievance; of

the Cape frontier would End ample rectification. Each Trekker would receive tvro 6,ooo acre farms, there would be 'proper relations' between masters and servants, while every citizen would have representation aud even a voice in the government, which was so demo(vatic that it lacked any constitutional provision for an executive and head. of state l During x8go the new state appeared to have some chance of sued. That it did not, and that Natal was annexed in x843 without the independence of the repubHc ever being recognized, was mainly due to the philanthropical abhorrence and, later and more seriously; oScial alarm which its racial poHcy aroused, both in England and at Cape Town. Compared with this, British uneasiness at the prospect of a weak independent state on the south-eastern coastline of Africa, and the persistent tension between the Vo~ (par H ament) and Pretorius, their overbearing commandant-general, were triviaL 36. ¹t u l, ut the &re of die Boer eicIery. The 'Ãetul J ~s' mere ro

become ue oeenehehnisgprubkm. Port Natal, May goth, x839.

The country of ¹tsl, to the North-westward of the Bay, as far

DE REPUELKK NATALIA AND THE BRXTISH

as we have visi ted, presents a most magni6cent aspect. It is surrounded by extensivewoods, where every sort of wood is found. Trees as high as 6r trees, and much resembhng them, called the Noorsdoorn, are seen raising their lofty tops over the more humble trees. Wild fruit trees, much resembling the apricot peach, appleand bananna tree,are here in great abundance, but producing no fruits. The country from the Omlaas, ( a river distant about 3 hours on horseback fronl the Bay) up to the Bosjesmens Rand, South westward,and about 3 days on horseback from the Bay, is an open plain, full of grass, but hilly, being according to the opinion of our countrymen, very adapted for tillage. Illdian corn and pumpkins grow herethroughout the whole of the year in abundance,and since the lastattack ofDingaan, no one has yetsufFered any great want. You also 6nd here patattas, (sweet potatoes) not so large as those at the Cape, but oblong and woody. The farmers will not sow much this year, as they are in want of seed wheat; it is only here and there that you 6nd any one who has one or two buckets of corn. The cattle in general look remarkably well. The horse-sickness prevails here at this moment particularly in the neighbourhood ofthe Bay, but deaths are not so frequent as in the colony. The inhabitants of Port Natal, up to the Bosjesmans Rand, as far as we have been, are chiefly the Zoolas of Port Natal, ~ and the Farmers. In the country round the Bay you will find some Englishmen, who are called ~ - C h i efs and also some few Hottentots. The Natal Kafirs are all distributed in kraals, and live principally upon Indian corn, pumpkins, sweetpotatoes, and cattle: of the last they have very few, as the greatest part have been stolen by Dingsan. The farmers derive a great bene6t &om them, as they are good herdsmen; for being allowed to milk one cow for their own use, they herd whole flocks of cattle. Every morning they come tothe camps of the farmers, and make exchange for a httle fat, milk, etc. It is said that their number is about a,ooo, a good number havingbeen murdered by Dingaan beforethe amval of the farmers. The farmers have not yet separated, but occupy cQFerent parts of the ixiuntry in parties of go, 6o, roo, and some of aoo together. These places they call canlps, and those camps are on all sides

surrounded by poles, to serve for intrenchments. We have visited almost all those places, and have found every where the greatest

harmony. Domestic rdigious service regularly takes place, and every house-father performs in his family the task of an instructor.

EKTRAGT 37

It is, however, much to be wished that some men of knowledge would settle amongst them, that the education of the youth may be properly attended to. The whole people here anxiously desire to have a proper clergyman, and intend at Bosjesman's Rand, the place where the colony is to be established, to erect a church. %Me we were there a subscription was opened for that purpose, and in less than half an hour,a sum ofQoo had been subscribed. The country at the Bosjesman's Rand, where they intend to establish the colony, is an extensive, beautiful plain, of about y miles in extent, situate between two rivers, the waters of which are now conducted throughout the whole new colony. The name of the village, or rather town, which they intend to establish, is to be caHed'Piaternreuril»bttrjl.' There are here about aoo warriors, with the exception ofthe young men, women, and children. Every Sunday the Clergyman, Mr. Smit, holds regular religious service, and many people from the other camps come to attend it. The Sunday we were there, the number attending was about 3oo. This place is now the chief town. The goverxunent is still the same as we learned from the report of Mr. Boshof, and is now busily engaged to grant erveno and places to those who have applied for them. With respect to the number of Emigrants which are on this side of the Draakberg, in relation to the camps which we have visited, it consists of a good goo,

3y. The gover»tmmt of the repttblic rottr rttgtthe»ed by the lack of u»

afreCtce ettgcttfico. This leads me to give tny hearers a succinct account of the kind of government whichNey introduced. Once every year the 6eldcomet of every division into which the country had been portioned out, sent in to the I anddrost here a list of the persons whom the inhabitants of that Seld-cornetcy or vrard desired to become their representatives for the ensuing year. The district was divided into twelve such wards, &om each of which the names of two persons were thus sent in, forming a council of twenty-four manbers, in

which were vested all the combined supreme, executive, legislative, and judicial powers. This elective Council or 'Volksraad' was required to assemble here (at Pietermaritsburg) every three months. At each meeting a chairman was chosen from among the

own erf' ' (pl. 'omen') is a Dutch tcord, commonly used in South African English, meaning a ph» of ground of abouthal f as acre.

DE REPUBLHK NATALITY AND THE xxRXTISH

members present to regulate the order of their proceedings; but he had not in any other respect the slightest addition of power or authority over the rest. All the members performed their duties gratuitously; but for the current and indispensable business of government Landdrosts were appointed for this place, KYUrban and Weenen, each of whom exercised a certain limited judicial authority. At Piet~ tzb u rg also two or three members of the Council, who lived in or near the town, were formed into a Committee of the Council (caHed the CommissieRaad), and hadpower to decide upon and carry out any executive or a~ s t r ative duties xeq~ imm e diate despatch; but they were bound at the next general meeting of the Council to report their p and submit them for the sanction or disapproval of the body by which

rops

they were appointed.

3fiMsters of t4 D u tch Reformed Chssreh did not join the Trek; Danie/Lindky, an Amenean snissianary, sfepped into the breach. Sy the authority of the Volixsraad, shortly after the appointment of the Rev. Mr. Lindley, the commxmity of the emigrants, including the territory &om Natal to the Nodder River, has been divided into five districts, to each of which a ianddrost and heemraden have been appointed, and consistories established and inducted. Except at Pietermaritzburg, no place of worship has been built. On the occasional visits of Mr. Lindley to the more remote parts, a t emporary hut has been erected, or the ordinances were a~ tered in a tent constructed of wagon coverings. Mr. Lindley has during his xninistry baptized:•• At Natal, children At Maritzburg, in the year XSyx • ee tl

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x843 At WVeenen (X38 miles &om Natal) ... •• e 6o miles &om Natal north, At P on a pastoral visit in the months of May and n

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