" TII Q170QUE " FOR SIR IT ARRY SMITH.
ONE error out of the many which he enumerates against Sir Harry Smith, Lord Grey admits that he may have shared—he was too urgent for a reduction of the troops ; but all the rest, save that venial excess of love for economy, he charges upon the devoted head of Sir George Harry Scapegoat Smith. It has been justly remarked, that Lord Torrington, once Governor of Ceylon, who failed under circumstances similar but less difficult, was not thus dismissed : but, while Sir Harry had risen from the ranks, Lord Torrington is connected with the " great ruling families"— cousin to the Prime Minister. Besides this contrast between the treatment of different persons by the same man, we may 'bete the contrast afforded by the kind and gentle manner in `which Lord Carlisle dismissed an erring public servant from the judicial bench at Liverpool: but Lord. Carlisle is more than a nobleman—he is a gentleman. Lord Grey's recital, however, contains within itself that which avenges Sir Harry. Smith; for it suggests the very terms of a similar bill of indictment against himself, for a still larger and more pertinacious share in the errors of Cape administration. Instead of being written by him to the dismissed Governor, it might, with little alteration of words and no loss of force, be written by the Queen to the dia. missed Secretary of State for the Colonies. Earl Grey writes to Sir Harry Smith, that he has long amused him with vain reports of successes in the Caffre war, but that he has only attained failures in place of successes : the Queen might apply the same remark to Lord Grey's whole administration.
"For several months," writes Lord Grey, " your despatches have been of a similar character. You have described to me operations which I have con- stantly been assured had been attended with success: but I am quite unable to discover that any ground had really been gained."
So the Queen might write— "For several years your despatches have been of a similar character. You have described to me operations which I have constantly been assured had been attended with success : but I am quite unable to discdver that any ground bad really been gained."
Supplies of arms for the natives have not been intercepted— arms from this country : Lord Grey scruples to stop them here, but expects Sir Harry Smith to stop them there. We remember that Lord Grey's latest constitution for the Cape was to have been quite successful, only it was perhaps intercepted by an officer, whom he does not dismiss : the error is just the converse of the Governor's. Lord Grey writes— "The fault in this respect must no doubt be in part attributed to the Co- lonial Secretary, whom you had left in charge of the Government at Cape Town ; out if you had intimated to me that Mr. Montagu could not alone adequately discharge the arduous duties which devolved upon him in your absence, I should not have failed immediately to have afforded you further assistance."
Now suppose the Queen addressing the parallel passage to Lord Grey concerning the intercepted constitution—.
" The fault in this respect must no doubt be in part attributed to the Co- lonial Secretary, whom you had retained in charge of the Government at Cape Town ; but if you had intimated to use that Mr. Montagu could not adequately discharge the arduous duties which devolved upon him, I should not have failed immediately to have afforded you better assistance."
Sir Harry. Smith is reproached for his mismanagement of the Dutch colonists in a particular district- " I must regard it as a grievous error that you have allowed the adminis- tration of the Orange River territory to remam too long in the hands of an officer in your own opinion unequal to the task ; and that, by this and other mistakes in your management of the Dutch inhabitants of the frontier dis- tricts, you have failed to conciliate that important class, by whose cordial cooperation there can be no doubt that you would have been enabled to bring the war to a much earlier termination than there is now a prospect of ; while, on the contrary, by the distracted condition of the Sovereignty, your difficulties in Cafrana has been very seriously, increased. The manner in which, by judicious managerhent, Mr. Pine has succeeded in Natal in se- curing the confidence and attachment of the Dutch farmers, as described in your despatch No. 193, clearly proves, that, if properly treated, they may be rendered loyal and useful subjects of the Crown.' A fortiori, Queen Victoria might write to Earl Grey concerning the administration of the whole colony- " I must regard it as a grievous error that you have allowed the adminis- tration of the colony to remain too long in the hands of an officer in your own opinion unequal to the task and that, by this and other mistakes in your management of the Dutch inhabitants of the frontier districts, you have ruled to conciliate that important class, by whose cordial cooperation there can be no doubt that you would have been enabled to bring the war to a much earlier ternainattou than there is now a prospect of ; while, on the contrary, by the distracted condition of the government, your difficulties in Caffrana have been very seriously increased. The manner in which, by ju- dicious management, Mr. Pine has succeeded in Natal in securing the con- fidence and attachment of the Dutch farmers, clearly proves, that, if properly treater they may be rendered loyal and useful subjects of the Crown." —Only, the reproach might be extended backwards to the whole of Lord Grey's official career in relation to the Cape. It might in- deed be extended to some of those who have alternated with him in office ; but Lord Howick was to have been a Colonial Re- former par excellence : this Dutch question is one of the very
affairs that needed to be set right, just as Mr. Pine has proved it might be ' • and Lord Grey cannot plead ignorance on the subject, • or having been misled, as possibly Sir Harry Smith may plead.
With " much reluctance " Lord. Grey enters upon " this review of the errors which Sir Harry Smith seems to him to have com- mitted';_ ". and at last he comes to the " painful conclusion," which he justifies by his past " longanimate." "It was impossible that I should continue to receive intelligence of this description by many successive mails without being led to entertain very serious doubts whether the war bad been conducted with the energy and the judgment which were necessary to bring it to an early and successful issue; but, distressing as was the anxiety which these doubts occasioned, I have not hitherto allowed them to induce me to deprive you of that support which I know it is of the utmost importance to the public service that those in high military commands should be able to rely on not having lightly withdrawn from them by the advisers of the Crown, when, in situations of difficulty and danger, success does not at once attend their exertions.
"But the information I have now received has converted what was before only a very serious doubt into conviction : and it is my painful duty to in- form you, that, having consulted my colleagues on the subject, they have concurred with me in coming to the conclusion, that, upon a careful review of the events of the war and those which preceded its breaking out, there is evidence, which it is impossible longer to resist, that you have failed in show- ing that foresight, energy, andjudgment which your very difficult position ' required - and that therefore we should not be justified in shrinking from ten- dering to the Queen our humble advice that the government of the Cape of Good Ilope and the conduct of the war should be placed in other hands."
Sir HaiTy Smith should advise Lord Grey's Royal Mistress to write to him as follows, not only concerning the Cape, but on his whole official career : how much more forcibly and appro- priately the text reads as thus applied!— "It was impossible that I should continue to receive intelligence of this description for many successive years without being led to entertain very serious doubts whether the affairs of the Cape had been conducted with the energy and the judgment which were necessary to bring them to a successful issue ; but, distressing as was the anxiety which these doubts occasioned, I have not hitherto allowed them to induce me to deprive you of that support which I lmow it is of the utmost importance to the public service that those in high official commands should be able to rely on not having lightly withdrawn from them by the Crown, when, in situations of difficulty and danger, suc- cess does not at once attend their exertions.
"But the information I have now received has converted what was before only a very serious doubt into conviction ; and it is my painful duty to in- form you that, having consulted my Council on the subject, they have con- curred with me in coming to the conclusion, that, upon a careful review of the events of the war and those which preceded its breaking out, as well as the conduct of affairs in my other Colonial possessions, there is evidence, which it is impossible longer to resist, that you have failed in showing that foresight, I energy, and udgment, which your very difficult po- sition required; and that therefore should not be justified in shrinking from accepting their advice that the government of the Colonies should be placed in other hands."
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