SIR BARTLE FRERE.
(TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.")
lit,-1n your article of the 7th inst. on the recall of Sir Bartle Prere yoti say—and you have previously used similar language —" Here was a man who, in open defiance of his instructions, had made war," &c. As a Liberal, I rejoice that the recall has come at last,'and not a moment too soon ; but I am desirous of asking you upon what evidence it is that you, in common with many other public writers, make the statement I have just quoted ? Putting aside the memorable letter of Sir M. Hicks-Beach, which we all know arrived out in the colony after the fatal step had been taken, the only evidence I know of favourable to the "open defiance of instructions" theory is that furnished to us by the constant and persistent assertion to that effect of the late Ministry ; but surely that is not evidence which, after our experiences in relation to the deception practised on the Greeks—the Salisbury-Schouvaloff affair— the denials of any change of policy towards the Ameer, and "the complete harmony with France" scandal, so satisfactorily exposed a week or two ago in the House, would be accepted as reliable by any man of common- sense and judgment. I shall be very glad if you can furnish us with any better evidence on the subject ; but, as at present advised, the evidence is all the other way, to my mind, pointing definitely to the conclusion that the late Government was abso- lutely responsible for the disgraceful Zulu war ; in other words, that Sir Bartle Frere was, probably with great alacrity, simply carrying out the instructions he received from King Jingo.—
[On October 17th, 1878, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach wrote to Sir B. Frere as follows :—" Her Majesty's Government axe, however,
not prepared to comply with the request for a reinforcement of troops. All the information that has hitherto reached them with respect to the position of affairs in Zululand appears to them to justify a confident hope that by the exercise of prudence, and by meeting the Zulus in a spirit of forbearance and reasonable compromise, it will be possible to avert the very serious evil of war with Cetywayo ; and they cannot but think that the forces now at your disposal in South Africa, together with the additional officers about to be sent, should suffice to meet any other emergency that may arise, without a further increase to the Imperial troops." This appears to us the official mode of telling Sir Bartle Frere that he was not to invade Zululand, and that he would not be supported by the Home Government in doing so. Let us not be unfair to the late Government, when they acted well. It *as a mistake to send such a hot-headed man as Sir Bartle Frere to South Africa, but no doubt they did intend to keep the curb on him,
— a process which was more difficult than they had supposed.
— En. Spectator.]
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