THE " FREE-STATE " BOERS AND MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Sin—Beyond the British boundaries in South Africa there is a "free state," enjoying freedom from British law, and the restraints of justice and humanity. It is composed of the worst of the Dutch colonists and of de
sellers and other miscreants from the Cape Colony. The Boers who have remained under British rule are a very different people : they are stated by Dr. Livingstone to be a kindhearted and hospitable race, unstained by the foul crimes of their degenerate countrymen, and who have been in the prac- tice, with the colonists of British origin, of employing the native Africane at fair wages on their farms. Not so do the enlightened citizens of the " free state." The Boers of the "free state" assume, as the privilege of a superior and Christian race, despotic power over the native tribes, and, whenever they think proper, rob, murder, and enslave them. This is a fact, which is not only undeniable but which ought to have been well known to the British public and Government through Dr. Livingstone, the celebrated missionary traveller, if through no other channel. According to this competent and un- impeachable witness, the Boers compel the tribes among whom they come to perform all the labour of their fields, "such as manuring the land, weed- ing, reaping, building, making dams, and canals, and at the same time to support themselves." This, however, only supplies them with field labour ; they take another way of obtaining domestic slaves. "The plan pursued is the following ; one or two friendly tribes are compelled to accompany a party of raounted Boers. When they reach the tribe to be attacked, the friendly natives are ranged in front, to form as they say a shield.' The Boers - then coo y e 11 fir over their heads until the devoted' people flee and leave cattle, wives, and children to the captors."—Livingstone's Missionary Travels,Page 37. But the Boers do not restrict their forays to heathen tribes, in 1852, four hundred of them attacked the Bakwains, with whom Dr. Livingstone lived securely for years, and, besides killing a number of adults, carried off two hundred of that missionary's school children into slavery. They plundered his house, destroyed his books, smashed his medi- cine, and sold all his furniture and clothes at public auction to pay the ex- nausea of the foray. r-This " merle " took place in 1852 ; yet the citizens of the "free state" have met with no reetraint, the unoffending natives and their devoted teachers with no protection, from that time until now. In the Edinburgh Christian Magastne of this month, there is an account of the destruction of the missionary station of Beersheba, the scene of the eminently successful labours of M. Rolland, an Apostolic French missionary, for nearly thirty years, Let any of your readers peruse the account of this robbery and mas- sacre, and if the cowardly atrocities, and treachery of the Boers, do not make his blood boil with indignation, he either is not, or is unworthy to be, a citi- zen of this country. After every concession on the part of the missionary natives, who gave up their cattle and surrendered themselves prisoners at discretion, the Dutch cannon and musketry opened on them, suddenly at a friendly eonferenee,—the most of the active and trustworthy elders, and numbers of the peo_ple were murdered, and the mission completely,ruined. The press, type, 50,000 copies of the New Testament, the school material, every article of furniture, M. Rolland's library of 3000 volumes, were either plundered or burnt, and his waggon rifled of all his other property and cash. The Dutch threatened to do the same to all the other stations, and to exter- minate the Basuto. Now while Great Britain, in discharge of the duty which her position im- poses, is, with great success and lasting honour, putting down the infernal traffic in human beings on the high seas, with what consistency can she re- frain from coercing man-stealers and ruthless depredators in the vicinity of her own Cape Colony ? The power and the duty are inseparable. rust as it would be the duty of every man who fell in with another in the process of being robbed and murdered, if stalwart enough for the encounter, to strike in his defence, and to save him even if compelled, in order to do so, to slay the aggressor. It is only when evils greater than those sought to be r.eressed, are sure to arise from interference, that interference ceases to be a duty. With regard to the British Government at the Cape, the power is unquestionable ; while there exist no political considerations to justify the non-exercise of that power but good reasons, to say nothing of higher con- siderations connected with' the welfare of the colony, for its exercise; he benefits of free and peaceful traffic which always follow the establishment of missions, but to which traffic the citizens of the "Free State" are deter- mined foes.
It is mid that Sir George Grey is not going to interfere, and has issued a proclamation forbidding the friends of either party in the colony from cross- ing the frontier to the scene of war. We have heard of reciprocity in the trade of nations being all on one side. It would appear that at the Cape this is the ease with regard to non-interference. The Boers are permitted to supply themselves plentifully with cannon, muskets, and ammunition, while the Basuto, who are fighting for freedom and life itself, cannot get a single charge, yet with such weapons as they have, they have since at another mission station gallantly encountered the Boers, and routed them with considerable lees in a hand to hand fight with spear and battle-axe. It requires to be explained why reinforcements and ammunition are kept from such men ; though intelligible enough why both one and the other should be kept from their antagonists.
We are informed that the Colonial Secretary has written to Sir George Grey that the lives of the missionaries must be protected. Surely this is not all. Are not the peaceably disposed tribes whom they are bringing in to religion and civilization, their numerous converts and thriving schools, to be protected? Is no reparation to be exacted for foul oppression, murder, and robbery at their stations ? are not the two hundred school children of our distinguished countryman, Dr. Livingstone, to be emancipated, and some compensation to be obtained for the devoted and noble-minded Frenchman M. Rolland? The system of cruel oppression pursued by the Boers, and the self-denying pursuits of the philanthropic missionaries, are too antagonistic to justify neutrality or non-interference; as if both were equally undeserving of sympathy or protection. Surely the moral sense of the British public will revolt at the thought ; and the country will expect to hear of such prompt and decisive measures on the part of Government as shall maintain the unblemished repute, and growing influence of our nation among the tribes of Africa.
N.B. Since writing the above we learn from the newspapers that the Beers are no longer in the ascendant, but have been completely out generalled, and beaten by Moshesh, an African Prince or Chief, with whom they went to war. They have thankfully accepted the mediation of the Governor of the colony, whose just and humane laws they could not bear to live under. It will be a comparatively easy task now for Sir George Grey to bind them by treaty to desist in all time coming from cruelty and oppres- sion. He will also have it in his power to provide for the security of the missionaries while prosecuting their self-denying and holy mission—a pro- tection due to them even on grounds purely utilitarian as the pacificators of savage tribes, the pioneers of civilization, peaceful industry, free labour, and commerce.
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