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"cursions and depredations ever since; nor was any effort made to check them till his Lordship "accomplished his object of making his son a Major and Commandant on the frontier.

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I will not say that this system of plunder

"was winked at by, &c.

but I do

66. say that the force upon the frontier, before the "late augmentation of that (the Cape,) corps was "sufficient for our protection, had it been judiciously distributed and employed.

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The arrival of the Commisioners of Inquiry excited an intense sensation in this "Colony, and the public mind has been ever since "in a state of feverish agitation. I am confident "the Commissioners could not have anticipated "such a system of misgovernment as has already "been laid open to them, although they have not "yet done more than half their work. They are "at present at Uitenhage, whence they proceed "to Graaf Reynet, and thence to Albany.

"How our Landdrost will stand the "ordeal I cannot say, but if strict justice be done, "I should think he would not be here long. His

Lordship was singularly fortunate in finding a "man so fit for his purpose as Mr., who is

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never satisfied with the dull letter of the law, "but who has the power and disposition of ren"dering every obnoxious measure infinitely more "so by his manner of carrying it into execution. "We have frequently been amused in witnessing "the effect produced on him by the arrival and

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progress of the Commissioners, and by the

"numerous reports in circulation. At times he is "seized with alarm at the approaching investi

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gation, when he will become overwhelmingly "civil to every one who has occasion to see him;

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presently he receives letters from his Lordship, "which gives him fresh confidence, and he then "relapses into his old habits, and makes up for "his late civility by a double portion of rudeness " and irascibility; and thus he is kept constantly "betwixt the two extremes.

"Wilberforce Bird has been the chief "adviser and confident since Colonel Bird has "been out of favour. You probably have seen "Mr. Bird's work on the Cape of Good Hope, "wherein he makes such efforts to misrepresent "the conduct and character of the Settlers, and "endeavours to convince his readers that we "were disaffected at home, and discontented and "factious in the Colony. We shall, as soon as

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we have a little leisure, publish a reply to that "part of the work which relates to the Settlers, " and it will not be difficult to show, that it is a "tissue of misrepresentations and mis-statements "from beginning to end. I cannot avoid quoting "a few lines from the work (p. 186) to shew the "incorrectness of his assertions. He (the act"'ing Governor) then found that notwithstanding "all that had been done, the extremely litigious disposition of a great part of the Settlers in"duced them so frequently to appeal from the

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6

* A very different person from Colonel Bird. This book was written to serve a purpose. The author is the Wilberforce

Bird, some time member for Coventry.-R. S. D.

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6

"decisions of the local magistracy, to the supe"rior district court, at the distance of 100 miles "from the locations, that he deemed it expe"dient to obviate the inconvenience thereby cre"ated, by the appointment of a Landdrost, and "a full court of district municipal magistracy ""on the spot.'* Mr. W. Bird does not, it seems, "consider the addition of nearly 5000 individuals "to the former population of Albany, a sufficient "reason for the appointment of a Landdrost "and a full court on the spot.' But the best of "the matter is, that there was not ONE appeal from "the decision of the local magistrates to the supe"rior district court at Uitenhage. No doubt Mr. "Bird thought, the more aspersions he could cast upon the Settlers, the more favour he would find "with his Lordship. But the effect of these base attempts can be only of short duration, and the "Commissioners will soon have an opportunity of ascertaining, that they are as unfounded, as they are disgraceful to the author. "have had the rust among us this year, as exten"sively and as violently as in the former seasons, "but as we cultivated chiefly Bengal wheat, which "resists the disease better than the Colonial grain, "I think we shall have enough to supply our wants "until the next harvest. The blight from hot "winds did more injury this year to the late crops "than the rust, Notwithstanding these serious "difficulties we have to contend with, we should "still be satisfied with our situation if we had a

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We

*There is not a shadow of foundation for this assertion.-R.S.D.

"Governor disposed to listen to reasonable re

quests, and to redress real grievances; but from "the system which has been pursued towards us, "three-fourths of the Settlers have left the district, " and half of those who remain would have quitted "it, had not the arrival of the Commissioners delayed their departure."

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Another writes to me as follows: "It was with "the deepest regret throughout the district, that "we heard of your departure; my brother at the "Kowie finding himself not supported by the authorities, gave up the place in disgust, and is "since deceased!"

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Yes, my Lord, "deceased!" dead! from the effects of disappointment, anxiety, frustrated hopes, pecuniary losses, and perhaps, from the agonizing sight, as was the case with many, of his wife and children perishing of want! All causes which have effected the deaths of hundreds of our unhappy Settlers; deaths preceded by mental sufferings of the most horrible nature; compared with which, the desperate but sudden plunge of the Kaffer knife is mercy! Shall all this be washed in Lethe?

This writer goes on to tell me, that he has been obliged to sell off his stock in Lushington Valley, having failed, notwithstanding the most persevering industry; and of the town which I had founded, he says; "Bathurst has been totally "neglected, but if the Kowie continues to prosper, "of which I have no doubt, Bathurst will prosper "in proportion, even without the aid of Govern"ment."

I will here quote another correspondent, resident in Cape Town, that your Lordship may see that the same feelings and opinions pervaded every part of the Colony.

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expected in a

"When you left us, the frontier was quiet, "and allowing for the distress, the effect of two "failures of harvests, as much unanimity and good will prevailed as could be "community composed as ours is. It required a peculiar talent at sowing discord, so soon to change the scene, but it is completely changed; 66 a system of espionage is established, which "breaks the confidence of society, and no one "has the least chance of quiet, who does not, as "I do, seclude himself entirely."

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Then follows an account of the way in which Lieutenant Roubidge, of the navy, had been oppressed and hunted, under the idea (a very mistaken one) that he had been a protegé of mine— in fact, I had no protegé's. I was there to obey your Lordship's instructions, and to administer justice in my Sovereign's name, and not to dispense favours at the public expense, thereby to surround myself with flatterers who, as soon as they had turned my head, and made me forget myself, would themselves forget the favours I might have lavished on them.

The writer goes on: "this industrious and de"serving man," Lieutenant Roubidge, "will be "driven from Albany for no other cause than the "one I have alluded to. This will give you some insight into the system, although a very slight

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=