ANTI-CONVICT ASSOCIATION.

203

the 21st of September, to establish an "AntiConvict Association;" the members of which took a pledge against selling anything to anyone on board the Neptune, or to anyone who assisted a convict to land, or who enabled him to live when landed; or to anyone who sold anything to the government so long as the Neptune remained afloat within the waters of the colony.

There was no shirking these resolutions. A cart-load of bread for the navy was stopped by a mob outside the town. Fresh meat for the navy was also prohibited. The Commodore had been detected in sending fresh meat to the Neptune. An old skipper went ashore with a brace of pistols to try and buy a pipe, or a glass for his watch, or a French roll. "The people of Cape Town did not sell to the navy." He went into the shop of a poor woman who had long supplied ships with fresh breakfast bread. She declared, with tears in her eyes, that she would be utterly ruined if she sold him a single article out of the shop. The baker's cart drove up. The captain asked her to

204

REASONABLE INDIGNATION.

buy him two loaves. "If I did so, I should get no more bread myself."

He returned to his ship empty-handed, declaring he never saw such a set of fools in all his life.

Doctor Gray, the Bishop of Cape Town, who appears to have been as great a rebel as any of the towns-people, came aboard the Neptune to preach. In addressing the convicts, he did not say "My men," like Mr. Stewart, the Instructor, but "My dearly-beloved brethren."

This Mr. Stewart went into a shop to purchase materials for a waistcoat. The cloth was folded and prepared for him, when some one came in who knew the convict instructor. There was a whispering, when Mr. Stewart was informed he could not be supplied. He asked with indignation if they intended "to deny clothing to a minister of the gospel to cover his nakedness ?"

This way of putting the case staggered the woollen draper. He stepped over the way to consult with Mr. Fairbairn, a newspaper

EXCLUSIVE DEALING.

205

editor. Mr. Fairbairn sent word that Mr. Stewart must go to the Governor, Sir Harry Smith, for his waistcoats-that he was the man to supply the convict department.

A few days after this, a number of poor men, who had been thrown out of work by this system of exclusive dealing, went to the Governor to ask for employment or food. Sir Harry referred them to Mr. Fairbairn.

Mr. Fairbairn was not a man to be put down by the governor of a colony. He got up a meeting of the Anti-Convict Association, with Mr. Smuts in the chair, where he moved the following resolution

:

"That in consequence of the bad faith of the Right Hon. the Earl Grey, and of his attempt to make this colony a penal settlement against the wishes, and in defiance of the petitions, remonstrances, and protests of the inhabitants; and in consequence of the detention, within the limits of the colony, of the ship Neptune, with convicts on board, whose destination is the Cape of Good

206

MR. FAIRBAIRN'S

RESOLUTION."

Hope; on the ground of a professional opinion given by Her Majesty's Attorney-General as to the illegality of sending them away, which the whole of the other members of the bar have pronounced to be erroneous, society in this colony is rapidly falling into disorder from one end of the country to the other, and the local government is fast becoming, by reason of this disorder and dissatisfaction, less and less capable of protecting the lives and property of the frontier and other inhabitants, should any troubles arise among the native tribes and people on the borders.

"Therefore it is the duty of all good and loyal subjects of Her Majesty, at once, from this day, to suspend all business transactions with the Government, in any shape or upon any terms, until it is officially declared that the Neptune, with the convicts on board, will go away as soon as all necessary supplies for her voyage can be put on board; and that all intercourse and connexion between private individuals and His Excellency, and heads of the victualling depart

TAKING JOHN BULL BY THE HORNS. 207

ments, shall be dropped from this day-the merchants, auctioneers, bakers, butchers, shopkeepers, and all other good and loyal people, dealing only with such private individuals as they know and clearly understand to be unconnected with those departments, by or through which supplies sufficient to afford a pretext for the detention of the convicts may possibly be obtained.

“And that, the measures already taken for this purpose being too slow for the urgency of the case, it is recommended that, after this moment, all shops and stores shall be closed, as for a solemn fast, except for the accommodation of ordinary private and well-known customers; that His Excellency may no longer be in doubt as to the impossibility of detaining the Neptune with her convicts within the limits of this colony."

This was taking John Bull by the horns in grand style. Let us see the result.