1st, The Dutch, partly by so-called contracts, partly by force, gradually deprived the Hottentots of their country. 2d, They reduced to slavery a large part of that unfor tunate people whom they did not destroy. 3d, They intro duced a number of Malays and negroes as slaves. 4th, They established that narrow and tyrannical system of policy which they adopted in other colonies, prescrib ing to ths farmers the nature of the crops they were to grow, demanding from them a large part of their produce, and harassing them with other exactions tending to dis courage industry and enterprize. There is no doubt that to this mischievous policy is due the origin of those un settled habits, that dislike to orderly government, and that desire to escape from its control, which characterize a considerable part of the so-called Dutch boers of the present day, -qualities utterly at variance with the character of the Dutch in their native country, which were strongly manifested at the Cape, long before they came under British rule and under those influences to which some exclusively attribute the insubordination of those men. The attempts of the boers to escape from the Dutch power, and so form an independent government beyond the borders of the colony, especially in the district since called Graaf-Reinet, are strikingly similar to their proceedings at a later date under the British Government. 5th, The Gamtoos Paver formed the boundary between the Hottentot and Kaffre laces, and was early adopted by the Dutch as their eastern limit, out about the year 1740 they began to pass this river, and came into collision with the Kaffres, and in 1780 they extended their frontier to the Great Fish River.
In 1795 the colonists, having imbibed the revolutionary principles then prevailing in Europe, attempted to throw off the yoke of the Dutch, upon which the British sent a fleet to support the authority of the Prince of Orange, and took possession of the country in his name As, however, it was evident that Holland would not be able to hold it, and that at a general peace it would be made over to England, it was ruled by British governors till the year 1302, when, at the peace of Amiens, it was again restored to Holland. In 1806, on the renewal of the war, it was again taken by the British under Sir David Baird, and has since remained in their possession, having been finally ceded by the king of the Netherlands at the peace of 1815. At this time the limit of the colony was formed by the Grsat Fish River and the line of the mountains south of Bush- manland to the Buffels River and the Atlantic, the area being about 120,000 square miles, and the population little over 60,000. A summary may be given of the chief events which have taken place since 1806.
1st, The Kaffre Wars.—The first of these wars took place in 1S11- 12, and the second in 1819, when the boundary of the colony was extended to the Keiskamma. The third occurred in 1835, under Sir Benjamin D Urban, when the boundary was- advanced to the Kei ; but on the recall of that officer the country between the Kei and Keiskamma rivers was restored to the Kaffres. The fourth KafFre war took place in 1846, and after being conducted by governors Maitland and Pottinger, it was terminated by Sir Harry Smith in 1848. The fifth war broke out at the end of 1850, and after being for some time carried on by Governor Sir H. Smith, it was conducted in 1852 by Governor Cathcart, and brought to a conclusion only in March 1853. During its progress an armed police had been organized for the pro tection of the frontier, and British Kali raria was subsequently formed into a Crown colony, reserved at first for occupation by Kaffres. A somewhat more detailed account of these wars will be found under the heading Kaffraria.
2d, In 1820, British emigrants, to the number of 5000, arrived at Algoa Bay, and laid the foundation of the settlements on the eastern frontier which have since become the most thriving part of the colony, including the important towns of Graham s Town and Port Elizabeth.
3d, In 1834 the great measure of slave-emancipation took effect in the Cape Colony. It has been of immense service in raising the character and condition of the Hottentots and other races before held in bondage, though many of the vices begotten by the state ol slavery still adhere to them. This measure gave great offence to the Dutch boers of the colony, and completed their already existing dis affection to the British rule.
In 1 835-6 a large number of these people resolved to free them selves from the British Government by removing with their families neyond the limits of the colony. With this object they sold their "arms, mostly at a great sacrifice, and crossed the Orange River into territories inhabited chielly by tribes of the Kaffre race. After meeting with great hardships and varied success in their contests with the natives, a part of their number, under one Peter lietief, crossed the Drakenberg Mountains and took possession of the dis trict of Natal, where they established a republican government, and maintained their ground against powerful nations of Zulu Kaffres till 1842, when they were forced to yield to the authority of the British Government, which took possession of Natal.
The boers beyond the Orange River and west of the Drakenberg still, however, retained a sort of independence till 1848, when, in consequence of the lawless state of the country, and the solicitation of part of the inhabitants, the governor, Sir Harry Smith, declared the supremacy of the Crown over the territory, which was thenceforth called the Orange River Sovereignty. Shortly after this, in conse quence, it was alleged, of certain acts of the British Government in Natal, Andrew Prutonus, an intelligent boer of that district, crossed the Drakenberg Mountains with his followers, and after being joined on the western side by large numbers of disaffected boers, raised the standard of rebellion. Upon this the governor, Sir H. Smith, crossed tlie Orange River at the head of a detachment of troops, and encountered and defeated the rebels in a short but brilliant skirmish at Boem Plaats. After this Pretorius and the most disaffected part of the boers retreated to beyond the Vaal River (the northern limit of the sovereignty), where they established a government of their own. They were subsequently, in 1852, absolved from their allegi ance to the British Crown by treaty with the governors and her Majesty s commissioners for settling frontier affairs.
In 1853-54, in consequence of the troubled state of the Orange River Sovereignty, and the difficulty of maintaining with becoming dignity the authority of her Majesty there, it was resolved to aban don the country to the settlers, mostly Dutch boers. This was carried into effect by a special commissioner, Sir George Clerk, sent from England for the purpose ; and the country, under the name of the Orange Free State, is constituted a republic, with a president at its head, assisted or controlled by an assembly called the Volksraad (people s council), elected by nearly universal suffrage.
4th, The Convict Agitation.—After the British Government had felt itself compelled to discontinue the sending of convicts to New South Wales and Van Diemeri s Land, the subject of transportation became one of great difficulty, the more so that an unusually large number of prisoners was then on its hands in consequence of the pro secutions arising out of the disturbed state of Ireland. Under these cir cumstances an Order in Council was passed in 1848, under authority of the Act of 5 Geo. IV., authorizing the secretary of state to send certain convicts to such colonies as he might think proper. A cir cular was sent by Earl Grey, then colonial secretary, to the governor of the Cape (among other colonial governors), requesting him to ascertain the feelings of the colonists regarding the reception of- a certain class of convicts. Unfortunately, owing to some misunder standing, a vessel, the "Neptune," was despatched to the Cape liefore the opinion of the colonists had been received, having on board 289 convicts, among whom were John Mitchell, the Irish rebel, and his colleagues. When the news reached the Cape that this vessel was on her way, the people of the colony became violently excited ; and goaded to fury by the inflammatory articles in the local newspapers, and guided by a few demagogues, they established what was called the Anti-Convict Association, by which they bound themselves by a pledge to cease from all intercourse of every kind with persons in any way connected "with the landing, supplying, or employing convicts." On the 19th of September 1849, the "Neptune" arrived in Simon s Bay ; and when the intelligence reached Cape Town, the people assembled in masses, and their behaviour was violent and outrageous in the extreme. The governor, after adopting several resolutions, and again abandoning them under the pressure of popu lar agitation, agreed not to land the convicts, but to keep them on board ship in Simon s Bay till he received orders to send them else where. Even this concession did not satisfy any but a small num ber of more moderate men. The mass of the population, under the guidance or domination of a few agitators, continued to do all in their power to prevent the convicts and all the officers of the Govern ment from obtaining supplies. When the Home Government be came aware of the state of affairs it immediately sent orders direct ing the "Neptune" to proceed to Van Diemen s Land, and the agitation ceased. This agitation did not, however, pass away with out important results, since it led to another movement, the object of which was to obtain a free representative government for the colony. This concession, which had been previously promised by Lord Grey, was granted by her Majesty s Government, and, .in 1853, a constitution was established of almost unexampled liberality.
5th, In 1857 an almost incredible delusion arose in the Araaxosa
