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The Life and Times of Sir Richard Southey
The Life and Times of Sir Richard Southey Author:Alexander Wilmot Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Affairs in the Cape Colony—Separation—Letters from Halse, Meuraiit, Bisset, Moffat, Shepstone, and others—John Montagu—The anti- convict agitatio... more »n—Letters from Godlonton and Cock. A FFAIRS in the Sovereignty being now settled on what - seemed a firm basis, Sir Harry Smith was able to turn his attention more thoroughly to the questions that were becoming urgent in the Cape Colony, and more particularly to the fears of another Kaffir rising. Many of the old dwellers on the frontier, still smarting under their old losses, being anxious and inclined to despondency, required to be reassured and encouraged. A strong feeling was growing at Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth in favour of a separation of the Eastern from the Western Province, and as the Home Government would not entertain the question, there was unrest in the Eastern Districts. Last, but not least, the Home Government itself was adding to the Governor's difficulties by proposing to make the Cape a penal settlement, which united English and Dutch colonists in opposition to Her Majesty's representative. The eastern portion of the Colony always engaged Mr. Southey's keen attention, and much of his correspondence was connected with it. Here is a strong letter from one of the frontier men (" poor Halse "), who had lost all his property in the war, and received no compensation. Ex uno disce omnes. He says— " Ere you receive this I suppose you have heard of the outrage offered to us while engaged in the duties of Land Commission. You will yet find that I am not a mere alarmist or croaker. Am I to have any compensation, or shall I be compelled to apply to higher power, and be content with ruinationand contempt for loyalty and what I consider to be a discharge of my duty? If so, I will never do another day's du...« less