Cetywayo and his White Neighbours | Page 4

intentions on the
Transvaal--Their frustration by Sir T. Shepstone--Cetywayo's interview
with Mr. Fynney--His opinion of the Boers--The annexation in
connection with the Zulu war--The Natal colonists and the Zulu
war--Sir Bartle Frere--The Zulu war--Cetywayo's half- heartedness--Sir
Garnet Wolseley's settlement--Careless selection of chiefs--The
Sitimela plot--Chief John Dunn--Appointment of Mr. Osborn as British
Resident--His difficult position--Folly and cruelty of our
settlement--Disappointment of the Zulus--Object and result of
settlement--Slaughter in Zululand--Cetywayo's son-- Necessity of
proper settlement of Zululand--Should Cetywayo be restored?
Zululand and the Zulu settlement still continue to receive some
attention from the home public, partly because those responsible for the
conduct of affairs are not quite at ease about it, and partly because of
the agitation in this country for the restoration of Cetywayo.
There is no doubt that the present state of affairs in Zululand is a
subject worthy of close consideration, not only by those officially
connected with them, but by the public at large. Nobody, either at home
or in the colonies, wishes to see another Zulu war, or anything
approaching to it. Unless, however, the affairs of Zululand receive a
little more attention, and are superintended with a little more humanity
and intelligence than they are at present, the public will sooner or later
be startled by some fresh catastrophe. Then will follow the usual outcry,
and the disturbance will be attributed to every cause under the sun
except the right one--want of common precautions.
The Zulu question is a very large one, and I only propose discussing so
much of it as necessary to the proper consideration of the proposed
restoration of Cetywayo to his throne.
The king is now coming to England,[*] where he will doubtless make a
very good impression, since his appearance is dignified, and his
manners, as is common among Zulus of high rank, are those of a
gentleman. It is probable that his visit will lead to a popular agitation in
his favour, and very possibly to an attempt on the part of the English
Government to reinstate him in his kingdom. Already Lady Florence
Dixie waves his banner, and informs the public through the columns of
the newspapers how good, how big, and how beautiful he is, and "F. W.

G. X." describes in enthusiastic terms his pearl-like teeth. But as there
are interests involved in the question of his reinstatement which are, I
think, more important than Cetywayo's personal proportions of mind or
body, and as the results of such a step would necessarily be very
marked and far-reaching, it is as well to try and understand the matter
in all its bearing before anything is done.
[*] Since the above was written the Government have at the last
moment decided to postpone Cetywayo's visit to this country, chiefly
on account of the political capital which was being made out of the
event by agitators in Zululand. The project of bringing the king to
England does not, however, appear to have been abandoned.
There has been a great deal of special pleading about Cetywayo. Some
writers, swayed by sentiment, and that spirit of partisanship that the
sight of royalty in distress always excites, whitewash him in such a
persistent manner that their readers are left under the impression that
the ex-king is a model of injured innocence and virtue. Others again,
for political reasons, paint him very black, and predict that his
restoration would result in the destruction, or at the least,
disorganisation, of our South African empire. The truth in this, as in the
majority of political controversies, lies somewhere between these two
extremes, though it is difficult to say exactly where.
To understand the position of Cetywayo both with reference to his
subjects and the English Government, it will be necessary to touch,
though briefly, on the history of Zululand since it became a nation, and
also on the principal events of the ex-king's reign.
Chaka, Cetywayo's great uncle, was the first Zulu king, and doubtless
one of the most remarkable men that has ever filled a throne since the
days of the Pharaohs. When he came to his chieftainship, about 1813,
the Zulu people consisted of a single small tribe; when his throne
became vacant in 1828, their name had become a living terror, and they
were the greatest Black power in South Africa. The invincible armies
of this African Attila had swept north and south, east and west, had
slaughtered more than a million human beings, and added vast tracts of
country to his dominions. Wherever his warriors went, the blood of
men, women, and children was poured out without stay or stint; indeed
he reigned like a visible Death, the presiding genius of a saturnalia of
slaughter.

His methods of government and warfare were peculiar and somewhat
drastic, but most effective. As he conquered a tribe,