“The undersigned burghers, etc. ... take the liberty to bring to your Excellency’s notice that they, in consequence of intimation from the Landrost of Utrecht, dated 14th December last, on your Excellency’s instructions, partly trekked into laager, and partly deserted their farms, in the firm expectation that now a beginning of a war would soon be made.... That they have heard with anxiety and understand that arbitration is spoken of, which would have to determine our property and possessions; which we fear will decide in favour of a crowned robber, murderer, and breaker of his word, who knows as well as we that he is claiming a thing which does not belong to him ... for which reason we are sure that such arbitration is an absurdity and an impossibility. We therefore hereby protest against all proposed or to be undertaken arbitration; and we will, with all legal means at our disposal, etc., resist a decision, etc., over our property which we know would be unlawful and unjust.” They give as a reason for presenting the address from which these phrases are taken, “_because it is impossible for us to remain any longer in laager without any object_,” which hardly looks as though they thought themselves in daily danger from the Zulus, unless the “beginning of a war” should “soon be made” by Sir T. Shepstone. They request His Excellency “to commence without any further delay defending” their “rights and property and lives;” and should His Excellency “not be inclined or be without power” to do so, they further signify their intention of requesting him to assist them with ammunition, and not to hinder them seeking assistance, of fellow-countrymen and friends, to maintain their “rights,” and to check their “rapacious enemies and to punish them.” And they conclude: “We, the undersigned, bind ourselves on peril of our honour to assist in subduing the Zulu nation, and making it harmless.” Sir T. Shepstone encloses this in a sympathising despatch, but Sir Henry Bulwer remarks upon it and upon a subsequent memorial[80] of the same description—February 23rd (2100, p. 67):