Transvaal (South Africa) -- History -- War of 1880-1881
Of the persons directly or indirectly concerned in this rascally plot,
the unfortunate Colonel Weatherley subsequently apologised to Sir T.
Shepstone for his share in the agitation, and shortly afterwards died
fighting bravely on Kambula. Captain Gunn of Gunn and Mrs. Weatherley,
after having given rise to the most remarkable divorce case I ever
heard--it took fourteen days to try--were, on the death of Colonel
Weatherley, united in the bonds of holy matrimony, and are, I believe,
still in Pretoria. The lawyer vanished I know not where, whilst Mr.
Celliers still continues to edit that admirably conducted journal the
_Volkstem_; nor, if I may judge from the report of a speech made
by him recently at a Boer festival, which, by the way, was graced by
the presence of our representative, Mr. Hudson, the British Resident,
has his right hand forgotten its cunning, or rather his tongue lost the
use of those peculiar and _recherché_ epithets that used to adorn
the columns of the _Volkstem_. I see that he, on this occasion,
denounced the English element as being "poisonous and dangerous" to a
State, and stated, amidst loud cheers, that "he despised" it. Mr.
Cellier's lines have fallen in pleasant places; in any other country he
would long ago have fallen a victim to the stern laws of libel. I
recommend him to the notice of enterprising Irish newspapers. Such is
the freshness and vigour of his style that I am confident he would make
the fortune of any Hibernian journal.
Some little time after the Gunn of Gunn frauds a very sad incident
happened in connection with the government of the Transvaal. Shortly
after the Annexation, the Home Government sent out Mr. Sergeaunt,
C.M.G., one of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, to report on the
financial Condition of the country. He was accompanied, in an
unofficial capacity, amongst other gentlemen, by Captain Patterson and
his son, Mr. J. Sergeaunt; and when he returned to England, these two
gentlemen remained behind to go on a shooting expedition. About this
time Sir Bartle Frere was anxious to send a friendly mission to Lo
Bengula, king of the Matabele, a branch of the Zulu tribe, living up
towards the Zambesi. This chief had been making himself unpleasant by
causing traders to be robbed, and it was thought desirable to establish
friendly relations with him, so it was suggested to Captain Patterson
and Mr. Sergeaunt that they should combine business with pleasure, and
go on a mission to Lo Bengula, an offer which they accepted, and
shortly afterwards started for Matabeleland with an interpreter and a
few servants. They reached their destination in safety; and having
concluded their business with the king, started on a visit to the
Zambesi Falls on foot, leaving the interpreter with the waggon. The
falls were about twelve days' walk from the king's kraal, and they were
accompanied thither by young Mr. Thomas, the son of the local
missionary, two Kafir servants, and twenty native bearers supplied by
Lo Bengula.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account