WHAT THE ZULU KING THINKS OF THE WAR.

Kumara Times, Issue 833, 2 June 1879, Page 4

WHAT THE ZULU KING THINKS OF THE WAR.

A report in the Cape Argus of two conversations with Mr John Dunn, long the adviser of Cetewayo, supplies an account of recent circumstances, seen from the King's point of view. The following staatement is made : "Nor, maintains Dunn, was the King personally responsible for the outrage by the sons of Usirajo, which is put in the fore-ground among the grievances alleged against him. There formerly subsisted an arrangement, it appears, by which women .and cattle were both reckoned as property, and when they crossed the river in either direction it was customary to send them back. Latterly, as far as the women were concerned, the understanding has not been carried out. Besides affirming that the invasion has been mutual, fugitives from, justice having been fetched out of Zululand . by Natal officers. Dunn puts the question whether outraged husbands, even among civilised people, are prone to pay much respect to the rights of nations when upon the track of their unfaithful spouses. Besides all which, as admitted in the Legislative Council, previous violations, of the frontier have been passed over, and upon many occasions without any hubbub. But nevertheless, the invasion could not be denied ; and when the demand was made upon the King for reparation, he sent for Dunn, who advised him to make an immediate tender of LIOO, lending him the money for the purpose. Cetewayo, however, pocketed half of this sum, and sent in L6O, a solatium which was not accepted by the High Commissioner. Upon the return of the messengers, with word of the rejection of this tender, Dunn made application to the King for the return of his money. It is hardly necessary to write that the application was made in vain. . " Coming now to the meeting between the High Commissioner's envoys and the Zulu indunas, Dunn states that Cetewayo does not, even now, know fully the contents of the ultimatum and still less of the subsequent memorandum. The document was read over once, and its length was such that the messengers could not possibly fix the whole of it in their memory. True, a copy was given to Dunn himself; but, for sufficient reasons of his own and according to the etiquette observed in public affairs, he did not make known the contents of the document in person, but sent word to the King by his own messengers, between whom and the indunas there was a considerable discrepancy. According to Dunn, Cetewayo was in a great fury upon hearing the word of the High Commissioner. He reproached his.adviaer with having thwarted his purpose to exact satisfaction at the hands of the Dutch, and doubly blamed him for having represented the English as just in their intercourse and friendly in their intentions. Until this time he had thought, as Dunn himself had, that the congregation of troops upon his borders represented nothing but an idle scare ; but he saw, at length, 'that the English had thrown the bullock's skin over his head, while they had been devouring the titbits of the carcase.' Seeing that it would be useless to comply with the minor demands while standing out against those of greater importance, the King refused to comply with any. He declared that he had no intention to fight, but if the English came into his country he would take care to defend himself. After the meeting with the commissioners, Dunn returned home, and took good care to avoid the Royal presence thenceforward, lest he should be made to pay with his life the penalty of the odium he had incurred. Just prior to the expiration of the term of 20 days assigned him for the fulfilment of the demands relating to Umbeline and Usirajo Cetewayo sent a message to Dunn to the effect that he was going to fight, adding a request that hiß quondam adviser would stand aside and see the invincible regiments of the King • gobble the English up,' and these they will pursue right into Durban. The message led to the very prudent determination on the part of Dunn to leave the country. He accordingly got his people together, upon a certain night early in the year, under pretence that he was about to go to the coast with his cattle. The meeting came on, but instead of going to the coast he made all possible haste to the drift below the fort, and succeeded in crossing with the whole of his belongings, save a few families who neglected to obey hjs summons. Some of the people have come in since, one man presenting himself this morning with valuable information as to the" whereabouts of the enemy and their cattle. Dunn makes this apology for Cetewayo :—That he is not by any means so black as he has been painted. If he is more cruel than Panda, it must be recollected that the late King was a great hulking simpleton, and altogether too fat and lethargic to exercise the powers of a despot; and then, compared with Chaka and Dingaan, he is a prince of humanity, which, however, is not saying very much. Frequently when the indunas have been anxious to have persons put to death, they have been saved by the interposition of the King. Latterly, however, he baß grown morose and avaricious, and prone to | eating up his subjects on the|most trivial pretext. Dunn has a very high notion of the King's natural sagacity. Although he takes an active interest in all affairs or the State, he is a most inveterate gossip, and indulges among his intimates in any amount of small talk. His marriages have not been very fruitful; he has but one son, a lad who has not yet reached his teens and illegitimate withal, and four daughters.. Of the other surviving sons of Panda. Oham is the one most known outside the nation, bat he is represented I

aa possessing all the vices of Cetewayo minus some of the more essential virtues. The favorite with the tribe and a man of good natural parts is one Uzewedu, whose name ia but little known. My informant is of opinion that there will be little or no fighting until the invading columns have arrived in the immediate neighborhood of the King's kraal, where he will come out and give battle to all comers, right in the open country ; for the Zulu has too firm a conviction in his own prowess to avail himself of such strategy as that resorted to by Bapedi, the Swazies, and the Caffres west of the mountains. This is supposing that there should be no defection among his people, which becomes the more probable in proportion as the belief gains ground among tl e Zulus that the fight is in behalf of Usirajo, who is not a true Zulu, and though very popular with the King, intensely hated by the indunas.