COLONIAL OFFICE MIS RULE.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 30, 27 December 1845, Page 3

COLONIAL OFFICE MIS RULE.

This week's contribution to the ever flowing tide of Colonial-office mis-rule is the following account of more bloodshed in Southern Africa, which we extract from the Times, June Ist. •• Cape of Good Hope papers to the 25th of April have arrived Tlie accounts from Graham's Town state that a collision had taken place between the Duieln.emigrdiits and the Griqua tribe on.the nor Hi -eastern frontier,, in which the latter had the advantage. The Griquas speak confidently of success, and only ask English troops for the protection of iheir wives and property. A good deal of bloodshed is expected, and should the Dutch williin the boundary join their countrymen, tlie aborigines will speedily be defeated. The want of a pioper government at Natal is said to be detrimental to the general interests of the colony." Tuis intelligence, so disgraceful to the Colo-nial-office—for collisions between civilised settlers and aborigines cannot be otherwise than disgraceful to a government whose primary duty is to' protect and restrain either from the aggressions and revenge o£ the .other,— cannot be u/iexpec'ted, at lea&t, ; by the readers of the Atlas. For it is not many weeks since, thai j under the head of A Feio Words front a JVejleeleU 1 Colony, we distinctly pointed to bloodshed as the legitimate resu.il of lhe Uog-in-the-manger policy i which the Colonial office had for the last four ' ) ears pursued towgidb Natal; neither allow uig the Dutch fanners, who bad fledtheie beyoud the old: limits of the Cape colony, to govern and ) protect themselves, nor affording them government and protection. TUo civilization and. pro* peiljofthe Bomtiin their new settlements, as uatiitdl, and us was told the oilice, attracted the Gnquas around theit farms ; caiile stealing and pe(i) thieving became irresistible to tiie savages; the Dutch, finding no protection agaiiibt \ these buroer-i aids, follow the spoors' of tue loi,t ■ cattle, inflict summary punishment, and in tneir 'Hi us commit unjustifiable iiggretosious ; unlit At last, boili pai ties turnout, ana a war of extermination, in feeling, at least, commences. And this has, during the last live-aud-thitty jears, i | been five times repeated in Southern Africa | Now, lor what purpose is a government except

to prevent stich occurrences ? of what use is it if it cannot hinder these murderous collisions in its own territories — if it do not restrain its own subjects from lerymg war against each other? Never was there a more nioiutrotis case of in* efficiency and neglect than this. First of all the Boeis abandon their old farms in what was then the frontier province of the Cape colony, and settle in a district over which the British. Crowu. had never exercised any sovereignty, there formi ing up a government of their own. Tae colonial , | government take no notice of their flight, for some eighteen months, during which the Dutch* m^en cut the throats or knock the brains out of every native that opposes their uew settlement. Themiichief being over, the Colonial office then becomes vigorous ; the new settlement is proclaimed to be within the British territories and. the new governmeet to be illegal} troops are sent to enfoice these pretensions ; they are resisted ; a collision ensues, in which, of course the Dutch are defeated, and unwillingly submit. Yet for two years after their submission, the/ wait in vain for any government to replace that which was overthrown. No laws are enforced j, no tribunals established ; no provision for religion made; no titles to land granted. When tiiey ask the commander of the few troops that guard the British flag-staff" in the district, to -prvteofijhenrkjiom the robberies of— tne-'GaffVeq and Griquas, he'l'Fpiies that he has no insttuclions; when they tell liiin " they % will protect themselves, he threatens them with pains and. penalties ; when they talk of again flying the, , British dominions, he treats them as little better than rebels Bloodsheds ensues ; permanent , hatreds are established between the Boers and the Griquds; their peaceable vicinage is rendered impossible; troops are poured into the* district; the colony i* put to a vast expense, and the dislike of the Dutch to British rule is strengthen d. And all because the Colonial office would not itself establish a proper government in a district where it would allow no one else to establish a government ; all because it would not give the Boors at Natal what Sir R, Peel stales it is at least about to give the New Zealand colonists — " our entire confidence, and to leave an unfettered discretion, laying down of course, general principles which ought to be observed." Oh ! it is a rare office. Heligoland is not safe in its hands —Ibid, July 5