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"This is a mistake. one-fifth* of the total area of Zululand, and to It forms more than confine our action and influence to that small a fourth.-E. F., January, 1886. part of the country would amount to abandoning the Zulus as a nation to protracted anarchy. No doubt in time some one or other of the con- tending Chiefs might gain the upper hand and unite the Zulus, as in the days of Cetywayo; but this could only happen after years, and after an internecine war, marked by incidents of indis- criminate carnage and burnings and recurring famines, every one of these incidents being tele- graphed, with exaggerations, to the London press, week by week, to harrow the nerves and upset the judgment of the public in England. The Reserve would become the refuge of each party as it was worsted in turn, and would be used by it in time as a base for a renewal of the conflict. We should sooner or later be embroiled in the conflict, and forced to intervene. If we are not to advance, it would be better to retire altogether behind the Tugela, that is, within the old borders of Natal."
29th November, 1883 (C.-3864, p. 287).
*
*
"The testimony of those Englishmen who best know the Zulus, their language and modes of thought, is that they did fully expect us to impose our rule on them as a necessary consequence of the war of 1879, that they were prepared for it, that they actually desired it, and that they remained quiet among themselves until they found out their mistake as to our intentions.
"
Mr. Fynn thus expresses the theory:
"In 1879 the English conquered the Zulu nation, and from a native point of view the Zulus thereby became the adopted children of the English. It was, therefore, necessary the English should naturally dictate their rule over the con- quered, and care for their welfare as adopted children. It was not for the Zulus to stipulate to their conquerors what form of rule they wished, but for the conquerors to decide whatever they, as superior by the conquest, deemed an expedient form of rule over the people then in the position of the foster-children of the English.
* Their Zulu ruler was defeated, and hence the Zulus looked to be ruled by the English; they acquired money, and, I have every reason to believe, were generally fully prepared before the end of 1879 to pay money as tribute to their conquerors for English rule; and anything short of that only went to weaken the confidence in the English.'
"
It is admitted that we have lost ground by not governing from the commencement; but it appears to be agreed that it is not too late to re-assert our position as derived from our decisive victory over the Zulu power in 1879, and that such a re-assertion will be submitted to by the Zulus without objec- tion. Although we have not interfered authorita- tively between Zulu and Zulu in current affairs, we have not ceased to act otherwise than as the dictators and disposers of the country, and of the sovereignty over various portions of it."-(Extracts from COLONIAL OFFICE MEMORANDUM No. 280, AFRICAN, of 4th of March, 1884.)
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