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CAPE COLONY AND BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA. 



diet was affirmed by the High Commissioner. 

 Those private rights of bonafide settlers which 

 had grown up during the Transvaal occupation, 

 and which could not injustice be abrogated by 

 any change of sovereignty, were reserved and 

 protected under the guarantee of the British 

 Government. All Zooloo claims to sovereign- 

 ity north of the Pongolo and west of the Blood 

 River were at the same time negatived. The 

 High Commissioner's award was delivered on 

 December 11, 1878. In the interval between 

 the decision of the commissioners and its con- 

 firmation by the High Commissioner, several 

 events occurred which materially affected the 

 relations of the British Government with the 

 Zooloos. Repeated notices to quit had con- 

 tinued to be sent in the King's name to 

 European subjects of the Transvaal, long set- 

 tled north of the Pongolo, within what had for 

 years been recognized as the boundary between 

 the Transvaal and Zoolooland. The notices 

 were enforced by raids into Swaziland, and there 

 was every apparent indication of an intention 

 to repeat north of the Pongolo the same ag- 

 gressive conduct in occupying territory claimed 

 which had passed unpunished a few months pre- 

 viously between the Blood River and the south 

 bank of the Pongolo. Further encroachment 



was only checked by the movement of detach- 

 ments of British troops from Utrecht to Lune- 

 burg on that frontier. In the latter part of 

 July, after the Commissioners had given their 

 verdict, the sons and brother of an influential 

 Zooloo chief, Sirayo, entered British territory 

 with a considerable armed force, and, dragging 

 from the kraals of British subjects two women 

 who had sought refuge there, forcibly carried 

 them into Zoolooland, and there, it is believed, 

 put them to death. Redress for these violations 

 of British territory was promptly demanded by 

 the Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, but the 

 demand was not complied with. These and 

 other complaints and claims for redress were 

 detailed in the message delivered to the envoys 

 of Cetywayo on December llth, with a final 

 demand that the offenders be given up for trial 

 and a fine for previous non-compliance be paid 

 within twenty days. To this time ten days 

 was afterward added ; but, no answer being 

 received up to that time, Lord Chelmsford, on 

 January llth, crossed the border into Zooloo- 

 land. 



During the negotiations of 1878, the South 

 African authorities strained every nerve in 

 order to prepare for what was expected would 

 be a serious campaign. The officer command- 

 ing the troops, Lord Chelmsford, massed all his 

 available force in Natal and the Transvaal ; the 

 Admiral on the station cooperated by landing 

 a naval brigade ; and by the end of December 

 the British troops lay ready to enter Zooloo- 

 land in four columns. The right, under Colo- 

 nel C. K. Pearson, was concentrated at Fort 

 Williamson, near the mouth of the Tugela 

 River. It numbered about 3,500 men, and, 

 besides native levies and volunteers, comprised 

 the 2d battalion of the 3d Buffs, the 99th Foot, 

 a half battery of Royal Artillery, and the naval 

 brigade. The right center column, under 

 Colonel A. W. Durnford, R. E., consisted of 

 200 English volunteers, two guns Royal Ar- 

 tillery, some rocket tubes, and the 1st Native 

 Regiment, about 3,000 in all. The left center 

 column, under Colonel Glyn of the 24th Foot, 

 numbered about 4,000 men ; with it were both 

 battalions of the 24th Foot, a battery of the 5th 

 brigade, and the 2d Native Regiment. The 

 northern column, under Colonel Evelyn Wood, 

 comprised the 1st battalion of the 13th Somer- 

 setshire Light Infantry, and the 90th Perth- 

 shire Light Infantry.; Tremlett's battery of 

 Royal Artillery; llth battery, 7th brigade; 

 some frontier light horse; and about 1,000 

 native allies. According to official returns, 

 the total strength of Lord Chelmsford's force 

 was as follows : Royal Artiltery, 20 7-pounder 

 guns, 263 men; infantry, 5,128 men; cavalry, 

 1,193 men; native infantry, 9,035; mounted 

 natives, 315 ; total fighting men, 15,934. But 

 of these about 2,000, under Colonel Hugh 

 Rowland, were at Pretoria watching Seco- 

 coeni. The force at the command of Cety- 

 wayo was estimated at between 40,000 and 

 60,000 men in fact, the entire nation capable 



