304 EXPEDITION INTO 



little community — depressing" their social condition, and pro- 

 ducing' internal disunion that soon led to their subdivision 

 into three parties, of which each had in view a separate 

 destination. Whilst one was wedded to the project of join- 

 ing- Louis Triechard in the unhealthy regions bordering* upon 

 Delag'oa, a second would listen to no proposal but that of 

 sitting' down in the rich pastures abandoned by the Ama- 

 zooloo. But Retief, who retained his influence over the 

 })rincipal party, had reverted to the orig'inal scheme of settling- 

 on the Natal coast 5 and from him emanated a manifesto in 

 which the emio-rants were made to renounce their alleo-iance 

 to the British Government;* their object, according- to 

 resolutions adopted at Caledon on the 14tli Aug'ust 1837, 

 being- to " establish a settlement on the same j)rinciples of 

 liberty as those adopted b}^ the United States of America, 

 carr3dng' into effect as far as mig'ht be practicable, the 

 Burg'her laws." 



It was not long- after this open declaration of rebellion, 

 that Retief and his followers succeeded in finding- a passage 

 over the Draakenberg-, or Quathlamba mountains already 

 noticed, — a tedious journey throug'h a difficult and before 

 untrodden country, bring'ing- them during- the month of 



* In a letter to the Governor, dated Sant Reviere, 21st July, 1837, Retief 

 writes "The undersigned conductor and chief of the united encampments, 

 hereby humbly showeth, that as subjects of the British Government, we, in our 

 depressed circumstances repeatedly represented our grievances to his Majesty's 

 Government ; but in consequence of finding all our efforts to obtain redress 

 fruitless we at length resolved to abandon the land of our birth, to avoid making 

 ourselves guilty of any act which might be construed into strife against our own 

 Government ; that this abandonment of our country has occasioned us incal- 

 culable losses ; but that, notwithstanding all this, we cherish no animosity 

 towards the English nation. That, in accordance with this feeling, commerce 

 between us and the British merchants, will, on our part, be freely entered 

 into and encouraged, with the understanding, however, that we are acknow- 

 ledged as a free and independent people.'' 



