74 WRITE TO JONKER. [chap. m. 



The cases were as similar as could be ; both parties 

 were guided by British subjects, — both were effectually 

 barriag out civilisation and commerce from Central 

 Africa, and what I felt most peculiarly vexatious, both 

 were barring out me. 



Now when I was in Cape Town there was a very 

 general feeling that the interior of South Africa wotild 

 become an extensive and open field for colonial 

 commerce ; since the discovery of Lake 'Ngami had 

 shown a way to it. Hence it was doubly annoying that 

 the emigrant Boers, whose treatment of the blacks was 

 not very many shades better than that of the Oerlams, 

 should not only keep us from these countries, but also 

 generate a hatred on the part of the blacks against 

 white faces, which years of intercourse on our part 

 might not efface. His excellency the Governor, guided 

 by these views, took advantage of my intended expe- 

 dition, and also of Mr. OsweU's, who was then in the 

 neighbourhood of Lake 'Ngami, by formally requesting 

 each of us to estabhsh "friendly relations" on the 

 part of the Cape Government with the black tribes 

 who were subject to the attacks of these marauders. 

 We were simply to convey expressions of good will and 

 strong assurances that the proceedings of the Boers 

 met with no countenance on the part of the colony. 

 I, therefore, knowing that Jonker still felt some fear 

 of and respect for the Cape Government, wrote him a 

 long letter in legible characters, which I was assured 

 could be deciphered by some of his people. I told 

 him how much displeasure the emigrant Boers had 

 caused, — that his actions were as bad as theirs, — and 



