342 
SOUTHERN AFRICA, 
was acknowledged, in a proclamation of the 
14th November, 1838, to have emanated from 
a desire to " put an end to the unwarranted oc- 
cupation of parts of the territories belonging to 
the natives, by certain emigrants from the Cape 
Colony, being subjects of His Majesty;" and 
that proclamation, gave the officer commanding 
these forces, the further power to " search for, 
seize, and retain in military possession, all arms 
and munitions of war, which, at the time of the 
seizure of Port Natal, shall be found in the pos- 
session of any of the inhabitants." 
" Major Charters returned immediately to the 
Cape, when the command of the detachment 
devolved on Captain Jarvis, of the 72nd Kegi- 
ment, and from the vague and ill-defined nature 
of his instructions, some serious differences, if 
not conflicts, might have arisen between him and 
the emigrant farmers, in regard to the authority 
and orders he had received to seize upon their 
gunpowder and ammunition. But the good sense 
and good feeling of that officer soon smoothed 
away every difficulty between them, and he de- 
livered them up their gunpowder, which he had 
provisionally seized, upon their engaging not to 
use it in aggressive hostilities against the natives. 
The necessity of keeping and maintaining the 
detachment, led to some regular demand for 
supplies, which kept up a mutual interchange 
