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UMPANDA, THE KING OF THE AMAZULU. 
On the accompanying plate is a portrait of the Zulu monarch, seated on his chair of state, in front of his miyvthlo, 
or harem, in the great kraal of Nonduengu. 
** Umpanda” signifies “a root;” but the king has many high-sounding and impious titles lavished upon him by his 
servile and degraded worshippers, such as the following: — “Thou who art for ever,” “The elephant’s calf,” “The great 
black one,” “ The son of a cow,” “ The noble elephant,” “ Thou who hegettest the men,” “ The bird that eatest other 
birds,” “Thou who art as high as the mountains,” “Thou who art as high as the. heavens.” Then some of his flatterers 
will say, “ You might have been white if you would, but you chose to be black.” 
Umpanda is brother to the late kings Chaka and Dingaan, whose cruel and bloody deeds are still the theme of 
terror amongst the surrounding nations. Chaka, by his wonderful ability, raised the Zulu nation to become the most 
powerful kingdom of South Africa; be ruled with a rod of iron: bis darling cry was war; and during his reign, and 
that of his brother Dingaan, despotism and bloodshed triumphed throughout the Amazuhi empire. Since the assassination 
of Dingaan, the Zulus have decreased in power and numbers ; many thousands have deserted from their allegiance to the 
present king, and taken refuge in the pleasant valleys of Natal, under the protection of the wise and humane government 
of the British. 
Umpanda has had his power considerably shaken, and the confidence of bis warriors lessened, by frequent collisions 
with the Dutch Boers, or Emigrant Farmers, who have fought their way through the Zulu country, and have established 
themselves to the north and west of Delagoa Bay. 
This portrait of Umpanda was painted during a visit of three days, which I paid to the king, at one of his principal 
kraals. It was evening when I had my first interview with the despot; the sun was gilding the tops of the savage 
mountains that surround the capital of the Zulus, and before me, seated on a carved chair, or throne, was the great 
Umpanda, whom 1 had travelled so far to visit, surrounded by several thousands of his soldiers, with their shields and 
assagais, shouting “ By ate! ” in praise of the king. After I had explained the object of my visit, and replied to many 
shrewd questions regarding my Queen and country, put to me by Umpanda through my interpreter, there were large 
herds of cattle driven before the king, who pointed out those he intended to slaughter in honour of my arrival. A 
warrior, with the rapidity of lightning, rushed towards each of the doomed oxen with a short stabbing assagai, aud struck 
them to the heart; as they fell bleeding before the king, whilst the others of the passing herd snuffed and snorted at the 
smell of blood, and dashed wildly away, Umpanda sat smiling complacently, just as he would have done had some half- 
dozen of his wives been dragged forth for execution. 
The figure on the right is the shield-bearer of the king: his business is perpetually to keep the targe between his 
majesty and the sun; and should the unhappy courtier inadvertently permit the rays of the sun to fall on the king’s 
person, disgrace, and often death, is the consequence of this neglect of duty. The lad seated near the king is his 
snuff-box bearer: the royal snuff is contained in a small gourd worked with beads, and placed in a basket, which the 
lad is represented holding in his bauds. The costume of the king varies greatly on different occasions; he is here 
represented in his usual evening dress, when he receives his captains and inspects the herds. The ball on his forehead 
is composed of coloured worsted, and the feathers at the back of the ring are those of the spoonbill. 11 is head-ornaments 
and monkey-skin kilts are of the richest kinds, and on his arms are rings and gauntlets of brass. At the side of 
the chair is a basket for holding beer, and a wooden pillow for resting the arm. Beyond are seen some of the 
basket-work huts, and one of the arched doorways of the royal harem. 
It may not be uninteresting to mention, in conclusion, some facts I learnt relative to Mungkainvana, who was the first 
captain of King Umpanda, and held the highest rank among the Indiums of the Zulu nation. Anxious to ascertain the 
real strength of the European settlers at Natal, the king sent Mungkainyana as a spy, to see if there was any prospect 
of success likely to result from an attack upon them by the Zulu army. The first, captain, who was favourably inclined 
towards the whites, and desirous of preventing a scene of war and bloodshed, represented to the king on his return that 
the English were very strong, and that it was useless to attack them. This falsehood was afterwards discovered by 
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