No. 27. No. 27. COPY of a DESPATCH from Lieutenant-Governor C. H. DARLING to the SIR, Government House, Cape of Good Hope, WITH reference to my Despatch No. 9, of the 30th April last, in which I transmitted a return of gunpowder annually imported into the colony during the last ten years, with certain particulars as to its disposal, I have now the honour to enclose a similar return with respect to fire-arms and lead imported during the same period. I have, &c. A RETURN of the NUMBER of FIRE-ARMS imported into the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE (exclusive of Port Natal) during each of the ten years ended 5th January 1852, showing the total number imported into each of the ports of the colony, viz., Cape Town (including Port Beaufort and Mossel Bay), Simon's Town, Port Elizabeth, and East London, and also the number duty paid for colonial consumption, and the number exported from the colony, and to what places exported; also, a similar return for the quarter ended 5th April 1852. April 29, 1852. St. Helena. Port Natal. Mozambique. Great Britain. Port Natal. Walwich Bay. Zan Libon. Rio de Janeiro. Port Natal. Zan Libon. - Port Natal. Great Britain. * NOTE.-80 of the 100 muskets stated as having been exported to Walwich Bay were not landed thereat, but were landed at Monte Video. The returns for East London are "nil." (Signed) Enclosure 2 in No. 27. W. FIELD, Collector. Encl. 2 in No. 27. A RETURN of the QUANTITY of LEAD imported into the CAPE OF GOOD HOPE (exclusive (No. 38.) SIR, No. 28. COPY of a DESPATCH from Lieutenant-Governor C. H. DARLING to Government House, Cape of Good Hope, July 1, 1852. (Answered August 26, 1852, Separate, p. 240.) CAPE OF GOOD No. 28. June 21, 1852. I HAVE the honour to transmit for your information, as containing disclosures of much interest connected with the rebellion of the Border Hottentots, and the disaffection which has partially prevailed in the Cape corps, the accompanying copy of a letter from the Civil Commissioner of Uitenhage, enclosing the deposition of Paul Dry, a deserter from that regiment. I believe this to be the deposition referred to in General Cathcart's Despatch to you, No. 10. of the 21st ultimo, forwarded by the present mail. 2. As connected with this subject, and corroborative to some extent of the paragraph 16. conclusions with respect to the origin of the rebellion to which the confession of Paul Dry naturally leads, the enclosed copy of a translated letter from one of the Hottentot leaders which was given to me by a missionary, in whose hands it was placed by the party to whom it is addressed, will not be without interest, and I have the honour to enclose it accordingly for your perusal. I have, &c. The Right Hon. Sir John Pakington, Bart. Vide p. 124, No. 2. &c. &c. &c. Enclosure 1 in No. 28: Encl. 1 in No. 28. SIR, Civil Commissioners Office, Uitenhage Town, As I believe his honour the Lieutenant-Governor will be anxious to be kept informed of the progress of events in my division, especially as they begin to assume a threatening aspect, I have the honour to enclose copies of depositions made before me by a rebel of the name of Paul Dry, by a farmer Carel Matthys, as well as of Mr. Hurter, the captain of the Port Elizabeth Levy stationed at Commando Kraal, relative to the attempted assassination of a young man on the road about 10 miles from this town. I regret to have to add, that I this morning received an express from Mr. Lister, who resides at Zandfontein, seven miles from Uitenhage, announcing the murder of a coloured man, his servant, who was shot dead at seven o'clock last night in his cottage on the road side, the miscreants being five in number. I am sending out a party of mounted men to the assistance of Mr. Lister, and, if possible, to apprehend the murderers. I much fear that this town and neighbourhood is infested with numerous rebels. Paul Dry has identified two in my gaol. At Uitenhage, on the 7th day of June 1852, appeared before me, John Centlivres Paul Dry, late corporal in the Cape Mounted Rifles, being duly cautioned that he is not obliged to say anything that may criminate himself, and that no promise or threat is held out to him or made, and having been warned, states: I am anxious to make a voluntary statement. The party of Hottentots that came to the Zuurberg, under the command of Hans Brander, was sent by Uithaalder, the chief commander of the Hottentots, to examine the Zuurberg, and see what sort of a place it is. That having made his examination he was to return and report to Uithaalder, who would then bring the whole of the Hottentots to the Zuurberg, as it was a good place to remain and for fighting. That he would do this provided no peace had been made before the report was received. Uithaalder was waiting for some gunpowder that was to be brought him for which he had sent by two Englishmen. I do not know the names of these Englishmen. They came from Kat River with the Klipplaat party,-I mean Shiloh. One is about the height of constable Fitzgerald now present (5ft. 11 in.), the other rather shorter. The first I alluded to had a long light brown beard, blue eyes, plenty straight black hair on his head, and apparently alike above 30 years of age. I first saw this man in the Amatola. He had then on a pair of moleskin trousers, blue striped jacket; both men remained with the Shiloh people apart from where I was in 4. НОРЕ. CAPE OF GOOD the Amatola. The other man also had a beard of light colour, and hair of light brown colour. The first time I saw him he wore a white pair of trousers and black jacket. I was told before of the Hottentots that the tall man was an old soldier. The short man I should say was about five feet six inches, and rather stout. These men were sent over the Bashee for the powder, but I cannot tell where. I know these men have been three times for powder. They brought them with horses. The last time they had four horses to carry the powder to each man. The powder was divided between Sandilla and the Hottentots. I saw the powder with my own eyes; this was only half the quantity brought, and was in three skin bags, each being capable of being lifted by one man. The bags were about two feet high and two feet in diameter. They took with them cows to pay for the powder, the first time six, the second five, and the last time again six cows. I heard they got the powder from Moshesh. Powder is very scarce with the Hottentots and Kafirs now, and these men had been sent for some when I left. They have plenty of lead balls. When our party left the Amatola to enter the colony we came between Committees and Double Drift. We were 45 in number. I will try and recollect their names. Hans Brander was the commander of the whole party; under him was Hernatus Paarl in charge of the Shiloh party, 10 in number. When we crossed the Fish River we left Graham's Town on the left, crossing the Great Fish River near Fort England, and from thence proceeded to the Kariega into the Karaa. We travelled at night. We took two horses at the Graham's Town River. It is about a month since we left the Amatola, and we were four or five days getting into the Karäa. Two days after we got into the Karäa a party came and fired upon us, wounding five or four men. One was a Cape corps man named Adam Matthys, one Shiloh man named Jeremias Ulaas, and Ephraim also Shiloh man. The other, also a Shiloh man, I do not recollect. Three were badly wounded and two slightly. We then ran away, and lost 18 stand of arms. We did not fire on the settlers, but we could have done so when they came to examine the spot, but Brander told us not to fire. He had received orders from Uithaalder not to fight on the way, but to take any clothing they could find, or any waggons on the road. On the night of the morning we were fired upon we crossed the Bushman's River at Jaajers Drift and trekked into Oliphants Hoek by Kruisfontein. We then came through the Hoek to Addo's Bush. We had taken five oxen on the other side of Graham's Town near the Kariega, and one ox in the Hoek. When we came into the Addo Bush, and before we crossed the road, we saw two waggons outspanned and five waggons coming from Graham's Town along the We found these waggons empty, and Brander told us not to touch them. same road. Examination resumed.-"Touch them," but to go to the waggons which we found loaded. Brander told us to fire over the people with these waggons, but not to kill them unless they fired upon us. We fired, and the people ran away. So we took all the duffel and clothing on the waggon. From thence we trekked into Zuurberg; and on the same evening Brander sent four men into Witte River (Enon) to try and get ammunition. I was not of the party. The four men returned the next morning, bringing with them a packet containing ten rounds of ammunition and ten charges of powder. I do not think they could have taken it by force, as they were only four in number. They stated they got it from the Enon people. These four men belong to the Shiloh party and formerly lived at Enon. After the attack at the Karräa we had not above a couple of rounds of ammunition each man. After getting this supply of ammunition we went into the Llagthamer's kloof, where I think we stayed about five days; during which time Brander and other parties went out to reconnoitre the country. I, with nine more, was then sent to take ten head of cattle from the place Carel Matthys. The Shiloh people told me that was his name. We were ordered not to fire unless the Boer fired on us; so we took the cattle without. We took the cattle to the Slagthamer. The second day after that the whole party left for Kafirland in order to report what they had seen of the Zuurberg. I left them that night together with William Goliath, a Cape corps deserter, whom I found in the Bush. He had deserted about five years ago, and has been living in Winterhach since. We together came straight over the Zuurberg to the farmers place where we were taken. We made a fire, and were apprehended that night. In coming through the Hoek one of our party burned the place called Ruigte Fontein, and for which Brander threatened to shoot him, as he had done so without orders, and as he (Brander) did not wish any fires or smoke to be seen. |