Jamed Craig to fend a military force into the diftridt, to compel
them, by martial law if neceflary, to a fenfe of their duty;
which a juft and indulgent adminiftration of the colonial laws
had failed to do -.— that this force had actually marched to the
feet of the firft range of mountains, where a moil humble and
fubmiifive addrefs from the rebels, promifing, in future, ob-
fervance of good order and obedience to the laws, flopped its
progrefs:— that Lord Macartney, thinking to conciliate by laying
them under obligations, fuch as their former government
never could have , done, but which his. Majefty’s inftrudlions
enabled him to put in practice, not only granted a full pardon
for all their manifold offences and mifdemeanors, but alfo re-;
mitted them arrears of ground-rent, due to the treafury, to the
amount of two hundred thoufand rix dollars; not doubting
that he ihould, at leaft, obtain from their gratitude, what their
reftlefs temper, joined to their extreme ignorance, had hitherto
feemed to have rendered almoft a moral impoflibility— refpedt
ior his> Majefty’s government, and obedience to their own'
laws.
Thefe gracious indulgencies, that appeared to make fome im-
prefiion for the moment, were however foon forgotten, and it
now became obvious that nothing ihort of a military force
could keep them in any fort of order. And as, at this time,
the Cape was perfe&ly fecure from any attack of a foreign
enemy, General Dundas thought it expedient to diredt that a
detachment, eompofed of a fquadron of dragoons, a few companies
of infantry, and the greater part of the Hottentot corps,
ihould march into the diflridt under the command of brigadier;
t General
General Vandeleur. The rebellious boors, now collefted in
very - confiderable numbers, had ftationed themfelves between
the drofdy and Algoa Bay, where they had formed a kind of
camp, and, to a certain degree, according to the new term
which their Cape friends had taught them to adopt, had organized
their forces.
But as the courage of thefe people difplays itfelf only on particular
occafions, fuch as in adting againft defencelefs Hottentots,
the moment they heard that troops were advancing, they
thought proper to difperfe, leaving, in the hands of a neutral
perfon, a moil humble petition, in which they acknowledged
their error, and fupplicated forgivenefs. To this addrefs the
general very properly returned a verbal anfwer, ftating, that he
could hold no communication with rebels, until they had voluntarily
furrendered themfelves to his difcretion, and laid their
arms 1 at his feet; that, for this purpofe, he ihould name a certain
place and day; and that all fuch as ihould not appear at
the time and place appointed, would be confidered in the light
of rebels and traitors to his Majeily’s government, and would
be purfued accordingly.
On the day fixed, the majority of the rebels obeyed the fum-
mons; and never furely was exhibited fuch a motley group of
armed cavalry fo whimficaily equipped. The greater part
were fuch uncouth beings, fo very
“ — Huge of bulk,
“ Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait,’ *
that