THE CAPE LOYALISTS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1
SIR,—May I be allowed to say in your columns a few words about the position and feelings of the loyalists in this part of the Cape Colony at the present time ? The weary months of raiding and looting, and the stern restrictions of martial law, which are of necessity entailed upon us, are producing a disastrous state of things. Farmers cannot sell their produce, or only at very low rates ; no money comes in, but expenses are heavier than ever, for everything costs more, and the difficul- . ties of transport, now that no one possesses a horse, are very great. We are told, and we fully realise, that the one thing needful is to bring the war at any cost to an end. We are told that the loyalists must suffer, must, if necessary, be ruined, to attain this object. Be it so ; we are content for the sake of our country and of ultimate peace to suffer, and to suffer cheerfully. But it does sometimes cause a feeling of soreness that our sufferings seem to betaken so much as a matter of course by our compatriots at home, while any hint of suffering on the part of those who have caused all this misery, or of their wives and children, immediately calls forth a burst of indignation and philanthropy. Did not the Englishwomen who were driven from their homes two years ago—who were separated from their husbands, and for months did not know if they were dead or alive—who are still refugees, many of them living in discomfort and privation—did they not suffer, and do they not suffer still, at least as much as our Dutch sisters whose cause Miss Hobhouse has so eloquently pleaded ? We are continually exhorted to be ready to conciliate our Dutch neighbours, and to live with them in brotherly amity and love. Must all the conciliation come from our side ? Theoretically, as we are the conquerors, I suppose it should; but in practice ordinary human nature finds it hard to love the man who, after being your neighbour for half a lifetime, suddenly loots your property and burns your house down without provocation. Some of the conciliation must come from their side too. They must remember that they have injured us, and must do their share of the brotherly love. It eannot be all give on one side, and all take on the other. May I say one word more about this same brotherly love,—a word for which no doubt I shall be severely blamed ? Is it, a matter of such very great importance at the present moment? It is of far more importance that we should win the respect of the Boers than their love. If we can thoroughly command their respect we shall have peace, and the blessings of peace ; we cannot command their love ; and I venture to think, with whatever regret, that we cannot expect so tender a plant to take root and spring up in the present generation.—I am, Sir, &c.,
[Our correspondent, and the loyalists at the Cape generally, must not mistake the exaggerations of a few excitable fanatics for the voice of the nation. There is a certain newspaper tumult over alleged cruelties to the Dutch, but the nation at large is perfectly calm about the matter, and judges the situation quite correctly. " Anglo-Colonist "should remember Burke's words about the grasshoppers and the cattle. The grasshoppers fill the air with their noise, while the stately cattle are grazing in silence ; but it must not be supposed that the grasshoppers are therefore the most important occupants of the field.—En. Spectator.]
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