BISHOP COLENSO BLESSING THE ZULUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1479, 18 June 1879, Page 3

BISHOP COLENSO BLESSING THE ZULUS.

On tho fast day appointed by the au thorities m South Africa (March 17), Bishop Colenso, whose views m favor of the Zulus were well known, preached a sermon which caused extraordinary indignation at Natal. His text was from the Prophet Mieah:— "Aud what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly witb thy God?" He said that he would not prostitute his sacred office by preaching peace when there was none, by hiding the sins they were bound to confess, and telling them of faults which were not thc real burdens which were weighing them down. He would not dare to provoke the Most High God with such cowardly delinquency m duty, such base hypocrisy. He warned them that if they had come there merely m the terms of the official proclamation, to ask that "God m His mercy may prevent any serious disaster from coming upon us, and for success to our arms against the common enemy," their worship would bo a profane and impious mockery. Had wo done justly m the past ? Wliat colonist doubted the cause of the war ? The annexation of the Transvaal, where the English went by stealth m the night and deprived the Boers of their rights. Did not the Secretary of State declare m the House of Lords, on April 23rd, 1877, that as to the supposed annexation of the Transvaal the language of tho Special Commissioner had been greatly exaggerated, when the territory had already been annexed by an authority which he himself had issued previously ? The Nemesis of that act was the Zulu difficulty. At great length the Bisbop pointed out how for the last 14 years, m his opinion, we had not done justly or loved mercy. "Did we not immediately we crossed the border lay upon the Zulus the terrible scourge of war? Had we not already killed 6000 human beings and plundered 10,000 head of cattle ? Truly we had lost many precious lives, but were there no relatives mourning their dead m Zululand ? Had we not heard tbe wail which had gone up m all parts of the land for thoso who had bravely and nobly died m repelling the invader and fighting for their king and fatherland ? Should we slay 10,000 more to avenge the losses of Isandula? Alas, that an English statesman could find no nobler word than to speak of wiping out a Btain. Was it really meant that the stain on our name was to be wiped out with the blood of a brave and loyal people ? " Tho Bishop then went on to say that the Zulu King had, as was well known, Bued at our bands for peace. It might be from other motives that he had done so, but for his own part ho _ trusted and believed that the King was sincere m his expressions of grief and regret for the war. He seemed to have said, " This war is all a dreadful mistake — a horrible nightmare. Is it possible that lam fighting with my English father, with whom I [ have lived all along m unbroken friendly

I intercourse ? I have no wish whatever to do so. My yourg men did wrong m crossing at Rorke's Drift. I ordered them not to cross ; and when I struck, I struck m self-defence, and, as before, m my own and my father's time, so ever siuce that bloody day, the Zulus have never invaded Natal. As Englishmen, speak the word, that no more blood be shed ; let the war be brought to an end, and give only such terms as I and my people can accept." We were bound to meet the Zulu King on the way when he camo with a prayer for peace, to propose from our higher and stronger position such terms as it would be within his power to accept ; and having done this, to leave the rest to God. Reiterating m his peroi ation tbe substance of his whole sermon, the Bishop said : — " If after this solemn day we will not do this — we, our kings, and princes, and prophets, and priests — will not do what the Lord requires of us, will not do justly and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God ; if we will go on killing and plundering those who havo never seriously harmed us, or threatened to harm us, until we made war upon them — treating his message of peace with contempt and neglect, even with ridicule, ascribing it falsely to tbe promptings of men m our midst, judging unfairly, and misrepresenting the Zulu King, both m the colony and injworda sent to England — if we will do these things, then indeed there will be reason to fear that some further great calamity may yet fall on us, and perhaps overwhelm vs — by the assegai, famine, or pestilence." Some corresDondence has taken place between the Lord High Commissioner and Bishop Colenso, as to an assertion of the latter that Cetewayo built no military kraal at all. Sir Bartle Frere points out a number of faots known to Bishop Colenso, but ignored by him, and says, " How, with fact 3 forming the staple of Sir T. Shepstone's letter before you, you can rely on a single expression to prove that Cetewayo's intentions are not hostile, lamat a loss to conceive." The Bishop re-affirms his conviction that the kraal as to which the discussion rose was built without any hostile intent.