At the Annual Meeting of the Aborigines' Protection Society, on May 17th, 1893, Miss Colenso was asked to move the following Resolution : 'That this meeting, while welcoming the evidence of a growing desire on the part of Her Majesty's Government to deal justly with the native races under its rule, is of opinion that greatly increased watchfulness and energy are needed to protect the aborigines of Africa from injury by the present extension of European influence in various parts of the continent, alike under British and under other auspices'.

  • Colenso, Harriette Emily, 1847-1932.
Date:
[1893]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: At the Annual Meeting of the Aborigines' Protection Society, on May 17th, 1893, Miss Colenso was asked to move the following Resolution : 'That this meeting, while welcoming the evidence of a growing desire on the part of Her Majesty's Government to deal justly with the native races under its rule, is of opinion that greatly increased watchfulness and energy are needed to protect the aborigines of Africa from injury by the present extension of European influence in various parts of the continent, alike under British and under other auspices'. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    At the Annual Meeting of the Aborigines’ Protection Society, on May 17th, 1893, Miss Colenso was asked to move the following Resolution :— “ That this meeting, while welcoming the evidence of “ a growing desire on the part of Her Majesty’s Govern- “ ment to deal justly with the native races under its rule, “ is of opinion that greatly increased watchfulness and “ energy are needed to protect the aborigines of Africa “ from injury by the present extension of European “ influence in various parts of the continent, alike under “ British and under other auspices.” Miss Colenso said: That is the resolution. It is based on a knowledge wider than my own; on greater experience than I possess of the affairs of the many different races, to all of whom our nation owes the duty of the strong towards the weak, and to some of whom she owes also the fulfilment of the tremendous responsibilities undertaken by a conqueror. That is our position towards the one people with whose affairs I am familiar, the Zulus, on whose behalf I have been now for more than three years in England ; and I believe that I can best support and emphasise this resolution by laying before you certain points which have come to light within the last twelvemonth bearing on the present position in Zulu affairs, by showing how that position, jrightly handled, affords us yet one more opportunity, not only to establish British authority on a sure foundation in that fragment of the Zulu country which is now a British colony, but even to repair to some extent our true prestige, the good name for honesty and upright dealing which now suffers so grievously wherever the Zulus and their story penetrate among other African tribes; and, finally, by indicating to you some forms of mischief which lie in wait for such an attempt, and, unless detected and promptly foiled, may easily produce a wreck as disastrous to all concerned as that which attended Cetshwayo’s mock restoration ten years ago. The first point to be noticed is the publication, last June, of the Report of a Commission appointed in 1891 to arrange inter- tribal boundaries in the northern part of British Zululand. The Zulu chiefs had been exiled on the ground that they had caused disturbance and resistance to British authority, especially in that ipart of the country. They had brought in vain the counter-charge ithat British authority, for a political purpose, had expelled over 3,000 people from their homes, and had thus itself caused the disturbance. The statement was met by an explicit official denial, .and the chiefs were condemned for cunning falsehood as well as : rebellion. Yet the Report, published as an Imperial Blue Book within the Hast twelvemonth, supplies full official proof of the expulsion, at the. •time in question,—not only of 3,000 people, but of 4,800, and more; and justifies completely the claim of Dimizulu’s counsel, that, had :the facts, as now admitted, been made known at the time to Her 'Majesty’s Government, the young chief and his guardian, instead of being condemned for high treason, would have been thanked in !the name of the Queen for maintaining order amongst their people, in the face of wanton and wicked persecution.