"As they are well aware by their own rules of war and conquest, Zululand now belongs to the Queen of England. She has, however, already enough land in Africa, and so she has, through me as her representative, appointed certain chiefs to rule over districts which I shall presently name. The chiefs elected must remember that this is an act of grace, and that what I am now doing in partitioning the country to various chiefs is only what Cetywayo has himself done in former times. They are well aware our laws, religion, and customs are very different to theirs, and the Queen has no wish to force ours upon them. As regards the laws and customs they are to be ruled by, they are to be those good and ancient ones in use before Chaka's time; but life and property is to be protected, and no life to be forfeited without a fair trial. As regards religion, there is no wish to force ours upon them, and missionary enterprise will not be encouraged contrary to the wish of the chief and people he proposes to reside amongst. The British Government is very anxious to prevent white people settling in the country, and no sale, transfer, or alienation of land will be permitted or recognized. I consider this a very important point, as in many instances land has been said by white people to have been purchased by them from the Zulus, and given rise to very serious complications. If, therefore, missionaries do come and wish to reside among the people, all that can be permitted them to hold in land must be a small patch for their house and garden, but none whatever must be alienated from the Zulu people, to whom it really belongs. Some of those I have intended to make chiefs, I am sorry to see, are not here to-day; but some who are here to-day will now sign a document, the purport of which I have now told you all; and a duplicate of the treaty will be given to each chief to keep, and a similar one retained by me. The boundaries of the various chieftainships will be told them, and will be clearly defined hereafter by officers sent round for that purpose."
The first division, or coast column, under General Crealock, had not been opposed by the Zulus in the field. It established a series of fortified posts along the south coast of Zululand, opened a new base of supplies at Port Durnford, from which to feed a force operating against Ulundi, destroyed the military kraal of Emangwene and the king's old military kraal at Ondini, besides clearing the coast district. By the 6th of July, all the great Zulu chiefs, with their people, from the Tugela river to St. Lucia Bay, had given in their submission. It was the coast column, under Pearson, which gained the battle of Inyezane, and had gallantly held Ekowe for three months; and it was the coast column, more than any other, which had suffered from disease. Among General Crealock's valedictory remarks are the following:—
"July 17, 1879.
"In notifying to the army in South Africa that Brigadier-General Wood, V.C., C.B., and Lieutenant-Colonel Buller are about to leave Zululand for England, Sir Garnet Wolseley desires to place on record his high appreciation of the services they have rendered, and that their military abilities and untiring energy have materially tended to bring the war to an end. The success which has attended the operations of the flying column is largely due to General Wood's genius for war, to the admirable system which he has established in his command, and to the zeal and energy with which his ably conceived plans have been carried out by Colonel Buller."
Brigadier-General Wood's Orders.
General Wood's farewell.
"The Brigadier-General proposes, weather permitting, to leave for Pietermaritzburg to-morrow. In saying good-bye to the soldiers of all ranks, he wishes to express his warm gratitude for the support he has invariably received. The Brigadier-General has gained the commendation of his superiors for the successful operations of the flying column; he feels that the credit he has so obtained has been gained by the courage and untiring devotion to duty of his fellow-soldiers, and he will never forget his comrades of the flying column."
It is right to quote the following orders respecting two distinguished officers of the war:—
"The troops and Naval Brigade forming the first division must be content with the conviction that their gallantry in the earlier part of this war has probably diminished the opposition of the Zulus in this country.
"You must be content with the honest conviction that your hard work and energy, under very great difficulties, and with your ranks thinned day by day with sickness and fever, has successfully carried out the task set you by Lord Chelmsford to perform; and, thanks to the valuable assistance and co-operation of Commodore Richards and the Naval Brigade, you have established the landing-place opened at Port Durnford, which will enable further operations towards the capital to be carried out with facility should they become necessary.