Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/67

1S77] Sir Bartle Frere. • 47 A few days later Mr. Probart, who was then a member of the house of assembly, arrived in Tembuland. On the 24th of December he announced at a great meeting at Emjanyana that the government had ratified everything that Commandant Bowker had done. The conditions of the cession, as proposed by the Tembu chiefs, were agreed to, except that Gangelizwe must be deprived of all authority ; but the commissioner added that it would depend upon the manner in which he should conduct himself whether at some future time he might not be entrusted by the government with power in his own section of the tribe. Dalasile was not present at this meeting, but on the 31st Mr. Probart met him at All Saints mission, informed him that the agree- ment made between him and Commandant Bowker was ratified, and asked him if he and his people were still of the same mind as to coming under the Cape govern- ment. Dalasile requested to be allowed an hour for consideration. After consultation with his counsellors, he then explained that what he desired was that he should come under the government himself, but retain the sole control of his people. All complaints, he thought, should be made to him, and the magistrate should have only joint power of settlement. Mr. Probart explained that this was not the meaning of the conditions agreed to, and after some argument Dalasile promised to adhere to his original proposals. That from the very first, how- ever, this chief had no real intention of surrendering any authority over the people of his clan is shown by the circumstance that he never drew the salary to which he was entitled under the conditions of cession. In this manner Tembuland Proper became a portion of the British dominions. The special commissioner sub- mitted proposals to the government for the division of the territory into judicial districts, which were acted upon at once, and in 1876 the magistracies of Emjanyana, Engcobo, Umtata, and Mqanduli were created.