§ MR. R. N. FOWLERrose to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether Her Majesty's Government are aware that, in August last, Mr. Watermeyer, Chief Magistrate of Griqualand East, acting as Commissioner for the Cape Government, formally annexed the Amaxesibe Country, a portion of Pondoland, to the Cape Colony; whether, notwithstanding the protest of Umquikela, the lawful Chief of Pondoland, the annexation of this territory was preceded by the introduction of Cape Colonial Troops; and, whether the hostilities that have now broken out are not the result of these acts of aggression? In putting the Question, the hon. Member explained that Pondoland stood in the same relative position to the Imperial Government as Zululand, and its paramount Chief Umquikela stood in the same position as Cetewayo stood a few years ago. Our first connection with that country was in 1844, when the Governor of the Cape, Sir Peregrine Maitland, made a Treaty with the then paramount Chief of the country on behalf of the Imperial Government. Under that Treaty the Governor undertook to re- 1939 cognize the rights of the Chief to certain territory, the boundaries of which were fixed. This Treaty continued in force from 1844 till 1878, when they came to the memorable administration of Sir Bartle Frere in South Africa. Complaint was then made that the Native Chief had failed to observe the conditions of the Treaty by not carrying out the Extradition Clause, and on that pretext the representatives of the High Commissioner took forcible possession of the territory of Pondoland, erected a fort on the coast, and sent Colonial troops there. Now, it might be very desirable that we should have a fort on that part of the coast, and he had no complaint to make of that action if it was done with due consideration to the just rights of the Natives. But what Umquikela, in a protest he had made against these acts of aggression, complained of was that we dealt with an inferior Chief, passing over his rights as superior Chief, although hitherto we had always professedly been on amicable terms with him. The result was, as we now saw, a small Native War going on in that portion of South Africa. He was very much surprised at the course which the Government at the Cape had taken in Pondoland, because it seemed diametrically opposed to that which they wished to take in other quarters of their Borders. He hoped the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies would be able to give the House some information on the questions which he had raised.