Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1795 to 1872, Volume 1 (4th ed, 1915).djvu/32

8 reading his commission, added that he would convene a meeting of the heemraden that afternoon and preside in it. He was asked if the representatives of the people would be admitted, and replied that he could not acknowledge them.

At two in the afternoon Mr. Bresler caused the drostdy bell to be rung, and directed one of his servants to hoist the English flag on the staff. A few minutes later a number of excited people crowded about him, and one of them—Jacobus Joubert—ordered him to have the flag lowered at once. He refused to comply. Joubert, Jan Groning, and Jan Kruger then hauled the flag down. Amid uproar, Mr. Bresler demanded to know whether they would acknowledge the king of England as their sovereign, Major-General Craig as their governor, and himself as their landdrost, also whether they would take the oath of fidelity. Not one was willing to do so. Mr. Bresler was informed that they had elected Marthinus Prinsloo, of the Boschberg, to be "protector of the voice of the people," and that they had instructions from him which they would obey. The district secretary, Samuel Oertel, was directed to read the letter of instructions. It forbade the taking an oath of allegiance to the king of England, and announced that another meeting would be held on the 22nd of March to settle matters finally.

Mr. Bresler remained to learn the result of this meeting. The day before it was to take place, a man named Jan Pieter Woyer returned to the village from a tour he had just made through the district. Woyer, who had studied medicine in Europe and was generally well informed, had not been long in South Africa, but had filled the post of district surgeon of Graaff-Reinet since December 1794, and had thus an opportunity of acquiring influence. He was a warm upholder of French principles, and hated England to a corresponding extent. At this time he was doing all he could to induce the farmers not to submit to the British authorities. Mr. Bresler had