Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/155

 1878] Sjippression of the Rebellion. 135 C.B., C.M.G., and her Majesty's imperial army, navy, and royal marines in South Africa, and to Charles Duncan Griffith, C.M.G., and her Majesty's colonial forces in South Africa, for the eminent services rendered by them in quelling the war and rebellion beyond and within the frontier of this colony, now haiDpily brought to a close by the official announcement of an amnesty." On the 1st of July this motion was seconded by Mr. J. C. Molteno and was agreed to without opposition, and on the 3rd of that month its substance was conveyed to Lieutenant-General Thesiger and Commodore Sullivan in person by the speaker of the house, and was by them suitably responded to. Commandant-General Griffith was on the frontier at the time, but the thanks of the house were conveyed to him by letter. There was now an opportunity of dealing with the Bantu in the colony in a more decided manner than at any time since 1860. Sir George Grey's plan of weaken- ing the influence of the chiefs by giving them pensions in return for their surrender of judicial power was supposed to be in full operation, but in fact it had long ceased to be in force. The chiefs drew their pensions regularly, but had managed to recover a great deal of their old judicial authority, owing to the small number of European officials placed over them, and often to those officials being inexperienced or incompetent men. There were in 1877 only two classes of crime that such chiefs as Sandile, Anta, Oba, Fini, and the others did not venture to deal with, which were those to which the death penalty was attached and those connected Vv^th charges of dealing in vidtchcraft. With the latter class they did not deal openly, but certainly did so secretly. For instance, if an individual was believed to be guilty of causing a death or disaster by witchcraft, his hut was burnt down at night and his cattle disappeared, by the order, or at least with the sanction, of the chief, though no public sentence had been pronounced.