Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa since September 1795, Volume 1 (1908).pdf/30

6 troops, was left under General Craig's command. It consisted of two thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight men. Commodore Blankett was also left at the Cape with the America, Ruby, Princess—previously the Willemstadt and Boetzelaar,—and the Star, previously the property of the Dutch East India Company.

The Dutch signals had to this time been kept flying on the Lion’s rump, and on the 19th of October the packet Maria Louisa, that had left Batavia on the 29th of August, deceived by them, ran into Table Bay. On finding the port in possession of the English she tried to escape, but was chased by the Rattlesnake, and was captured about twenty miles outside. From the despatches which she carried the admiral obtained full information of the state of affairs in the Indian possessions of the Dutch.

The people of Graaff-Reinet had not yet submitted, but on the 29th of October a letter explaining their conduct was written by the leaders of the nationals to the British commanders, which led to the belief that they were ready to come to terms. General Craig sent them a friendly but firm reply, overlooking their past conduct, and approving of Mr. Gerotz acting as landdrost until a gentleman whom he had selected for the post could take over the duty. This gentleman was a colonist named Frans Reinhard Bresler, who had been an officer in De Lille's regiment, and who was a staunch adherent of the Orange party. His instructions were to conciliate the farmers. "They would be required to obey him as a father, but he was to act as such, to study their welfare, to represent what means would ameliorate their condition, and to protect them against their enemies. If he should find that the Bushmen, grown bold through want of proper exertions to stem their progress, had become formidable, and that he required powder and ball for the parties he might find proper to send on commando, he needed only to say so to be immediately supplied from the government stores."

On the 9th of February 1796 Mr. Bresler arrived at the village of Graaff-Reinet. He was accompanied by the reverend