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Rh with his wife and children, embarked on the s.s. Courland for South Africa. The Courland left Bombay on the 28th of that month. The s.s. Naderi sailed two days later. They carried Indian passengers, and reached Durban together. Then the battle began.

The two vessels were at once quarantined, and detained by the health officer far beyond the usual time-limit, although there was no disease on board, and no reason assigned for the delay. Only after repeated appeals by agents and by captains, not only to the regular authority, but to the Government, was pratique granted. Meanwhile. arrangements were being matured in Durban, and a Demonstration organised, with the avowed object of preventing the Indians from landing. The following notice appeared in the "Natal Advertiser" on the 30th December, above the signature of "Harry Sparks, chairman of a preliminary meeting," one of Her Majesty's commissioned officers: "Wanted, every man in Durban to attend a meeting to be held in the large room at the Victoria Café, on Monday, 4th January, at 8 o'clock, for the purpose of arranging a demonstration to proceed to the Point and protest against the landing of the Asiatics." About 2,000 people