John William Akerman to Frederick Chesson, 6 December 1877

PMBurg

Dec 6/77

Dear Mr Chesson,

You have my permission to read the enclosed long letter to your committee and especially to Mr McArthur, to whom please present my kind regards. We are on the eve I fancy of a great struggle with Cetwayo and only hope that John Bull will be prepared to strike hard if he strikes at all. The wily kaffir has caught Shepstone in his own trap. He says: ‘you took over the land of the Boers because they encroached on … and to save war, but now you claim the same boundary which you would not allow to them.’ And he is right. Of course a part of Wolseley’s programme was to take over Zululand and as recently from events in S Africa, it would appear that Downing St has adopted the council of Trent as its model, and the ‘end sanctifies the means.’ So one is prepared for anything just or unjust.

Officialism at any price. Welborne has no chance of money here. Perhaps you would like to publish the documents now sent. If you wish they can be printed as addenda to the pamphlet, in which case please send me a few.

Yours very sincerely

J.W. Akerman

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