
 
 <*^ymn 
 
 iElii-3lVtflllLfXtft 
 
 
 m^imi^^m
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
 OP THE 
 
 ZULU MISSION, 
 
 IN SOUTH AFRICA, 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. WILLIAM IRELAND 
 
 AS ALSO OF THE 
 
 GABOON MISSION, 
 
 IN WESTERN AFRICA. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 AMERICAN BOARD OP COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS, 
 
 33 PEMBERTON SQUARE, BOSTOX-
 
 SKETCH OF THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 -o-o>O^Oo- 
 
 THE FIELID, 
 
 The Zulu * Mission of the American Board is among the natives who inhabit 
 the British colony of Natal, which lies on the south-eastern margin of Africa, 
 from 800 to 1000 miles beyond the Cape of Good Hope, between the 28th 
 and 31st parallels of south latitude, and between the 28th and 31st meridians 
 of east longitude. It has a seaboard upon the Indian Ocean of about 160 
 miles, and extends inland from 150 to 250 miles, containing an area of about 
 18,000 square miles. On the north-east, and separated from Natal by the 
 Utugela Kiver, He the territories of Umpandi, the great Zulu chief. This is 
 usually called the " Zulu Country," to distinguish it from Natal ; and it is 
 from this region, chiefly, that the Zulus of the colony have come. On the 
 south-west we find a territory, somewhat larger than Natal, inhabited by small 
 tribes of the widely-extended Kafir family, of which the most important and 
 powerful is the Amaponda tribe, under an old and peaceably-disposed chief, 
 named Ufaku. Thence, looking westward, lie British Kafraria and the Brit- 
 ish colony of the Cape, comprising a territory some GOO miles in length by 
 about 300 in width, and embracing a European population of from two to 
 threfe hundred thousand, besides an indefinite number of native tribes. 
 
 The inland boundary of Natal is a lofty and precipitous range of mountains, 
 called by the natives Kahlamba. They have an elevation of f^ome GOOO feet 
 above the ocean, and rise some 2500 feet from the plains at their base. 
 Towards the summit, they present a perpendicular face of bare rock for sev- 
 eral hundred feet ; and their general appearance is that of a stupendous Avail, 
 built by nature for the purpose of shutting in Natal from the interminable 
 regions which lie beyond. At the immediate foot of these mountains, the 
 country has an elevation of some 3500 feet above the sea. Thence to the 
 Indian Ocean, the descent is made by three successive steps or terraces, the 
 
 * In this essay, the vowols iu all names of persons and places of Zulu ori;;ia have th« 
 following value, viz. : — 
 
 « = a in the F.ng-lish word father. 
 e t= !i '• " lati". 
 
 i = i " " ravine, 
 
 o = o " " note. 
 
 u^oo " '• boot, or pool. 
 
 (Ihl and Id have no equivalents iu English. 
 hi = 11 in Welsh. 
 
 I8;23i?i
 
 4 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 highest of which lies fifty miles back from the coast. The next or interme- 
 diate terrace has an average breadth of about twenty miles, and an average 
 height of about 2000 feet. The last or lowermost of these terraces is fifteen 
 miles wide, and 800 feet high. Continuing our journey from the interior 
 towards the sea, we come to a region of luxuriant foliage, some fifteen miles 
 broad, and skirting the Indian Ocean the entire length of the colony. This 
 constitutes the coast district, and in it most of the American missionaries 
 are located. 
 
 The shore line of Natal, with a single exception, is unbroken. The sea 
 makes its only encroachment at the Bay of Port Natal, and the land makes its 
 only encroachment in the bold promontory, nearly 300 feet high, which forms 
 the outer margin of the bay, and which shuts in a spacious land-locked harbor, 
 the prospective importance of which is enhanced by the fact that it is the only 
 harbor for more than 500 miles in South-eastern Africa. There are numerous 
 rivers and small streams in Natal ; and this fact, taken in connection with the 
 rapid descent of the country from the mountains to the sea, leading to a cor- 
 responding movement of these streams, accounts in large measure for the 
 remarkable salubrity of the cUmate. In this respect Natal is highly favored, 
 especially when compared with countries lying in the same latitude. It is 
 thought that there are no severe diseases peculiar to the country ; and some 
 who have gone there from colder climates, have gained decidedly in health. 
 The rains occur chiefly during the warmer months ; and the winter is usually 
 a protracted period of dryness and sunshine. The average mean temperature 
 of summer has been put down by scientific observers at about 74° Fahr., and 
 that of winter at 64°. 
 
 It has already been remarked that the field of the American Mission lies 
 mostly within the coast division of Natal, only three of its twelve stations 
 being more than fifteen miles from the sea. They extend, however, through 
 the entire lengtli of this division, and ai-e conveniently situated with reference 
 to some 40,000 natives. This district approaches more nearly to a tropical 
 country, in regard to its climate and vegetable productions, than any oth§r in 
 the colony. Most of the tropical plants which have been introduced from 
 abroad, are grown upon these coast lands. Thousands of acres have already 
 been devoted to the sugar-cane ; and a few years ago some 300 tons of arrow- 
 root were exported in a single season. Coftee is extensively cultivated, and 
 cotton is every year receiving a larger share of attention, both from the white 
 settlers and the natives. Oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, pineapples, and 
 even peaches, are common, and form a good substitute for the fruits of higher 
 latitudes. There is, moreover, a novelty in the general appearance of the vege- 
 tation, which soon attracts the attention of the newlj--arrived missionary. A 
 prominent feature of the landscape is the grotesquely-formed euphorbia tree, 
 which resembles a huge cactus, grown to the height of thirty or forty feet. 
 Another tree, which is peculiar to the country, and adds much to the beauty 
 of the scenery, is a species of wild fig tree, a large evergreen, with broad- 
 spreading branches. It is sometimes termed the Natal banyan. Many of the 
 trees in this part of the country are at times covered with clusters of brightly- 
 colored blossoms ; and the groves, jungles, and forests are nearly as green in, 
 winter as in midsummer.
 
 THE PEOPLE. 
 
 TI3:E I^EOI^LE. 
 
 THEIR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 A few years ago, a physician residing in Natal published a newspaper arti- 
 cle, entitled " The Kafirs and Us" which opened with the following somewhat 
 amusing chemical analysis and comparison : " Kafirs have less lime in their 
 bones, less nitrogen in their muscles, probably less iron in their blood, less 
 silica in their hair, and less phosphorus in their brains, than we have. Atten- 
 tive observers may likewise notice a considerable difference in the color of our 
 respective skins." Whether the chemistrrj of this description is correct or 
 not, the learned will determine. But there is no disputing the last statement. 
 The Zulus have black skins and woolly hair, and yet they have much to dis- 
 tinguish them from the negro of Western Africa. Though some of them 
 have thick, protruding lips, and flat noses, these peculiarities are seldom as 
 marked as in the real negro. On the other hand, it is not unusual to meet 
 with the aquiline nose, straight lip, and square, prominent forehead of the 
 European. Many of the men are tall, finely shaped, and exhibit much intelli- 
 gence. Indeed, their rounded limbs and expansive chests seem the very 
 embodiment of healthy muscular development. The general aspect of the 
 face is open, gentle, and amiable ; and the eye, usually black, has a soft 
 expression, and often sparkles with merry humor. 
 
 ETHNOLOGY. 
 
 It is supposed that several hundred years ago the entire Kafir family, of 
 which the Zulu is but a branch, came from some locality much higher up the 
 eastern coast of Africa ; and it would probably be considered by ethnologists 
 as allied to the Galla branch of the Ethiopic race. The following highly in- 
 teresting and suggestive remarks, on this general subject, are from the pen of 
 Dr. Mann, a distinguished scientific gentleman living in Natal : " There is 
 one peculiarity Avhich at once distinguishes the Kafir race from the negro vari- 
 ety of dark-skinned Africans — the limbs are singularly small-boned and slen- 
 der. In young individuals, and especially among the boys, the tapering, 
 delicate arms and hands, and the slim legs and slight feet, are very remark- 
 able, and catch the attention of even the most careless observer. The Kafir 
 organization obviously vibratos between that of the negro and that of a nobler 
 type. The pastoral and nomadic propensities, and the ingrained impatience, 
 of these slim-limbed, agile, and woolly-headed tribes, taken in connection with 
 the fact that they seem to have come originally along the eastern coast of 
 Africa from the north, point toward the possibility that the same law which 
 has been made influential in the evolution of the higlily-endowed Anglo-Saxon 
 race, through the admixture of bloods, may also have had to do with the pro- 
 duction of the Kafir dcvelojiment, and that the remarkable combination of 
 qualities by which that development is marked, may be attributed jjartly to an 
 Arab and partly to a negro source. There are certain ceremonies and words 
 in use among the Kafirs which also point to a similar conclusion, on account
 
 b THE ZULU* MISSION. 
 
 of the affinities Avhich they present Avith doings and language encountered 
 among the Arabs. The word which has become sanctioned by custom, as the 
 general denomination of these tribes of the south-eastern coast, also carries with 
 it a certain amount of force as additional evidence. ' Kafir ' means, literally, 
 an unbeliever in the doctrines of Mohammed, and is a term of constant occur- 
 rence with the Arabs." 
 
 THE NATIVE COSTUME. 
 
 The dress of the men, in their wild, native state, consists ordinarily of a 
 very scanty covering about the loins, composed of strips cut from the skins of 
 sheep, goats, wildcats, monkeys, or other fur-coated animals. On special 
 occasions, moreover, they wear a profusion of ornaments, among which may 
 be mentioned a neck-collar composed of the teeth of a lion or wild boar, or 
 the claws of a lion or an eagle. Necklaces are also made of small antelope 
 horns, or fragments of a particular kind of root, or even of the vertebra? of 
 snakes. They have brass ornaments, consisting of armlets, bracelets, and 
 rings for both fingers and thumbs. The young men and women are fond of 
 bead ornaments. They not only wear bead necklaces, but broad neck-collars 
 of the same material, elaborately and tastefully worked in gay colors. They 
 are fond of suspending from the neok square pieces of bead work, wrought in 
 smaller squares, or circles, or crescents, of different-colored beads. Their ears 
 are always pierced with wide gashes ; and these, too, are frequently orna- 
 mented, sometimes Mith pendants, and sometimes with ivory or wooden balls. 
 Their ornamented reed snuff-boxes are usually carried in the ear. They wear 
 long strings of beads, of various colors, over one shoulder and across the 
 breast and back, as also girdles or ornaments for the loins, of bright-colored 
 beads as large as marbles. Rich-looking dresses for the men are made out of 
 the bushy part of very large, flowing ox-tails, or of the long, shaggy hair of 
 goats. The every-day costume of the married women is a dressed, well- 
 greased cow-skin, or a cotton blanket doubled so as to reach from the waist 
 below the knees. The young girls and unmarried women wear a sort of 
 fringed apron, about a foot broad. Sometimes they have a slight additional 
 covering for the upper part of the body ; but they are oftener seen without 
 anything. The married men generally shave their heads, leaving only a cir- 
 cular strip of hair, which is made, with the aid of a kind of gum, into a pol- 
 ished ring, as black and glossy as ebony. The married women also shave their 
 heads, leaving only a small tuft at the crown, and this is worked up with a 
 kind of red clay into a sort of top-knot. The unmarried people of both sexes 
 usually allow their hair to grow long, and sometimes they dress it with a 
 gummy, fatty preparation, giving it all sorts of fantastic .shapes. 
 
 DWELLINGS, FURNITURE, AND EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 In building a native village or kranl, a large, round cattle-fold is first made, 
 and inclosed by a strong fence of poles or brush-wood. The dwellings, or 
 huts, which are also round, are then placed in a circular form around this cat- 
 tle-fold. Then another strong fence is made around the hutu, inclosing the
 
 POLYGAMY. 7 
 
 whole, and having but one opening, which is on the same side with that of the 
 central inclosure. The general appearance of the huts is that of an enor- 
 mous old-fashioned EngHsh bee-hive, though somewhat flatter in shape; oe 
 they may be compared to low, hollow haystacks. They are from ten to twelve 
 feet in diameter, and from five to six feet high in the centre. The entrance is 
 not more than two feet high, and is oval in shape, being about two feet broad 
 at the bottom. As there is no other opening, it serves the threefold purpose 
 of door, A^ndow, and chimney. In constructing a hut, a framework is fii'st 
 made of long, flexible rods or poles, the thicker ends being inserted in the 
 ground, four or five inches apart, while the other ends are fastened to a post 
 in the centre, or to a horizontal pole some five feet in length, which in its turn 
 rests upon two posts in the central portion of the hut. Other small rods are 
 placed transversely, four or five inches apai't, and tied together at all the points 
 of intersection, leaving only small square openings. Upon this framework a 
 thick coating of grass is laid and thatched. The floor is made beautifully hard 
 with a species of pot-clay, or oftener, perhaps, with earth taken from the nests 
 of white ants, mixed with cow-dung. Their furniture is of the rudest and 
 simplest kind, consisting of a few earthen pots, a few mats, blankets, wooden 
 pillows, and, perhaps, a few sticks, shields, and spears. The earthen pots are 
 for cooking purposes, or for bringing water, or for holding grain and beer. 
 They have neither tables nor chairs. They sit upon the floor in a squatting 
 posture, and their food is served on a small, square mat, which rests upon the 
 floor. The mats, blankets, and wooden pillows constitute then- sleeping 
 accommodations. 
 
 The usual employments of the men consist in milking and otherAvise taking 
 care of their cattle, in building their huts, in clearing and fencing ground for 
 their gardens, and in preparing garments (such as have already been described) 
 for themselves and their Avives. Such occupation they regard as sufliciently in 
 keeping with their rank and dignity as men. But they spend much of their 
 time in hunting, in beer-drinking, in smoking, in snufiing, and in downright 
 idleness. All descriptions of menial worlc, as bearing burdens, digging, hoe- 
 ing, planting, reaping, grinding, cooking, procuring and cutting all the wood, 
 bringing all the water for family use, arc held to be the appropriate employ- 
 ments and accomplishments of the women. 
 
 Their food consists chiefly of Indian corn, Ivafir corn, (a species of millet, 
 called by the natives amahele,) and milk ; and they use beef, venison, and beer, 
 when they can get them. At their native kraals, they usually eat but twice a 
 day, the principal meal being in the evening. They are capable of consuming 
 enormous quantities, and not unfrcqucntly they gorge themselves to the last 
 degree. This is especially true when they happen to have an abundance of 
 fresh meat. 
 
 rOLVC.VMY. 
 
 Prominent among their customs is pohjgamii, the only limit to the number 
 of wives being the disposition and ability of the husband to purchase and pay 
 for them. As in most countries where this practice prevails, the family rela- 
 tion is in ruins, and the sacred institution of marriage is prostituted to the 
 basest purposes. The wife is only one of a number of slaves, and as such is
 
 8 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 often treated with the greatest indignity and dishonor. Closely connected 
 with this custom is another, which is at once its root and its stimulus — the 
 chattelizing of woman. The father, as he looks upon his daughters, thinks 
 of them chiejiy, and prizes tliem mainly, in reference to their marketable 
 value, this being apparently the gauge and measure of his affection arid 
 regard. They are Avorth to him so many head of cattle. With the price which 
 he receives for his daughters, he expects to purchase other wives ; so that a 
 man's social standing depends largely upon his Avealth in women. When a 
 girl becomes marriageable, therefore, the highest bidder is generally regarded 
 as the most eligible suitor, — no matter how many wives he may have already, 
 no matter what may be her feelings toward the husband selected for her. 
 FoiTed marriages are of common occurrence, and they are the fruitful source 
 of cruelty, unhappiness, and crime. It sometimes happens, however, that 
 marriage takes place with the full consent of the female, especially if the age 
 of the intended husband is at all proportionate to her own. 
 
 A HEATHEN WEDDING. 
 
 The following account of a Zulu wedding was written by one of the first 
 white settlers in Natal, who, for several years before his death, occupied the 
 post of English magistrate. He was intimately acquainted with the native 
 customs, having mingled familiai'ly with them at their kraals for nearly 
 twenty years, before Natal became a British colony. 
 
 " The bride, attended by all the young women in the neighborhood, pro- 
 ceeds to the kraal of the bridegroom. She is also escorted by her male rel- 
 atives and friends, bearing their assegais and shields, thus intimating that they 
 are prepared to drive home the cattle to be received for her. When the par- 
 ties can afford it, three head of cattle are presented by the father of the bride 
 to the bridegroom — one in lieu of the copper ring usually worn by the bride 
 in former times ; another to be presented to the ancestral spirit of the bride- 
 groom, for his consent to the marriage ; and a third to replace, or reproduce, 
 the cattle paid by the bridegroom. The bride is also provided with a bundle 
 of assegais, some picks, and a basket of beads in bunches. She is also 
 attended by her mother and other married women. The ceremony may com- 
 mence immediately on the arrival of the bride, or on the following day, as may 
 be arranged. When it commences, the bridegroom and his companions seat 
 themselves on the ground, while the bride and her attendants approach within 
 a short distance, dancing in a semicircle. The young men connected with the 
 bridegroom soon unite in the dance. The old women who are related to the 
 latter, dance around at a distance, addressing the bride in songs of a depress- 
 ing nature, that she may not feel too highly elated, or assume too much im- 
 portance in her new position. On the other hand, the old women who accom- 
 pany her, boast of her beauty and chastity, extolling her goodness of heart,' 
 and proclaiming how carefully she has been reared by her parents. The dance 
 having continued for some time, the bride leaves her position, and dances by 
 herself, in front of her companions. She then proceeds, accompanied by two 
 of her bridemaids, toward the bridegroom, who is surrounded by his nearest 
 relations, and dances directly in front of him. It most frequently happens
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. " 9 
 
 that the bride will take some liberty with the bridegroom, just at this time, 
 such as addressing him by some opprobrious epithet, or by kicking dust in 
 his face, thus intimating that the moment of her submission has not yet 
 arrived. Her attendants then come forward with the beads, picks, and 
 unshafted assegais, which are distributed by one of the bridemaids among 
 the relatives of the bridegroom. An ox is then slaughtered by the bride- 
 groom, and the feasting commences. This appears to he the Jixing point oi 
 the ceremony. A cow or an ox is then given for slaughter to the bride's 
 
 mother and her attendants This animal was probably a sacrifice to the 
 
 ancestral spirit of the family. Although dancing and other amusements may 
 be continued, the bridegi'oom and bride may from that moment be regarded as 
 man and wife ; but so long as the relations of the bride remain at the bride- 
 groom's kraal, she remains with them. The married woman is not designated 
 a ' wife ' until she has borne a child, or has a house under her charge. Until 
 then she is called umloholMzi, implying that the cattle paid for her have not, 
 as yet, all been delivered to her father. The marriage ceremony being con- 
 cluded, the male friends of the bride make their demand for cattle, but not for 
 any particular number, this matter having been previously arranged. The ties 
 of consanguinity concerning marriages are very strictly observed. A man 
 can not enter into the matrimonial state with one of his relations by blood." 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 The Zulus have much to say about omens. With them, for instance, it is a 
 bad omen for a rock rabbit to run into a kraal ; ' or for a dog to get on the top 
 of a hut ; or for certain birds to light thereon ; or for a cock to crow in the 
 evening ; or for toads to jump into the fireplace. Their minds are so dwarfed 
 by degradation and ignorance, and so darkened by ages of sensuality and sin, 
 that they receive with greediness the most absurd ideas, without stopping to 
 exercise either their reason or common sense. A missionary who has paid 
 some attention to this subject, has collected the following illustrations of this 
 statement : — 
 
 If the corn growing in their fields has not a green, healthy color, the 
 Zulus seek for some dark medicine, perhaps the blackest root and bark which 
 they can find, and burn it to make it still blacker, and then convert it into a 
 powder ; after which the blackest man in the community is importuned to take 
 it and cast it into the air, that the Mind may blow it over the field ! They 
 believe that gardens containing certain kinds of food must not be entered by 
 men, as their footsteps will cause a failiu-e of the crop ! A mother who has 
 lost her child, must not enter her garden for a certain number of days, for, 
 being impure, her presence will occasion blight. If people go into their gar- 
 dens the day after a hail-storm, it is believed that the hail will return and 
 destroy the crop. Fowls must not be carried to market while the corn is tas- 
 seling out and approaching maturity, lest the flapping of their wings cause it 
 to wither and dry up. Their stipcrstitious fears will not allow them to plant 
 any of tlic productions which have been introduced by M'liite people, (as the 
 banana, sugar-cane, sweet potato,) lest it bring some calamity upon them. 
 They are fond of sweet potatoes, and will often give two or tluee times their 
 2
 
 10 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 value in corn ; but they fear to plant them. There are times when women 
 must not eat milk, lest it cause the calves to die. Some kinds of birds and 
 snakes they will by no means venture to destroy. They believe that certain 
 medicines have power to influence the disposition and atfect the will; when, 
 therefore, a dispute arises between two ]iersons making a bargain, or a lover 
 is thwarted in reference to the object of his aflections, certain supposed reme- 
 dies are often used to overcome opposition. In a word, superstition is inter- 
 woven v.ith their whole existence. Ceremonies are performed over the babe 
 the day it is born ; (its head must be smoked before it can be seen by its 
 father ;) they are all their lives " in bondage through fear of death," and 
 seem continually haunted with the idea that some one in the community is 
 plotting their destruction. According to their belief, indeed, comparatively 
 few die from natural causes, most of the deaths being attributed to witchcraft, 
 of which some account will now be given. 
 
 AVITCIICRAFT. i 
 
 According to the popular belief, a wholesale system of poisoning is carried 
 on by a class of persons termed ahatcujati, (wizards or witches,) who, in the 
 minds of the people, possess vague, mysterious, and terrible functions. In the 
 Zulu country, (according to Dr. Mann,) where they are not overawed by the pres- 
 ence of a civilized government, it is believed that, immediately after the decease 
 of a native, these abatagati hunt for the body, for the purpose of employing it 
 about some demoniac icorlc, and that they use leopards and wildcats to assist in 
 the search. According to this silly superstition, when a body is discovered, it 
 is immediately " physicked," until it is restored to life ! " If the wizard is caught 
 in the act of restoration," adds Dr. Mann, " and interrupted in the work, the 
 half-restored individual returns to life as a half-witted, stupid being ; but, if 
 the restoration has been complete, and the tongue has been properly cut, it 
 becomes at once an umhovu, (spectre or hobgoblin.) and is sent to join the 
 umkovu band, until the wizard to whom it is indebted for its renewed exist- 
 ence, shall need it for " goblin employment." Under the direction of the 
 umtagati* or wizard, the umkovu goes in the dead of night to the neighbor- 
 hood of some native village, and utters in a distinct, yet low, gruff, unnatural 
 voice, the ominous sound, Maye ! maye ! ! (Woe ! woe ! ! ) The maye is thought 
 to be the death-doom of some one ; and when it is heard, the inhabitants of 
 the village remain terror-struck and motionless. Wild animals are supposed 
 to be sent by these wizards on their mischievous and malicious errands. 
 Should a leopard, for example, come at night, and take from the fold of some 
 credulous native a calf or a goat, he would be very likely to lay his misfortune 
 at the door of witchcraft. The dreadful power of these wizards, it is supposed, 
 is also exerted in other ways. For instance, one of our missionaries speaks 
 of a man who was wounded in a general hunt by a spear, which severed an 
 artery, and adds that this accident was attributed to the influence of some 
 wizard. The same missionary speaks of another man, who, going through a 
 dense bush, had his face severely scratched ; and this was attributed to the 
 
 » Umtagati is singular ; abatagati is plural.
 
 OBJECTS OP WORSHIP. - 11 
 
 same cause. So, oftentimes, cases of death, occurring from natural causes, or 
 from accident, are traced to the supposed power of this dreaded class of men. 
 No one, of course, openly avows himself an umtagati, but practices his black 
 art with all the secrecy, and with as much disguise, as possible. There is 
 abundant evidence, in the judgment of some, that many of the natives have 
 an extensive acquaintance with plants possessing poisonous properties, some 
 of which are entirely unknown to Europeans, and that this knowledge is 
 extensively used for base and malicious purposes, even though it be admitted 
 that much of the fear attending this subject is palpably absurd. 
 
 WITCH-DOCTORS. 
 
 The supposed existence of the dangerous class of individuals above described 
 has given rise to another powerful and influential class, of the sacei-dotal order, 
 called Izanusi, (witch doctors.) They are supposed to understand the art of 
 detecting these abatagati. And it is thought that, in these detective opera- 
 tions, they display an extraordinary amount of discernment, and, above all, 
 that they have intercourse Avith the spiritual world, and so are unerringly 
 guided, when they proceed to pass judgment upon the evil-doers. It is not 
 every one who can aspire to tlie office. They must not only possess an especial 
 adaptation for the profession, and be willing to devote themselves wholly to it, 
 but must be especially designated to it by the ancestral spirits of the families 
 to which such aspirants respectively belong. " The first indications," says a 
 writer already quoted, " which mark one as being intended, by his ancestral 
 spirit, as the future agent between the spiritual and material world, are these : 
 The individual is observed to exclude himself or herself from their accustomed 
 society, to be low-spirited, to be subject to severe and sudden fits, to dread the 
 sight of blood," &c. In some of their paroxysms, they run, and shriek, and 
 plunge themselves into water, and by other wild and wonderful performances 
 seek to inspire the lookers-on with terror and awe. The Isanusi is held in 
 especial veneration during his supposed intercourse with the ancestral spirit. 
 Indeed, he is always both respected and feared, from the power over life and 
 death which he is known to possess ; for in that part of the country which is 
 under native rule, those whom he points out as criminals, are certain to be 
 summarily and severely punished. And, in numerous instances, the punish- 
 ment has been death in its most revolting forms. Competent witnesses, who 
 have had ample oj)portunity for observation, ai'c of the o])inion that many who 
 are thus accused are verily guilty, and tliat these witch-doctors do often dis- 
 play an extraordinary degree of penetration in the detection of evil-doers. In 
 this, however, they doubtless have more credit than Ihey deserve, since much 
 of their success is obviously traceable to an extensive system of espionage. 
 Every Isanusi has an assistant whom he employs to obtain information, secretly, 
 regarding persons who may be suspected of evil practices. 
 
 OBJFX'TS OI- WOKSIIIP. 
 
 So far as I have been able to ascertain, the ancestral s])irits (amadhlozi) are 
 the only objects of spiritual and religious worchip among the Zulus. Their
 
 12 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 superstitious veneration for the witch-doctors (Izanusi) arises chiefly from the 
 fact that they are looked upon as a priestly class, the medium of communica- 
 tion between the spiiitual and material worlds, the ministers and prophets — so 
 to speak — of the amadhlozi. The popular belief is, that these amadhlozi visit 
 their kraals and houses, inhabiting for the occasion the body of a snake. It 
 is thought that this occurs when some one has omitted the performance of some 
 known duty, or has been guilty of some offense. The visit of the spirit is 
 intended as a friendly warning ; and if, on such an appearance, a propitiatory 
 sacrifice is not offered, the priests affirm that sickness or death will surely 
 follow. When a family is in possession of health and prosperity, the ances- 
 tral spirit is said to be lying on his back ; but when misfortunes come, he has 
 turned over upon his face. 
 
 UXKULUXKULU. 
 
 While, however, these amadhlozi seem to be the only objects of worship 
 among them, they recogi^ize a being who created men and all material things, 
 and whom they call Unkulunkulu, (the great, great one.) But whatever may have 
 been the fiict in their earlier history, this truth is now so vague and obscure, 
 that it is deprived of all practical religious value ; and their traditions on the 
 whole subject are exceedingly confused and contradictory. They say that there 
 was a great being, who sprang from a bed of reeds, in a valley. Some accounts 
 have it, that he shook these reeds with a strong wind, and there came out 
 from them the first man and woman. 
 
 Natal was first made known to the civilized world in 1497, (five years after 
 Columbus discovered America,) by Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese navigator. 
 As he first saw it on Christmas day, the countr^^ was named "Terra de Xatalis," 
 the Land of the Nativity. Although thus early discovered, no attempt was 
 made by Europeans to colonize it till 1823. In that year Lieutenant Farewell, 
 an officer in- the British navy, went to Natal with a small band of English 
 settlers from the Cape of Good Hope, and succeeded in getting a foothold at 
 the port, now called Durban. At this time the great Zulu chief Utyaka 
 (Chaka) was at the height of his power. On assuming the chieftainship, he 
 found himself at the head of a small and comparatively insignificant people ; 
 but being remarkably intrepid and daring, he soon conquered tribe after tribe, 
 taking the majority of the people captive, and incorporating them into his own 
 tribe. In this manner he greatly increased the power and influence of the Zulu 
 nation ; and the name of Utyaka became a terror to all the natives for five or 
 six hundred miles along the coast, and possibly to a still greater distance in 
 the interior. 
 
 At this epoch the country to the south and west of Zululand proper, 
 extending some two hundred and thirty miles along the seaboard, and embra- 
 cing nearly the whole of the present Natal colony, besides a large portion of
 
 EARLY HISTORY OF NATAL. 13 
 
 Faku's country, had been almost entirely laid waste and depopulated. One 
 who traveled extensively through the country, as the pioneer of Farewell's 
 colonizing party, has left this testimony : " There were no cattle, no corn, no 
 kraals, no people, save about thu-ty natives living at the bluff, [overlooking the 
 harbor of Port Natal,] and a few stragglers here and there, Avho Avere nearly 
 famished, and who seemed like mere human skeletons." So completely had 
 this African Napoleon desolated the land. 
 
 In 1828, Utyaka was assassinated at the instigation of his own brothers, one 
 of Avhom, Udingane, or Dingan, became his successor. Natal now began to 
 be sought by refugees, who escaped from the despotic rule of Dingan, as 
 opportunity favored ; his vigilance, or his police arrangements, being probably 
 less perfect than those of his dreaded predecessor. The greater portion of 
 those who fled were remnants of important tribes, which may have occupied 
 the country for several generations before the inroads of Utyaka. When the 
 first missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis- 
 sions arrived there in 1835, less than seven years after Utyaka's death, from 
 twenty to thirty thousand natives were living in the country, and there has 
 been a steady increase from that time to the present. At the close of 1862, 
 the native population was more than two hundred thousand. 
 
 Early in 1838 there was a large influx of Dutch farmers, or Boers, as they 
 were commonly called, who had become disafiected toward the British govern- 
 ment in consequence of the emancipation of their slaves in Cape Colony, 
 which took place in 1834, simultaneously Avith the deliverance of all who had 
 been held in bondage in various portions of the British empire ; and they 
 desired and designed to establish a slaveholding republic in the inviting 
 region around Port Natal. On their arrival they entered at once into nego- 
 tiations with Dingan, with a view to obtaining his consent to the formation 
 of a settlement. A large deputation, consisting of some sixty Boers, and 
 headed by Pieter Retief, went to his capital, were received with apparent 
 Mendliness, and had reason to believe that their mission had proved successful ; 
 but just as they were about leaving, at a preconcerted signal, hundreds of 
 armed warriors fell upon them, and basely murdered the whole party. Follow- 
 ing close upon this relentless massacre, there Avas a series of disturbances, 
 struggles, and conflicts, first between Dingan and the Dutch, and then between 
 the Dutch and the English, and thousands were slain in settling the question 
 of supremacy. 
 
 At length, on the 12th day of May, 1843, Natal was proclaimed a British 
 colony, and a gradual immigration from Great Britain has been in progress for 
 the past twenty years. At present the European population exceeds thirteen 
 thousand, of whom, perhaps, two thirds are from the British Islands. This 
 foreign immigration, for several years, has been going on at the rate of about 
 one thousand per annum, and the colony may be considered as now fairly 
 established. The local government has ever manifested a friendly disposition 
 toward missionaries ; and within a few years it has granted to the Board, at 
 each of ten stations, five hundred acres of land, to be used for missionary pur- 
 poses. It has also set apart an additional tract, of from six to nine thousand 
 acres, around each of these stations, which is reserved for the use of such 
 natives as may settle in the vicinity, and out of which, from time to time, small 
 farms are to be granted to the co)iverts and their families.
 
 14 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 EAKLY HISTORY. 
 
 The origin of this mission is thus stated by Dr. Anderson, in the Memorial 
 Volume, p. 240 : " The mission to South Africa was the immediate result of 
 strong representations from Rev. Dr. Phihp, of Cape ToAvn, superintendent of 
 the London Missionary Society's missions in that part of the continent, along 
 with a desire for a more healthful African climate than was to be found in the 
 equatorial regions." Six missionaries and their wives sailed from Boston on 
 the 3d of December, 1834, and arrived at Cape Town on the 5th of February, 
 1835. Three of them, Messrs. Lindley, Venable, and Dr. Wilson, were 
 instructed to establish a mission in the interior, among Moselekatsi's people, 
 ^from four to five hundred miles from Natal, and from two to three hundred 
 miles beyond the Kahlamba Mountains. The others, Messrs. Grout, Cham- 
 pion, and Dr. Adams, were expected to prosecute their labors among the 
 Zulus under Dingan. 
 
 The former set out from Cape Town, March 19, on a journey of more than 
 one thousand miles, in three large ox-wagons, each wagon (in accordance with 
 the universal custom of the country) being drawn by six yoke of oxen. After 
 traveling some six hundred miles, they came to Griqua-Town, a station of the 
 London Missionary Society, occupied by two estimable bz'ethren, Messrs. 
 Wright and Hughes, from whom they received a cordial welcome. Here they 
 remained a number of weeks, recruiting their oxen, and receiving valuable aid 
 from the English missionaries, in the study of the Sitebele and Sichuana dia- 
 lects, both of which were spoken by Moselekatsi's people, composed, as they 
 were, partly of the Matebele and partly of the Bechuana tribes. They next 
 proceeded to Kuruman, another station of the London Missionary Society, 
 where the well-known missionary Rev. Robert Moffat showed them no little 
 kindness. On the 22d of January, 1836, Messrs. Lindley and Venable went 
 forward, for the purpose of fixing upon a site for a station, as well as to make 
 the necessary preparations for the residence of the mission families, leaving 
 theii" wives, together Avith Dr. and Mrs. Wilson, at Kuruman. The following 
 June we find the missionary band at a station in the vicinity of the chief's 
 residence, which they named Mosikri. 
 
 The maritime mission, in consequence of a war which was raging between 
 the Kafir tribes and the Cape Colony, was detained at Cape Town until July, 
 1835. They then went around by sea to Port Elizabeth. At this point and 
 at Bethelsdorp, a place about nine miles distant, they found other missionaries 
 of the London Missionary Society, by whom they Avere received with true 
 Christian hospitality. It was not until early in December that they met with 
 a suitable opportunity for proceeding to Port Natal, Leaving their wives with 
 their kind friends, the brethren embarked at Algoa Bay on the 5th of Decem- 
 ber, and reached Natal on the 20th. They found a number of whites at Port 
 Natal, from whom they received valuable assistance in preparing for their 
 journey to Dingan's capital. They had brought a wagon with them from Port 
 Elizabeth, and here they obtained the requisite number of oxen. In a few
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 15 
 
 days they had everything ready, and were on the road to the Zuhi country. 
 The journey occupied two weeks. 
 
 They were received by Dingan with kindness, and treated with respect. He 
 consented to their establishing a school at his residence ; but he wished them 
 to make Port Natal their headquarters until he could see the effect of this 
 school upon his people. On their return thither, it was arranged that Mr. 
 Champion should remain, and commence the erection of one or more dwellings 
 for the accommodation of the mission, while Messrs. Grout and Adams should 
 proceed to Port Elizabeth for their families and effects. 
 
 On reaching Bethelsdorp, ]Mr. Grout found Mrs. Grout rapidly sinking in 
 consumption. " She died on the 24th of February, full of faith, and rejoicing 
 that she had been counted worthy to leave her country and home on such an 
 errand." In less than a month from the time of Mrs. Grout's death, Messrs. 
 Grout and Adams, accompanied by Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Champion, started 
 from Bethelsdorp for Port Natal/ taking the overland route through Kafirland. 
 Although the distance was not more than six hundred miles, they were two 
 months on the journey. They reached their destination on the 21st of May. 
 
 As soon as Dingan heard of their arrival, he sent for them, and gave them 
 a cordial reception, with permission to form a station at his capital. Mr. 
 Champion was designated to this post, but the site finally chosen was Ginani, 
 some eighty miles distant. Dr. Adams was located at the Umlazi River, near 
 Port Natal. As Mr. Grout was alone, it was intended that he should labor at 
 either of these stations, as circumstances should require, with the expectation, 
 however, that the largest share of his time would be needed at Ginani. The 
 prospects of the mission at this time were full of hope and encouragement, and 
 they began earnestly to desire a re-enforcement. Before many months, addi- 
 tional laborers were providentially furnished them, from an unexpected 
 quarter. 
 
 The brethren at Mosika had hardly commenced their labors, when one after 
 another in their families was taken down with fever, occasioned, in the opinion 
 of Dr. Wilson, by entering their houses before the mud floors were sufficiently 
 dry. On the 18th of September, Mrs. Wilson was removed by death, after an 
 illness of only eight days. " Tell my mother, and sister, and friends," she 
 said, " that I have never regretted coming to Africa." The disease was of a 
 peculiar kind, and was followed, in the surviving members of the mission, by 
 rheumatic affections of a very distressing nature. They had scarcely recov- 
 ered from this visitation, when their labors were terminated by a war between 
 Moselekatsi and the Dutch Boers, of so serious a nature that they resolved to 
 withdraw from the field, and join their brethren at Port Natal. The wisdom 
 of this step soon became manifest. Within a little more than a year after 
 the mission was broken up, the country of Moselekatsi was invaded four 
 times ; and that whole region soon wore a very discouraging aspect. In going 
 from Mosika to Port Natal, our brethren, unacquainted with the passes through 
 the Kahlamba Mountains, made a circuit around by Graham's Town, which is 
 about ninety miles from Port Elizabeth. This route made the journey about 
 thirteen liundred miles, all of which was jjerfonned in ox-wagons. 
 
 'They reached Natal in July, 1837. Mr. Venable and Dr. Wilson soon 
 commenced a station at Hlangezwa, one of Dingan's militarv kraals, near the
 
 16 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 Umhlatuzi River, about fifty miles from the chiefs residence, and about thirty 
 miles from Giuani, which was some thirty miles nearer Port Natal. Mr. Lind- 
 ley went in the opposite direction, and commenced a station at Ifumi, some 
 thiily-five miles from the seaport, and about twenty-five miles from the Um- 
 lazi River. Previous to this time, a printing-press had been sent to the mis- 
 sion, and had been set up at the Umlazi station ; and some elementary books 
 were printed in the Zulu language. Near the close of 1837, Mr. Grout 
 returned to America, taking with him his motherless child and that of 
 Dr. Wilson. 
 
 By this time, Dr. and Mrs. Adams were engaged in an important work at 
 Umlazi. They had about fifty pupils in their school, besides a morning class 
 of adults ; and the congregation on the Sabbath, most of whom were gathered 
 into the Sabbath school, usually numbered several hundreds. Mrs. Adams 
 had in addition a sewing school for females, two days every week. Mr. Cham- 
 pion had gathered a congregation of about two hundred ; and, in the course of 
 eight or nine months, he had ten boys and twenty females under instruction. 
 
 Early in 1838, however, the mission was broken up, in consequence of the 
 disturbances which followed the arrival of the Dutch. As no one could foresee 
 the extent or duration of these troubles, the missionary band deemed it neces- 
 sary to leave their interesting field of labor, and seek refuge for a time at Port 
 Elizabeth. They left Natal on the 30th of March, leaving Mr. Lindley at 
 Umlazi to watch the progress of events. In about three weeks, a Zulu arm)' 
 invaded Natal, and he escaped on board a vessel lying in the harbor. After 
 visiting Delagoa Bay, (a Portuguese settlement some five hundred miles north- 
 east of Port Natal,) he joined his family and associates at Port Elizabeth, on 
 the 22d of June. 
 
 * Seeing no prospect of being able to continue his labors in Natal, Mr. Vena- 
 ble went with his wife to Cape Town, where he made himself very useful. 
 They afterward returned to America, and Mr. and Mrs. Champion soon fol- 
 lowed, in consequence of her impaired health. Neither of these brethren 
 resumed their missionary labors in Africa. Mr. and Mrs. Venable sought and 
 obtained an honorable release from the service of the Board. Mr. Champion 
 was very reluctant to give up his cherished missionary work in Africa ; but the 
 state of his wife's health kept him at home, until he was himself attacked with 
 a pidmonary complaint. He sought relief from this disease by a temporary so- 
 journ in the West Indies, and died at Santa Cruz, December 17, 1841, at the age 
 of thirty-one. " His life was one of rare consecration to the cause of Christ." 
 Dr. Wilson also reached America in 1838, and soon after joined the mission at 
 Cape Palmas, in Western Afi-ica, where he died, after laboring two years, in 
 October, 1841. 
 
 Quiet having been restored by the complete overthrow of Dingan, Mr. Lind- 
 ley and Dr. Adams, with Mrs. Adams, returned to Port Natal on the 12th of 
 June, 1839, — Mrs. Lindley having been detained till autumn by the illness of 
 a child. Mr. and Mrs. Aldin Grout reached the mission in June, 1840. Mr. 
 Lindley, on his return to Natal, was so impressed with the importance of evan- 
 gelical labors among the Dutch, in order to the ultimate success of the mis- 
 sion, that he sought and obtained a temporary release from the Board, in order 
 that he might devote his time to their spiritual improvement. Dr. Adams
 
 EARLY HISTORY. 17 
 
 returned to his station at the Umlazi River, and soon reported a congregation 
 of 500, and a Bible class and Sabbath school of 200, together with a day school 
 of 50 pupils. Prior to 1841, 55,380 pages were printed at Umlazi. Mr. 
 Grout, unwilling to give up the idea of laboring in the Zulu country without 
 another trial, sought an interview with Umpandi, Dingan's brother and suc- 
 cessor, and obtained his permission to recommence operations among his 
 people. The name given to the new station was Inkanyezi, a Zulu word sig- 
 nifying " a star." A congregation was soon gathered of about 250, and there 
 was a school of about 50 pupils. Within two years, however, this field was 
 again abandoned, in consequence of the suspicion and jealousy of Umpandi. 
 The missionary, he thought, was getting too strong a hold upon the confidence 
 of the people ; and, true to his family and savage instincts, he ordered those who 
 had been most under Mr. Grout's influence to be put to death. In September, 
 1842, the latter commenced a new station at the Umgeni River, where he soon 
 reported a congregation varying from 600 to 1000. 
 
 After hearing of Mr. Grout's withdrawal from the Zulu country, and in 
 view of the repeated disasters which the brethren had experienced, the Pru- 
 dential Committee decided to discontinue this mission; and in August, 1843, 
 instructions were dispatched accordingly. This action on the part of the 
 Committee would not have been taken, probably, had letters written in the 
 earlier part of 1843, giving a brighter page in their checkered history, been 
 received. Unfortunately, however, they were a year on the way. Meanwhile, 
 Natal had passed under the govei'nment and protection of Great Britain ; and 
 the natives were rapidly flocking to the colony, to avail themselves of so safe 
 an asylum from the despotism of Umpandi. It soon became evident, more- 
 over, that the British government was designing to pursue a just and liberal 
 policy toward the native tribes. Just as the sky was thus brightening over 
 the heads of the missionaries, they received the decision of the Committee. 
 In the circumstances, Mr. Grout deemed it his duty to comply with these 
 unwelcome instructions ; and he repaired to Cape Town, from which port a 
 vessel was soon to sail for the United States. But Dr. Adams resolved to 
 remain at his post at all hazards. 
 
 No sooner had Mr. Grout reached Cape Town, than Dr. Philip and other 
 evangelical ministers and Christians remonstrated against the abandonment of 
 the mission. A public meeting Avas called ; and, after listening to Mr. Grout's 
 statement. Dr. Philip, the American Consul, and other friends of missions, 
 made addresses. At the close of this meeting, a collection amounting to some 
 600 dollars was taken up to defray his expenses until he could communicate 
 with the Prudential Committee ; and this sum w-as afterward increased to some 
 800 dollars. Dr. Philip, with his characteristic earnestness, wrote to the Com- 
 mittee, declaring that, rather than have the mission given up for want of funds, 
 he would willingly visit America, notwithstanding his advanced age, and 
 beg for it. x\. joint letter from all the evangelical ministers at Cape Town, 
 pleading for the continuance of the mission, was forwarded to Boston ; and 
 that excellent man, Sir Peregrine Maitland, who was then governor of the Col- 
 ony of the Cape of Good Hope, took a lively interest in the matter, and off'cred 
 Mr. Grout every assistance in his power, and finally appointed him government 
 missionary to Natal, with a salary of £150. The same offer was made to 
 3
 
 18 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 Dr. Adams ; and Mr. Lindley was appointed preacher to the Boers. On 
 learning these new and encouraging facts, the Committee resolved to continue 
 the mission. 
 
 On returning to Natal, Mr. Grout formed a new station on the Umvoti River^ 
 about forty-five miles from the Port, on the north-east, and about five miles 
 from the sea. And here for more than twenty years, with the exception of a 
 short visit to the United States, he has been indefatigable in his eff'orts for the 
 temporal and spiritual well-being of his people. After reaping the benefit of 
 his appointment as government missionary for about a year, he resumed his 
 connection with the Board. Dr. Adams, who went out as a missionary physi- 
 cian, received ordination as a minister of the gospel at Cape Town, on the 10th 
 of December, 1844. The services were performed by Drs. Phihp and Adam- 
 son and Messrs. Faure and Brown, clergymen of that place. Returning to 
 Umlazi, he resumed his labors,* and during the residue of his life he secured, 
 by his unblemished life and dignified Christian demeanor, the profound respect 
 of all who knew him. In the same year Mr. Lindley resumed his connection 
 with the Board, and commenced a station at Inanda, where he has labored 
 faithfully and successfully until the present time, with the exception of his 
 visit to the United States. 
 
 RE-ENFORCEMENTS . 
 
 The communications from the mission at this period were full of hope. God 
 had enabled them to weather the storm, and a brighter day had evidently 
 dawned upon them. Their relations to the natives and the government, and 
 consequently their missionary operations, were fast assuming a definite and 
 permanent character, and they began to call in earnest for re-enforcements. 
 These calls were promptly responded to, and in less than three years from the 
 18th of April, 1846, nine ordained missionaries and their wives sailed from 
 Boston for this field, to-wit : — 
 
 Sailed. Arrived at Natal. 
 
 James C. Bryant and Mrs. Dolly F. Bryant, April 15, 1846. Aug. 15, 1846. 
 Lewis Grout and Mrs. Lydia Grout, Oct. 10, 1846. Feb. 15, 1847. 
 
 Silas McKinney and Mrs. Fanny McKinney, April 29, 1847. July 31, 1847. 
 Samuel D. Marsh and Mrs. Mary S. Marsh, 
 David Rood and Mrs Alvira V. Rood, 
 Wm. Ireland and Mrs. Jane Ireland, Oct. 14, 1848. Feb. 13, 1849. 
 
 Andrew Abraham and Mrs. S. L. Abraham, > 
 
 Josiah Tyler and Mrs. Susan W. Tyler, i April 7, 1849. July 16, 1849. 
 H. A. Wilder and Mrs. Abby T. Wilder, ) 
 
 In 1850, Rev. Jacob Ludwig Dohne, a native of Germany, who repaired to 
 South Africa in 1836, under the direction of the Berlin Missionary Society, 
 was appointed a missionary of the Board. During the same year, Mr. John 
 A. Butler, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Anna S. Butler, went out to take 
 
 * Finding tliat his proximity with the seaport would bring him into closer contact with 
 the white settlers than seemed desirable, he removed, iu 1847, to Amanzimtoti, about twelve 
 miles furtlior to the south-west. 
 
 I Oct. 28, 1847. Jan. 20, 1848.
 
 DEATHS AND ADDITIONAL RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 19 
 
 charge of the press. He was stationed at Umbilo, four miles from Durban. 
 Thus, in July, 1850, only six years after the mission was on the point of being 
 abandoned, this missionary band embraced thiiteen ordained missionaries and 
 their wives, besides Mr. and Mrs. Butler. 
 
 In 1851 the missionaries were laboring at the following stations : — 
 
 A. Grout, Umvoti, 45 miles N. E. of Durban, and 5 miles from the sea, 
 
 A. Abraham, Mapumulo, 70 miles N. of Durban, and 25 from the sea. 
 
 D. Lindley, Inanda, 15 miles N. W. of Durban, and 10 from the sea. 
 
 L. Grout, Umsunduzi, 35 miles N. W. of Durban, and 15 from the sea. 
 
 S. D. Marsh, Itafamasi, 30 miles N. W. of Durban, and 15 from the sea. 
 
 J. Tyler, Esidumbini, 40 miles N. of Durban, and 20 from the sea. 
 
 J. L. DoJine, Table Mountain, 40 miles N. W. of Durban, and 40 from the sea. 
 
 N. Adams, M. D., Amanzimtote, 22 miles S. W. of Durban, and 5 from the sea. 
 
 Wm. Ireland, Ifumi, 35 miles S. AV. of Durban, and 6 from the sea. 
 
 8. McKinney, Amahlongwa, 47 miles S. W. of Durban, and 5 from the sea. 
 
 D. Rood, Ifafa, 65 miles S. W. of Durban, and 5 from the sea. 
 
 H. A. Wilder, Umtwalumi, 78 miles S. W. of Durban, and 10 from the sea. 
 
 DEATHS AND ADDITIONAL RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 
 
 In September, 1849, Mr. Bryant, who had labored for two years at Ifumi, 
 was obliged to retire from active labor, in consequence of his rapidly failing 
 health, and Mr. Ireland was appointed to succeed him at that station. His 
 disease was consumption ; he died at Inanda, greatly lamented, December 23, 
 1850. After sixteen eventful years of service, Dr. Adams died, in the midst 
 of his usefulness, on the 8th of September, 1851. His loss was felt to be 
 irreparable. Mr. Rood went from Ifafa to supply the vacancy thus made at 
 Amanzimtote. Rev. S. B. Stone and Mrs. Catherine M. Stone, who reached 
 Natal January 16, 1851, succeeded Mr. Rood. Rev. William Mellen and Mrs. 
 Laurana W. Mellen sailed from Boston, June 23, 1851, and arrived at Natal 
 in September. The following year they were located at Umtwalumi, with Mr. 
 Wilder. In December, 1853, Mr. Marsh Avas removed by death. He had 
 labored diligently and usefully for six years,' and was "a brother beloved." 
 Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Marsh returned to the United States soon after the 
 death of their husbands. Mrs. Adams remained in the mission more than 
 three years after she became a widow, and then returned to this country, after 
 an absence of more than twenty years. She loved the missionary work, and 
 was eminently useful. 
 
 Rev. Stephen C. Pixley and Mrs. Louisa Pixley joined the mission in Janu- 
 ary, 1856. Having spent a year at Amanzimtote, studying the language and 
 assisting Mr. Rood, they were located at Amahlongwa, as this station had 
 become vacant, five years before, by the return of Mr. McKinney and his 
 family to America. As soon as Mr. McKinney regained his health, he went 
 back to Natal, (1857,) and was stationed at Amanzimtote. 
 
 In 1857, Mr. Aldin Grout and family made a visit to this country, and were 
 followed, in 1859 and 1860, by Messrs. I^indley and Rood, Mitli their families. 
 Mr. Grout remained only a year, but Messrs. Rood and Lindley were unavoid- 
 ably detained, the one two years, and the other three. Both were usefully
 
 20 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 employed, however, Mr. Rood in preparing books for the press, and Mr. Lind- 
 ley in addressing congregations on the subject of missions, from one end of 
 the land to the other. Mr. Mellen occupied Mr. Grout's station during his 
 visit to America, and he also occupied Inanda during Mr. Lindley's absence. 
 Afterward he took charge of Umsunduzi, made vacant by the return to the 
 United States of Mr. Lewis Grout, in 1862. The latter has since been released 
 from-his connection with the Board. During the years 1859-1862, the mission 
 was re-enforced by the following ordained laborers : — 
 
 Sailed. Arrived at Natal. 
 
 E. Robbins and Mrs. Addie B. Robbins, Sept. 29, 1859. Dec. 30, 1859. 
 
 H. i\I. Bridgman and Mrs. Laura N. Bridgman, Sept. 1, 1860. Nov. 24, 1860. 
 Charles H. Lloyd and Mrs. Katherine C. Lloyd, June 21, 1862. Dec. 11, 1862. 
 
 Mr. Robbins spent nearly a year at Amanzimtote, and in 1861 he was 
 located at Umzumbi. Mr. Bridgman, in 1862, was stationed at Ifumi, and 
 Mr. Lloyd, in 1863, became Mr. Grout's colleague at Umvoti. 
 
 This mission was again bereaved, in the removal of Mrs. McKinney and 
 Mrs. Ireland, the former having died November 26, 1861, and the latter Janu- 
 ary 25, 1862. Early in 1863, Messrs. McKinney and L-eland visited this 
 country ; and the latter, having married a daughter of Mr. Aldin Grout, has 
 again returned to his field of labor. 
 
 RESULTS. 
 
 In estimating the results which the gospel has produced among the Zulus, it 
 is plainly impossible to express with figures the important and powerful influ- 
 ences which are at work for the ultimate subversion of heathenism. Many 
 of these influences are vmseen and intangible. We have reason for believing 
 that thousands of the natives of Natal are intellectually convinced of the 
 truth, and that scores, especially among the females, Avould ojjenly avow their 
 adhesion to Christianity, if left to act freely. But there are fruits which are 
 obvious and striking. Notwithstanding all the drawbacks and hinderances to 
 the acceptance of a spiritual religion, about three hundred and fifty have been 
 received into the ten mission' churches within the past eighteen years, of 
 whom two hundred and sixty-six were in good standing at the close of 1863. 
 And among that nation of polygamists, where, twenty years ago, the family 
 relation was utterly ih ruins, and the fiimily altar unknown, except as seen 
 among the missionaries, there are now to be found, at our American mission 
 stations, about one hundred and seventy-five Christian families, embracing 
 more than five hundred children who have been dedicated by their parents to 
 God in baptism, many of whom are sent to school, and are daily brought, to a 
 greater or less degree, under the influence of divine truth. 
 
 Let us look, for a moment, at this people, in contrast with their former 
 heathen state. Instead of the shameful, yet shameless, state of nudity in 
 which the wild heathen live, if we go on the Sabbath to several of the larger 
 stations, we shall find congregations varying from one hundred to three hun- 
 dred, three fourths of whom are respectably and becomingly clad in European 
 apparel, and worshiping in brick churches, built mainly at the expense of these 
 Christian converts, and in some cases, indeed, by their own hands. Instead
 
 RESULTS. 21 
 
 of the little grass huts, and the rude and barbarous articles of furniture already 
 described, several of the Christian Zulus live in comfortable brick houses, and 
 most of them have dwellings of European construction, furnished more and 
 more largely, as their means increase, with tables, chairs, bedsteads, boxes for 
 their clothing, crockery, knives, forks, spoons, and various articles of European 
 and American manufacture. A marked change is apparent in their implements 
 of husbandry, as in their mode of life generally. Instead of imposing all the 
 drudgery, in the field as well as in the house, upon the poor women, the men 
 are coming more and more, every year, to assume their proper position and duties. 
 
 It should be known, moreover, that the plow is a wonderful auxiliary of the 
 gospel in the matter of civilizing a savage people. These old polygamists are 
 shrewd enough to perceive that, with this wonderful " labor-saving machine," 
 one man can do as much work as a dozen of their strongest and most active 
 ■women, besides doing it better. About one hundred good Yankee plows are 
 owned and used by the members of our different stations, and every year hun- 
 dreds of acres are cultivated therewith, to the great gratification and relief of 
 the women. The Christians are also getting axes, hatchets, spades, saws, 
 augers, and planes ; and they are continually advancing in their ability and 
 skill to use such tools. 
 
 Nor have these gratifying changes been confined to mere external appear- 
 ances. The Zulu is proverbially selfish and covetous in his unconverted, 
 heathen state, disposed to hoard his earnings, or invest them in cattle. But the 
 gospel has made the native believers examples of liberality. At several of the 
 stations the monthly concert contributions have, from the first, averaged a dol- 
 lar a year for each member of the church ; and the amount given, as compared 
 with their means, is much larger than that of Christians generally at home. 
 At one of the stations, during the years 1858-1860, a church numbering but 
 little more than thirty members contributed £130 (about .fGoO) toward the 
 erection of a brick church, capable of accommodating more than 300 people; 
 and at another station, where there are about seventy members, they have 
 nearly completed a much larger church, for Avhich the natives have contributed 
 more than $3000. In 1860 a native Home Missionary Society was established 
 for the support of native preachers. During 1861 and 1S62, $380 were paid 
 by the native Christians into the treasury of this society, and the annual letter 
 fi-om the mission states that £100 have been contributed for this object the 
 past year. Two young men are iu the employment of this society as mission- 
 aries. Since the commencement of the civil war, several of the station schools 
 have been largely supjiorted by the parents of the ])upils, and one of them 
 entirely so. In 1803 there was a school at Umvoti of sixty-seven scholars, 
 taught by an English colonist, who received a salary of £75 per annum, all 
 paid by the natives. And the same year there was a school with fifty scholars 
 at Amanzimtote, taught by the son of a Scotch Presbyterian minister, and 
 £45 of his salary came from the natives. 
 
 The Annual Report of the Board for 1864, after speaking of these schools, 
 gives the following extract from the mission letter : — 
 
 " At other stations the people are doing more than ever before toward the 
 support of schools ; and still more would be done, if suitable teachers could be 
 obtained for such salaries as the people are able to pay.'' " Heretofore we
 
 22 
 
 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 have found one of our greatest discouragements, not merely in the apathy 
 of the heathen around us in regard to instruction, but in then* decided 
 unwillingness to receive it, in our schools or elsewhere. In this respect 
 a great and happy change has taken place in the minds of many ; and 
 we believe that this change will, every day, become greater and more 
 general. We are seeing and enjoying an intellectual revival, and have 
 strong faith that this Mill, in due time, be followed by one of a spiritual 
 character." " We suppose tlie great superiority of most of our converts 
 over the uninstructed is beginning to make the latter feel that they must 
 advance, or be left shamefully behind. The blindest among them can now 
 see that knowledge is as truly power in the case of a black man as it is 
 with the white." 
 
 In reference to the Christian character of the communicants at Umvoti, 
 Mr. Grout says, " The members require watching, and at times discipline ; but, 
 all things considered, I think the evidence of a saving change wrought in then- 
 hearts is as satisfactory and conclusive as we find in civilized countries. The 
 interest they manifest in the world's prayer-meeting, as each year comes round, 
 is very gratifying, and I may say edifying. A greater proportion of them are 
 regularly at the monthly missionary prayer-meeting, than commonly attend in 
 Christian lands." The^e remarks will apply to other stations. 
 
 The numerical strength of the churches, the average size of the schools, and 
 the attendance at public worship on the Sabbath, may be inferred from the 
 following table : — 
 
 Stations. 
 
 - 
 
 Sabbath 
 Congregations. 
 
 Pupils. 
 
 Church Mem- 
 bers. 
 
 Mapumulo, 
 Umvoti, . 
 
 
 40 
 
 248 
 
 50 
 
 50 
 
 140 
 
 130 
 
 65 
 
 38 
 
 39 
 
 85 
 
 50 
 
 12 
 62 
 18 
 12 
 39 
 54 
 29 
 14 
 8 
 33 
 25 
 
 7 
 72 
 
 5 
 12 
 54 
 55 
 37 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 15 
 
 esidumbini, 
 Umsunduzi, 
 Inanda. . 
 
 
 
 Amanzimtote, 
 Ifumi, . . 
 Amahlongwa, 
 Ifafa, 
 
 
 Umtwalumi, 
 Umzumbi, 
 
 
 
 935 
 
 306 
 
 266 
 
 PRINTING AND BOOK-MAKING. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to remark that, at the commencement of the mission, 
 the Zulus had no written language. Among the earlier efforts of our bi'ethren, 
 therefore, was the work of reducing the language to a written form ; and then, 
 from time to time, as their other labors allowed, they must needs give to the 
 people the Scriptures and other useful books in their own tongue. Up to the 
 present time, more than three millions of pages have been printed and pub- 
 lished in the language, under the direction of the mission, to wit : Genesis
 
 EUROPEAN MISSIONS. 23 
 
 and the Psalms, together -with more than two thirds of the New Testament, are 
 made accessible to the Zulus ; and there have been published, also, an Arith- 
 metic, Geography, Spelling-book, Catechism, &c., Sec, for the use of schools; 
 a Hymn-book containing more than one hundred and fifty hymns ; a transla- 
 tion of the " Tract Primer," the " Daily Food," and several tracts. In 1857, 
 Mr. Dohne published his Zulu-Kafir Dictionary, four hundred and fifty-nine 
 pages, octavo, with double columns, and containing more than ten thousand 
 Zulu words etymologically explained ; and in 1859 Mr. Lewis Grout issued his 
 " Grammar of the Zulu Language," four hunch-ed and thirty -two pages, octavo. 
 
 EUROPEAN MISSIONS. 
 
 When the attention of the Board was first directed to the Zulus, no Euro- 
 pean society had attempted to evangelize them. But since 1840, and especially 
 since Natal became a British colony, other laborers have seemed to be anxious 
 to enter this field, disregarding the stronger claims of China, India, &e. The 
 hope that Providence would give freer access to Umpandi's people has had its 
 influence, doubtless ; and some have already succeeded in establishing them- 
 selves, for a time at least, in his territory. Still it admits of a serious question, 
 whether a wise distribution of the force which Protestant Christians have 
 mustered, would have placed so much of it in Natal. 
 
 The Wesleyan Mission dates from 1841. From the beginning, however, it 
 has directed a large share of its attention to the white population ; and re- 
 cently it has endeavored to care for the coolies employed in the colony, of 
 whom there were about two thousand in 1862. As the reports of the Wes- 
 leyan Missionary Society do not discriminate accurately between these differ- 
 ent branches of effort, it is not easy to ascertain just what it has accomplished 
 for the natives. Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Verulam, Edendale, and Indaleni 
 are its principal stations. , 
 
 The Norwegian Mission (supported by a society which has its seat in Sta- 
 venger, Norway) was commenced by Rev. ^Ir. Schreuder in 1845. Having 
 become discouraged in 1847, he went to China, hoping to find a desirable field 
 in that empire. But he returned to Natal ; and in 1850 he commenced a sta- 
 tion eight miles from the residence of Mr. iVbraham. The mission Avas re-en- 
 forced next year ; and he removed (with another) to the Zulu country, where he 
 still remains. At the present time he has six lay associates, though there is 
 but one station in Natal, llev. L. Grout, in his Zululand, speaks of the 
 " work " of this mission as " prosperous." 
 
 The Berlin Mission was begun in 1847. The Missionary Herald for Sep- 
 tember, 1864, contains a tabular view of the operations of the Berlin Mission- 
 ary Society, from which it appears that there are five stations in Natal — 
 Emmaus, Christianenburg, Stendal, Emangweni, Wartburg ; and that the num- 
 ber of communicants is eighty-four. 
 
 That remarkable man, Pastor Harms, of Hermannsburg, in the kingdom of 
 Hanover, is the father of the Hanoverian Mission. It was his design to make 
 his first evangelistic attempt among the Gallas, and the first band of laborers 
 embarked for their country ; but not fnuling an open door, they returned to 
 Natal, (August 2, 1854,) and soon established themselves in the colony, mak-
 
 24 THE ZULU MISSION. 
 
 ing Hermannsburg their principal station. In 1856, 1857, and 1860, large 
 re-enforcements joined them, so that in 1860 they had forty missionaries, 
 catechists, and teachers, together with eighty colonists. Among the latter, 
 says Mr. L. Grout, " they can reckon men of almost every kind of handcraft 
 — agriculturists, carpenters, joiners, wheelwrights, shoemaker and tailor, ma-- 
 son and miller, tanner and turner, shepherd and dyer." They have three 
 stations in Natal, besides Hermannsburg, three in the Zulu country, and 
 three beyond the Kahlamba Mountains. The natives are admitted to the 
 church with the understanding that if they leave it, voluntarily or not, theii' 
 children shall remain with the mission. The experiment which Pastor Harms 
 is making, will be watched Mith the deepest interest by Christians throughout 
 the world. Should his expectations be realized, however, the success of an 
 American mission upon the same plan Avould be as problematical as ever. We 
 could hardly expect a dozen American families or more to live in one large 
 dwelling, and eat at a common table, having all their affairs, with the concerns 
 of the entire mission, managed by a single person ! 
 
 The Church of England Mission dates, properly, from the arrival of Bishop 
 Colenso in Natal, in 1850. It has stations at Ekukanyeni, (the bishop's res- 
 idence, six miles from Pietermaritzburg,) Pietermaritzburg, Umlazi River, 
 Ungababa, (near Ifumi,) Dr. Callaway's station, some forty miles inland, on 
 the Umkomazi River. It has one or more stations in the Zulu country. There 
 are no data, accessible and reliable, for giving the results obtained by this 
 mission. 
 
 The denominational affinities of the first and last of these missions are suf- 
 ficiently indicated already. The Norwegian mission is Lutheran, and so is the 
 Hanoverian. The direction of the Berlin Missionary Society is supposed to 
 be mainly (if not entirely) in the hands of men who have the same ecclesias- 
 tical preferences.'
 
 SKETCH OF THE GABOON MISSION. 
 
 -<>oJ<*iOo- 
 
 Western Africa is regarded as comprising that portion of the continent 
 lying along the Atlantic coast, from the southern border of the Great Desert, 
 in about sixteen degrees north latitude, to about the same degree of south 
 latitude. It embraces three grand divisions — Senegambia, running through 
 about six degrees of latitude, on the north ; Upper or Northern Guinea, reach- 
 ing from Cape Verga to the Cameroons Mountains ; and Southern Guinea, from 
 those mountains, four degrees north, to about sixteen degrees south of the 
 equator. This extent of territory presents great variety in physical aspect, 
 and not a little of the richest natural scenery. Alternate land and sea breezes 
 moderate the heat, and render the climate not oppressively warm, the general 
 range of the thermometer being from seventy to ninety degrees. The only 
 seasons recognized are the dry and the rainy. 
 
 The native inhabitants, though supposed to be all of the negro race, may be 
 divided into three great families, corresponding to the three geographical 
 divisions of the country, and presenting marked differences. In Senegambia 
 they profess the Mohammedan faith, and appear to be of mixed descent, rather 
 than pure negroes. The people of Northern Guinea are known as the Nigri- 
 tian, and those of Southern Guinea as the Nilotic or Ethiopian family, from 
 their supposed descent, respectively, from an ancestry inhabiting the valley of 
 the Niger and the upper regions on the Nile. These are pagans. 
 
 The government is everywhere a nominal monarchy, but it more nearly 
 approaches the j)atriarchal form ; and there are few kingdoms, or political 
 organizations, of any considerable extent. Though greatly debased in their 
 heathenism, the people are not among the lowest orders of the human race. 
 They have fixed habitations, cultivate the soil as a means of subsistence, have 
 herds of domestic animals, evince a decided taste and aptitude for commercial 
 pursuits, and have made considerable progress in manv mechanic arts. 
 
 SOUTHERN GUINEA. 
 
 The Nilotic or Ethiopian family, among whom the mission is now situated, 
 are " spread over the whole southern half of the continent, from the Mountains 
 of the Moon to the Cape of Good Hope." The dialects of Northern Guinea 
 are generally harsh and abrupt, with comparatively few words and few inflections, 
 while those of Southern Guinea are soft, pliant, flexible to an almost unlimited 
 4 (25)
 
 26 THE GABOON MISSION. 
 
 extent, with grammatical principles founded on the most philosophical basis, 
 and capable of expressing all the nicer shades of thought and feeling, while 
 the number of words may be multiplied to a very great extent. The mission- 
 aries, after having been a few years at the Gaboon, stated, " We have been 
 greatly surprised to find in this remote corner of Africa, and among a people 
 but very partially civilized, one of the most perfect languages [the Mpongwe] 
 of which we have any knowledge." 
 
 The population here, as in other parts of Western Africa, has been much 
 reduced by the slave trade ; but there has been a continued emigration of 
 interior tribes to the sea coast. Agricultural [jroducts are mainly such as the 
 people raise for their own food — Indian corn, plantains, yams, sweet potatoes, 
 cassava, ground-nuts, beans, pumpkins, sugar-cane, &c. Many tropical fruits 
 — oranges, lemons, limes, pine-apples, bananas, guavas, mangoes, &c. — are 
 abundant at the Gaboon, and are " more luscious than can be fancied by those 
 who have eaten them only after they have made a sea voyage." The forests 
 also abound with wild fruits and nuts. 
 
 The native houses near the coast are built of bamboo, quadrangular in form, 
 covered with mats made of the bamboo leaf, and always but one story high. 
 Those of the better class are from fifty to one hundred feet in length, with 
 corresponding width, have raised clay floors, are partitioned into several apart- 
 ments, and Avhen constructed with care, present a neat appearance, and are dry 
 and healthful. The interior tribes build in a simpler, ruder style. In the 
 dwellings of the bush tribes there is little furniture — "a few mats to sleep 
 on, half a dozen or more blocks of wood for seats, and a few of the plainest 
 utensils for cooking and eating." But the coast natives are considerably in 
 advance of this state of things, and the more wealthy traders often have many 
 articles of foreign manufacture, including sofas and pictures in gilt frames. 
 " They take their meals at tables, and use knives and forks." 
 
 POLYGAMY — SLAYKRY — KELIGION. 
 
 The custom of taking many wives is the great bane of native society, and 
 leaves a people who have social characteristics strongly developed, with no 
 semblance of domestic happiness. There is a laxity of morals scarcely to be 
 conceived of. Mr. AVilson wrote, in 1851, " We have come to the conclusion that 
 there is nothing of the marriage relation existing among them." The wife " is 
 regarded only as a sort of loan, or an exchange that may be withdrawn at 
 pleasure ; and in the estimation of the natives, her destiny is fully answered 
 if she enriches her husband with a few children. In this way and for this 
 purpose, the entire female population of the country is engrossed ; and no 
 man can get a wife, except so far as he may succeed in enticing her away 
 from some one else." 
 
 Domestic slavery prevails to a great extent, but in a mild form, the relation 
 of the adult slave to his master being rather that of a dependent, while the 
 master's exercise of authority is much restrained by his constant dread of the 
 machinations of witchcraft, which the slave may be able to command if he is 
 harshly treated. Slaves may rise to respectability and wealth, and are, not 
 unfrequently, themselves the owners of other slaves.
 
 THE MISSION — ITS COMMENCEMENT. 27 
 
 The people of Northern and Southern Guinea believe In common, according 
 to Mr. AVilson, in one Supreme Being, in a future existence, in evil spirits, and 
 in witchcraft ; and in common also they use fetishes ; but those of Southern 
 Guinea are the more superstitious of the two races. At the Gaboon, the 
 Mpongwe word for God is constantly upon the lips of the people, but profanely, 
 rather than with reverence. They think of God as like themselves — possessing 
 much the same traits of character, good and bad, but in a higher degree. Next 
 to him, in the government of the world, the Mpongwe people are said to place 
 two spirits, the one gentle and good, the other evil ; and next to these, two 
 classes of spirits, the worship of whom is most prominent in the superstitious 
 practices of the country. Both classes are spirits of dead men, one being those 
 of the ancestors of the people, and the other those of strangers ; but whether 
 they are good or bad, to be loved or hated, courted or avoided, the people 
 cannot tell. These are the spirits by which men are supposed to be possessed, 
 and the ceremonies used to deHver them from their power are very many. 
 Sick persons, and especially those afflicted with nervous diseases, are consid- 
 ered as thus possessed. 
 
 The worship of ancestors is mentioned as a marked characteristic of the 
 religious system of Southern Guinea. Fetishes are much used, and for many 
 purposes. The fetish is a kind of idol, supposed to be the residence of a 
 spirit, or to possess a magic power ; is either pubhc or private, — the fetish 
 of a community, a family, or an individual, — and may be a natural or an 
 artificial object, animal, vegetable, or mineral. Thus fetishism is one of the 
 lowest forms of idolatry. The belief in witchcraft, and the execution of 
 persons charged with having occasioned the death of others by its influence, 
 are fearful evils. 
 
 THE MISSION — ITS COAIMENCEMENT. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the American Board in 1825, a resolution was 
 passed, authorizing the Prudential Committee " to admit the descendants of 
 Africa into the Foreign Mission School, [at Cornwall, Conn.,] with a view to 
 their preparation for missionary labors on the coast of Africa ; " and at the same 
 time it was recommended to the Committee to establish a mission in Africa as 
 soon as they should find this practicable, and be able to make the requisite 
 preparations. Keeping this object in mind, the Committee from time to time 
 instituted inquiries in reference to the western, northern, and eastern coasts 
 of that continent ; but the way did not appear open for commencing a mission 
 until the year 1833. On the 28th of November of that year, llev. John Leigh- 
 ton Wilson and Mr. Stephen 11. Wyncoop sailed from Baltimore, on what 
 was rightly supposed to be the somewhat ])erilous enterprise of exploring the 
 ground. They went in a vessel sent by the ^Maryland Colonization Society, 
 touched at Monrovia in .January, 1834, and thence proceeded to Cape Palmas. 
 Having visited several places, and gathered much information, they left the 
 coast in March, and arrived at New York, on their return, April 13. 
 
 As the result of their inquiries, Ca])e Palmas, a headland on the Guinea 
 coast, in latitude 4° 22" north, was fixed upon as the place for a mission. The 
 agent of the Maryland Colonization Society had purchased a small territory 
 there, and a settlement was commencing under favorable circumstances. Mr. 
 Wilson sailed again from New York on the 7th of November, 1834, accompa-
 
 28 THE GABOON MISSION. 
 
 nied now by his wife and a colored female teacher. They reached Cape Palmas 
 in the latter part of December, and commenced their work, hoping — as the 
 Board at home hoped — that from that point missionary stations might soon be 
 spread abroad, not only among the maritime tribes, but toward the interior 
 of a continent so much needing the light of Christianity. 
 
 A re-enforcement — Rev. David White and wife, and Mr. James, a colored 
 printer — sailed from Baltimore, October 31, 1836, and reached the field De- 
 cember 25 ; but within a few weeks Mr. and Mrs. White were both removed 
 by death. The people around Cape Palmas were now desirous of receiving 
 missionaries. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson enjoyed good health, were most happy in 
 their work, considered the field one of much promise, and seemed only to need 
 associates. In July, 1839, Rev. Alexander E. Wilson, M. D., and wife, sailed 
 from New York to join the mission, reached Cape Palmas October 4, and had 
 the acclimating fever lightly; but on the 13th of October, 1841, Dr. Wilson 
 fell a victim to an epidemic dysentery. Rev. William Walker and wife and 
 Rev. Benjamin Griswold sailed from Boston, as a third re-enforcement, De- 
 cember 6, 1841, and arrived at Cape Palmas February 3, 1842. IVIrs. Walker 
 died on the 3d of May following. 
 
 REMOVAL TO THE GABOON. 
 
 The mission had now been continued for seven years, most of the time under 
 circumstances of encouragement. Mr. Wilson says, respecting it, in his 
 " Western Africa," " Dui-ing that time, seven stations and out-stations were 
 formed, at each of which a day school was established and stated preaching 
 was commenced. A church was organized at the first and principal station, 
 which, at one time, embraced more than thirty members, of whom more than 
 four fifths were natives ; a large boarding-school for both sexes was kept up 
 for more than six years ; the language was reduced to writing, a grammar and 
 a dictionary, in part, were published in it, and the Gospels of Matthew and 
 Mark, the Life of Chiist, and various other rehgious books were translated into 
 it, for the use of those who had been taught to read." 
 
 But it had never been the intention of the Prudential Committee to make 
 Cape Palmas, for any length of time, the principal seat of missionary eff"ort in 
 Western Africa. It was a colonial settlement ; the leading objects of the col- 
 ony, with reference to the natives, were not the same as those of the mission ; 
 frequent collisions with the colonists kept the minds of the natives disturbed 
 and excited ; the native teachers and pupils in the mission schools, though 
 from tribes ov.ing no allegiance to the colonial government, were by the laws 
 made subject to military duty ; and, as a body, the colonists seemed to regard 
 the missionaries with jealousy and ill will. For these and other reasons, it 
 was thought the time had come when another position should be sought ; and 
 on the 17th of May, 1842, Messrs. Wilson and Griswold sailed from Cape 
 Palmas, to visit, specially. Cape Lahu and the Gaboon River, and ascertain how 
 far those places, or either of them, might be suitable for missionary stations. 
 
 They touched at several other places on the coast, as well as Cape Lahu, and 
 reached the Gaboon June 22. Here they found " a noble river, about fourteen 
 miles wide, navigable for about thirty miles, [it is found to be navigable seventy 
 miles, to the Island of Nengenenge,] and for boats, on either of its two princi-
 
 REMOVAL TO THE GABOON. 29 
 
 pal branches, much further ; considerable trade m ivory, beeswax, boxwood, 
 and ebony ; " a country " not so densely populated as that about Cape Palmas 
 or Cape Lahu," but with a people " a good deal more advanced in civilization 
 than any natives " they "had before seen, or expected to see, on the western 
 coast of Africa," and who professed to desire instruction. Among them the 
 brethren would not be on the ground of any other missionary society, and the 
 situation appeared favorable for securing access to interior tribes. There was 
 a good landing, and the situation promised to be at least as favorable in respect 
 to health, as other positions on the coast. A site was therefore selected for 
 commencing operations, on rising ground, on the north side of the Gaboon, 
 about half a mile from the river's bank, and eight miles from its mouth, near 
 what was called King Glass's town. ( Since 1845 the station has been known 
 as Baraka.) Mr. Wilson remained to prepare a house, while Mr. Griswold 
 returned to Cape Palmas for other members of the mission. 
 
 The country along the northern bank of the river is high, undulating, and 
 some portions of it very beautiful. But a very small part of it is under culti- 
 vation. The Mpongwe people, found on both sides of the river, though for- 
 merly more numerous, were not supposed to number at this time more than 
 about 6000 ; but two other tribes — the Shekanis and Bakeles — had come down 
 from the interior, and were residing to some extent among the Mpongwes, 
 making the whole population on the river, within thirty miles of its mouth, 
 perhaps 25,000. The Bakeles, mostly residing further from the coast, are 
 supposed to number, in all, not less than 100,000. Still another people, the 
 Pangwes, were soon found to be approaching the coast, of whom Mr. Wilson 
 says, they are, " in some respects, a very remarkable people. Among sav- 
 ages I do not know that I ever met men of nobler or more imposing bearing." 
 They have now established several large villages on the upper waters of the 
 Gaboon, and " these represent themselves as but a handful compared with 
 those who are to follow." Thus one wave after another of people from the 
 interior — Mpongwes, Shekanis, Bakeles, Pangwes • — seems to approach the 
 coast, and gradually dwindle and disappear before the succeeding wave. 
 
 A school was opened in July. Most of the chiefs in the vicinit}' were very 
 soon visited by Mr. ^Vilson, and seemed interested in the mission, promising 
 to send their sons to the school, or requesting that one might be established 
 in their own towns Mr. Walker and Mrs. A. E. Wilson reached the Gaboon 
 December 1, and Mr. Griswold on the 18th of January, 1843. Mrs. J. L. 
 Wilson was then on a visit to the United States. Mr. and Mrs. James 
 remained for a time in charge of the mission premises and schools at Fair 
 Hope; but in January, 1844, they removed to the Gaboon. Several native 
 members of the church at Cape Palmas also removed, to aid, as school teachers, 
 in the new field ; and the scliools at (^ape Palmas, or a part of them, were 
 transferred to American Episcopal missionaries. 
 
 In May, 1843, there were already three schools, with between fifty and sixty 
 pupils, at the Gaboon, and other towns were earnestly importuning for teach- 
 ers- Sabbath worship was held at the station, and at three other places near 
 by, where the people assembled in good numbers. 
 
 Three French ships of war entered the river in February, 1843, and an 
 attempt was made to purchase territory. This was at first unsuccessful ; but 
 not long after, by deception and the fre3 use of brandy, signatures were
 
 30 
 
 THE GABOON MISSION. 
 
 obtained to a document under which French officials claimed and took posses- 
 sion of land including King Glass's town ; and the Gaboon has ever since 
 been held by them as a naval station. The general influence of the French 
 has at times been most unhappy ; a papal mission Avas soon commenced, and 
 has been continued ; but the missionaries of the Board have not been much 
 molested in their work, and the relations between them and the French officers 
 have often been of a very friendly character. 
 
 The following table presents the names of those who have joined the mis- 
 sion since 1843, with the time of their sailing, return, or death : — 
 
 Names. 
 
 Sailed for the 
 Gaboon. 
 
 Rev. John M.Campbell, IJan. 1, ISW. 
 
 Rev. Albert Bushnell, I 
 
 Mrs. Stocker, (marr'd to Mr. Bushnell M'ch, '4.5,) " " 
 
 Mrs. Walker, j Sept. 10, 1840. 
 
 Rev. Ira M. Preston, ' June 14, 1848. 
 
 Mrs. Jane S. Preston, | " " 
 
 Rev. William T. AVhcclor I " " 
 
 Rev. Jacob Best, ' Nov. 3, 1849. 
 
 Dr. Henry A. Ford, June 20, 1850. 
 
 Rev. Rolliu Porter, March 25, 1851. 
 
 Mrs. Porter, >' " 
 
 Mrs. Catharine H. Walker, Oct. 2, 1S5I. 
 
 Rev. E. J. Pierce, Nov. .30, 1853. 
 
 Mrs. Susan Pierce, 
 
 Rev. Hubert P. Herrick, 
 
 Mrs. Julia Herrick, 
 
 Miss Olivia Smith, afterward Mrs. Ford, . . . ! " " 
 
 Mrs. Lueinda J. Bushnell, j Dec. 10, 1853. 
 
 Mrs. Gertrude Best, \ " " 
 
 Rev. Henry M. Adams, [ Sept. 29, 1S54. 
 
 Rev. Andrew D. Jack, I Oct. 6, 1857. 
 
 Mrs. Mary E. Jack, | " " 
 
 Miss Jane A. Van Allen, " " 
 
 Rev. Monis L. St. John, M. I)., | Sept. 27, 1859. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah A. St. John, ; 
 
 Rev. Walter H. Clark,* " " 
 
 Miss Helen W. Green, : April 11, 1863 
 
 Died. 
 
 April 19, 1844. 
 
 Feb. 25, 1850. 
 April 23, 1848. 
 
 Feb. 2, 1S58. 
 July 6, 1852. 
 July IC, 1852. 
 
 Feb. 24, 1855. 
 Dec. 20, 1857. 
 
 Aug. 13, 1850. 
 
 Returned. 
 
 1849. 
 1861. 
 
 1859. 
 
 lS5fi. 
 1855. 
 
 ISGl. 
 
 1859. 
 1859. 
 1862. 
 1861. 
 1861. 
 
 18(14. 
 
 * Joined the Presbyterian Mission at Corisco in 1801. 
 
 It will be seen that the only individuals who have joined the mission since 
 its removal to the Gaboon, and still remain connected with it and on the 
 ground, are Mr. Bushnell and his present wife, Mr. and Mrs. Preston, and 
 the present Mrs. Walker. Of those who removed from Cape Palmas, Mr. 
 Griswold died July 14, 1844, and Mrs. Griswold, formerly Mrs. Alexander E. 
 Wilson, early in 1849 ; Mr. James, the colored printer, left the mission, 
 in 1846, to take charge of a school in I.iberia; Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Wilson, 
 after eighteen years of service in Africa, returned to the United States in 1852, 
 and Mr. Wilson became one of the Secretaries of the Presbyterian Board of 
 Missions. 
 
 The mission has continued to have free access to the Mpongwe people, has 
 labored also much among the Bakeles, and has at various times made efforts 
 to extend its influence, and occupy stations toward the interior. In 1849 
 there were reported three stations — at Baraka, among ths Tlpongwes ; at
 
 ATTEMPTS TO REACH THE INTERIOR. 31 
 
 Olandebenk, twenty-five miles further up the river, among Bakeles ; and at 
 Nengenenge, an island near the junction of the Nkama and Bak^e Rivers, 
 upper branches of the Gaboon, sixty or seventy miles from Baraka, on the 
 borders of Bakeles and the Shekanis. The brethren still had their eye directed 
 to the Pangwes, but the difficulties in attempting to advance from the coast 
 have been found to be great. Tliere are no roads ; beyond navigable rivers 
 there is found only a narrow pathway through the densest forests ; there are 
 no caravans of traders. The timidity of the coast people, who might be guides, 
 the jealousy and treachery of all the natives, wars, ebullitions of savage pas- 
 sion, and the want of any established government which could protect, present 
 constant obstacles. In 1854, Messrs. Walker and Preston made an exploration 
 of the River Nazareth, which enters the ocean sixty or seventy miles south of 
 the Gaboon, hoping to find a favorable opening for missionary labor there ; but 
 the result was a conviction that it was inexpedient to commence a station in 
 that region. The population was sparse, and the climate unpropitious. 
 
 In June, 1855, it was resolved that Messrs. Preston, Herrick, and Adams 
 should commence the study of the Pangwe language, and cstoblish themselves 
 among that people as soon as possible. Mr. Herrick, however, was obliged to 
 leave the field in July. Messrs. Preston and Adams commenced labor among 
 the Pangwe towns, above Nengenenge, still looking toward the interior, and 
 longing to go further ; but in August, 1856, ]Mr. Adams Avas removed by death, 
 and labors among that people were suspended. Two or three years later, the 
 migration of the people from the vicinity, and other causes, led to the aban- 
 donment of the Olandebenk station; and since 1861 Nengenenge has been 
 occupied only by a native helper. 
 
 The Annual Report of the American Board for 1858 states, "With the 
 Prudential Committee it has ever been a leading idea, in the Gaboon mission, 
 to reach the interior, at some point above the peculiar fever influences, and 
 
 beyond the tangled forests of the coast regions Wlien, under the 
 
 guidance of God's good providence, tlie mission shall reach such a point, 
 where it can make a home and a centre, and there gather converts and educate 
 native preachers, to go forth with the AVord of Life in all directions, then will 
 its grand idea be realized, and it will become one of the more promising and 
 interesting missions under the care of the Board." 
 
 In view of the many difficulties found in efforts thus to reach the interior, 
 the want of marked success, the occupation of the Gaboon by the French, and 
 their claim to the right of control, various inquiries had been addressed to the 
 missionaries, to elicit their views as to the course which should be pursued ; 
 and in January, 1859, a free conference was hold, at the Missionary House, 
 with three of the missionaries then in the United States, Messrs. Walker, 
 Preston, and Pierce. These brethren, as well as other members of the mis- 
 sion, felt that, on the whole, no better location for tlieir efforts could be found 
 in Western Africa ; that difRculties and discouragements were no greater than 
 they had ever been, while there were some new souixes of encouragement ; 
 and that labors should by all means be continued at the Gaboon. 
 
 At that time there were only twelve members of the one church at Baraka- 
 In all, nearly forty had been connected with it ; but ten of these had returned 
 to Cape Palmas, about the same number had been excommiuiicated, and five 
 had died. The temptations to which numbers are exposed, in connection with
 
 32 THE GABOON MISSION. 
 
 the allurements of trade with foreigners, and the customs of the countiT, 
 especially slavery and polygamy, are very great. Since then, though the mis- 
 sion has been reduced in the number of laborers, there has been more of 
 religious progress, — more experience of spiritual influence, — than ever 
 before. During the year 1859, six members Avere added to the church by pro- 
 fession. In 1860 there was decided religious interest, and ten or Iwelve young 
 men, in a class instructed by Mr. Bushnell, indulged the hope tha't they had 
 been born again. In 1862, eighteen persons were received to the church, and 
 in 1863, nine, all on profession of their faith. Several have been received more 
 recently, and at the latest dates there were a number of inquirers. A new, 
 substantial, and pleasant house of worship was erected in 1862, mostly at the 
 expense of foreigners residing at the Gaboon. There are two schools at Ba- 
 raka, one for boys and one for girls, in both of which most of the pupils are 
 boarded on the mission premises. The great object in these schools has ever 
 been to raise up native helpers for the missionary work — preachers, teachers, 
 and their wives. There were, in 1863, some young men studying with the 
 professed purpose of preparing to preich the gospel, but the "allurements of 
 trade " have drawn them away ; and the system of polygamy, and other cus- 
 toms of the people in respect to matriage, act, says Mr. Walker, " as mildew 
 and blight on all our hopes for the females of these Unds." 
 
 The general conduct of members of the church is now reported to be as 
 correct as could reasonably be expected ; but " the great difficulty of finding 
 among the members those who are willing to go and preach to others that 
 gospel which has been found so precious to their own souls," is still "the most 
 discouraging feature of the work." 
 
 The brethren now at the Gaboon have been long connected with the mission, 
 laboring with a faith, a love for souls, and a patience and cheerfulness of hope, 
 which will be had in remembrance before God, and entitle them to an interest 
 in the warmest sympathies and the most earnest prayers of Christians at home. 
 Mr. Walker reached Africa in 1842, Mr. Bushnell in 1844, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Preston in 1848, Mrs. Walker in 1851, and Mrs. Bushnell in 1854. Respect- 
 ing the results of effort in this field, Mr. Wilson stated, several years ago, 
 " When the missionaries first arrived at the Gaboon, the people were immured 
 in the profoundest heathenism. They had no Sabbath, no sanctuary, no Bible, 
 and had scarcely heard of the name of the Saviour of the world. Now, the 
 Sabbath is known, and outwardly observed, by a large proportion of the peo- 
 ple in the vicinity of the older stations ; the Sabbath bell brings together a 
 goodly assembly of orderly Avorshipers ; more than one hundred youths have 
 received a Christian education, some of whom are employed in promoting the 
 cause of religion and education ; two dialects have been reduced to writing, 
 and the third is being studied out. In the first, the Gospels of Matthew and 
 John have been translated and published, as Avell as other religious books. 
 To all of which it may be added, that many thousands of immortal beings, 
 in this region of country, have acquired sufficient knowledge of the gospel to 
 be saved." 
 
 Since these statements were made. Exodus, Proverbs, and the Acts have also 
 been printed in the Mpongwe, and Matthew, a few Psalms, and a reading-book 
 have been prepared in Dikele, the language of the Bakelcs. There is a partial 
 vocabulary of the PangTe language.
 
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