een partly placed at their disposal, both to assist and defend;
those who found their allotted farms too small, had them increased to
the extent of the farms of their Dutch neighbours; acceptable public
officers were appointed; provisions were supplied on credit, and
everything, in short, had been done to cheer and encourage the settlers
during the period of gloom which followed their first great calamity,
the failure of the wheat-crops. All this was upset on the return of
Lord Charles Somerset. With a degree of tyranny and want of judgment
worthy of a mere "Jack-in-office," he immediately removed from the
magistracy of the British Settlement of Albany a favourite and able man,
to make room for one of his own proteges and supporters. He withdrew
troops from one of the most important frontier villages (in a strategic
point of view), and stopped the formation of a road to it, thus
compelling the settlers to desert it and leave their standing crops to
the surprised but pleased Kafirs, who were perplexed as well as
emboldened by the vacillating policy of white Governors! In addition to
this he gave permission to the savage chief Macomo to occupy the land so
vacated, thus paving the way for future wars. Instead of encouraging
traffic with the Kafirs he rendered it illegal. He issued a
proclamation forbidding all public meetings for political purposes; he
thwarted the philanthropic and literary Pringle and Fairbairn in their
attempts to establish a newspaper, and drove the former from the colony.
But why proceed? We cite these facts merely to account for the cloud
on Edwin Brook's brow, and for the fact that at this time many of the
British settlers, who would gallantly have faced the "rust" and other
troubles and difficulties sent to them by Providence, could not bear the
oppression which "driveth a wise man mad," but, throwing up all their
hopes and privileges as settlers, scattered themselves far and wide over
the colony. This, as it happened, was much to the advantage of
themselves and the old Dutch settlers with whom they mingled. Those of
them who remained behind, however, continued to fight the battle against
oppression and circumstances most manfully.

Long and patiently did Mrs Brook listen to her visitor and husband
while they indignantly discussed these subjects.

"But why," said she, at last giving vent to her feelings, "why does the
Government at home not remove such an incapable and wicked Governor and