The•Courage•of•||kabbo * Celebrating•the•100th•Anniversary•of•the•Publication•of•• Specimens•of•Bushman•Folklore edited•by•Janette•Deacon•and•Pippa•Skotnes LOUIS •A NTHING •(1829–1902)1 J OSÉ •M ANUEL • DE •P RADA-SAMPER L ouis• Karel• Anthony• Anthing• was• born• in• Venlo,• the• Netherlands,• on• 3• May• 1829.2• The• Anthing• family• originated• in• the• German• duchy• of• Saxe-Gotha• but• soon•developed•close•ties•to•the•Netherlands•and•eventually•spread•to•Batavia•and•• the•Cape.3• Louis’•paternal•grandfather,•Lieutenant-General•Carl•Heinrich•Wilhelm•Anthing,• was• a• professional• soldier• who• fought• for• the• Dutch• in• the• Napoleonic• wars• and• changed•sides•as•the•conflict•progressed.•Napoleon•rewarded•his•services•by•making• him•a•baron•and•giving•him•lands•in•Luxembourg,•but•in•1815•he•fought•against•him• in•Waterloo.•Soon•afterwards,•he•travelled•to•Batavia•as•military•commander•of•that• colony,•which•the•British•had•recently•returned•to•the•Dutch.•With•him•went•Johann• Philipp,•his•son,•Louis’•father,•who•was•C.H.W.•Anthing’s•aide-de-camp.4 As• was• customary,• the• ship• taking• the• Anthings• to• Java• stopped• at• the• Cape,• where,• on• 3• March• 1816,• Johann• Philipp• married• Charlotte• Johanna• Gottliebe• Liesching•in•the•Lutheran•Church•in•Strand•Street•(Schoeman•1997b:•157).•Charlotte• was•the•daughter•of•Dr•Friedrich•Ludwig•Liesching•(1757–1841),•a•German•physician• who•had•arrived•at•the•Cape•in•1787•with•a•regiment•of•mercenaries•recruited•by•the• VOC.•It•is•relevant•to•mention•here•that•Dr•Liesching•owned•several•slaves,•and•that• one•of•his•sons,•Dr•Liesching•Jr.,•was•surgeon•to•the•Slave•Lodge•in•1825.5 Johan• Philipp• Anthing• left• Java• with• his• family• in• 1818• and,• again,• the• ship• in• which•he•travelled•stopped•at•the•Cape,•where•he•requested•permission•to•reside•for• a•few•months,6•no•doubt•because•his•wife•was•heavily•pregnant•with•Louis’s•eldest• brother,•Frederik•Lodewijk•(1819–1883),•also•called•‘Fritz’,•who•was•baptised•in•the• Lutheran•Church•of•Cape•Town•on•7•February•1819•(Schoeman•1997b:•157).•Fritz• studied•law•in•Leiden•and•then•moved•to•Batavia,•where•he•eventually•became•vicepresident•of•the•Supreme•Court•of•the•Dutch•East•Indies.•After•some•time•he•resigned• from• this• position• in• order• to• undertake• missionary• work• among• the• indigenous• population•of•Batavia•and•its•surroundings.•His•project•was•based•on•the•principle• (not• common• in• those• days)• that• the• nations• of• the• Indies• could• ‘only• be• won• for• Christ•by•workers•from•those•nations’•(Van•den•End•1999).•It•is•quite•remarkable•that• both•Fritz•and•his•younger•brother•had•an•approach•to•indigenous•people•that•went• very•much•against•the•grain•of•their•times.•This•point•needs•to•be•explored•further.•• I•feel•that•this•could•be•due•to•some•event•in•the•lives•of•their•father•and•grandfather• who,•while•in•command•of•the•colonial•troops•in•Batavia,•possibly•had•a•role•(which• 61 1•A•version•of•this•paper•was• discussed•in•the•October•2011• research•workshop•of•the•University• of•Cape•Town’s•Archive•and•Public• Culture•Research•Initiative.•I•want•to• express•my•thanks•to•all•those•who• participated•in•the•discussion,•and•to• Prof.•Carolyn•Hamilton,•NRF•Chair• in•Archive•and•Public•Culture,•for• her•support•and•encouragement.•My• research•on•Anthing•and•his•mission•in• Bushmanland,•both•in•the•archives•and• on•the•field,•has•to•a•large•extent•been• made•possible•by•the•support•of•the• University•of•Cape•Town’s•Centre•for• Curating•the•Archive,•and•I•am•greatly• indebted•to•Prof.•Pippa•Skotnes,•the• centre’s•director.•This•research•is•part• of•a•larger•project•on•the•history•of• the•|xam•people•of•Bushmanland•and• their•modern-day•descendants,•and•on• Louis•Anthing’s•life•and•career,•and•will• include•an•annotated•edition•of•all•the• documents•connected•with•his•mission• in•Bushmanland•and•its•aftermath. 2•Genlias•Database,•http:// www.genlias.nl/en/searchDetail. jsp?val=3&xtr=23074288&vgr=3• (accessed•27•April•2010).•I•am•very• grateful•to•Peter•Kooiman,•who•located• Louis•Anthing's•birth•certificate•on•this• website•on•29•March•2010.•In•the•birth• record•the•name•appears•as•Lodewijk• Karel•Antonij•Anthing. 3•For•a•more•detailed•summary•of•Louis• Anthing’s•family•background,•see•De• Prada•2012b.• • 4•On•Carl•Heinrich•Wilhelm•Anthing,• see•Hiddingh•1891:•6–8;•Molhuysen•&• Blok•1921:•22–4;•Schmidt•1823:•788–9. 5•On•Dr•Liesching•and•his•children,•see• Hiddingh•1891:•11–12;•McMagh•1992;• Deacon•&•Van•Heyningen•2004. 6•Western•Cape•Archives•(WCA),•CO• 3914,•ref.•603,•Memorial•from•Major• J.•Anting•(sic),•undated•but•late•1818,• early•1819,•Cape•Town). 7 On Johann Phillip Anthing, see Hiddingh 1891: 7–8. The date of his retirement from active service is in Landolt 1854: 122. 8 See the court case ‘In Re LieschingVan der Riet and De Smidt vs Tennant and Company’, in Buchanan (ed.). 1870: 239, where reference is made to placing slaves as security. On the negative impact of the abolition of slavery on a number of Cape Town families, see Marais 1962 [1939]: 189–90. 9 National Archives, Pretoria, SS 355, ref. R2673/79. I am grateful to Sunet Swanepoel of the McGregor Museum, Kimberly, who called my attention to this document and generously gave me her transcription of it. I have since consulted the original in the National Archives in Pretoria. 10 In the Cape Almanac for 1858 (p. 128) Anthing appears as member of the Malmesbury Reading Society, an institution that is not mentioned in the almanacs of previous years, and which could very well have been started by Anthing himself. seems very likely) in the bloody suppression of the uprising of Thomas Matulessy (also known as Pattimura) on the island of Saparua, in the Moluccas in 1817 (see Viljoen 2006: 184 n. 356). Back in the Netherlands, Anthing’s father, who was held in high esteem by the king, had a brilliant military career and even played a role, on the Dutch side, in the events of September 1830 in Brussels, which led to the independence of Belgium. He ceased active service in the Dutch army in 1832, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, apparently due to ill health. He died in Cologne, Germany, in 1833.7 According to a short history of the Anthing family written by Anna Hiddingh, Louis’ niece, Charlotte, ‘having always a wish to return to her native land, did so in 1838, and was very much disappointed in finding the place much changed, in consequence of the emancipation of the slaves making several families very poor and causing many other changes’ (Hiddingh 1891: 8). This reference to the very negative impact of the emancipation of slaves on a number of Cape families was, no doubt, motivated by the fact that Charlotte’s own father, the previously mentioned Dr Liesching, was one of the many who became impoverished, in all likelihood because he had placed some of his slaves as security for bank loans.8 He died bankrupt in 1841. Louis, who was 12 years old at the time, must have known him. We do not know anything about Louis Anthing’s childhood in Cape Town or where he received his education. Although the Anthings, with their impeccable Dutch antecedents, were no doubt considered among the best families in the colony, they do not appear to have been very well off, and it must have been difficult for Charlotte to rear and educate her four children. The South African College, from which the University of Cape Town was formed, was established in 1839, but it is not clear if Anthing ever attended this institution, although it is not impossible, since two of his maternal uncles, L.F. and C.L.W. Liesching were involved with it (Borman 1989: 33; Ritchie & Kent 1918: 84). In a letter to Owen Lanyon, the Administrator of the Transvaal, dated 1879, Anthing wrote that he could not claim ‘[h]igh attainments in the sense of a superior general education ... my opportunities for study or extensive reading having been but few’, but that he hoped that his experience and qualifications ‘may perhaps compensate in their usefulness ... for the absence of high culture’.9 It is my guess that he could have been educated at home and that, to a large extent, he was always a self-taught person. Possibly, he was being modest when he told Lanyon that he lacked ‘extensive reading’.10 Petrus Borcherdus Borcherds (1786–1871), Resident Magistrate of Cape Town and member of the anti-slavery movement in the colony (see Watson 1987), was part of the social circle of the Anthings, and could very well have had an early influence on young Louis, who must have heard his many stories about the Bushmen. Borcherds had had personal contact with them in his early youth when he was a member of 62 the•Truter-Somerville•expedition,•sent•by•the•colonial•government•to•open•trade•with• the• Tswana• chiefdoms• north• of• the• colony• (Bradlow• &• Bradlow• 1979).• Borcherds• portrayal• of• the• Bushmen• in• his• published• memoirs• and• other• writings• is• quite• sympathetic,•which•was•highly•unusual•for•the•times.11•The•old•magistrate•also•had•a• well-informed•historical•perspective•on•the•vexed•issue•of•race•relations•in•the•Cape• Colony,•as•he•had•compiled•and•edited•a•collection•of•early•documents•regarding•the• treatment•of•natives•in•South•Africa•for•the•government•in•1835.12 In•1849,•when•he•was•just•20•years•old,•Anthing•actively•participated•in•the•civic• movement•that•fought•to•prevent•the•Cape•Colony•from•becoming•a•convict•station.13• Commenting•on•this,•a•correspondent•in•a•local•publication•referred•to•him•in•a•letter• to•the•editor•as•‘Mr.•Anthing,•that•far•seeing•and•intelligent•young•man’.14•Soon•after• this,•in•1850,•Anthing•entered•the•civil•service. His•career•in•the•civil•service•was•brilliant.15•He•started•as•clerk•in•the•office•of•the• Master•of•the•Supreme•Court,•which•dealt•with•insolvency•cases,•on•a•salary•of•£90• per•year.•In•1854•he•was•appointed•clerk•to•the•Civil•Commissioner•of•Malmesbury,• a• village• north• of• Cape• Town,• on• a• salary• of• £160• per• year.• In• 1859• he• became• Civil• Commissioner• and• Resident• Magistrate• of• the• recently• created• Division• of• Namaqualand,•earning•a•salary•of•£500•per•year•at•30•years•of•age.•Namaqualand• was•certainly•one•of•the•remotest•outposts•of•the•colony,•but•it•was•the•home•of•very• productive• copper• mines.• Anthing’s• office• was• on• the• farm• Springbokfontein• that• belonged•to•the•mining•company,•and•which•later•became•the•town•of•Springbok. It•was•while•working•as•a•magistrate•in•Springbokfontein•that•Anthing•‘stumbled’,• so•to•speak,•upon•the•tragedy•of•the•Bushmen•of•the•area,•although•he•must•have• been•aware•of•the•rumours•of•the•exterminatory•practices•against•them•well•before• travelling• to• Namaqualand.• The• fact• is• that,• in• September• 1861,• while• he• was• examining•Jacob•Fluik,•a•Bushman•prisoner•accused•of•murder,•Fluik•told•him•that• ‘many•of•his•countrymen,•and•amongst•them•some•of•his•relations[,]•had•at•different• times•been•killed•by•border•farmers’.•Anthing•decided•to•make•further•enquires•and• examined• Ou• Booi,• a• friend• of• Fluik,• who• took• him• to• Namies,• where• his• uncle,• Oumaap,•together•with•his•wife•and•their•children,•had•been•killed•by•a•commando• composed,•wrote•Anthing,•‘of•Bastards,•Europeans•and•their•Hottentot•servants’.16 Anthing•immediately•wrote•to•the•Attorney-General,•William•Porter,•forwarding• him•the•depositions•he•had•taken•from•Jacob•Fluik•and•Ou•Booi•and•asking•for•further• instructions.•Anthing•must•have•known•William•Porter•well,•and•there•is•reason•to• believe•that,•to•a•certain•extent,•he•was•a•protégé•of•his.•He•was•certainly•familiar•with• Porter’s•liberal•ideas•regarding•the•treatment•of•natives,•ideas•very•similar•to•those• expressed•by•Anthing•himself•in•the•letters•he•sent•to•the•colonial•government•during• his•mission.•See,•for•example,•William•Porter’s•speech•before•the•Legislative•Council,• ‘On•the•Frontier’,•2•October•1845.•At•the•end•of•the•speech,•Porter•questions•the• 63 11•See,•for•example,•what•he•says• in•the•letter•to•his•father•written• after•the•return•of•the•Somerville• expedition•(Bradlow•&•Bradlow• 1979:•213)•and•in•his•memoirs• (Borcherds•1861:•104–5). 12•CPP•1835•(50)•and•1835•(252),• Papers•relative•to•the•condition•and• treatment•of•the•native•inhabitants•of• Southern•Africa,•within•the•colony•of• the•Cape•of•Good•Hope,•or•beyond• the•frontier•of•that•colony,•in•• two•parts. 13•South•African•Commercial• Advertiser,•Wednesday,•• 23•May•1849. 14•The•African•Journal,•15•November• 1849.•The•letter•to•the•editor•is• signed•‘Africander’. 15•Anthing’s•early•career•in•the•civil• service•can•be•traced•in•the•Cape•of• Good•Hope•Almanac•and•Annual• Register•from•1851•onwards;•also• in•the•‘Statement•of•service’•in•the• Colonial•Office•List•for•1863•(137)• and•1867•(194). 16•WCA,•1•SBK•5/2/1,•13•September• 1861,•Springbokfontein,•Louis• Anthing•to•Attorney-General,•5. ‘doomed•race’•theory,•according•to•which•‘the•brown•man•is•destined•everywhere• to•disappear•before•the•white•man,•and•that•such•is•the•law•of•nature’•(Porter•1886:• 435),•in•terms•similar,•although•not•as•radical,•to•those•employed•by•Anthing•in•one• of•his•letters•from•Kenhardt•to•the•government.17•It•was•surely•this•awareness•of•their• ideological•affinities•that•led•Anthing•to•include•in•his•letter•to•the•Attorney-General• a•statement•like•this: To•assert•as•the•Border•Colonists•do•that•the•[Bushmen]•cannot•be•brought•under• civilizing• influences• is• to• pronounce• their• doom.• But• it• is• a• libel• upon• the• human• race[.]•The•habits•of•the•Bushmen•are•no•doubt•very•barbarous•but•(though•I•have• come• in• contact• with• but• three• or• four• altogether)• it• has• so• happened• that• I• have• witnessed•traits•of•character•which•evinced•a•nobleness•of•soul•that•made•me•feel,• unmixed•with•my•sense•of•superiority,•that•he•and•I•are•of•the•same•race.18 17•Regrettably,•there•is•still•no•full• biography•of•Porter,•in•spite•of•his• great•importance•in•the•social,• political•and•cultural•life•of•the•Cape• Colony•from•1838•onwards.•So•far,• the•only•biographical•study•available• is•J.L.•McCracken’s•brief•but•highly• informative•First•Light•in•the•Cape• of•Good•Hope:•William•Porter,•the• Father•of•Cape•Liberalism•(1993). 18•WCA,•1•SBK•5/2/1,•13•September• 1861,•Anthing•to•Attorney-General,•3. 19•WCA,•AG•2164,•13•September• 1861,•Cape•Town,•William•Porter•to• Anthing,•50–2. 20•WCA,•CO•4414,•1•April•1862,• Groot•Riet,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary,•27. 21•For•a•more•detailed•discussion•of• why•this•is•so,•see•De•Prada•2012a. 22•WCA,•CO•4414,•1•April•1862,• Groot•Riet,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary,•10–11. In•his•reply•to•Anthing’s•letter,•Porter•told•him•that•‘as•there•is•at•present•reason•to• believe•that•a•series•of•what•we•must•all•describe•as•most•inhuman•murders•has•been• committed,•I•feel•that•I•should•be•wanting•in•my•duty•if•I•did•not•prosecute•[so]•now• my•clear•course•is•to•have•a•full•judicial•investigation’.•In•his•letter•Porter•commissions• Anthing•to•take•charge•of•this•investigation•and•concludes•his•letter•with•the•words•• ‘I•reckon•it•a•fortunate•thing•for•the•ends•of•justice•that•it•falls•to•the•lot•of•a•Magistrate• of•your•zeal,•ability,•and•thorough•independence’.19 Anthing•set•out•for•Bushmanland•on•12•February•1861.•This•is•not•the•place•to• give•a•detailed•account•of•his•mission,•but•for•the•current•purposes•a•broad•summary• of• his• findings• is• in• order.• Anthing’s• investigations• not• only• corroborated• what• his• Springbokfontein• informants• had• told• him• but• revealed• a• situation• that,• no• doubt,• went•well•beyond•his•worst•fears. Not• only• were• unlawful• commandos• targeting• the• |xam,• but• their• objectives• were• more• ambitious• than• mere• retaliation• for• alleged• cattle• thefts.• As• Anthing• put•it•in•one•of•his•letters•to•the•government,•what•was•going•on•in•Bushmanland• was•‘the•systematic•destruction•of•a•race•of•men’•and•this•was•being•done•‘as•if•it• were• a• necessary• transaction• in• the• business• of• colonial• life’,20• words• that• clearly• place•the•events•under•investigation•in•the•realm•of•genocide.21•The•situation•of•the• people• who• lived• on• the• farms• was• not• much• better• than• those• who• still• tried• to• live•independently.•‘Harsh•treatment’—wrote•Anthing•in•his•published•report—‘an• insufficient•allowance•of•food,•and•continued•injuries•inflicted•on•their•kinsmen’•very• often•forced•them•to•return•to•the•bush•(A39–‘63:•5). Anthing• realised,• soon• after• his• arrival• at• the• scene,• ‘that• the• transactions• are• more•extensive•than•did•at•first•appear’,•involving•virtually•every•farmer•in•the•region,• coloured• and• white,22• and• that• to• apprehend• the• people• guilty• of• these• atrocities• with•the•reduced•group•of•constables•at•his•disposal•was•almost•impossible.•Among• 64 the• white• perpetrators• Anthing• mentions• ‘Dutch• farmers• from• the• Bokkeveld• and• Hantam•headed•by•Casper•Nieuwoudt[,]•the•very•wealthy•&•well•known•Fieldcornet• of•Bokkeveld[,]•and•Elias•Nel•Abelnoi[,]•a•Justice•of•the•Peace•&•likewise•a•wealthy•&• leading•man•of•the•Hantam’.23 Another•worrying•fact•that•came•to•Anthing’s•attention•soon•after•he•reached• Bushmanland• was• that• some• of• the• |xam• had• organised• themselves,• not• to• steal• cattle,• but• to• retaliate• against• the• atrocities• of• the• farmers.• The• unpublished• documents• tell,• with• moving• detail,• the• story• of• the• leader• of• this• group,• a• man• known•to•the•farmers•as•Herklaas,•but•whose•|xam•name—as•we•know•from•a•list• of•the•people•brought•by•Anthing•to•Cape•Town•in•1863•and•dictated•by•||kabbo• to• Wilhelm• Bleek—was• !ki• ||k’atten• tu.24• Some• years• before• !ki• ||k’atten• tu• had• miraculously• escaped• the• massacre• of• all• his• people• at• a• place• called• Bosduif.• A• few• months• before• the• arrival• of• Anthing,• one• of• his• sons• had• been• brutally• murdered•by•farmers•for•stealing•a•sheep.25•The•rebel•leader•told•Anthing•‘that•his• son•had•crept•into•a•hole•after•being•wounded,•and•had•afterwards•been•dragged• out•and•ripped’.•However,•Anthing•convinced•him•that•he•was•there•to•bring•justice• for• all• so• !ki• ||k’atten• tu• gave• himself• up.• ‘After• listening• to• what• I• had• to• say• to• him’—Anthing•wrote•in•his•published•report—‘he•showed•me•a•little•hair•clotted• with•blood•which•he•carried•near•his•heart,•and•said•that•that•had•belonged•to•his• finest•boy•who•had•been•killed,•and•that•it•was•that•which•had•led•him•to•the•course• he•had•been•pursuing’•(A39–’63:•5,•11). Both• in• his• field• reports• and• in• the• published• letter• to• the• Assembly,• Anthing• took•pains•to•state•clearly•the•causes•of•the•thefts.•The•Bushmen,•he•explained,•were• driven•to•cattle-rustling•not•because•it•was•for•them•a•way•life,•as•was•the•common• opinion• among• the• settlers,• but• because• the• farmers• had• deprived• them• of• their• means• of• subsistence,• having• exterminated• the• game,• appropriated• the• waterholes• and• destroyed• with• their• herds• the• grass• and• other• plant• foods• on• which• they• depended.•It•was•hunger,•Anthing•wrote•to•the•government,•that•had•driven•the•|xam• ‘to•invade•the•flocks•and•herds•of•the•intruders,•regardless•of•the•consequences,•and• resigning•themselves,•as•they•say,•to•the•thought•of•being•shot•in•preference•to•death• from•starvation’•(A39–’63:•5). In•his•published•report,•Anthing•proposed•a•number•of•measures•to•protect•the• life• of• the• survivors•and• guarantee• their•wellbeing,• among• them•the• establishment• of•a•magistracy•in•the•area,•and•also•‘the•forming•of•locations•for•the•remnant•of•the• Bushman•race,•and•the•sale•of•some•of•the•land•for•the•purpose•of•providing•these• people,• who• had• been• deprived• of• their• means• of• subsistence,• with• some• stock’• (A39–’63:•3). Under• the• impression,• ‘and• not• an• entirely• false• one’,• as• Findlay• says,• that• the• government•had•given•him•the•go•ahead•to•establish•a•magistracy•at•Kenhardt,•Anthing• 65 23•WCA,•CO•4414,•8•May•1862,• Springbokfontein,•Louis•Anthing•to• Colonial•Secretary,•24.•For•some• background•on•several•of•these• families,•see•Amschwand•2010. 24•University•of•Cape•Town,• Manuscripts•and•Archives,•BC• 151•A1.4.9•(notebook•B.IX),•909.• Although•some•researchers•(Deacon• 1996a;•Skotnes•2007:•64)•use•this•list• as•evidence•that•Anthing•and•Bleek• met•in•1863,•the•fact•is•that•the•list• was•actually•dictated•by•||kabbo• some•time•around•10•July•1872•and• bears•the•heading•‘Bushmen•who• went•with•Mr.•Anthing•to•Cape• Town,•in•1863•(?)’•(the•question• mark•is•Bleek’s).•It•is•quite•unlikely• that•the•encounter•took•place,•as• there•is•no•documentary•proof•of•it• and•Bleek’s•circumstances•during• the•months•in•which•Anthing•was• in•Cape•Town•(the•last•of•his•wife’s• difficult•first•pregnancy)•would•not• have•contributed•to•his•meeting•the• magistrate•(see•Bank•2006a:•62–3),• even•though•Bleek•must•have•been• aware•of•the•controversy•around• his•mission.•However,•there•is•no• doubt•that•in•1880•Lloyd•actually• met•Anthing,•as•he•is•mentioned• in•one•of•her•notebooks•as•being• present•when•she•interviewed•a•Khoi• man•named•!khánnumùp•or•Petros• Willem•on•24•September•1880•(front• papers•of•L.XV.1).•The•assistance• given•by•Anthing•on•that•occasion• could•be•the•reason•why•he•is• mentioned•in•the•acknowledgements• of•Lloyd’s•1889•report•(p.•28).•We•do• not•know•if•Lloyd•had•met•Anthing• before,•although•it•is•likely•that•she• had.•In•any•case,•she•also•must• have•been•aware•of•the•controversy• around•his•mission•17•years•before. 25•WCA,•CO•4414,•8•May•1862,• Springbokfontein,•Louis•Anthing•to• Colonial•Secretary,•12–13;•A39–’63:• 5,•11–12. 26•See•also•the•‘Holograph• reminiscences•by•E.A.•Judge’,•UCT,• Manuscripts•and•Archives,•BC•500,• item•B76:•87. drew•a•large•amount•of•public•funds•through•his•replacement•at•Springbokfontein,• E.A.• Judge.• When• the• latter• warned• the• Colonial• Office• that• Anthing• had• drawn• a• considerable• amount• of• money• from• public• funds,• the• new• Governor,• Philip• Wodehouse,•was•more•concerned•about•these•expenses•than•about•the•fate•of•the• remnant•|xam•(Findlay•1977:•43).26•Anthing•was•summarily•ordered•to•withdraw•from• Bushmanland• and• return• to• Springbokfontein.• Instead• of• complying,• arguing• later• that• he• thought• the• order• was• due• to• a• mistake• (A39–’63:• 7),• he• travelled• all• the• way•to•Cape•Town,•arriving•in•April•1863.•He•brought•with•him•!ki•||k’atten•ttú•and• several•other•|xam,•two•of•whom•were•accused•of•having•killed•a•farmer.•He•hoped• that•these•men•would•be•tried•by•the•Supreme•Court•and•that•the•trial•would•attract• public•attention•to•the•plight•of•the•Bushmen. Although• the• publication• of• the• report• in• June• 1863,• with• the• accompanying• message•from•Wodehouse•stating•the•seriousness•of•the•matter,•leaves•no•doubt•that• Anthing• had• convinced• the• authorities• of• the• seriousness• of• the• situation• and• the• need• to• do• something• about• the• state• of• affairs• in• Bushmanland,• the• political• and• financial•climate•of•the•colony•at•the•time•was•not•the•best•to•arouse•the•sympathies• of•public•opinion•for•the•sufferings•of•natives•that•lived•and•died•700•km•from•Cape• Town•(Morrell•1969:•137).• Even• before• the• report• was• published,• the• Attorney-General• who• replaced• William•Porter•(Porter•having•returned•to•Europe•in•May•1862•on•leave•of•absence)• declined•to•prosecute•the•case•against•the•|xam•whom•Anthing•had•brought•to•Cape• Town.•When•the•report•was•published,•it•was•the•object•of•harsh•criticism.•A•very• hostile•editorial•in•the•Cape•Argus•reduced•Anthing’s•mission•to•a•‘wild•goose•chase’• and•dismissed•the•whole•content•of•the•report•as•‘a•mare’s•nest,•not•a•single•proof• having• been• found• of• the• truth• of• the• statements• made• of• the• iniquities• practiced• by•the•Boers’,•and•questioned•‘the•power•of•civil•commissioners•to•run•up•bills•for• attacking• windmills,• rescuing• Hottentot• Venuses,• or• clothing• naked• Bushmen’.• For• the•editorialist,•‘such•young•Solons•[should]•better•be•kept•in•some•quiet•asylum•at• the•expense•of•the•country,•than•suffered•to•roam•at•large,•when•that•liberty•has•the• effect•of•making•the•English•Government•the•laughing-stock•of•native•tribes’•(Cape• Argus,•27•June•1863).• The• report,• with• its• proposals• to• protect• the• survivors,• was• discussed• in• the• colonial• Assembly,• but• nothing• came• of• this• (Findlay• 1977:• 46–7).• Anthing• was• ordered•to•return•to•Kenhardt•and•close•the•provisional•establishment•he•had•opened• there.•He•had•obtained•a•leave•of•absence•and•was•planning•to•travel•to•England,• but•when•he•reached•Bushmanland•the•desperate•situation•of•the•|xam•induced•him• to•alter•his•plans.•Using,•as•he•explained•later•to•the•government,•‘[his]•own•savings• and•the•contributions•of•friends’,•Anthing•opened•a•trading•post•with•the•purposes• of•keeping•as•many•people•as•possible•alive•until•the•summer•migration•of•springbok• 66 allowed•them•to•survive•on•their•own.27•Before•concluding•this•summary•of•Anthing’s• mission• and• its• aftermath,• it• is• important• to• add• that• official• documents• from• the• late•1860s•onward•show•that,•even•though•the•mission•failed•in•that•the•measures• he• proposed• to• protect• the• remnant• |xam• were• never• implemented,• it• apparently• contributed• greatly• to• stopping• the• commandos.• The• establishment• of• a• Northern• Border•Magistracy•in•Kenhardt•and•Upington,•as•a•consequence•of•the•Korana•‘wars’• of•1868–1869•and•1879,•also•had•a•deterrent•effect•on•the•farmers,•although•isolated• killings• continued• until• at• least• the• early• 1890s• (see• Strauss• 1979;• Legassik• 2006;• Dooling•2009).• When• he• returned• to• active• duty,• the• government• refused• to• send• Anthing• back•to•his•old•post•at•Springbokfontein,•and•appointed•him•Resident•Magistrate• and• Civil• Commissioner• at• Cradock• (Findlay• 1977:• 50).• Very• soon• after• this,• his• salary• was• stopped• due• to• his• delay• in• altering• the• accounts• of• the• expenses• he• incurred• during• his• mission,• as• requested• by• the• Auditor• General.28• Around• this• time,• Anthing• was• the• victim• of• a• campaign• to• discredit• him,• led• by• St• George• Boyes,• the• representative• for• Clanwilliam• in• the• Assembly,• who• very• likely• was• in• collusion• with• a• group• of• northern• border• farmers,• some• of• whom• were• the• very• same• people• that• Anthing• had• identified• as• the• organisers• of• the• genocidal• commandos.•The•pretext•for•the•complaints•was•the•trading•activities•in•which•the• magistrate•had•engaged•in•the•winter•of•1863•to•save•Bushmen•lives•until•the•arrival• of•the•springbok•herds.29 In•22•June•1865,•Anthing•wrote•to•the•Colonial•Office•requesting•permission•to• marry•Lucy•Louisa•White,30•but•the•marriage•never•took•place,31•perhaps•because•of• the•difficult•situation,•personal•and•financial•in•which•he•was•then•immersed. In•November•of•the•same•year,•Anthing•wrote•to•the•Colonial•Secretary•asking• for•‘an•allowance•of•10•shillings•a•day•for•the•time•I•was•employed•upon•special•duty• in• Bushmanland’,• amounting• to• £261.100,• quite• a• substantial• sum• for• that• time.32• E.A.• Judge• wrote• in• his• reminiscences• that• Anthing• ‘retired• on• pension’,33• which• suggests•that•he•indeed•obtained•the•allowance,•although•I•have•not•yet•been•able• to•verify•this•point. Anthing• resigned• from• the• Colonial• Office• in• 1866,• after• 16• years• of• service.• There•can•be•no•doubt•that•the•controversy•over•his•mission•influenced•his•decision• but,• as• his• accounts• were• finally• approved,34• there• is• also• reason• to• believe• that• he• was• being• sincere• when• he• wrote• to• the• Colonial• Secretary• on• 8• November• 1865•explaining•that•one•of•the•reasons•for•his•resignation•was•that•his•health•was• ‘affected• by• close• confinement• to• an• office• during• the• extreme• heat• of• Summer,• particularly•in•such•places•as•Cradock,•where•I•could•not•even•obtain•a•suitable• residence’.35• Earlier• he• had• written• that• on• arrival• in• Cradock• he• had• suffered• a• severe•attack•of•neuralgia.36•Writing•in•the•mid•1880s,•Anna•Hiddingh•(1890:•9)•said• 67 27•WCA,•CO•4414,•8•December• 1864,•Cradock,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary.•See•also•Findlay,•1977:•48. 28••WCA,•CO•3079,•19•October• 1865,•Cradock,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary. 29•Boyes•accusations•are•in•WCA,• CO•4416,•ref.•54•and•Anthing’s• response•in•WCA,•CO•4414,•8• December•1864,•Cradock,•Louis• Anthing•to•Colonial•Secretary.•For• this•episode,•see•also•Findlay•1977:• 48–9. 30•WCA,•CO•5203:•271,•• 22•June•1865. 31•Hiddingh•1891:•10,•‘uncle•Louis,• still•at•Kimberley,•South•Africa,• never•married’•and•SS•355,•ref.• R2673/79:•‘My•age•is•fifty•years,•I•am• unmarried.•My•habits•are•temperate.’ 32•WCA,•CO•3093,•6•January• 1866,•Cradock,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary. 33•‘Holograph•reminiscences•by•E.A.• Judge’,•University•of•Cape•Town,• Manuscripts•and•Archives,•BC•500,• item•B76:•87. 34•As•stated•by•Captain•Mills•in•his• letter•answering•Owen•Lanyon’s• request•for•information•about• Anthing•(SS•355,•ref.•R2673/79). 35•WCA,•CO•3079,•8•November• 1865,•Cradock,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary. 36•WCA,•CO•3079,•19•October• 1865,•Cradock,•Anthing•to•Colonial• Secretary. 37•WCA,•CO•4445,•ref.•19.•Anthing• wrote•from•Richmond,•where•he•had• bought•property•in•August•1865•(see• WCA,•CO•4137,•ref.•44). 38•WCA,•CO•4150,•ref.•40,•26•July• 1868,•Dragonder’s•Pit,•Anthing•to• Colonial•Secretary.• 39•National•Archives,•Pretoria,• 22•July•1879,•Anthing•to•Colonel• Lanyon,•SS•355,•ref.•2673/79. 40•See•Cape•Argus,•10•November;• Bleek•and•Lloyd•Collection,•BC•151,• A2.1.124•(notebook•L.XV.1),•front• papers. 41•‘Holograph•reminiscences•by•• E.A.•Judge’,•pp.•87–8. 42•Anthing´s•career•in•Kimberley• can•be•traced•in•the•List•of•persons• residing•in•the•Electoral•Division•of• Kimberley•whose•names•have•been• registered•in•the•year•1882•(Cape• Town:•W.A.•Richards•1882)•and•in• the•editions•of•The•Cape•of•Good• Hope•Civil•Service•List•(Cape•Town:• W.A.•Richards)•published•between• 1885•and•1891.•The•edition•of•1888• (p.•71)•states•that•he•got•the•position• on•18•July•1883. 43•In•The•Cape•of•Good•Hope• Civil•Service•List•for•1893•(p.•66)• he•appears•as•holding•a•temporary• position•at•the•Department•of•Lands,• Mines•and•Agriculture•with•a•salary• of•7/6,•half•of•what•he•was•earning•in• Kimberley•as•clerk•for•the•Registrar• and•Protector•of•Natives. 44•The•General•Directory•of•South• Africa•for•1896–97,•published•in• Cape•Town•by•Dennis•Edwards,•has• Anthing•living•in•1•Bartholomew• cottages,•Cavendish•Square,• Woodstock;•subsequent•directories• published•by•Dennis•Edwards,•up• to•1899,•give•the•same•address•for• Anthing,•although•from•1900•until• the•year•of•his•death,•1902,•there•is• no•entry•for•him. of•her•uncle•that•‘being•a•clever•man,•he•became•a•Magistrate•...•but,•for•reasons• unknown,•he•threw•up•this•appointment,•and•went•into•the•interior•as•a•traveller’,• which• shows• that• Anthing’s• relatives• never• quite• understood• his• resignation• and• disapproved•of•it. For•a•period•after•leaving•the•Colonial•Office,•Louis•Anthing•resided•in•the•Victoria• West•division•from•whence,•in•March•1867,•he•sent•a•report•to•the•government,•as• Justice•of•the•Peace,•regarding•the•raids•of•the•Korana.37•He•was•still•in•the•area•in•July• 1868,38•but•at•some•unknown•date•after•that•he•moved•to•Namibia,•where•he•tried•to• make•a•living•as•a•trader.•An•American•traveller•who•saw•him•there•in•1874,•besides• noting•his•inclination•for•drinking•a•mixture•of•brandy,•gin•and•wine,•says•of•him•that• he•was•‘a•very•intelligent•but•eccentric•man’•(Serton•1954:•36). In•the•second•half•of•the•1870s•he•was•back•in•the•Cape•Colony,•although•we•do• not•know•how•he•supported•himself.•He•resided•in•Cape•Town•for•at•least•part•of• the•time•between•1877•and•1880.39•In•July•1879•he•wrote•to•Colonel•Owen•Lanyon,• the•administrator•of•the•newly•annexed•Transvaal,•requesting•employment.•Among• his•attributes,•he•mentions•his•knowledge•of•the•Dutch•language•and•his•‘intimate• acquaintance• with• Dutch• colonial• (or• rather• South• African)• ways• and• habits• of• thought’.40•Apparently,•nothing•came•of•this•request. In•about•1882•he•moved•to•Kimberley,•where•the•Civil•Commissioner,•E.A.•Judge,• the•man•who•had•replaced•him•in•Springbokfontein•in•1862•and•who•had•warned• the• government• about• his• alleged• overspending,• gave• him• a• job• as• minor• clerk• of• the• Registrar• and• Protector• of• Natives.41• He• worked• there• from• 1883• until• 1891.42• In• 1893• his• presence• is• again• documented• in• Cape• Town,43• and• in• the• late• 1890s• he•was•living•in•Woodstock.44•In•1899•he•was•in•Nice,•France,•in•all•likelihood•as• a•guest•of•his•nephew,•Jonas•Michiel•Hiddingh,•who•was•married•to•a•member•of• the•Dampierre•family•(see•Clarke•1999).•From•Nice,•Anthing•wrote•to•Jan•Hendrik• Hofmeyr,•the•leader•of•the•Afrikaner•Bond,•forwarding•him•a•letter•he•had•sent•to• Joseph•Chamberlain,•British•Colonial•Secretary,•in•which•he•suggested•a•settlement• to•avert•the•Boer•War•(Schoeman•1997b).•At•the•end•of•this•letter•to•Hofmeyr,•which• is•written•in•Dutch,•Anthing•wrote: I•think•that•I•must•not•hesitate•to•offer•you•my•ideas.•I•know•that•I•have•a•broad• view•of•things.•That•is•the•reason•why•on•more•than•one•occasion•during•my•life• I• have• received• the• recognition• of• distinguished• people.• Only• to• mention• one• instance:•when•[in•1850]•the•matter•of•an•autonomous•constitution•[for•the•Cape• Colony]• was• under• consideration,• Mr.• [William]• Porter• made• me• the• honour• of• visiting• me• in• a• street• in• the• outskirts• ([of]• Cape• Town)• to• tell• me• that• an• article• published•the•previous•day•in•one•of•the•newspapers•had•attracted•the•attention•of• the•Government•and•had•been•discussed•that•morning•by•the•Executive•Council,• 68 and•he•came•to•congratulate•me,•and•tell•me•that•the•ideas•contained•in•it•would• be•adopted•as•a•basis•[for•the•constitutional•proposal].45 In the letter to Chamberlain, Anthing mentions his correspondence in 1880–1881 with Sir Evelyn Wood and President Brand ‘to bring about a cessation of hostilities and a settlement’ in the Anglo-Transvaal War (Schoeman 1997b: 159). There must have been other instances in which the former Civil Commissioner of Namaqualand approached the distinguished and powerful at critical moments to volunteer his ideas, but this attempt to avert the Boer War very likely was among the last. Unfortunately, it failed, but at least Anthing lived to see the end of that bloody conflict. He died in Cape Town on the 8 December 190246 at the age of 73 years and 7 months. Anthing’s role in the history of South Africa, which is still to be fully vindicated and brought out of silence and oblivion, is that of a voice of conscience at a time when those in power were deaf and blind to such warnings. He proclaimed, without hesitation, that many of the prevailing notions about the indigenous peoples were—to quote the words he wrote to William Porter a century-and-a-half ago—‘a libel upon the human race’. 69 45 Anthing to J.H. Hofmeyr, Nice (France), 10 July 1899. National Library of South Africa, Cape Town, Hofmeyr Collection, MSC 8, 9(6). The translation from the Dutch is by Peter Kooiman. On this letter and other related documents, see also Schoeman 1997b. 46 Royal Commonwealth Society Archive, Cambridge University Library, Register of Fellows of the Royal Colonial Institute. So far I have not been able to locate the death certificate. It is possible that he did not die in Cape Town itself, but in a locality nearby.