Retrospect upon the year 1864 I

Retrospect upon the year 1864 I

Publications & Reports

Bleek expounds on what he sees as the arrival of a new era for the Cape marked by agricultural experimentation, more leisurely international travel, and faster lines of inter-continental communication in a globalising world. He subsequently discusses the costly and unsuccessful attempts to acclimatise European immigrants, which included some of the resettled British German Legion, to colonial life in the Cape Colony (and British Kaffraria) and New Zealand or North America through a series of largely unsuccessful emigration schemes. Former members of the British German Legion recruited during the Crimean War subsequently requested emigration to North America to offer their services to the Federal Government after finding unsatisfactory employment at the Cape. Neviadomski, among other "disgraced" legionnaires residing at the Cape, attempted to arrange passage to North America via an enigmatic Mr Wehrhan, who departed with the money they advanced him. It is unclear whether the Wynberg Police Court is adjudicating on the former soldiers' attempted desertion or helping them pursue remedies against this Wehrhan, who allegedly left with their deposits.

Printed newsprint glued on paper

29/12/1864

Two cut out columns of newsprint text, positioned vertically parallel, pasted onto a plus-sized A4 unlined sheet with visible warping. "Retrospect upon the year 1864 I" is subsequently handwritten onto the mount/paper backing as the title.