"Joining No-Conscription Fellowship, difficulties will come when war over" Read the full letter
Sir George Grey
George Grey (1812 - 1898) was a British colonial governor and statesman. Grey had a military background but in 1837 volunteered to lead a Royal Geographical Society expedition to Australia. He was subsequently appointed governor of South Australia in 1840 and took up this position in 1841, focusing his attention on restoring the colony’s failing economy. In 1845 he was asked to become governor of New Zealand. Grey advocated the treatment of New Zealand’s Maoris as British subjects and attempted to protect them from the excesses of colonists’ racist exploitation. He was knighted in 1848 and in 1854 became governor of the Cape Colony. There he attempted to create a coherent ‘native’ policy, which emphasised the integration of black South Africans into the white-led economy and society; this was a scheme, as he saw it, of modernising and ‘civilising’ South Africa’s indigenous population. To this end Grey encouraged missionary work and granted funding to educational centres such as Lovedale and Healdtown. He also initiated irrigation schemes and road building in the Eastern Cape, where he wanted to increase the employment of the Xhosa people. Grey was opposed to the formation of separate ‘native areas’ and believed that whites and blacks should be mixed geographically, to promote black ‘assimilation’. He advocated the formation of a single, common ‘native policy’ for all South Africa, and was strongly opposed to British recognition of the independence of the Boer Republics, which pursued their own individual retrograde native policies.
In 1858 Grey wrote a report advocating the formation of a South African federation which included the two Boer Republics, which resulted in tensions between Grey and the imperial government and led to his dismissal in 1859. On his return to London, Grey found that there had been a change of government and he had been reappointed, returning to the Cape in 1860. On the voyage to the Cape, Lady Grey “committed a romantic indiscretion” (Du Toit 1968: 329) which effectively ended the Greys’ marriage. After just a year at the Cape, Grey asked for permission to return to New Zealand, where he arrived in 1861 and served as governor until 1867. He eventually returned to Britain in 1896 and died there in 1898. Although he was undoubtedly an imperialist, Grey was liberal and progressive in his thinking and regarded widely, even at the time, as a man of moral courage.
Schreiner was an admirer of George Grey and dedicated her Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland to him. The dedication reads, “To a great, good man, Sir George Grey, once governor of the Cape Colony, who, during his rule in South Africa, bound himself to the Dutchmen, Englishmen, and Natives he governed, by an incorruptible justice and a broad humanity; and who is remembered among us to-day as representing the noblest attributes of an Imperial Rule.” Schreiner’s only extant letter to Grey is dated 4 February 1897 and thanks him for his words of sympathy about Trooper Peter, and also reminds him of their meeting on her parents’ mission station when she was but a baby. She had sent him an advance copy of the book asking his permission to dedicate it to him.
For further information see:
James Belich (2004) ‘Grey, Sir George (1812-1898)’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11534
A.E. du Toit (1968) ‘Grey, Sir George’ in (ed) W.J. de Kock Dictionary of South African Biography Vol I Pretoria: National Council for Social Research, pp. 326 - 331
J. Rutherford (1961) Sir George Grey London: Cassell.
Recipient Of
- Auckland Libraries: Olive Schreiner’s single letter to Sir George Grey is part of the George Grey Collection. Its excellent website provide... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- GL S10 (Olive Schreiner to Sir George Grey 4 Feb 1897):New College Junior School,, Eastbourne., Feb 4 / 97, Dear Sir George Grey, Thank you much for the words of sympathy with my l...
Mentioned In
- Auckland Libraries: Olive Schreiner’s single letter to Sir George Grey is part of the George Grey Collection. Its excellent website provide... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- GL S10 (Olive Schreiner to Sir George Grey 4 Feb 1897):New College Junior School,, Eastbourne., Feb 4 / 97, Dear Sir George Grey, Thank you much for the words of sympathy with my l...
- Bodleian Libraries Special Collections: Schreiner’s few remaining letters to Frank (or Harriet) Colenso, to Alfred Milner and to Cecil Rhodes are part of the l... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- Milner Papers, dep. 210, ff. 396-7:Box 406, Johannesburg, Dear Sir Alfred Milner, I wrote you a letter of 16 sheets yesterday, but thinking it over it seems, wh...
- Cullen Library, Historical Papers, University of Witwatersrand: Historical Papers in the Cullen Library is a leading location for accessing archival papers across many periods, organisation... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- Findlay Family A1199/3837:placed in heaps on the floors, & there are only burnt bits & odds & ends lying about my library, almost all prese...
- Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin: The HRC, Austin, is one of the world leading locations for archival papers pertaining to literary life and manuscripts across... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- HRC/OliveSchreinerUncatLetters/OS-TFisherUnwin/30:New College Junior School,, Eastbourne, 2.2.97, Dear Mr Unwin, With this I return, corrected, the proofs which came this morn...
- National Archives Depot, Pretoria: The National Archives Depot is Pretoria is a leading location for archival papers across a wide time-period, organisations an... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/26- pages 123-126:Private, The Homestead, Nov 16 / 96, My dear Friend, Your letter somewhat amused me! My financial affairs are from from my st...
- T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/29- pages 131-134:New College Junior School,, Eastbourne., Feb 4 / 96, Dear Friend, I shall not be in London this week I am sorry to say. We re...
- T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/45- pages 183-186 & 241:19, Russell Road,, Kensington. W., Dear Friend, I’m so glad you are going to print Sir George Grey’s photograph. ...
- T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/63- pages 243-246:Dear Friend, I am sending you a paper by containing a speech by my husband. It will show you why persons of a liberal or prog...
- National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown: The National English Literary Museum is the leading location for collections pertaining to the imaginative and creative writi... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- Olive Schreiner: Mimmie Murray 2001.24/63:De Aar, Tuesday , Darling Friend, How sweet of you to think of me so. The reason why I have not written is that I wanted to w...
- SCCS Edited Extracts: Four groups of edited extracts from Olive Schreiner's letters can be accessed from here, made by her estranged husband Cronwr... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- Olive Schreiner: Extracts of Letters to Cronwright-Schreiner MSC 26/2.16/92:…When I said ‘chance’ in my other letter to you I should perhaps have said ‘fate’. But either c...
- National Library of South Africa, Cape Town: Special Collections at the NLSA provide one of the leading locations for archival papers across many periods, organisations a... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- John X. Merriman MSC 15/1906:233:Wednesday night , Dear Mr Merriman, I have just had a great pleasure. Sir William Butler spent 24 hours with us. I have alway...
- John X. Merriman MSC 15/1912:132:De Aar, Aug 11th 1912, Dear Mr Merriman., Re. your letter. No, I do not take a sorrowful view of life generally; nor above al...
- University of Cape Town, Historical Manuscripts: Manuscripts & Archives at the University of Cape Town is a leading location for accessing archival papers across many per... Show/Hide Collection Letters
- Olive Schreiner BC16/Box4/Fold2/1909/23:de Aar, April 30th 1909, Dear Laddie, I send you a letter from Adela, who says you sent her a box of grapes, for which she is...
- Olive Schreiner BC16/Box11/Fold1/Dated/8:De Aar, Wednesday, Dear Laddie, I posted your caps to you this morning & also a tooth brush which I don’t recognize...
- Olive Schreiner BC16/Box8/Fold4/MMPr/AssortedCorres/FredPL/17:Thanks for your letter. I fear the King’s death will put everything back. I have been told he backed up Asquith on the ...
- Olive Schreiner BC16/Box8/Fold4/MMPr/AssortedCorres/FredPL/29:Kensington Palace Mansions, Dear Fred, Could you tell me if you or your wife have heard the result of Miss Adams and Dr. Jack...