Oak Knoll

First edition. Mendelssohn, I, pp. 587-8; Theal, Catalogue of Books and Pamphlets relating to Africa south of the Zambesi in the Collection of George McCall Theal, 1912, p. 112. Michal Lesniewski, The Zulu-Boer War 1837-1840, 2021. Ownership name in ink on second free endpaper. "Putnam, Boston" stamps on title page. Rubbing to edges and hinges. Frontispiece has been professional reattached near gutter. Marginal foxing to a few leaves. One tipped-in errata slip at end of preface. A lovely copy.

First edition of Gardiner's well-illustrated account of his travels in Zululand, during which he brokered a treaty between the Zulu chief Dingane and the residents of Port Natal (modern-day Durban) regarding land rights and the status of refugees. This "interesting description of the country" (Mendelssohn) contains "much information... concerning missions in Kaffirland and early events in Natal" (Theal).

Dingane "threatened to attack Port Natal if the settlers did not stop accepting fugitives and did not hand over those whom they already granted a safe haven... The hunter-traders understood that they needed to cooperate if they wanted to face Dingane. The situation convinced the settlers to send A. F. Gardiner with a mission to the Zulu king. Gardiner declared that from that time on they would not accept further fugitives from the Dingane kingdom and promised to return them in return for the safety of the Port Natal residents including those runaways who came before the treaty. The negotiations were short as the Zulu ruler was also interested in agreement... This understanding was short-lived and lasted less than two months. A. F. Gardiner was unable to control the settlers, and they were unable and unwilling to stand by the treaty" (Lesniewski, p. 59). One year later, Gardiner returned to England in 1836 to petition the government to colonize Port Natal, but they refused to act; instead, Gardiner returned to Zululand with the assistance of the Church Missionary Society. Here Gardiner received another warm reception from Dingane, but when the chief ordered the Piet Retief Delegation massacre, Gardiner saw the region as too volatile for successful missionary work and left for South America.

Captain Allen Francis Gardiner (1794-1851) travelled the world as a Royal Navy officer, all the while nurturing an interest in missionary work that was not realized until he set foot in South Africa in 1834 (leaving aside his Outlines of a Plan for Exploring Australia (1833) after landing at Sydney in ill health).