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THE FIRST BOER REPUBLIC - THE REPUBLIC OF NATALIA BRITISH TROOPS LAND IN PORT NATAL (DURBAN) In the meantime, on 4 December 1838, shortly after Pretorius and his commando departed for their campaign against Dingane, three British ships landed soldiers in Port Natal. The British military, under the command of Major Samuel Charters and including Theophilus Shepstone as an interpreter with the Zulus, took possession of Port Natal. Governor Napier's objectives with this military occupation, as stated in his letter to State Secretary Glenelg on 16 October 1838, were to block the delivery of gunpowder and essential supplies to the Boers to "prevent aggression against the native tribes (the Zulus) by the Emigrant Farmers", and to prevent the Boers from establishing an independent government. The occupation of the Port by Governor Napier was deeply unsettling to the Boers, but they stood alone. According to G.M. Theal, even the Cape Afrikaners supported the governor's taking possession of the Port, with the hope that Britain might not only occupy the area but permanently annex it to "provide for the safety and welfare of the Emigrants". At the port, Major Charters seized a large quantity of ammunition belonging to the Boers from stores of English traders. This ammunition would only be returned if the Boers accepted the authority of Her Majesty's Government and agreed to use it solely for self-defence when under attack. The Boers refused these terms. On 12 December 1838, Stephanus Maritz received a letter from Major Charters, informing Pretorius to stand down and not engage Dingane. Maritz, however, decided to withhold this information from Pretorius until after the expedition against Dingane. Instead, Maritz suggested to Charters that an impartial inquiry should investigate the reasons behind the British military presence in Natal. On 16 December 1838, the very day that the Boers were fighting for their lives at Blood River, the British hoisted their flag at Port Natal. #Boer #Boers #BoerIdentity #Boeridentiteit #BoerRepublic #BoerRepubliek #Natalia #UnitedBoerRepublic #VerenigdeBoerrepubliek #British #Britain