Nathaniel Isaacs is in 1808 in ‘n Joodse familie in Canterbury, Kent gebore. Sy vader sterf terwyl Isaacs nog ‘n jong seun is.  Op veertienjarige ouderdom stuur sy ma hom na St. Helena om by haar broer, Saul Solomon, te gaan woon. Mnr Solomon was ‘n handelaar in Jamestown, St. Helena. In 1825 land die skip Mary, onder die bevel van luitenantt King van die Koninklike Britse Vloot, in St. Helena met goedere vir Solomon. Lt King maak kennis met die lewendige sewentienjarige Nathaniel Isaacs. Laasgenoemde oortuig sy oom om hom toe te laat om King te vergesel op sy reise Kaap toe. Hulle land vroeg in Augustus 1825 aan die Kaap.

King hoor dat ‘n ou handelaarsvriend van hom, mnr Farewell, vir langer as sestien maande afwesig is en gestrand is in Port Natal (hedendaagse Durban). Op 26 Augustus onderneem King, vergesel deur Isaacs, ‘n reis na Port Natal om sy vriend op te spoor.

Kaart van Port Natal 1822 deur lt. King

Die Mary kom op 1 Oktober aan by Kaap Natal (die ingang na die hedendaagse Durban-hawe), maar strand as gevolg van sterk stormwinde. Al die passasiers kom veilig aan land, maar die meeste van die bagasie spoel weg.  Daar word vasgestel dat mnr Farewell en sy geselskap veilig is. Dus is die doel van die reis bereik, maar nou is daar geen skip om hul terug te neem Kaap toe nie.

Shaka, koning van die Zoeloes 1825

Isaac se dagboek is een van die eerste beskrywings van Natal en Shaka se koninkryk soos deur ‘n Europeër vasgelê. Die eerste volume van Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa begin in 1825 met Isaacs se aankoms, soos hierbo beskryf. Die volume gee ‘n grotendeels ‘volledige verslag van Shaka, koning van die Zoeloes, en van die Zoeloe-samelewing en kultuur.

Die tweede volume van Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa beskryf Isaac se volgende besoek aan Natal in 1830, tydens Dingaan se heerskappy. Sy verslag gee inligting oor die vroeë wit nedersettings, asook nog gedetailleerde inligting oor die Zoeloe-kultuur.

 

UITTREKSELS UIT DIE TEKS

 

Bladsy 30  –  REGRET OF NATIVES Bladsy 31 – ARRIVAL OF JOHN CANE AND     MR. FYNN.
[…] my king! “ being the usual salutation of the natives. Lieutenant King gave him a piece of tobacco and a biscuit; the latter he at first declined, but, seeing us eat it, he took a piece, and thanked us repeatedly, as he preceded us to the kraal. He left us for a short time and then returned with fourteen women, a number of children, and four young men. Five of the women were his wives, and, as he was the master of the Kraal, the remainder he said were his people. The females were all besmeared with red clay. Both sexes had incisions in the lobe of the ear, in which either a piece of reed, or a small vessel used as a snuff-box, was introduced. It was some time before we could prevail on them to approach us; but on making signs of friendship, and after giving them tobacco and some bread, of which they seemed fond, the men soon mingled with us and became quite familiar; the females, however, continued at a distance, sat on the ground, and hung down their heads, either from fear, or some other impulse.

The sun was now fast declining, and we made signs that we wished to return to our habitation, when they manifested a desire that we should remain with them, but, as we declined their offer, the females began to cry, followed us a considerable part of our way to the boat, and seemed indisposed to leave us, until we assured them that we intended to visit them again.

In crossing the bay, we asked Holstead, why these natives, in their own country, were so terrified at the approach of strangers; he informed us that they were the remains of tribes who had been destroyed by a powerful nation called Zoolas, whom I shall hereafter have occasion to describe ;—that they were even to this day subject to great persecution, and abode in the forests, as we found them, in order that they might with greater

 facility make their escape in the event of being disturbed. Their cattle had been taken from them, and they were often destitute of the means of subsistence. Were it known that they possessed even corn, the Zoolas would destroy them to obtain possession of it, consequently, they seldom planted any, but subsisted chiefly on fish, and such esculents as grew spontaneously in the vicinity their residence. At sunset we reached our miserable abode.

10th —Our crew were engaged in securing everything that could be obtained from the wreck: this occupied them several days, and we were fortunate in collecting many articles of copper that afterwards proved to us inestimable. I experienced for two or three days considerable indisposition and was necessarily confined to the only mattress we had saved. On the 14th, at sunset we were most agreeably surprised by the appearance John Cane, Mr. Farewell’s carpenter, who had left the dwelling of Chaka, the Zoola chief, four days before, a distance from our residence of about 120 miles. He brought with him a number of cattle, and gave us the pleasing intelligence that Mr. Farewell was on his way home.

15th. — In the afternoon, Mr. Fynn arrived from the country of the Amampoatoes, a tribe inhabiting the banks of the St. John’s River, a distance of about 200 miles from Natal. This gentleman had been trading with the natives, and had collected a great quantity of ivory. For eight months he had separated himself from his solitary companion, Mr. Farewell, and had associated solely with the people with whom he sojourned. We sat attentively to hear him detail his adventures—the many […]

 

Redakteur

Dr Louis Herrman

‘n HOË RESOLUSIE KOPIE VAN DIE KAART VAN PORT NATAL (1822) IS BESKIKBAAR DEUR HIER TE KLIK.