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In March 1846, on the Cape Colony's eastern frontier, during a daring rescue of a Xhosa prisoner, the Khoikhoi man shackled to him was killed when the prisoner's rescuers hacked off his hand. On the Xhosa chiefs’ refusal to surrender the ‘murderers’, war was declared. This article examines the etiology of the incident and the ensuing war, taking into account the frontier's micropolitics, with its web of relations between Xhosa chiefs, diplomatic agents, governors and the military, suggesting that, inter alia, dispossession and the fear of genocide drove the incident and the war. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This special issue of the South African Historical Journal reflects on the state of the field of pre-industrial history at the Cape of Good Hope. It is an opportunity to look back on the previous decade of research, identify accomplishments, and chart future directions. We note a significant historiographical shift from research that focused broadly on colonised peoples, particularly slaves and Khoesan, to emerging literatures that give equally careful attention to colonisers. This shift moves the field toward a more complete picture of colonial society; it accompanies a present period of political uncertainty. The growing body of scholarship on early colonial history is drawing more practitioners. The resulting exploration of new topics and the revision of existing interpretations are producing robust, methodologically diverse work, especially noteworthy for its interdisciplinarity. While this work increasingly situates the Cape in broader regional and global histories, even more intentional efforts are required in order to avoid parochialism. The transition from Dutch to British rule at the Cape also requires further scrutiny. These efforts have the ability to challenge existing periodisations and lead to a re-examination of the continuities before and after the mineral revolutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces the Journal of Harriett Low, a substantial section of which was written in the Cape from 12 January 1834 to 4 May 1834. A brief summary of the Journal's main preoccupations is given, and then Low's presentation of Cape fauna and flora and landscape, the Cape Dutch, and slavery, is considered in greater detail. Low's identity as a young American woman who had spent several years in Macao (China) offers a fresh perspective on the Cape in 1834. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]