DE MIST, JACOB ABRAHAM UITENHAGE
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Jacob Abraham Uitenhage de Mist (April 30, 1749-August 3, 1823) was the Dutch commissioner-general at the Cape from 1803-1805, when the Netherlands and its possessions were under the rule of the Batavian Republic (1795-1805), a regime that was a satellite of revolutionary France.
PHOTO CAPTION: De Mis Jacob Abraham Uitenhage. SOURCE: EA Library.
He introduced reforms that deeply affected social and political affairs in the Cape Colony. De Mist was the descendant of an old Dutch family, and had studied law at Leyden in the Netherlands. In 1795 he became a member of the Dutch committee for colonies and acquisitions on the Guinea Coast and in America, as well as a member of the Dutch National Assembly, where he worked on a constitution for the Netherlands.
In 1800 he was appointed to the Dutch Asiatic Council administering the interests of the defunct Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (V.O.C.), or Dutch East India Company, and he wrote his memorandum on the administration of the Cape in this capacity. When the Cape was restored to the Dutch after the British occupation from 1795-1802, he accompanied the governor, General J.W. Janssens, to the colony to implement the ideas contained in his memorandum.
After tours of the interior, Janssens and De Mist changed some of their preconceived ideas. Despite rumours of a second British occupation, De Mist introduced reforms aimed at restoring order to a confused situation. Executive, legislative and judicial powers were divided. A council of policy consisting of four members, two of whom were to be colonists, acting under the chairmanship of the governor, was established. A council of justice, appointed by the Batavian government, formed the judiciary together with a court for insolvent estates and a so-called Orphan Chamber. An autonomous council for Cape Town exercised local control over education and freed slaves, while maintaining law and order through its own police force.
De Mist tried to place education on a sound footing, by raising funds from local taxes on property, while a teachers’ training college as well as boarding schools for boys and girls were planned. Religious equality and freedom of religion were introduced but government supervision to guard against harmful influences was retained. There was, however, to be no government interference in matters of doctrine.
De Mist constituted two new districts in the interior, defined the functions of landrosts (magistrates) and heemaraden (councils of notables) and extended the system of field-cornets (military officers with administrative and judicial powers). Free trade was introduced and efforts were made to improve agriculture, to balance the budget, and to make the Cape self-sufficient. De Mist aimed at the emancipation of slaves and initiated a policy of free labour contracts between Hottentots and whites.
He tried to reach an agreement with the San (Bushmen), and followed a policy of separation between whites and blacks on the Eastern frontier. He also tried to foster civilisation among the sons of chiefs by offering them elementary education. De Mist left the Cape in 1805 and Janssens continued his work. Despite the short time span in which De Mist had to work, his reforms created administrative unity and emphasised individual freedom. Though some of his ideas were, too revolutionary for many colonists, his religious, educational, and racial reforms formed the foundation of policy for years to come after the ending of Batavian rule in 1805.
F. J. NOTHLING
