1881:
Dear W. Gladstone,
We both your servants have met this afternoon to write you these few lines of writing trusting it may find you in a good state of life as it leaves us at present. As we heard here that you are the chief man in the House of Commons, so we write to tell you that we want to be under Her Majesty’s control. We want our country to be governed by British Government. We are tired of governing this country ourselves, every dispute leads to war, and often to great loss of lives, so we think it is best thing to give up the country to you British men who no doubt will bring peace, civilization, and Christianity in the country. Do for mercy sake please lay our request before the Queen and to the rulers of the British Government. Do, Sir, for mercy sake, please to assist us in this important undertaking. We heard that you are a good Christian man, so we hope that you will do all you can in your power to see that our request is granted. We are quite willing to abolish all our heathen customs. No doubt God will bless you for putting a light in our country. Please to send us an answer as quick as you can.
King Bell and King Acqua
of the Cameroons River, West Africa
6 November 1881[2]
2007:
A leading Zimbabwean cleric believes Britain would be justified in invading its former colony in order to rid it of President Robert Mugabe.
Pius Ncube, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo, told London’s Sunday Times the deepening destitution in his country, including millions going hungry and the world’s highest inflation rate meant Britain would be right to act.
“I think it is justified for Britain to raid Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe,” the paper quoted him as saying.
“We should do it ourselves but there’s too much fear. I’m ready to lead the people, guns blazing, but the people are not ready.”
Since there’s no word on what thought Ncube may have given to what would follow if the British kicked Mugabe out, one might argue that things’ve gone a bit downhill since Bell & Acqua’s day (at least they recognized there was a cultural problem that needed to be solved).