The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-04-05 00:00:00

THE ZULU WAR.

The Tintes of Monday publishes the following:—
_ _ -
CAPE TOWN, March 11.

No great change in the military situation has occurred
during the past week, but signs of a return to activity have
been perceptible since it was ascertained that reinforce.
manta were dose at hand.

The Shah arrived on Wednesday at Natal, and on Thursday
landed about NO troops and Marines, who are now en route
for the Lower Tugela, where Colonel Law's expedition for
the relief of Ekowe is being organized. Fourteen companies
of her Majesty's regular troops are already there.
No communication has this week been held with ILkowe
It is believed that Colonel Pearson's supplies will not hold
out beyond the present month.

Colonel Wood still r-emains intrenched on the Goddapad.
His most recent operations, in concert with Colonel Row-
lands, against irregular bands of the Zulus on both sides of
the Pongolo bad been somewhat discouraging in results.
Colonel Rowlands made an unsuccessful attack upon a posi-
tion in the Telahu Mountain; and in subsequent attempts
to dislodge the enemy Rowland's and Bulwer's forces had to
retire in consequence of the tenacity with which Umbelini
clings to his strong positions. Colonel Wood's operations
have been temporarily suspended. ills column is to be
largely reinforced by the corps now in the Tugela border.

• The Tamar arrived at Natal from Ceylon on the 10th with
about 700 men of the 57th Regiment, and Captain Bradshaw
will land a Naval Brigade, who will probably be despatched
at once to open communication with Ekowe.
Messengers are said to have arrived . from Cetywayo with
overtures of peace, but they appear to have gone to Bishop
Colenso. Oham has not yet surrendered.

According to news received from Ekowe up to February
24 there were sufficient provisions to last to the end of
March.

Colonel Glyn's column at this side of the border is inactive,
waiting for reinforcements.

Mal; Lanyon arrived on the 3rd at Pretoria; Ile was well
received, but the Boer disaffection continues. The native
scare at Pretoria has died away.

LETTER FROM COLONEL PEARSON.

Mr. E. Newman, Yeovil, Somerset, sends us (The
Times) a letter which he has received from Colonel
Pearson :

"Ekowe, Zululand, Feb. 18, 1879.
"Before you get this you and all England will have heard
of the sad disaster which has befallen one of the columns
which were to have invaded Zululand. I knew the majority
of those who were killed, and grieved, indeed, we all were
here to read the account of such a sad affair. As yet we
know nothing beyond the bare facts, for I am shut up with
a portion of my column in this place, and the messengers we
send to and fro (natives) have to run the risk of being
caught. I am afraid the last who went were caught. Singular
enough, on the same day (the 22nd of January) on which
these poor fellows were killed I had a successful encounter
with a Zulu force of 6,000, and we killed and wounded about
600, when the rascals bolted.
"I thought all was going well with the other columns, and
we were all looking forward to a short and sweet campaign,
when the news of this terrible disaster reached us on the
27th of January.
"Since then we have been working away at our intrench-
ments, and we are now quite comfortable' within a strong
fort, and quite prepared to meet the attack of any number
of Zulus, the more the better who may be foolish enough to
attempt it. Nevertheless, it is rather a dreary life, and we
look forward to a change."

A "Field Officer" writes to the Standard :

Sir,— We, who are proud to consider ourselves comrades
of the men who fell at Isandula, would like to assist the
widows and orphans of as gallant a band of warriors as ever
wore her Majesty's uniform. Of course, individually, we
can contribute towards a fund; but I maintain that if a
committee properly authorised was formed, with power to
send circulars to every regiment in the service, there is
scarcely an officer or soldier who would not but be proud to
give something. I propose, therefore, that the officers and
men shall be invited to subscribe half a day's pay towards
raising a fund for the benefit of the families of those who
fell fighting, faces to the foe, at the battle of Isandula.
Personally, I am good for a day's pay at any time for such
objects as these, and I know many who are also both ready
and willing.
The Times publishes the following letter :

Sir, —From numerous letters which I have received
there seems to exist considerable misapprehension on the
part of the public as to the provision for soldiers' widows
and orphans. Some fancy they are entitled to pensions,
others imagine that, as a matter of course, the Patriotic
Fund will relieve them. It is, therefore, as well to explain
that all that the rules of the service admit of is to send
them to their homes free of expense, and, as far as the
Patriotic Fund is concerned, I have ascertained that no
money on the present occasion is available from it. Up to
the 22nd inst. only £l,lBl had been collected in aid of the
fund for the relief of the widows and orphans of the 24th
Regiment and Queen's troops who lately fell in South
Africa. This may be considered by some people a large
sum; but to give you an idea of the amount required, I
have only to mention the fact that in the case of a late
colliery explosion, There 63 men lost their lives and left 46
widows and 130 children, the relief committees "are making
efforts to raise the sum of £lO,OOO, to enable each widow to
receive Bs. and each child Md. per week." In the present
instance there are in the 24th Regiment alone 56 widows,
and probably some 20 more belonging to the Queen's
troops, to be provided for. In addition to these, there
are others whom it is unnecessary to mention, but to whom
it is most desirable that assistance should be given. Under
all the circumstances, therefore, I earnestly trust that the
appeal which I lately ventured to make on behalf of these
poor bereaved people will meet with a more universal re-
sponse. Depend upon it many a brave fellow died with
the prayer on his lips that his wife and little ones might be
cared for, and surely no one with a spark of patriotic feel-
ing in his heart would like to know that a workhouse was
the only home left to the widows of men who fell at Isansi-
lane or died in the noble defence of Rorke's Drift.—Yours
faithfully, EDMUND WODSHOUSE, Major-General.
Bramdean, Alresford, Hants, March 26.

The Austroaungarian Ambassador has written to
the Lord Mayor of London :--" I see that you have
opened a fund for the widows and orphans of the
soldiers fallen at Isandlana. I hope that, though a
foreigner, I may, as a friend of England and an ad-
mirer of the English pluck shown by that devoted
band of heroes, be permitted to contribute my mite
towards alleviating the distress of their bereaved fami-
lies. I beg to enclose my cheque for twenty pounds."
—On Monday evening the Lord Mayor of London's
fund at the Mansion-house for the relief of the widows
and orphans of the soldiers and volunteers who fell at
Isandlana and Rorke's Drift amounted to £1,875, of
which 033 had been subscribed upon the London
Stock Exchange.— On Tuesday evening the fund
amounted to £2,600.