The Express.
London, England, 1852-06-02 00:00:00

THE KAFFIR WAR.

SIR IL SMITH'S LATEST DESPATCHES.
list night's Gazette contains the following inter-
esting despatches from Sir H. Smith, describing the
most recent military events at the Cap, and contain-
ing enclosures, front which we select those not
hitherto published.
DOWNII4O-17TIANIT, MAT 31.—The Right lies. Sir John
Pakiagtost has this day received two despatches and their
enclosures, address's to the Itight lion. Earl Grey by
Lisnit.-Osa. Sir Henry 0. W. Smith, Bart., K.0.C.8.
King William's Town, 7th April, 1862.
My Lord.—My despatch to your lord.hip, No. 47, of the
17th ult., will have described the operations and movements
of the troops under my command op to that date.
2. Shortly after its transomirion, Lieut.-Colonel Perceval
reported that in continuance of hie operations he had com-
pletely cleared the Fish River Bush of the enemy, spoiling
him of 3110 head of cattle and many goats and horses, cap-
turing also several stand of arms, and slaying many of his
men. I cannot too highly commend the very able, judi-
cious' and soldier-like conduct of Lieut.-Coloael Peroeval
in the performance of a very arduous and difficult duty,
which he Abated by a succession of movements so well
combined that the service wee earned out with the loss of
only one man killed and one wended. The lanai:tent-
colonel speaks in terms of great praise of the conduct of
Major Armstrong of the Cape Mounted Rifles, and of the
troops and burghers employed, the latter numbering about
thirty-Svc from the district of Albany.
3. The facility with which, comparatively speaking, the
Fish River Bush has been cleared on this occasion, may
induce your lordship to regard former operations as il
planned. I pray you therefore to boar in mind, that the
Kaffir fought in thin dense bush in a very different spirit,
and that the numerous Hottentots, formerly in this strong-
hold, had dispersed, before the late operations. I re-
gard Lieutenant-Celonel Perceval as an officer of the
highest promise.
4. The troops tinder Major-General Somerset, after the
enemy had been dislodged from the Water Kloof and Ful-
ler's lioek, pursued him through the Kat River, laving
sent cavalry patrols into the passes of the Water Kloof.
The latter slew several of the fugitives, and captured 38
horses.

& The columns of Lieutenant. Colonel Michel and Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Eyre having joined me at the Blinkwater on
the 16th ult., I marched on the 18th for the Valley of the
Chumie, on the line of the enemy's retreat into the Ama
the. Prom that point, on the 21st ult., Lieutenant-Colo-
nels Michel and Eyre were ordered to penetrate the Inner
Amatolas ; while Lieutenant-Colonel Perceval, having
been directed to much upon Fort Cox on the eompletien of
his operations in the Fish River Bash, entered the moun-
tains on that side. The instructions to these officers are an-
nexed.

.
II Colonel. Michel and Eyre tarried on four days' most
active operations, being joined on the third by Colonel Per-
coral ; destroying the enemy's villages, especially those of
Hottentot rebel., in his most formidable holds; Colonel
Eyre acting on the are of the circle of which the ope-
ratio's. of Colonel Michel and Colonel Pummel were
the chord. They captured all the rattle they saw—about
fifty head—and each officer In his report regards the
flight of the enemy, and his abandonment of the Ama-
toles, as most complete. They could se* them and
their families at a distance, moving in great number
towards the Let. Colonel Michel thus expresses himself :
" From my own observation I am enabled decidedly to say
that the o,iika tribes generally have migrated from these
their strongholds. A ith crops utterly destroyed, and with
a spirit so broken that now two companies may traverse
with safety where heretofore a !arse column was required,
I deem the war in this quarter virtually concluded, although
the faithlessness of seeming allies, and bands of marauding
Hottentota, may yet for a time prevent the conclusion of a
peace." The following occurs in the report of Colonel
Pyre:—" We advanced through the Bomah Pau to the
Quilli Quilli (Proper), thence through the Oulu
Valley, amending the heights, and back again through
the lloinah Pass. The result aatialled me that
this part of the mountains was entirely abandoned.
With the exception of three Kaffir, whom I could sec
through my telescope, all train, towards the Kabousie
Neck, two or three women in the bash, too old to bilk, and
two Kaffir's, near the Boniah Pass, there was not a living
soul to be seen, while all the spoor indicated that the cattle
had traced towards the Kabouste during the tains that fell
as we entered the mountains. In the afternoon I marched
with the whole force through the Lenga, and bivouacked on
the Keiskamma. On the following day, the 24th, I marched
to Fort Cox."

7. I enclose the copy of a report from the GaAs commis-
sioner, corroborative of those of the officers in command of
patrols.
8. These operations having been thus most effectually
and energetically carried out, I moved my heed quarters,
on the 26th ult.' to Fort Cox, where I assembled the troops
under Colonels Michel, Eyre, and Perceval, on honing the
general instructions annexed.

9. Having established Colonel Michel with his column at
Fort Coo, occupying Mount Macdonald, I, on the follow-
ing day, the 26th ultimo, returned to heed quarters at King
William's Town, moving at the same time the commands
of Colonels Eyre and Percent' for the purpose of posting
the runner in the Keiskamma Hoek, and the latter on the
range of the Quilli Quail. Previously, however, to their
taking up these positions, I directed Colonel Eyro, with
Colonel l'erceval, thoroughly to penetrate and clear the
great forest ofPerie, the Buffalo Poorts, and Murray's
Knott, all great resorts of the enemy. This service, after
two days' energetic and dctrrmined operations, use most
effectually performed ; upwards of 100 head of cattle and *e-
vent' horses having been captured, groat numbers of villages
burned in the very forest, and large Helds of cultivation de-
stroyed on the verge of the woods. Scarcely any resistance
was offered by the enemy. Colonel Eyre describes these
forests as more dense and difficult to penetrate than oven
those of Faller's Hoek and the Blinkwater. While these
operations were in progress, I detached Captain Moody of
the Royal Engineers with a strong detachment from King
William's Town to pest himself between Murray', Krantz
and the bele Berg, to intercept fugitives driven before Col.
Eyre.
10. The 12th Lancers had previously menthe& to occupy
the Kaboude Neck. Major Tottenham, eamniaarling the
regiment during the temporary illness of Uotth-Colonel
Pole, reports, that an his march thither he eagenred 78
head of cattle. and a =saber of goats, all Wag driven
towards the Kci • and thee be observed kegs Weds in the
distance rapidly ;moving M the mate dilution, imlicating a
general trek.
11. On the semis tithe Mk lelffilMe, I received infor-
mation, merobarathe of the abeer• on which 1 could rely,
that begs bards of Oaths eater. firolors keen the Amatolas,
had been selected et the as
dee Dawn and Thomas
Neer with the Kei, a meat,' well for cones
le end ishece. 1, therefore, met enisee le
Wesel Ere ace to occupy, se the
Eeiskamma Seek, bet to for that
purpose; ask merfejabb Mt Ohms le the Habourie
Neck, to tale with the 12th Lennesti and make a rapid
movement le eels these Ciaika sad* a service for whisk
his en eisemese well adagio Wm. I at the same
time Washed tem lisp W Linares Tea Captain Roboti-
cs., of Os Boyd Ibrikomora, is emenatedi of a patrol of
160 mat, to senepkte the work of devedelion throughout
the leek Borg, • thickly wooded from
Marrero Knot, eastward to an lying
between Ling Willims's Town an
13. Oeptin Itobermea pima ea the lad instant,
hash" empktely traversed the Spointed eat in my
betermakea. He reports it te be ely &beaked by
liee . A few bats andMee of ripe Nee were
dsebs ii, no one laving been sear is gram
repeahit and aro
epee el settle wee discovered. Od. /Epe reasbed
me en the 6th betent. Hawk& awed* to mg. dine-
theniedzathe Lebernie Neck, esel been M eet by the
kith be nods a rapid night alma ea the ta-
ilgated on the Lei, whisk be reseed at -
i the 31st shim. Ti. The
taw simples sad was arm.
Eyre,
• am the fresby ;h spear, °et beak of tattle, at ones
it dawn the bed et the Eel. By another vigo-
r...light marsh be maws le ea M morning of the Ist
with ifs flying birds, driven yea an insulated
ateetheie. • mast dies, et the troops In
delnebungis sdags, so se le preveat escape, wes
made, albs
sem Asada% 1.220 head
deaths 16 horses, end bandride of gems were ap-
tly?' had previeledy'detached Major Arm-
awl* likevalry to hie left, to take posessmien of a
painy strenglyana: by the enemy, mounted
aped ea het Mew this maybe that Aker, by
a deassieue imeeneere, he appeared to dy before
;11agsbetteleastakrellgai jai
yet ithis
ofar cedr:vormatialei
.o.pite:
*set with the de= of cepa ottlaidiri;l44l4
'Xeres, while Osoleia Debra taw el the 126 Leasers
114 epee the sight rear of the ementy. Major Arm-
strong erahesgesaity metered saw hundred head of
Mita .se ow tninber Masse:tat rand
operatleessitheatefq be 1,391. Coked le high
-tams er pain et Ithataiant-Cokasi et* atd
Log matey, Wog. Niamey, of TM sel=
%maw
Ospieis the Ma P. E. If of the Wired
ether Assn ; sad swat et .=2
and hie slips, and Cepa& el the lila
He daselbse the latter chime, Se &draws
is lark; hem mom era ease weiadt=l with ill;
away, and ea ewe Nadia feszlemly
swiss the KM,' fa bet el a Air J. leapt tip from the
apposite bank. Colonel Byre, having thus, with such en-
, =aand perseverance, effected this large .sphere, so
t on the appermakag Weidman afthe war sew
eel hi am& le theme* his millet fa the •aasise
or Itehlareele Seek ; Wag, ie the sheet mese re az
days, saidered the mut elie foray of the many be has con-
ducted_ kukg
eeuin leer.
13. itrUe. the temps and begibere. ender Mrgor.
General geneineet, bath ben peseekts the raraciat;eavory
dimities ea the asetbsre eras -Amalie. =dor-
atrepeals bas the .sa the _ alt.,
MI boa ea the task euereees tholthes sad
male, all fa tett retreat tower& km Eel i bat that H the
Kadin are so completely baths mad divided that it is ha-
te set up with theme envoi ia TM
parties s all seeseiag Mika be get lint the tett
amp free the base se geishic rellis." ils vido-
sees. however,. wee the by a subse-
quent report nem Ornimell ranthe let inst.,
that woe ot the Mille to turn and make
their wq huh a the Ilastelme, wills their cattle. The
IZsg'imeragallarbill ham of thine,
144 Oa • report
tb"-11.1.24
iiiieliTLlLleleilisalt."‘":l4llllB.
from Mind iththr4 thee the mid sad a body