The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-06 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE BOSPHORUS.

The Royal Mail steam-vessel, the Bosphorus,
Captain J. V. Hale, arrived at Plymouth on Wed-
nesday morning, from the Cape of Good Hope, hav-
ing made the passage home in 35 day& She left
the Cape on her homeward voyage Oct. 1, arrived at
Sierra Leone Oct. 17, St. 'Vincent's Oct. 22, and

arrived at Plymouth Nov. 5, at 8 a.m.
The Bosphorus brings a heavy mail, in charge of
Commander Wolrige, a cargo of sundries and specie,
and ten passengers.
The dates from Graham's Town are to the 23rd of
September.
The intelligence by this mail is of a similar cha-
racter to that brought by the previous one.
Colonel Mackinnon and Colonel Eyre had returned
from patrols in the Fish River bush, having suffered
severe loss, without anything done. The official ac•
count of losses in the Fish River bush, a summary
of which reached us by last mail, is more dismal
than it was oven supposed to be. The return shows the
serious total of 78 casualties, of which no fewer than
29 men are killed on the spat, 2 have since died of
their wounds, and 8 arc unaccounted for, but have,
there is little doubt, fallen by the hand of the enemy;
thus making the loss in killed 39, and exactly the
same number wounded. These casualties include six

officers, being eight per cent. of the total number. It
is affirmed that a great many of the enemy were
killed in these severe combats, and we can hardly,

. -
suppose that such severe loss could have been sus-
taided on our side without inflicting signal chastise-
ment upon the savage foe. The body of one soldier
of the " Queen's " was found surrounded by five
liaffirs, who had fallen with him in that mortal strife.
Col. Mackinnon's and Col. Eyre's patrols came
into head-quarters on the 17th September, the gal-
lant 73rd looking ragged enough—the Fingoes sing-
ing their war song. They were halted opposite the
Governor's quarters, and his Excellency addressed
them. . .

It was thought that the next movement of the
troops would be to throw supplies into Forts White
and Cox, by which time the arrival of the Rifles and
Lancers might be expected, enabling the commander-
in-chief to perfect his arrangements, and to enter
upon future operations upon a more extended scale,
and with more decisive effect. There was at latest
the appearance of much restlessness amongst the
Kaffir tribes. Some apprehension was expressed for
Mount Coke and Fort Murray—Seyolo hovering in
their vicinity, and seeming to threaten an attack
upon one or other of those points. In consequence
of this, the mounted men at King William's Town
had been directed to hold themselves in readiness at
a minute's warning. Other reports sav that the
design of this chief was to attack Fort Peddle, which
was quite prepared to give him a warm reception.
The Cape Monitor of the Ist of October has the
following summary of the operations on the frontier :

Since our last summary of the state of the war, prior to
the departure of the Birkenhead, nothing decisive has been
effected. The dispersed guerilla parties of the Kaffirs and
their rebel allies had alarmed the frontier districts of era-
dock, Somerset, and Albany. The farmers everywhere mus-
tered in self-defence, and behaved gallantly. On the disap-
pearance of the enemy from Albany, Colonel Eyre returned
to head-quarters. The 2nd Regiment lost no time in taking
the field under their gal lent colonel. Their ardour was worthy
of a nobler foe. Being new-comers and unacquainted with the
country, they were attacked in the most determined manner.
The result was such as might have been anticipated. Though
every bush had been transmuted into a swarm of Kaffirs,
and though every thorn had become an assegai, yet
little loss of life would have ensued but for the lament-
able desertion of the Cape Hottentots, our former spoiled
pets, many of them trained marksmen. The casualties on
the part ot the 2nd Regiment have been unusually numerous,
not without, however, the infliction of a severe punishment
on these ambuseading savages. It is to be deplored that
the insufficient amount of European forces has necessitated
the partial employment of native levies. These are treated
by the rebels with distinguished favour, which, we may
presume, is in many eases reciprocated. Another evil arises
out of the unobstructed intercourse of friendly natives with
the various forts and camps occupied by our troops. It has
been ascertained beyond a doubt that information of the
strength and route of every patrol is quickly transmitted to
the enemy, who is able at discretion to waylay or avoid us
without much risk. They are evidently in communication
with traitors within the colony, for the coloured people are
often found blabbing the news they have received several
hours before the arrival of the regular post.
The most disastrous event of the war occurred during
Lieutenant-Colonel Mackinnon's patrol through the Fish
River bush. Two companies of the 2nd, supported by a
party of levies, were detached from the centre line of march
to scour a defile, and rejoin the main body at a specified
point about two miles off. The levies managed to sheer of,
leaving their regimental comrades to be literally surrounded
and massacred. In this miserable affray Captain Oldham
and a great part of the Grenadier and light companies were
cut to pieces. To quote from the general order, " Captain
Oldham fell as becomes a soldier ; the fame of valiant deeds
ever outlives the man, and posterity will class Capt. Old-
ham among British herons, as well as those soldiers of his
Grenadiers who shared his tall.
Colonel Fordyce, with a part of the 74th, made an ad-
vance upon the Kroome bush, near the Waterkloof, where
be twice sustained a formidable attack of upwards of 2,000
Kafiirs and Hottentots, headed by Macomo; and, but fur a
panic of the Fort Beaufort Fingoes, while threading a nar-
row bush-skirted defile, would have sustained no serious
loss. Many extraordivary instances of personal valour and
strength arc recorded of the 74th, while fighting hand to
hand, as the lurking natives now and then dared to emerge
from the concealment of the bush.
Our troops are being collected. The Lancers and Rifles
have arrived, and proceeded without delay to the frontier.
A simultaneous withdrawal of the liatt.rs from the ad-
vanced biding-places indicates a concentration of their
forces for some fresh effort. Soma apprehensions had been
- utertained at Graham's Town of an attack to be made on

that place, as soon as 5,000 natives should assemble in the
neighbourhood. A wounded deserter gave the information,
together with the alarming intelligence that nearly half
the required force had been collected. The inhabitants
Dave, in consequence, marshalled themselves into a pro-
visional guard, convenient localities being agreed on for
mutual defence in case of actual onset. The demonstration
of their readiness to repel any attack was expected to be
sufficient; though no precautions can ever be regarded as
unnecessary in dealing with treacherous savages, aided, wo
lament to say, by resident traitors within our gates.
The Frontier I'ost arrived yesterday afternoon, bringing
intelligence from Graham's Town to the 23rd, and from
King tVilliam'a Town to the 20th inst. A few depredations
are reported, but not so many as usual. The enemy was
supposed to be concentrating his forces for some important
movement. Much satisfaction had been caused at Gra-
ham's Town by the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Eyre
to command in the district of Albany, and Major Wilmot
at Fort Peddle. The former officer, with a force of 400
infantry and 70 horse, was to take post about 15 miles
east of Graham's Town, occupying Driver's-hill and Waay
Pleats.
Major-General Somerset was drawing together kis forces,
and preparing, as was supposed, fur another attack upon
the enemy iu the Kaga Mountains.