The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-13 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCII 13, 1851.

posed, from 100 to 130 men. the letter state that 73
were counted at no great distance from the scene of action,
I and the vultures were seen aprealliim far and wide beyond, '
r indicating still greater numbers. Another letter stabs that
the Kaffir% dismounted to tight, and when they lid left 70
horses tied to hushe,, which were "toured and brought
in. The light lusted for wveral hours. The, min of oue of
the chiefs, who led on the attack, was shut at the very
first onset. _ _

It lA also stated that ten of the Kaffir police deserU•rs
were rdain. Vt.ry proeidentiAlly, the %Au...poi train did not
reach Fort Ilar: until cahoot au hour after the Kaffir. were

ili.perved. Had they fallen in with the main body of the
enemy, Wail.: to -nee e, it is probable every Mtn would
have been destroyed. Hy solue of the saute letters tire
most distre...ing accounts 114V0 been received as to the con-
dition of the party at Fort Armstrong. They are repre-
sented as having been obliged to abandon the fort, with the
stores, &c., and to have taken refuge in the tower, where
I they are in a state of siege, almost without provisions, or
even water. At the time the account was written there

.......
seemed little prospect of their being speedily relieved.
Later in the day au express arrived from King William's
Town, bringing letters from the governor, but little or no
private information. The governor in Gild to be well and
safe, and the people Ain't him in good npirits. A body of
1,2410 men had been landed at East London, and 400 more

were expected by the steamer the next day: Communica-
tion had been received from Fort Cox, where all was right

and wife. The preview mail from King Willinm's Town to
Gruhaia's Town, it appears, has fallen into the hands of

Scyulo at Liuc Lira.

The Cape Town -Wit of February Ist, sacs:
Another sharp action has taken place on the frontier, el-
hibiting in a striking manner the superiority of European
arms, intelligeure, and merge, over the mc,e physical
strength and wild fury of barbarian warriors. It is true
that the Fingoes, who are of the same rare as the Kaffir,
bore the brunt of the recent conflict at Fort Hare. But

hew, one may ask, did it happen that three hundred Fiu-
pes and about ono hundred Hottentots of the Cape Corps
proved themselves more than a match for three thousand
liattirs? We take the lowest estimate, but consider that

the highest—six thousand—may very pnibable be correct
since it is not likely that the Ka firs would attack a force
like that of Major-General Somerset, and a post like Fort
Hare, with much less than their whole available strength.
It is evident that the native combatants on the colonial
side derive their spirit raid resolution, which ensure to them
the victory, front the presence of their fellow-combatants
and leaden of European race. This is well known to be
the case with the sepuys in India. It has been the case with
our native forces in all preceding wars Tills lad is of the
best augury for the issue of the present contest. Sir harry
Smith will have an army composed of two thousand regular
troops, of some hundreds of white colonists, and of three or
four thousand Hottentot volunteers and lingoes. No com-
mander could desire a more efficient force tor such a war;
and nu army, certainly, could wish for an abler or inure
experienced commander. Every circumstance at pre-
sent leads to the belief that he will speedily and com-
pletely crush the insurrection. When he has succeeded
in doing that good service, he will be aware that
he has done only half of what is required of him. Ile
haul nut merely to subdue the Karlin, but he must
also take measure, to prevent a future outbreak of the same
kind as the present. Ills excellency, we may presume, will
then call to mind the valuable services rendered by the
lingoes during the present war. Ile will remember their
fidelity, their submissiveness to authority, their devoted
bravery in the defence of the colony. lie will recollect that
the Karlin and the lingoes are of the same race, and of
similar character. And it will perhaps occur to him that
the fidelity and good conduct of the Kaffin may be secured
by measuaes similar to those which have proved effectual in
making the lingoes good subjects—that is, by breaking up
their elunish organisation, settling them on separate
ullotments under the colonial law' ant treating them
as fellow-subjects and friends. In this way it seems not
unlikely that every "hostile Kaffir" may be converted
into something like a " faithful lingo." The experiment,
at all events, is well worth trying.
While the prospects on the frontier are thus brightening,
the colonists may regard without much anxiety the tenor of
the rather ominous rumours which reach them from another,
direction. Earl Grey, it is said, has severely rated Sir
harry Smith, in a recent despatch, for his course in re-
ference to the constitution—a course which the colonists re-
gard as the most creditable part of his whole career in the
colony. In his lordship's opinion, Sir Harry did wrong in
allowing the colonists any choice in the selection of the un-
official councillors ; and when the council was broken up by
the retirement of the four popular members, the governor
again did wrung in not appointing four nominees in their
places, even if it had been necessary to have recourse to
Graham's Town for the whole of them. Earl Grey, there-
fore, will not recognise the proceedings of the official com-
mission any more than those of the elected committee. lie
will receive no expressions of the colonial sentiment, except
such :Is shall emanate from the recognised channel of a
nominee counzil. And he will have nothing to do with any
constitution which dos, not make the Chief Justice speaker
of the council. lies lordship has made up his mind
about that.
The following is an extract from a private letter,
received from a volunteer who arrived at East
London, in the llermes, on the 21st January:
we, i.e., the 700 souls on board the Hermes arrived
in this bay at 3 A.M., anti are now all safely landed and in
high spirits. As we march in an hour, I must be brief:
The Dee, with her trams, arrived two or three hours later.
We had a moat beautiful passage, and were treated with
the utmost civility and kindness by Capt. lishbourne and
the officers on board the Hermes. Our weepers are spanned
in, and so I must be off. Prices are moderate here (retail).
They expected an attack on this place, which is slightly
fortified, but our presence seems to have quieted their fears.
Graham's T wn, Jan. 21, 18.51.
The Frontier Times, of Jan. 21, says
Since the defeat and death of the traitor Hermanus, at
Fort Beaufort, on the morning of the 7th inst., there has
been uo aggressive movement on 'o part of the enemy,
either in British Kielfraria, or within the limits of
the colony. His excellency, it is well understood, is 1
concentrating as large a force as he can muster at head
quarter., to assail the enemy. In the mean time, the
titan, it is supposed, are closely watching his proc:eed-
ings, and will probably make a desperate effort to inter-
cept the supplies, which must in a short time be sent
to the two posts, Fort Cox and Fort White, with
which all communication have been cut off for some
weeks. If they should be unsuccessful in this attempt, andl
his excellency should be sufficiently reinforced to be able
to follow up any success by vigorous severity, they will in
all probability overrun the colony. Their first rush will
be tremendous, and will be withstood only by the most
populous towns and the largest fortified camps. Look-1
ing, then, to this obvious probability, it is earnestly and
anxiously recommended that all the small lagers that may
exist throughout the country should be at once abandoned,
and that all preparations be completed without delay in
every town and village to repel the enemy, for in the
present state of affairs, no man residing in any of the border
districts can count upon his safety for a single day.
The present war is not a cattle war—With the exception
of the hostilities committed on the colony by the Blink...Ater
rebels, the war has been principally with the troops in
British liaffraria. This war has evidently been the result of
a long considered and extensive conspiracy between the
Kaffir, in Kaffraria, and their countrymen, and various
coloured classes in the colony,—and its object is to extermi-
nate the white man. It is a war of race. The struggle will
be fearful, and blood will flow as water. But the issue can-
not be doubted ; although the horrors of the contest could be
much mitigated, its duration much shortened, and its de-
vastating ruin and d reaclful results confined to a comparatively
narrow space, if the inhabitants of the colony who are at pre-
sent remote from the seat of danger, promptly responded to the
call of honour and of duty ; and, making common cause and
sharing the common danger with their more expokd
fellow-colonists, joined the front ranks of colonial de-
fenders, and thus became the instruments, under a righteous
God, of inflicting a summary and signal retribution on the
barbarous and formidable savages who are now threatening
to tear out the heart of the colony.
The following is from the Pro»tier Tunes:
Tuesday.—The information received last night frost
Lower Albany demands the immediate attention of the
authorities. It refers to the missionary institution of Theo-
polio, some of the people of which have greatly alarmed
the white inhabitants of the neighbourhood by their inso-
lent bearing and lawless conduct. The following parti-
culars will, we think, be found substantially correct, and
show the absolute necessity of union and vigour amongst
the colonists. For several weeks past the fidelity of the
Hottentots at this station has been suspected by the resi-
dents in the neighbourhood, although no tangible evidence
of their guilt could be produced. It seems, however, that
very recently information has been given by two Fincoes
(belonging to a party of eight, who, at their own request, had
been allowed to go to Theopolis with their families for pro-
tection, at the commencement of the war, by field-cornet
Gray), that the Hottentots have been holding various meet-
ings
at the station,—and that the Fiagoes were asked by
the Hottentots what they would du if they were attacked
by the English. The Fingers hesitated, saying they would
do as they did,—and at last, upon being pressed by the!
Hottentots to know what they would do if the English
' fired into them, they said that in that case they would of
course defend themselves. In consequence of these pro-
ceedings on the part of the Hottentots, the lingoes made
up their minds to leave the station, and asked leave to oc-
cupy Mr. Gray's deserted house, which was granted. The'
Fingoes took away two muskets which were amongst those
that had been lately furnished by the government for the
defence of the institution (along with • considerable
quantity of ammunition), and the Hottentots told them
that they would not allow them to keep those fire-arms.
which, if not surrendered, they would take by force. We
are further informed that parties of these Hottentots have
been roaming about the neighbourhood and committing de-
predations upon the neighbouring deserted farms and pre-
mises. An industrious Fingo, who rents a piece of load
on Mr. Fisher's place, was astonished the other day to find
eight armed Hottentots from this station on the place, over
a fire which they had kindled to cook the produce of the
farm which they had stolen. On the Fingo coming up to
them with his gun to ask an explanation of their conduct,
they seised their guns, telling the man they were quite
ready to shoot if he wanted to fight. After this they car-
ried a good deal of stolen produce to the station. A party
of twenty-one of these men, armed with guns, went up to
Mr. Keatoo's house, and on seeing them approach, the
party secured the house, and parleyed with the men from
the house-top. It seems that a gun was fired, from the
house, in the air, as a signal to Mr. Dell's camp, and the
Hottentots cocked their guns, seeming loth to commence
the conflict. The men, it seems, on leaving this house,
went to the camp, where, their manner exciting suspicion,
preparations were made for defence, and Field-cornet Gray
advanced to meet them and ask their business, when

they told him that they had come about a CIAC of trespass.
It appears that • short time since they had iu•nnitted a
large quantity of their rattle to destroy the crops of a party
in the neighbourhood, nod that Mr. Gray, on the applica-
! thin of the aggricesal party, leod n.•x•s•cd the dainages at a
' rate which was, we are ao.urell, by no flumes a compensa-
tion fur the damage done. Mr. Grant, a very old friend and
resident there, has left the institution, Mid there is no
Englishman at pr sent on the station. Thore are other
iumours connected with this station, but the above particu-
la•+ will .uHive to indicate the duty of the imthorities.
Mr. Walter Currie, at the bend of a party of civi-
lians, is to proceed immediately to Theopolis, without delays
to inssstimite the state of affairs at that institution.

Arrangements had been made further to facilitate
and induce the enrolment of volunteers.

The Governor had appointed Friday, Feb. 7, as a
day of fasting and humiliation, in consequence of
!the w•ar.

Vbe Court.

OSBORNFI, WEDNESDAY, Mace 12.

The Queen and Prince were prevented by the in-
clemency of the weather from taking their usual early walk
this morning, and the younger members of the royal family
were kept at home for the same reason.
lice Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by
her Lady-In-Waiting, is expected at °shortie this after-
noon on a visit to her Majesty and his Royal nty igh...
'There was no addition yesterday to the royal dinner
party.

The Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Fanny Howard
and Colonel Sir George Cooper. lett her roadence, Frog
more, near Windsor, at ten o'clock yesterday morning. for
I•'urnborough. Her Royal Highness lett the Farnlywough
station, attended by Lady Fanny Howard, for Oaborue,
Isle of Wight.
The Oxford raisers-its, Commission met yesterday at the
'official residenee of the Pirst Lord of the Treasury, Down-
ing ►treat. Present : The Bishop of Norwich, the De:m of
Carlisle, the Master of Pembroke, the Rev. 11. 0. Liddell,
J. L. Dampier, Esq., the Rev. Professor Powell, the Rev.
G. IL S. Johnson, and the Rev. A. I'. Stanley (secretary).
The Earl of Hurrowhy had on interview with Earl Grey
yesterday at the Colonial-office.
Mr. James Morris, solicitor to the parish of An Saints,
Poplar, had an interview with the Commissioners of Rail-
ways yesterday at the Office of the Boanl of Trude.
The Earl of Minto gave a dinner to the cabinet ministers
yesterday evening at his residence in Eaton-square.
The Transatlantic Pocket Station Commissioners met
yesterday at the Board of Trude. Present : Earl Gran-
ville (chairman„ Hon. Wm. Cowper, M.l'., Sir James
Gordon, K.C.8., Sir John F. Burgoyne, K.C.8., and Capt.
Stephenson Ellerby. Lord Hobart, secretary to the cons-
missive, was iu attendance.