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

phtbtiox is jiti.ljtp., and supported by s large number of
mounted Mull. attiong whom were supposed to hare been
mlao 111.
The theltillg last. till past 2 p.m. and after various
poen solid recaptures of rattle belonging to the post, ended I
in the total defeat and retreat ..1 the enemy. The brunt of
the Adair appears to have fallen WI the Fichmes, some 340,,, •
number, who fought with great bravery, sod the artillery,
which played on the enemy's masses with line elfcet. Ma-
mma. brother of the cold Sign, was shot, From the number
of corpses alp oily counted on the tickl, they cannot hare
last „ than Ind Dell. Anil, from the execution done by the
, it is cepert• d that the lesson given them was
mu..l more Numerous bodies, wounded or corpses,
wet. seen to be thrown arrow horn, end carried on. The
too our side wu. I; Fiogoes killed and 10 wounded.
MajinsGenend Somerset regrets, in his desmatch, not
haying b'rn able to futlow up the success; hut he hail
weak. u his garrison, by 4kt:wiling a furry to tore( a train
of waX•itons expected from Graham's Town, which provi-
dctitiall did ri it make its appearance till after the enemy
hail dispersed, and arrived in safety.
The loyal part of the Kat River people at Fort Armstrong
were reported to he in great distre•s, the rebels having
drumn them to the Tower, taken possession of all the ex-
ternal builditc_o' and cut .41 the supply of water.
A:1 ye pr, •• had reached Graham's Town from the gover-
nor. The garrison at Fort t'ox were all right.
(':;.tin Davit., with 341) or 3'lo men of the Albany
Levi,'. had marched from Tromp:item it was supposed on
Lin. Drift. when: he would bcoppolied b'yneyulo with a large
ton,. l'erhaps the latter may la attacked on the other
side at the same time by a force feom King William's
Town.
The following is a copy of the official report of the
affair of Alice:
-

Fort Marc, Jammer'. 23, MI.
M I understand that the heavy firing that took place here
at the 21st in was heard in Allathy, which may create
alarm, 1 have the honour to acquaint you that the enemy
attacked my pink' at about ti, a.m., on the morning of
the 21st. in gre it force, having in advance • considerable
body of mounted men; and fowining their Torre into three
large eilumns, and moving rapidly to their left, made a most
determined attack on our g 1.1414101 in charge of the rattle.
This uttaek was met liy a spiritist advance of the ninnies.,
1111.1 eu:nsirted by a detailimint of the Cape Mounted
under Lieut. and Adjut.
A. th • columns of the en: my silvaneed, the guns in the
bastions were worked with gnat effect by tin detachment of
the 'toys' Artillery, melee Acting-Itoinbr. Merchant, the
fire of which broke their columns, and did consideralde ear-
cution—thP ere my emvinuinx working to their left, evils
di utly receiving nonsislemfole reinforcements from parties
toneciole d le hind the hills around our position.
A si ry sharp eittuttn•nfent was continued for two hours and
a half wAiout intermission. While this woe going ~,,, a body
of Katie- Irmo the Upper Chu:mi.., and led on Mr SOM, the
priori's.; chief Icelrtoging to the Mis.ion station in ilieChuroie,
attackist the ear of the- r.lttle in Alice, and succeeded in
capturing shout 20U heuils.—The brother of this nn an, whose
name was Manaus (will known In Graham's Town), was
shot in Aliec.
The Kaffir. made a most determined attempt to cut off
the right holy of the rattle colleeted in Alice, hut a well-
directed fire from sonic of the inhabitants and a body of
riga., (a Ito wen' conevaled amongst the cattle) drolle the
enemy or, who ut length, Ming eompletely routed at all
point*, retired with severe Inc. Upwards of 100 bodies lay
about, and numbers of wounded were carried away during
the op. ration..
1 had tlw auxictyofhavingtoafforlprotectiontoaconvoy
Of waggons 1 %ix etcd from leinw Fontein, and being obliged
to detach a strong party of the C. M. I'd's. for this service,
rends rill me unable to follow up the enemy in the way I
could has.. wished. As it woo, he got s ore,rc handling;
several chii-fs and head-men were slain; amongst others
ten deserters from the late police ; several hones were also

captured.
flo• action WWI mo.t sec...masa the. fire 'writ iipirited and
deter. ' I muret the lon of six Fingoia kiUad
and ten wound. li iteri
I unileritasol it hail beim planned to attack wi for four
day., hut the M•viire 10,1 •II•blilb-11 by the enemy hie., I be-
hewn, damped their ardour and changed their ill.tisrmina
tins.

I hare the honour to be, sir,
Your obedient ■errant,
Major Ihtrn.ohy, 11. SOMERSET, Major-Gen.
Ottunt.tnolant, Gralunen Tow R.
_ _ _

The Graham's Tarn Journal of Janunt7 2:i gives
the following porticulars contained in private com-
munication., all proving that the enemy has expe-
rienced a very severe nevem:
Major-tien.rnl Somerset again
,stands prominently for-
ward, and the tape rorps have attain disunguistull them-
orbit", and shown that thew may take rank among the
staunchest of MIT ttoollll. The artillery appear. to have
been handled in a roomier worthy of that um of the ser-
vittr. The 'lngots hate :main shown themselvo s deserving
the highest praio . 'Their itionitigable animmity towards
the Kattirs admits of nu compromise.
Fort Marc, Jan. 24,
I hasten to communicate to you the partieulart, (A-
lerted from evtowitntsses, of the attack made upou this
place on Tucolay hot, 21st inst.
About nit. o'clock. 01.111., on 'fuesility, the picquets posted
on the hill near the fort ease the alarm that the enemy oar
coming in gnat hove. The Finglow made the greatest pm-
'old, bade to get the tattle anti goats iu from the " veldt,"
hurrying them forward at a rapid pare ; but hcfore they
coula effect this the Kadin torn. upon theta in large bodies.
They had sueeleded in turning luck part of the stork from
within 400 or ;100 pints of the town, when the nitwit.' of
the Alice Levy. 1114.11. r l.ieutenants ('umbers owl Murray,
charged the Kollin in the moot gallant style, lighting with
them hand to hand, and killing great numbert of them,
and littally retaking all the tattle, The Kaiiirt fought
very bravely, mowing steadily along the hill-side until
they came to the Firm,o hots, whim there was a num•
ber of other of other cattle and goat. belonging to that
people. 'l' hew. the Kadin began to drive olf, apparent)
with the olottemintif to take the stock at all
harards. The Finger' , who bad, after retaking
the first lot of cattle from the enemy, fallen back to
within gundtot distance, now kept up an incessant
fire, which was as resolutely returned by the foe; hut, on
seeing this rush upon their stuck, they at once charged
tight in amongst the enemy, and a scene of the most lively
otiosity no* exhibited between the combatants, it having
more the appearance of an irregular native dance than any-
thing else. These gallant fellows frustrated the attempt
nude by the enemy. to get coif with a number of oxen and
mots, in all about .70 or It* head. Many of the inhabitants
of Alive tired from the tops of the houses of the town, and
del stone esetuit.m. The cannon were brought to bear on
the f e in a short time after the action commenced, and
ositimed to throw shells amongst them to the end. Two

tempi of the Cape Mounted Ritl.7es were rent out against '
them, and created thin on the opposite side of the
tsar' to where the Fingoes were fighting ; viz.,
their own location. There was fierce fighting be-
tween the Caite Mounted Rates and the enemy
ear to the ruins of Wynne's house, which had ai-
r .alt been the scene oil combat on a former occasion. On
t!,is side of the town there was. party of Fingoes under the
before mentioned, while those at the huts were
fighting it their own way without any to command
them, and bras ely they contended with the enemy. In-
deed, too much praise cannot be awarded to them for
their conduct this fins', a. they may he said to have beaten
Lack an armv of Kadin by themselves. At one time they
were fighting line to line, like regularly disciplined troops.
The battle lasted front 9 am. till 21 p.m. Although this
may avem an incredibly long time for the Katilrs to
maintain their ground, yet when the great disparity of
numbers between the combatant* is taken into conside-
ration, no one will feel surprised. I think the Katfirs
must have been from 6,000 to 6,000 strong, while
the Fingoes of this place only number some 300 men.
and the l'ape Mounted Rides engaged were, I understand.
not a hundred strong, thus giving about .100 to contend
with about 6,1104 and vet this small force, aided by three
or four cannon, not only withdood the enemy but defeated
him• and drove him back to the shelter of his mountain
fastnesses.
The numher of Ow enemy killed is variously stated, but
several of the 1110. t respectable of the inhabitants agree that
the number that has been counted is nut less than 8.5. Some
give it as their opinion that double that number must have
been killed, as several shells fell and bunt amongst them,
and a great many must have been 'evenly wounded. On
our side the only casualties were six Fingoes killed and
eleven wounded.
I have seen the body of one Kaffir from the Owali mis-
sionary station, who via. shot from the top of Mr. It. Levey's
house. It had been covered up with earth in a hole, but
the dogs or birds had seratched away the dirt from about
the tare and one hand. This was recognised as the corpse
of a Kaffir named Manaoa, well known in the colony. I
purpose going out this evening to examine the bodies on
the hill.
Yesterday we had another alarm, that the Katfirs were
muting to take the cattle, which were hastily driven into
the fort, and a numl...r of Cape Mounted. Ititlise turned out
i.
tly to protect them. This proved to be a (alas alarm.
,77tt
least the enemy did not, as was expected, make his
allim../111RCV. . .

The following is an extract of a letter, dated Gra-
ham's Town, Jan. 18:

All incertitude and doubt ; nothing in the hotiton to
gladden our hearts: the apparent lull in affairs gives rise to
serious epprehensi.ms. Our lines of communication with
the army cut off --every par being completely blockaded
by the enemy. The little intelligence gleaned i. conveyed
by stealth through the instrumentality of the Fiturom, who
eon a great risk in heingiog in despatches. From Fort Hare
we an more fortunate in getting news. Gen. Somerset is
busy in enlarging end repairing his fort. Few Kattirs seen
un that neighbourhood: they appear to have seceded from
that mot and gone elsewhere : all is imagination whither.
It is, however. suspected that they were assembling near
Line Drift to Atop supplies, and the next express may bring
either frightful intelligence, or something to cheer our
spirits. Everything hinges on Sir !ferry's next step ;if
niceensful, tht: Slanibie. are safe for a period Lif a /our /as
I.• committed, the colony will be overrun and devastated.
We cannot dive into futurity, but we are sitting on the edge
of a volcano. Very few Kaffir. yet in the colony, and I
feel confident only those who have either deserted the sir-
lore of their masters, or who have been dismissed by them.
and .ft their route to Keelrland. The colonists, as you will
oh...rye by the papers, have suffered severely. The wounded
are doing well. I saw several parties from the country, and
they had come from different parts, and neither Kaffir,
140 f the spoor of Kahn were seen. Even some four or
eve amens have anis. d in Graham's 'Gown from Port
Elizabeth, without mole.tation, let, or hindrance. The Kaf-
fir. evidently intend to have a desperate struggle for their
country. I am happy to say that the charge against the