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

Kaffir, of having murdered women and children is denied.
Up to this nothing of the kind has taken place. Mutilation
of the dead is unhappily true, as in former wars. We have I
quite sufficient misery to witness, without adding to it by ;
evagiteratima Much anxiety exists regarding Fort Cox and
Fort White, both of which must be short of provisions. If
the auxiliary fores., do not hasten to the front, it is dread-
ful to anticipate the consequences to the poor creature* I
hemmed in these butteries. An epidemic of some kind must
ensue. Ophthalmia no doubt will prevail. These are my
own fears—map God avert such visitations. The people
are eagerly cuffing out for Sir Andries ; if he offer himself
thousands will Sack around him. • • • Recourse is
' had in this town to the " pre..4anx." Shorkinq are the
scene. attendant on it ; and, shame to say, it is confined
solely to the natives. What will Britain say when she
hears that eoerciyn is used to force the Hottentots to
Held, while she white man is spared ? Alas ! we live
in frightful times. I heard sonic Hottentots. say

that th-y might force them to go to Kaffirland, Min
they would not make them fire ! By the bye, speak-
ing of the Hottentots' ore you not both surprised
and shocked to find their defection ? Here it is thought
to he general; hut I cannot Ming my mind to think an.
I have seen much of them, and though they complain
much of the government, and more especially of Sir
llarry, yet I believe them loyal. Sonic misguided wretches
may have joined the enemy, and some from far and
threats, but the great body of the hottent dA arc true
aud myal men, as will he shown ere the war terminates. I
could eive, more than one reason fur their disinclin Irion to

tight, but the must serious obstacle to their taking the held
is the want of confidence in those who have been appointed
OA their officers. Let men in whom they have confidence
to be placid over them, and then the colonists will have no
}CUM to suspect tither their loyalty or their valour. How-
ever, there is not a doubt but that those who have deserted
to the enemy will have a very serious effect on the race in
general, for 1 am given to understand that some influential
individuals are amongst the ranks of the Kaffir'. If Sir
Andric., were to show himself there would nut be a deserter.

Could I be brought to believe the Hottentots intended to
join the Kaffirs, I would not remain one minute on the
frontii r. The Cape Mounted Riflemen would be sure to
go al.*. Fears were entertained of the Theopolis people,
ae a rumour was in circulation, that on a farmer going there
to ask foss reapers, he was answered that they wished every

" Enkli•hman's throat eut." I have 19 of thew men on my
farm reaping, and one or two of my friends hare upwards of
30. This is a contradiction to the report, I should say.
llowev, r, the Rev. N. Smit, of Graham's Town, the pastor
of the Iluttentots, on hearing that some of the Kat River

people were gone over to the ens•my, deemed it advisable to
proceed to Theopolis to find out whether any communica-
tion had been made to the people there. Ile found there
had not ; and states that he found them all loyal. Probably
you will hear through sontrotherehannelthe full particulars
of his interview with them. Upwards of 900 burghers
marched off yesterday for Fort frolic, chiefly Hottentot,;
amongst whom were the first contingent from Port Eliza-
beth. When the next batch will be forthcoming no one
knows. You may well imagine Sir Harry's anxiety—depen.
dent as he is in a great measure on the fickleness of the
:gamines. It fart, it surprises me that they have so long
remained faithful. flow sadly he blundered even with
these, when he told the chiefs that he should hold them
responsible for the pacific intentions of their people. And
yet his whole policy has been directed tow:wile undermining
their power 10 chiefs. Hot and cold with a vengeance! At
one time, when it suited his views, to acknowledge their
power and give strength to it, and a three years' policy to
destroy their chieftainship in tots). • • • • •
The latest intelligence this morning from the front is that
epwasls of 400 Hottentots have joined the enemy, and that
the Kaffir; are making every effort to enlist the whole
eoloured population in their favour.
Extract of another letter, dated Graham's Town,
Jan. 21, IS:11, half-past 2 p.m.:
I regret to say, since my last to yon, that the favourable
impression I conveyed to you regarding the Hottentots of
Theopolis is quite reversed. Evidence has this day been
taken before the clerk of the peace to the of that a
eonapirary. exists against the English. Measures are
in operation to disarm them. I am fully aware
of the unjust antipathy the people in this town
have to the coloured race—though they do not
hesitate now to call out for their assistance. lam
induced to believe now, (ruin the many facts which
have been disclosed, that the defection of the Hottentots
is more extensive than is dreamt of. in other rtapectswe are
in gates quo. This hemisphere, dark and cloudy, no
one knows what an hour may bring forth. In the
Oliphant's Hoek—a division between the English and the
Dutch, almost cooling to actual conflict. I have letters in
my 191919111.95,9011 giving the whole particulars, but 1 withhold
saying more for the present, hoping that time will smooth
asperities. lam not desirous that Dutch and English
should in the most remote manner be divided, at a time
when unanimity of feeling ought to exist.
A letter, under the saute date as the foregoing,
says :
Since last post, nothing of any moment has transpired as
to the state of the frontier. A most ominous and fearful
silence seems to reign throughout the country. It is the
general opinion here that sane deep-laid and widely-dif-
fusel' scheme is concocting amongst the Kuttlrs. It is not
thought that there are large numbers of them in the colony,
though it is known that there are several horde's in various
putts, but they are keeping themselves unaccountably quiet.
cry few are now seen, and scarcely any spoors are met
with. Herds of cattle and Hocks of sheep, in some cases
almost unprotected, grass from day to day, with little or no
multatation. What all this means, people cannot imagine.
On Sunday morning, six waggons, with supplies, &e.,
started from Graham's Town for Fort Hare, escorted by a
force of WO men, including a few soldiers of the 9lst Regi-
ment. On Monday, a party came in from a loaner at Seven
I Fountains' near Buslinian's River. They met with no ato•
testatiun by the way. In fact, the road tram here to Alone
Bay items at present perfectly safe and uninterrupted. But
this party report that, ins garden on the Kareiga, arc lying
the bodies of an Englishman and a Flow*, with their,
throats cut. Who they arse wan not known.
No news from the front up to Monday morning. The
express from that quarter is hourly expected.
On Monday night a large party, cunaistiug of 3.50 men
and 20 waggons, arrived in town from Algea Bay. (1f the
wagons, din were loaded with government stores, 1000 mus-
kets, and two field pier -s; and 10 were carriers waggons
with merchandise. Of this party Mlf are native levies,
who will proceed to the front; the other 100, being merely
as escort, will return to Port Elizabeth.
A party ut the " Mounted Force " who went out on Sun-
day morning have returned, stating that at Leeuw Fontein
they were met by Captain Carey, with an escort to take the
waggons on to Fort Hare. Ile informed them that two
men, sent with a letter-bag, were found dead on the road
between that place and Fort Beaufort, and the mail was
lost. lie also said that large numbers of Kaffir* were
collecting in the Fish River bush. Leeuw Fontein, Na
firm estalilishment of Mr. Howse, is abandoned, and will
probably soon he committed to the dames. His Mock at
1,200 sheep remaining there had been taken by the Kaffir;
who were fiolloweal by his people, when two Kidfirs were
shot, and 230 of the sheep recovered. The people then
thought best to abandon the place.
This morning (Tuesday) a report has just reached us ti
heavy tiring, accompanied by the diocharge of artillery, hoe-
ing been heard in the direction of Fort Beaufort ; but it is
thought more likely to proceed from the neighbourhood of
Seyolo's camp on the Keiskamma. Some of the mounted
force, under Commandant Stubbs, have gone out, if possible,
to ascertain the cause.
Graham's T 09911, Jan. 23, 18.51,
On Tuesday some excitement prevailed, occasioned by
reports train several parties who had been out in the neigh-
bourhood through the day, that heavy firing hail been
heard from the direction of Fort Hare, and the can-
nonading had continued for several hours. Little doubt
was entertained but an attack had been made on the
waggons which left town on Sunday morning, but up to
Friday night no intelligence of such an event had been
received. By some persons the tiring was thought to
have been in the direction of Line Drift, which, if cor-
rest, would indicate an attempt to dislodge Seyolo from
his position there. On Wednesday morning, Major Somer-
set, with several other officers, left town to rejoin the forces
at Fort Hare. An escort of the Cape Mounted Rifles had
been sent forward the previous night to Fort Brown, there
to await them, and they were accompanied by a party of the
" Sporting Club," or " mounted force," and the opportu-
nity wits taken to send by them the mail bags for King
William's Town, Fort Hare, Fort Cox, Fort Peddle. and
Fort Beaufort. The Sporting Club returned in the evening,
but did not bring any letters or despatches. On the same
day about 300 of the native levies, 30 men of the 91st
Rt:giment, and several waggons moved on to the front,
their destination being understood to be King William's
Town. They were joined towards night by a mule train,
containing altogether about 60 mules, brought up from
Port Elizabeth.
Thursalay.—No expresses, no mails front the interior.
In the course of the morning some waggons, in charge of
about 20 Hottentots, arrived from Theopolis for a supply
of arms and ammunition. Several suspicious circum-
stances having been reported in connection with that
station, the men were immediately disarmed, and 12 of
, them taken into custody, in order that a searching inquiry
might be made into the facts of the case. There seems to
be little doubt but, to say the least of it, a very suspicious
intercourse has taken place between the people residing at
Theopolis and the Hottentots on the Kat River, lately con-
nected with Ilermanus.
Friday. —A complete blank. No intelligence from any
quarter. Every one in a most unsatisfactorystate of suspense.
Alortnighes mail now due from Criduck, Somerset, and
all the places in that direction. A large number of waggons
with merchandise arrived this day from Port Elizabeth.
meeting with no obstruction by the way. The owner of
one or more of these waggons came through alone on horse-
back. It seems to he now the prevailing opinion that but
very few hostile Karen are in the colony.
This morning, Saturday, the 25th, brought intelligence
from various quarters, and of various kinds. The Cape
Town mail arrived at an early hour. An express came in
this morning from Fort Hare, bringing official despatches
from Major-Gen. Somerset, and many private letters. By
these the cannonading heard on Tuesday was fully accounted
fur. On that morning a fierce and prolonged attack
had been made—not on the waggons, as had been an-
ticipated, but on the post itself, or rather on the
adjoining Tillage of Alice. The accounts differ, as
might have been expected, in sundry matters of detail, but
agree in the main features of the affair. Many. of the let-
ters were tom soldiers to their wives or friends. The
number of the Kadin is variously estimated at from 3,000
to 6,000, amongst whom were many horseman. The first
attempt was upon the cattle ; afterwards upon the village
in a most daring manner. They were bravely repulsed by
the Finger's, with whom rests the honour of the victory.
The number of lingoes killed was 6, and about 10 or 12
wounded, not any seriously. The Kellam lost, it is sup-