The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-31 00:00:00

THE SUN,

THE KAFIR WAR.

ARRIVAL OF TI-1E HELLESPONT.

PLYMOUTH, JAN. 30.—The Royal Mail steam-
packet Hellespont, Captain W. Watts, anchored in
Millbay this afternoon at a quarter to three o'clock,
after a splendid passage home of thirty-two days and
eighteen hours—the shortest one on record. She was
under steam only thirty days and eighteen hours, and
having left on the uroper day for starting she has
reached here a week earlier than was anticipated. She
left the Cape of Good Hope at seven P.M. on the 28th
of December; Sierra Leone, Jan. 12, at eleven F.M. ;
and St. Vincent, on the 18th, at eight .an. She brings
home three passengers—Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Holland,
and Mr. Ogilvy, all from the Cape ; a full cargo of
wool and oil, and thirty bales of general merchandize,
and 1,0001. worth of gold dust. The passage home-
wards was a very rough one.
The Hellespont has been very successful in making
her passages. The previous passage home was the
shortest that had been made, and now in this passage
she beats her former run. She also made her run
out in thirty-five days and seven hours—the shortest
on record, and six hours under the contract time.
On her voyage home, the Hellespont only spoke
one merchant vesse4 the Allegro, of Liverpool, in lat.
25 30, long. 25 45, on the 24th of January.
The Bosphorus left Sierra Leone on the sth ; all
well,

The postmaster here received the mails at 3 15,
and as the London mail leaves at 6 20, and his staff
is small, the bags will not be opened, but sent on to
town to be sorted there. We shall nor, therefore,
get our letters here and in the west generally till
Sunday.
The news brought by this mail shows that the war
had made no advance since the last intelligence
arrived, owing to the severity and inclemency of the
weather which had prevailed preventing the troops
that had left King William's Town prosecuting their
march, and it was expected that they would have to
return to recruit. The latest intelligence, written up
to the day of the Hellespont's leaving, will be found
in the following communication :
The South African Commercial Advertiser of the
27th December says—
" Not a word has yet been heard of peace in any
quarter, nor is it known, or even guessed, what Sir
Harry Smith will demand of the numerous tribes who
have kept him at bay for twelve months, as the condi-
tion on which he will grant even a suspension of hostili-
ties. Tne Kafir chiefs, it is said, demand' indepen-
dence.' Sir Harry has pronounced the word extermi-
nation,' by which he means the removal of the hostile
tribes to some country beyond the Kei. These are the
two extremes. There are many strong reasons against
both, but what other course is open? It is no relief to
say that peace cannot be made with the chiefs after
what has taken place without discredit or without
affording a dangerous proof of weakness in the opinion
of native tribes; or to maintain that the Kafirs have
justly forfeited their country. The question recurs, can
you govern and keep in order a nation like the Kafirs
otherwise than through chiefs? And if you drive them,
to the number of fifty or sixty thousand, back upon other
tribes, will you not strengthen and provoke a more
powerful native combination than you have yet had to
deal with? Africa is inexhaustible. Extermination, in
the broadest sense of the word, is useless as well as in-
human, with regard to single tribes—with regard to the
whole, impossible."

MONTHLY SUMMARY.
(From the Cape Town Mail of Dec. 27.)
The only important military movement which has
taken place during the month is the expedition across
the Kei into the territories of Krell, the paramount
chief of Kafirland. That chief has acted an ambiguous
part during the present war. While professing pacific
intentions, he has allowed his people to plunder the
English traders in his country, and has refused to make
restitution. Great numbers of the cattle captured in the
colony:by the hostile Kafirs are said to have been driven
into his country for safe keeping. The Commander-in-
Chief has at length determined to dispatch a force
against this chief, in order to bring him to account, and
to obtain restitution of the spoil.
The force employed in this expedition comprises about
four thousand men, of all:arms. They have crossed the
Kei in two divisions—the one near the mouth of the river

and the other higher up. The main division, under Major-
Generel Somerset, who directs the military operations,
consists of about 2,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. This
division was formed of three columns, which started
respectively from King William's Town, the Blink-
water and Whittlesea, and met at the Imvani, on the
northern border of British Ksfraria. These columns

were under the command of Colonel Mackinnon, General
Somerset, and Captain Tylden. Colonel Mackinnon's
columns, consisting of about 1,600 men, and including
detachments of the 12th Lancers, 60th Rifles, the 2d,
6th, and 73d regiments, Cape Mounted Rif-I,s, and other
corps, left King William's Town on the 27th ult., and
marched northward to the Imvani. Lieutenant-Colonels
Pole, Nisbet, Burns, Michel, and Napier, are in com-
mand under Colonel Mackinnon, At Imvani, on the 3d
inst., this column formed a junction with that of Gen.
Somerset, who had arrived from the Blinkwater, by the
way of Kat River; and also with the force of Captain
Tylden, from Whittlesea. General Somerseei column

comprised about 1,000 men, and Captain fyldeu's about
400—both being composed chiefly of burgher and native
levies, with some men of the Cape Corps.
After this junetinn cif several forces, Gtneral Somo!.

set proceeded on to the White Kei, detaching Captain
Tylden, with a force of 900 men, and afterwards Mujor
Somerset, with 100 cavalry, to scour the country about
the head waters of the Kei, whither the Kafirs were
supposed to have driven their cattle. This service was
well performed, and about 2,000 head of cattle were
captured. Some skirmishing took place during these
operations, and several Kafirs were killed. On the 7:h
instant General Somerset formes: his camp at Kakadu,
near the White Kei; and on the following day Colonel
Mackinnon and Lieutenant-Colonel Michel started on
patrol, with a force of about 2,000 men. Nothing is yet
known of the later movements of this division. The
operations had been greatly impeded by the heavy rains
which had fallen almost every day.
While these movements were attracting the attention
of the enemy towards the Tipper Kei, Lieut.-Colonel
Eyre, with his division, comprising about 1,000 men,
left King William's Town on the Ist instant, and
marched directly towards Butterworth, the mission sta-
tion near the principal residence of Kreli. In crossing
the Kei, he encountered and defeated a large body of
Kafirs, under Bookoo, an inferior chief, who, like Kreli
himself, had hither professed to be neutral. Forty-three
Kafirs were killed in this engagement, including two
nephews of Bookoo. On our sid four men are said to
have been killed or wounded; but the official report
has not been received. After arriving at Butterworth,
Colonel Eyre made patrols into the neighbouring country,
where he captured a considerable number of cattle, and
again defeated a body of Kafirs, who are said to have
fled at the first volley from our cavalry, and to have
suffered a loss of at least twenty of their number.
While these successful operations have been going on
beyond the Kei, the hostile Kafirs within the colony
have been no less active and successful in their forays in
some of the frontier districts. The 12th and 74th
Regiments, with some colonial levies, have been able to
render but partial protection to those districts. In
Albany depredations have of late been few and unim-
portant; but Fort Beaufort, Cradock, and Somerset
districts have suffered severely from the ravages of the
enemy, whose principal strongholds are in the Water-
kloof and the Fish River Bush. At the former place,
the camp of the Kafirs and rebel Hottentots, on the
Kromme Heights is reported (by a prisoner whom they
released) to occupy a space as large as the town of Fort
Beaufort, and to be well supplied with cattle and sheep.
Since the departure of the expedition beyond the Kei,
these marauders have driven off from a single farm in
the Fort Beaufort district about 1,900 sheep (of which
450 were recovered) and 250 head of cattle. Many
other valuable flocks and herds have been swept off from
the adjoining country. In some instances, patrols of
farmers and troops have been able to recover
the spoil; but in other cases the plunderers, who move
last
seen wstn said
usually in large bodies, comprising both horse and foot,
have repulsed their pursuers, and carried off their booty
in triumph.
Sir
tnWilg th
a
T
whichSm i Smith p
h hasost
hreemhaasinendot at
movedli during in gd William's
months. No military operations have taken
place in that immediate vicinity. The hostile Kafirs
are
:inElodffra tohr at a place where they can be
oni Harry
be cultivating
from the post. their gardens within about five
miles
In the Orange River Sovereignty, and in Natal, trail.
quillity prevailed at the date of the latest intelligence.
lnßuhionebm p
affairspto,rliotoifneattelhiesettlers of both those settlements were, how-
ever,oue r,, Major u
inanunsoegtgtleedansdtate.
Mr. Tohyreena,ssihsatadntarcrievd
memis-
atat
into the origin o
n'
taend were engaged in their investigations
ttlhe troubles in the Sovereignty. A
, both English and Dutch, had
presented an address
those troubles were to the Commissioners, in which
of the local ascribed to the improper inter-
ferenceauthoritiesNatalth in the quarrels of the
said to be this year unusuffiaeolltydcrtaobpes
native tribes. At
nodfaanitl.
Thedescriptions
e 010
colonists
iasrt are
obtaining labourers.
The native inhabitants were beyeoofmilnogd
had experienced much di
less manageable
than formerly, and the lack
i:eegdusliaxtions for
their government excited much complaint
appre-
hension. Mr. Benj. Moodie, secretaryptaomthe t
Go-
vernment, who has for some time past been at vamataroinatnhcse
with Lieutenant-Governor Pine, ins reeel
leave of absence, preparatory, it understood, to his rc-
has
The Cape Legislative Council been in session
the month. The
doting the greater part of
tirement from office.
Proposed
ordinance appropriating 40,0001. to the repair of prisms
has been withdrawn by order of the Governor. The Bi 1 for
the removal of squatters from Gov,rnment land has also
been withdrawn, it not being considered advisable to
proceed with such a measure in the present state of the
Colony. A resolution has been passed authorising a
joint-stock company to borrow 25,000/. on the credit of
the Colonial Treasury, for the improvement of the
Kowie River, on condition that an equal amount should
be raised by the shareholders. • The estimates for the
colonial expenditure of 1852 have been sanctioned, with-
out alteration. The second reading of the Constitution
Ordinances is not to come on before the 2Sth of January._
The course pursued by the council (which is a purely
nominated body, and does not in any degree possess the
confidence of the colonist) in thus passing
laws and pledging the public credit fee large sums has
excited very great and general dissatisfaction in all parts
of the colony. important
Public meetings have been held in ,Ce pe Town, Stel-
lenbosch, Worcester, Beaufort, and Graaft-Reinet, to