The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-13 00:00:00

e3)-4. Itit

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LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1852.

Misfortunes, in truth, never come singly—as the
Earl GREY is just now discovering to his amazement
—hut in battalions : the latest illustration of this
coming through the battalions under the command of
...
his ex-Excellency the hero of Aliwal. othing
surely could more glaringly demonstrate the rashness,
the folly, and the intemperance of the policy adven-
tured upon by the late Colonial Secretary, than the
intelligence which has just arrived from the Cape by
the steam-ship the Bosphorus. Before the Honourable
GROgO5 CATHCART had reached his destination, the
war with the Kafirs' had— thanks to the
military capacity of Sir HARRY SMITH been
gloriously terminated. Scarcely had the insolent dis-
patch penned by Earl GREY, on the 14th of January,
come to the hands :of his Excellency the late Gover-
nor, scarcely had he found himself stigmatized as in-
competent both as a captain and as an administrator
by the petulant civilian recently at the head of the
Colonial Department—when the distinguished officer,
thus cruelly and gratuitously insulted, vindicated at
once his courage and his capacity by conquering the
barbarians opposed to his forces, what though those
forces were, in point of numbers and general
efficiency, altogether inadequate for the enter-
prise in consequence of the niggardliness of the
very Minister who had dared to pronounce Sir
HARRY SMITH worthy only degradation. A little
forethought on the part of the Colonial Secretary in
sending out additional troops, betimes, to the Cape,
and all the bloodshed which has taken place
there recently might have been happily and
Within a weekil
after his
effectually prevented.
last vigorous attack upon the Kafirs Sir tit.
ec-
air
had brought them thoroughly under su e
tion, had destroyed their crops and taken posses-
sion of the whole country belonging to
the insur-
gents. Such was the incapacity complained of by
the Lite Colonial Secretsry ! Such was his late Ex-
cellency's utter failure in showing " foresight, energy,
and judgment" [vide the " Blue Book," &C., 11
254] I Such was the weakness of the Go-
vernor of the Cape—a weakness (!) imper-
tinently attributed by Earl GREY to his
possible " failure in health " [" Blue Book," p.
2.5e] ! Such was, Sir ILIERY's incapacity (accord-
ing to Earl GREY) " in giving either to his military
Operations or to his political measures that character
of vigour and judgment which were necessary to in-
spire confidence in the inhabitants and troops, and to
command success " [" Blue Book," p. 254] ! Earl
GREY will now, perhaps, have the goodness to in-
form the country, from his place in the House of
Lords, how far his assertions have been corroborated
by the recent proceedings in Kafirland—lie will,
perhaps,
kindly acquaint the public in what
manner Sir HARRY SMITH his failed to inspire con-
fidence in the inhabitants, has failed to inspire con-
fidence in the troop;, has failed to command success
i
against the nsurgents—now that he has utterly sub-
dued the rebellion and restored peace to the agitated
colony. Such has been the culpable course pursued
by his ex-Excellency in a way, says the Earl GREY,
seriously reprehensible even to " an unprofessional
observer" [" Blue Book,"
P' 255] Such has been
the disgraceful (!) way in which, if we are
to believe the Colonial Secretary, Sir HARRY
has " either been entirely mistaken in his
Judgment, or has failed in usiri, with effect the force
at his disposal.. [,. Blue Book, p. 255] !
Such have
been the " irsost fatal errors" [" Blue Book," p. 225,1