The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-14 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

DEATH OF LIEUT.-COL. NESBITT, 60th RIFLES.
A correspondent of the Graham's Town Journal fur-
nishes the following details of this melancholy event, in
a letter dated " King William's Town, Oct. 4 :"
" On Saturday last a fatal accident occurred to Lieut. -
Colonel Nesbitt, 60th Rifles, the successor of Lieut.-
General Yorke in the command of r ritish Kafraria, It
would appear, from the imperfect intelligence respecting
this melancholy affair which has as yet reached us, that
the colonel, in his capacity of commandant, had pro-
ceeded on a tour of inspection of the posts in British
Kafraria, accompanied by his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant
Ellis, of his own regiment, and two orderlies of the 12th
Lancers. After inspecting Fort White, and the new
post in course of erection at Middle Drift, in the cross-
ing of which no great difficulty was experienced, although
the Keiskamma was high and running rapidly, the
colonel proceeded vid Hobbs' Drift to Fort Cox. Hobbs'
Drift is about two miles from Fort Cox, where a com-
pany of his own regiment was quartered. The drift
was safely passed by Lieutenant Ellis and the order-
lies, though tho river was greatly swollen. Tho colonel,
unfortunately, allowing his horse to take too low a
faurse, where he could neither keep his footing, nor
holdil u gainst. the stream, was quickly carried from
. saddle, and is supposed to have come in contact
wtieteliti
.a
waggon and span of oxen, which bad
3liet swept away by the flood. Every assistance
was rendered 1.3,
Lieutenant Ellis and the orderlies, who
were directed
etto a spot about 300 yards distant from the
but such is the of the colonel, calling for assistance ;
h
wasdensity of the bush in the neighbour-
inoothat
darethction. t it
onalmost impossible to reach the bank
of the orderlies was left on the
left bank, while Lieutenante
Ellis and the other recrossed
the river ; but when they gotte to where the colonel was
last seen, to their horror discovered that he was
carried away. He must, no
, have been much ex-
hausted when he reached there
is
eafter the
this water was not
three feet deep. In a very short,
tt ames . The
e
distress-
ing occurrence both banks of the
river Nvuter success. lined with
e colonel w
soldiers searching for the body, but with
poor horse made his way out near where th
as
last seen. A boat was 'sent from from pert murr
and again the search was renewed, but nothing of the,
colonel was found except his whip, near the fatal spot.
The death of Colonel Nesbitt will be a serious loss to the
regiment, as he took an unceasing interest in the wel-
fare of both officers and men ; and it is but justice to his
memory to say, that had time and opportunity been
afforded him for the development and appreciation of his
talents, he would have yielded to no commandant in en-
tering into, and carrying out, measures for the advance-
ment of the district over which he, for so short a period,
presided. You have, no doubt, heard the sequel of this
u elancholy affair. One of the Lancers sent with the
express to his Excellency, conveying the above intelli-
gence, was drowned at Line Drift, crossing the same
Keiskamma. It is to ho devoutly hoped that the day
is not far distant when a bridge will be over every river
in South Africa, and thus prevent such distressing dis-
asters,"