The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-01 00:00:00

WAR IN KAFFIRLIND.

(From the Herald.)

Another arrival from the Cape of Good Hope bas
put us in possession of news from the frontier, of several
days later date, at which period the Kaffirs and the
British continued hostilities, without the most remote
appearance of their termination, unless military succour
were promptly rendered. The colony is in a most de-
plorable condition, left as it is to a handfull of troops,
against hordes of daring barbarians. Indeed, if we waY
place reliance upon the statement of a Fingoe, who had
escaped from ths? bush, it was the fixed intention of the
Kaffirs to make an attack upon Graham's Town. Several
engagements had taken place, in th,, most of which the
Kaffirs had been successful. A little gallant affair,
however, cecurred at Salem, where tit," enemy (300 in
number) were soundly beaten by the in habitants, coo"
sisting of a few young men, who exhibited the most
determined bravery. The details subjoined w.'ll be read
with interest. To enter into treaties with thest.,` faith'
less tribes is worse than useless, and until a strong mi•
litary-force be placed at the disposal of his Excellency
the Governor, to keep these barbarian bands in check,
neither property, nor quiet, nor life will be secure in the
colony.

(Supplement to the South African Commercial Advertiser Of

May 2.)
The frontier post arrived in town this day, ??Jay 3. it
brings intelligence from Graham's Town to the 28th of April.
four days later than the advices received on Thursday last.
The sum of the intelligence is that the Kaffirs have end
tered the colony in great numbers, and have succeeded .in
carrying off numerous droves of cattle, in the defence 01
which and their homes and families, several of the colonist.
have fallen.

The following is the latest intelligence from Block Drift
An express came in from Fort Beaufort this (Tuesday)
afternoon about one o'ciPck, bringing information frog;
Block Drift to the 25th April (Saturday). The troops con'
tinued inactive, and nothing, it appears, was known of the
inroad of the Kaffirs into the colony, for Colonel Johnstone
has been directed to send as large a foreg as he can muster to
strengthen Fort Peddle, a step which, havbg been ordered it;
total ignorance of the events which have lately occurred, wiit
of course not be taken.—Frontier Times, April.B.
Levies from all the districts haVe been ordered up as fast
as they can be assembled and marched, and it is evident thst
the whole force of the colony is instantly required to meet
this enemy. Not an hour, not a moment should be los:, and
the word for •all is silent and unhesitating obedience to
orders. The whole colony must move upon this enemy, et
one body, animated by one so3ll. All ranks and classes 0'
men have now to fight for their own safety, as well as fOt
rescue of the frontier districts.

The body of Mr. J. Norden was recovered by a party that
gallantly moved from Graham's Town to the place where be
fell, for that purpose. No Kaffirs showed themselves, the
party being nearly 200 strong. Colonel Johnstone, with
party of the Cape Corps, joined them.
On Sunday last some farmers and a few of the CaP2
Corps fell in with some Kaffirs on the Ecca heights, and S,
smart skirmish commenced, in which five Kaffirs were shot
dead, and several wounded. None of the boers were hurt.
Mr. O'Brien's party returned to town yesterday (lliondaV
from Committees. They report that the bush is literaa
swarming with Kaffirs. They were opposed by dense bodied
upon whom they kept up a continuous fire—at last taking
up a position in a bush, which they maintained for three
hours against overwhelming numbers. One of the parti
was accidentally shot through the head whilst raising
his gun, for the purpose of firing ; this, and the loss of s
horse shot by the Kaffirs, were the only casualties. But fol
the unskilful firing of the Kaffirs, none of the party could
have escaped.
Immense herds of colonial cattle were being driven through
the Fish River on Sunday and Monday, by large bodies of
Kaffirs. They passed close under the guns of the post, and
suffered much loss from the grape and caxister shot throWe
in amongst them.. The dead and wounded were instantli
placed on pack bullocks and carried off.
No heavy firing had been heard at Trompetter's up to yer
terday morning. Had Fort Peddie been attacked it must hail
been known at Trompetter's.
A large herd of cattle reached town yesterday for the con'
tractor Cawood from Somerset. A party of Botman's Kaffl.ll'
who had fled from their chief with the missionary .1311"
escorted them. They fell in with no Kaffirs.
Heavy firing was heard yesterday by the party who brought
in Captain Noraen's body ; it was supposed by them to be °I
the direction of Graham's Town.—F. Times.
These events have all occurred in the neighbourhood of
Graham's Town, from which nearly all the troops had bee°
withdrawn, or in Lower Albany, which was protected ie
front by a small force at Fort Peddie, &c. The Kafrn",
therefore, have avoided the troops, and by intereeptill*
messengers, &c., have so far succeeded in keeping nei
Governor in ignorance of their movements on his right an
in his rear.
The burgher force was only beginning to arrive at titi4
scene of danger. The union of the troops and burgher:
from the districts will soon change the scene, and with al
favour of the Almighty the colony will be cleared of this de'
structive foe.

GENERAL ORDER.
Block Drift, 20th April, 1846. A .
The Commander-in-Chief congratulates Col. Somerset an 7,
the officers and troops under his orders on the chastisement
of the enemy, which closed the operations on the 18th ins"
The movement on Block Drift was successfully effected V
the combined force with little loss, in the presence of ns
enemy. with many times its numerical amount., through .
harassing country, and against persevering attempts to im
pede its march. His Excellency thinks it due to the
me
lantry of the force, to remark that the Kaffirs are not the s
same foe as they were on former occasions of hostility, vill.„elle
chiefly armed with their native weapons; but have ben •
much more formidable from a great increase of numbers, an
considerable mounted force, and especially thro:igh the Po;
session of fire.arms, an acquisition on their side which
particularly adapted to the entangled country which was t°
scene of the late operations.
(Signed) A. J. CLOET.E,
Deputy-Qr.-Mr.-Getter:Li'

(Extra Supplement to cr.:a...4,m Aro
25, dated April 28.) U"
It may be stated briefly that the whole country,
Kaffirland to Bushman's River, is in the hands of the KalSie
who are ravaging it with perfect impunity. Mr. H. Fulluj:4
house was attacked by them on Saturday night, and a
spirited contest was maintained for about an hour, the enelst
at last retiring, with the loss, as it is supposed, of many of tin;
force, but as they endeavour, by every possible mean,* .„
conceal their losses and to carry away their dead, the non:
bar is not known. On Saturday night a desperate attSuP.,
was made upon the Keerega Farm (Major Selwyn's) 13°1
occupied by Mr. Roods, and where a number of farmers'
Dutch and English, had assembled with their cattle for
mutual defence. The attack was made just at the close °
the day, the first shot fired by the enemy killing a Hottentl.,.
;
A volley was then fired upon the premises and amongst tf,,,
cattle, several of which were killed. The fire was returned u/t
the farmers with great determination, but they were
length obliged to relinquish their cattle, 400 head, besides P.
or 12 horses, with which the enemy retired. One or tic.;
horses and several cattle were shot in this rencontre.
body of one Kaffir was found in the bush covered over "I IT
straw, but it is supposed that many more must have been kill
On Sunday night Mr. M'Luckie's position, near Lombardi
Post, was attacked shortly after sunset, the Kaffirs surround'
ing the premises in great numbers and keeping up an ince'
saut fire at the doors and windows so as to prevent the i°:
broke
down from coming out, while another party with axes b,'
down the gases of the kraal, and carried off, it is said, no less
than 2,500 head of cattle, the joint property of the farmed
of that neighbourhood. The dwellings of Mr. J. Slater, neat
Salem, of Dr. Livingston, on the Kerreiga, of Mr. East-,
ment, on the Kowie, and many Gthers in that line of
country have been fired and consumed to ashes.
Mr. Cockroft's positic n at Donkin Mount has also bed
carried in tt.e same way as Mr. M'Luckie's, all the cattle,
about 700 head, being tm ept off by the marauders. These
cattle were pursued the next day by a party of thirty-6°
burghers, under the Field Cornet Bradshaw, and who had
,smart engagement for an hour in the Fish River Bush, pith
a large body of Kaffirs, but from whom they were oblige'
ultimately to retire, though not without, as they supposes
having killed a great niany of the enemy. They retreated
by Trompetter's Drift. Mr. O'Brien, who was with 03
party, states that large numbers of Kaffirs are in the Fish
River Bush, and that many thousands of cattle have passed
through from the colony into Kaffirland. He is of opinion
that a considerable number of Kaffirs must have been either
killed or wounded, as pack oxen have been seen going
towards Kaffirland, laden apparently with the slain of the
enemy.

FrOm these fasts it will be seen that in almost all their
enterprises the Xatlirs have hitherto been successful, and
have swept the country as with the besom of destruction,
and with an open daring which is unparalleled in Kaffir war
fare. We have no force to act upon the offensive, and it
seems very evident that unless reinforcements arrive, the
colony, to an extent we can hardly calculate, will be ren-
dered a desert. Actual want is already felt; many of the
inhabitants have lost their all—have escaped to Grahaml
Town merely with their lives, and are dependent upon their
friends and neighbours for their daily food.
Mr. H. Fuller's farm was attacked a- second time last
night, but the assailants were again gallantly beaten off bY'
the little garrison.
(From the same of May 6.)
The frontier post arrived this morning, May 7. From the
Graham's Town Journal of May 2 (last Saturday), the fol-
lowing extracts contain the principal events of -the three
preceding days, and bring intelligence down to Saturday
morning, the 2d inst.
Colonel Richardson has been detached to Fort Peddie, and
Colonel Somerset to Graham's Town, to the aid of the posta
and villages in front and to the right of Graham's. TOwn•
The marauding parties of Kaffirs are very numerous, and
they have succeeded in carrying off much booty, and destroy'
ing many houses, but with little loss of life on the colonial
side, and great loss on theirs. Wherever they are resolutely
met or attacked they have uniformly given way. It is nog
positively affirmed that Pato's tribe has joined the enetnYt
and most probably Pato himself. The Fingoes have distin-
guished themselves during these few days, as before, by their
courage, steadiness, and address, equal in this case to the
highest discipline. The Burgher forces were arriving in
quick succession—not too soon, but in time to save Albany
from utter ruin.

Behind and on the left of the troops at Fort Beaufort and
Block Drift, hordes of Kaffirs are ravaging the colony, The
whole line of frontier, for more than 100 miles, requires ha-
mediate aid from the districts behind, that is, from the whole
colony.

But the reader will gain at once a knowledge of all that
has transpired, as quickly from the Journal as from any
summary :

- Graham's Town Journal, May 2.
WEDNESDAY.—To. day, Colonel Somerset, with about 200
of the Cape Mounted Rifles, a detachment of the 7th Dragoon
Guards, under Captain Hogg, and a party of mounted
Burghers arrived from Fort Beaufort, making a detour so' as
to avoid the dangerous defile of the Ecca heights. The in-
telligence brought by him is of a very gloomy character, the
ravages of the enemy having been equally destructive in the
beautiful division of the Konap, as in Lower Albany. Pro-
perty to an immense amount has been destroyed, but we are
thankful to say very inconsiderable loss of life. The position
of Mr. W. Gilbert's had been carried, although considered the
strongest and most defensible place in the country. The
premises are surrounded with a stone wall, loop-holed, 10 feet
high, each angle commanded by block-houses. The Kaffirs
having mustered in force, made a dash close up to the wallet
drove out the Fingoes from one of the block-houses,
and actually pointed their guns through the loop-
holes, so as to fire into the interior of the enclo-
sure. The gates they battered to piecess with large
stones, and ultimately, yelling and shouting, went off with
about 600 head of cattle which had been placed there for
security. It is evident that the Kaffirs in this attack,
depended on the terror occasioned by a night attack,
in they might chiona the clay $i OM haTe