The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-05 00:00:00

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We havCeAreicleEivedOFOwnDjoHurnOalPs Eand private
CapeG Town
letters to the 3d of September. The following ex-
tracts comprise all the news relating to the Kafir
war. The operations of our troops appear to have
been much impeded by the want of supplies, and a
deficiency of the means of carriage.
(From the South African Commercial Advertiser, Sept. 2.)
No military operations of any moment have taken
effect in Kafirland since those already before the public.
The Governor continued in the camp on the Buffalo,
Sir Andreas Stockenstrom and Colonel Johnstone were
understood to be moving on the upper Kei, with the
hope of overtaking the fugitive chiefs and the main body
of their cattle. Colonel Somerset, with most of the
cavalry, was in the vicinity of Waterloo Bay, refreshing
the horses, which had become absolutely unfit for action
from mere exhaustion and hunger. At Waterloo Bay
as much, it is reported, as 1,200 tons of provisions and
supplies have been successfully landed. Much incon-
venience is, of course, experienced at that newly-dis-
covered landing-place in a houseless country, the
goods being exposed to wind and weather and
neglect, and it may be to some pilfering on the naked
beach. There is also here, as at all other points on
the frontier, a fearful want of the means of transport.
Activity on the part of Government and of private indi-
viduals, and it is to be hoped a favourable change of
weather, will speedily remove the heaviest of these evils,
as there can be no doubt that, for months to come, Wa-
terloo Bay will be the principal station in that part of
the world,--the troops and frontier inhabitants depend-
ing upon it almost for their entire subsistence. Nor
will money employed in erecting substantial buildings
be exposed to any risk of eventual loss, as the district of
which it is the natural 'port must at all events remain
annexed to the colony. Some fears have been expressed
for the safety of the goods from the want, it is alleged,
of a sufficient guard; but as there is now so great a
force in the immediate neighbourhood, and as not only
the property of individuals, but the existence of the
army, clearly depend on the security of the stores, this
must have been duly attended to already.
Along the whole of the frontier the drought threatens
to prove more destructive to the inhabaants than the
enemy has been. For hundreds of miles not a blade of
grass or a green thing is to be seen. A private letter
from Graham's Town states that " 30/. to 401. would
readily be paid for a waggon to Fort Beaufort, where
the distress is truly great." They write to us (Board
of Relief) " that the goods we sent to Port Beaufort
fur the Kat river cannot possibly be forwarded."
For the present the distributing machinery of the
ccuntry is arrested, and thousands of people in thein-
terior, about Kat river and Somerset, are on the verge
or actually in the gulf of famine, while vast quantities
of flour, rice, and other articles of first necessity are
heaped up at Port Elizabeth and other points on the
coast. Even if forage could be found for the draught
cattle, there is no water; so that immediate relief seems
almost hopeless: yet there must be relief soon, or there
will be a frightful mortality.
One piece of news is of a favourable character. The
Chief Stock has " come in," or surrendered himself, with
some forty of his people. This unfortunate man has
professed from the beginning his abhorrence of the war,
and from his conduct in the early part of the outbreak it
is probable that he has been throughout perfectly sincere.
(From the Frontier 7 inies.)
Rautenbag's Drift, Aug. 24.
The Kafirs who had a fight with the thirty men en
Friday, the 21st inst., on the farm of Mr. Lovemore,
on Quagga's Flat, and where two Hottentots were
wounded, were forelayed by the active and brave
Field Cornet Casper Buchner, from the day of
the fight until Sunday, jthe 23d instant, in the
Bushman's River Poort. On Sunday, the 23d,. at
about nine o'clock, they murdered a Fingo or Gonna
Kafir, in the service of the Fouria family, and a Hottentot
herd is still missing : both were well armed with mus-
kets. The Kafirs took 220 head of cattle. Two of the
herds -fortunately managed to escape, and brought the
intelligence to Field Cornet Buchner, who started in lessr,
than one hour with 12 mounted Burghers, who still bad
horses that could walk, and 20 men on foot, and followed
the enemy into the Zuurberg. When he arrived on!he
i
height of Luiskop, the Kafirs were n sight, driving
their booty before them. Buchner left the footmen to
come on, and made a detour with the horse so as to get
in front of the enemy, in which he succeeded. The
Kafirs bad gained such confidence by their recent suc-
cess, that they charged Buchner s small party, consisting
they of but eight men, to within ten yards—but they
found to their cost that they had not to do with run-
aways. The enemy was at least 100 strong, notwith-
standing which they were completely beaten, and the
whole of the cattle recaptured by these 8 brave Dutchmen.
It is impossible to say how many were killed, eight were
seen to fall mortally wounded or dead, and the blood
was seen trickling down the backs of a great number.
Not a man was touched on the side of the Burghers.
* * * * * All we want is forage for our horses.
The oxen and mare which the Kafirs had with them in
the bush at Quaggasylakte, and which the thirty men
were unable to capture, also fell into our hands. When
the war is over the Governor will see where work has
been done. * * * * Mr. W. Adcock and the Field
Cornet Moolman were with the patty.
In a private letter dated " Camp, Fort Beresford,
Buffalo Mountains, August 10," a most interesting ac-
count is given of a convoy of supplies across a most dan-
gerous part of the country, to Fort Peddle, under Lieu-
tenant Bevil, of the Cape Town Volunteers. Ho was
attacked by the enemy in great numbers, and pith
much determination, during the night, but by correct
arrangements and firmness he saved the whole of his
charge, with the loss of only one man, wounded in the
wrist.

Three of Captain :Salmond's men, Cape Town Volun-
teers, were unfortunately drowned in Waterloo Bay, when
coming on shore from one of the vesels there. The names
have not yet been received.

TABLE BAY.
(From the South African Commercial Advertiser.)
As the grand work of constructing a breakwater in
Table Bay is now approaching an actual commence-
ment, the public may feel some interest in the minutes
of evidence taken on this subject by the first commis-
sion in 1836, on which their report was founded, and
which again formed the ground-work of the report of
the second commission of 1845. From the evidence of
merchants, masters of vessels, and others engaged in tho
commerce of which this bay is the centre, it will be
seen, that it was not on the light or trivial grounds that
so vast an undertaking was recommended to Government.
Subsequently to the report of this commission a great
improvement was effected in the bay by the erection of
dwart jetties as they are called, at which goods are now
chiefly landed or shipped. But the grand evils—the
distance at which the shipping must ride, the dangers to
which they are exposed, and the detention and delay
arising from these circumstances, with the occasional
loss of life and property to a large amount—remained to
injure the character of the Cape as a resort for ships of
all classes. For an effectual cure for all these evils,
the great work now about to be commenced was re-
quired, and it will soon take away the reproach of the
Cape.

The crops at this end of the colony, and also in many
parts of the eastern provinces, which have escaped the
drought, are remarkably fine in appearance, and beyond
all precedent extensive this year. If the weather con-
tinues favourable there will be one of the most abundant
harvests ever known at the Cape.—Cage Town paper.

Mauritius papers have been received to the 13th of
August. A deputation of merchants and planters pro-
posed to the Governor a plan to introduce 12,000 Indians
this year, the expense to be paid by a stamp-tax of 15s. on
the contract of engagement for each of them. His Ex-
cellency promised them a reply in writing, as words were
often misunderstood or misrepresented. They are
greatly in want of draught oxen since the ceisation of
irtercourse with Madagascar. Colonial bullocks fetch
201., French mules 501,

EXTRAORDINARY IMPOSTOR.—John Ross, a pre-
tended deaf and dumb man, was bra ught the other day
before the Sheriff Criminal Court, Cupar, charged with
falsehood, fraud, and wilful imposition, committed by
using, as a true and genuine document, a false and fa-
bricated printed circular. The indictment further
charged him with having formed the felonious and
wicked design of imposing on and defrauding the
lieges, by falsely and fraudulently pretending that he was
deaf and dumb ; that he was left destitute at the death
of his parents ; and that he was collecting money in aid
of his education and clothing in the Institution for the
Education of the Deaf and Dumb in IL-r.derson-row,
Edinburgh, and was authorised by the committee to
collect money for that purpose. The prisoner was not
lung at the bar ere he began to shake his fist at the fis-
cals, and, converting his fingers into a quizzing-glass, he
made light of everything and everybody about him. The
evidence of a number of witnesses went to show that the
prisoner could swear, drink, and speak a great deal too
much sometimes ; and Sheriff Monteith, in winding up
the trial, said—" John Ross, the jury, after hearing
your case, and hearing yourself—CA jaugl32 h
ve beena
practising your impostures for y
found you guilty. It has come out thatyoti
which you have swindled the liegesoffen orfs, ain
great the course
der. Had you been
of money. You are a hardened
eaamounotf
tried in another court your
am willing to
t"ry.onwldhahtaniveayb"bne
the effect of
much more serious.
nine months' imprisonment,
but I can as-
sure you, if you do no
your
fo mannersrhisk ikindness
dn
ewhenss ; youan
come out, yourd
on on
sentence
next punishment will be much more se-
vere." Ross thanked mend
Lordship
gettingn his handcuffs he said, with much good
humour, " I saw the trade was up, and that it was as
well to confess at once."—Ediii/mryli Weekly Express.
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE AMENDMENT OF
THE LAW.—Last evening the first meeting of this so-
eieiy was held at the Society's Rooms, 21, Regent-street.
There was a very numerous attendance of members
present. Of those on the council we observed the Right
Hon. Stephen R. Lushington, Mr. W. Ewart, M.P.,
Mr. Commissioner Fonblanque, Mr. M. D. Hill, Q.C.,
Mr. J. H. Roe, Q.C., Mr. George Spence, Q.C., Mr. J.
Pitt Taylor, &c. &c. Mr. LAington presided. Mr.
Roe read a report in reference to the admission
of documents into the bankruptcy and superior courts of
England as evidence, mhich at present are inadmissible
in the courts of Scotland and Ireland, suggesting that
they should be so admitted in the judicial practice of
both the sieter countries. The report was ordered to
be laid on the table. Mr. James Stewart read a length-
ened report on the propriety of insuring the title-deeds
of real property. At present, when property was sold,
the whole series of title-deeds had to be investigated be-
, fore the conveyance of the new sale was effected. This
incurred much expense and trouble, which might be
saved by the appointment of a responsible conveyancer
to investigate the deeds, and whose certificate would be
sufficient. On this report considerable ditict*Qu took
place. The meeting then adjourned.

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