The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-21 00:00:00

THE KAFIR WAR.

Intelligence from the Cape of Good Hope to the
19th August inclusive, has been received. From the
scenes of hostilities in Kafirland, there is not much
news of particular importance. The events are, how-
ever, distressing, though the general aspect of affairs
is not greatly altered. A day or two more were ex-
pected to bring all the divisions upon the Buffalo
Pootr,:where it was confidently believed that the main
body 4-f the Kafirs would be assailed and brought to
action., His Excellency the Governor was on the Bth
of Auifrtst at Pierie, ready to move either upon the
Amatola, or upon the upper spruits of the Buffalo.
There had been a good deal of skirmishing with the
Kafirs,
but no general engagement. The results do
not appear to have been very important. The ac-
counts mention 70 of the enemy as killed by Colonel
Hare's division, and 57 by Sir A. Stockenstrom's ;
while the loss on our side is said not to amount
to more than ten or twelve killed, and a
few wounded. Both Colonel Somerset and Captain
Wright, aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant-Governor,
had been struck with spent balls, but not injured. A
rather sharp affair took place on Sunday, Aug. 9,
between some Stellenbosch Burghers and the Kafirs,
in the notorious Kloof called Hell Poort. The hand-
ful of brave men were hemmed in by the Kafirs in a
narrow footpath, from both sides of which the savages
poured upon them a deadly fire, and five fell mortally
wounded. The interesting details will be found
below. We learn by this arrival that Sir Cornwallis
Rickets, of her,Majesty's ship Helena, had recovered
from his severe indisposition. Several of the crew
were seriously ill in hospital. We are also apprised
of the death of Lieutenant Lewes, 27th Regiment, at
Fort Cox.

(From the South African Commercial Advertiser ol
August 19.)
The latest intelligence from head-quarters is dated
7th August. The forces, estimated at 3,000 infantry
and 2,000 horse, were moving in three columns on that
district of rugged country at the sources of the Buffalo,
where the main strength of the Gaika Kafirs is supposed
to be concentrated. A few days more will settle this
point. In the meantime, it is reported that a body of
Kafirs are attempting to interpose themselves between
the troops and the colony, with the view of intercepting
convoys, and acting by small parties on various parts of
the frontier. In this last they have been, unhappily,
successful, for though their parties generally suffer great
loss in killed and wounded, they have carried off great
numbers of cattle and sheep, and the loss of life on the
side of the colonists has been unusually severe—five
brave young men of the Stellenbosch levy having fallen
in one skirmish.
At the above date, the General was encamped on the
Buffalo Mountains. On the sth, Colonel Somerset left
head-quarters to co-operate with Colonel Hare, in a
movement on the Kafirs in the Amatola. Very little
seems to have been done by the troops. Colonel So-
mersetwas struck by a spent ball in the leg, but only
slightly hurt. Captain Wright, of the 91st, is said to
have been beset by Kafirs, and also to have received a
slight. hurt. Colonel Somerset was expected at Fort
Peddle, all the troop horses were to be sent there, being
quite unfit for service. The General, it is stated, was
going into winter quarters in Kreili's country.
(From the Froniier Times of Aug. 11.)
MONDAY.—Yesterday, during the morning service, the
mournful tidings were received from Niemand's kraal
that five of the Stellenbosch Burghers had fallen on that
morning in an encounter with the enemy in the neigh-
bourhood of the favourite Kafir haunt, " Hell Poort."
The particulars of this tragical event are given below.
This is the heaviest casualty that has been sustained at
one time on our side in the cclony since the war com-
menced. Immediately upon the receipt of this intelli-
gence Major O'Reilly dispatched a detachment of the
(3. M. It. under Ensigns Harvey and Salis to the spot,
and subsequently Captain Samson, of the Liberated
African
.Corps, and Lieutenant Skead, of the Malay
Corps, with a party of their people, volunteered to go out
and render any assistance in their power.
On Sunday morning last, 9th August, Lieut. Briers,
who was in command at Niemand's kraal during the
absence of Captain Neethling, to the Zuurberg, seat out
a foot patrol of twenty coloured persons, who, it appears,
fell in with the spoor of t.ome Kafirs which they followed
through De Bruin's poors, and came up with five Kafirs
near the Fish River, driving fifteen head of cattle and one
horse. The shot one Kafir, wounded another, and re-
took the cattle and horse. They also took the gun of the
Kafir that was killed, who ha sad arge powder-horn more
than half-filled with powder, n sixteen bullets.
shortly after the patrol had left, Lieutenant Briers
went out with a mounted patrol of 15 men in the direc-
tion of Hell Poort, where they shortly fell in with the
spoor of the Kafirs and cattle. his t They followed into
a very bushy kloof, with a rugged stoney ridg9
centre, upon which they kept, then gound being more
open, when they saw some cattle in the rielowon
At the eamo moment nearly, a volley wasav fired nes b
up
them from the bush, and one man, Mr. D. Rosso w, of
u
Wagonmaker's Valley, silk t through the stomach, the
bill passing through his pouch, and peuetratipg
back. He fell from his horse, and his comrades, who
now found thems,elves surrounded by at least 200 Kafirs,
his jacket over his head, and left him either dead
or dying. The Kafirs had by this t ple quite surrounded
:he little party, who had to fight every moll of a:pit' way
back out of the bush, in doing which they lost four more
of their number; viz.—Mr. P. F. de Villiers, late of
of
Langeberg ; his brother, M. llermanus P. de
a Hers,
lately residing with Mr. Esterhinzon, in Wngonin
Valley ; Mr. J. S. Bassos, of Koeberg ; and Mr.
Haushamer, of Zwartlaud. Mr. P. F. de Villiers