The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-07 00:00:00

THE KAFIR WAR

Files of papers from the Cape of Good Hope, to the
2d of August, two days later date than those by the
previous arrivals, have been received. There is no de-
cisive news ; but the subjoined extracts are not without
public interest. The conduct of the Colonial forces is
in all respects admirable.
(From the South African Commercial Advertiser, Aug. 1.)
The Graham's Town Journal contains numerous inci-
dents of the guerilla contests still carried on between
small parties ofKafirs and colonial forces on the frontier.
Though each by itself is of no decisive character, the
whole is a singularly exciting exhibition of personal
energy, courage, and address. Not a day, scarcely an
hour, but has its skirmish ; a cunning inroad only dis-
covered by the capture and disappearance of herds of
cattle, sheep, or horses ; then comes the alarm, the pur-
suit, and fierce struggle, in which quarter is neither
offered nor would be accepted. The weapons are the
spear, the arrow, and the musket, with an occasional
roar from the cannon. Deeds of heroism are every
day achieved that, in ordinary times, would elicit
universal applause, but which seem to be regarded at
the moment, both by the actors and spectators, as
mere ordinary events. Every one of these attacks
is like the rush of a forlorn hope into the breach of a
fortress. The enemy is posted behind jutting rocks,
broken cliffs, and dense bush, through which the in-
trepid assailant has often to force his way on hands and
knees. Suddenly in this horrid shade the combat opens
hand to hand, and the faces of the combatants are
scorched with the fire of each other's guns. Such were
Homer's battles, when to the sword and flying death of
the bow, Jupiter added cloudy darkness and thunder. It
shows how nearness and familiar names reduce the
sublime, when such men and such deeds are thought of
without emotion. But they cannot be forgotten, and
time will do them justice.
The latest intelligence from the head-quarters of the
three divisions under Sir P. Maitland, Colonel Hare, and
Sir A. Stockenstrom, lead to the expectation that some
actions of a decisive character were not many days dis-
tant, perhaps not many hours. Forces, amounting to
nine or ten thousand men, are evidently moving simul-
taneously on the rugged fastnesses of the Amatola hills,
where the Kafirs are supposed to have concentrated
their strength and their wealth, that is, their herds and
flocks. They are said to be fortifying the passes, dig-
ging pits, armed at the bottom with stakes, and covered
with deceptive turf, as they were accustomed heretofore
to entrap elephants and lions. That they will resist is
certain, and it cannot be but that the contest will prove
a bloody one.
Private letters bring the history of the divisions under
Stockenstrom and Hare down to the 23d July. The
following passages are from a private letter, written at
Fort Beaufort :

" F Beaufort, 22, 146.
" On the 9th inst. Sir A. StockenstroJuly m was at Fort
Beaufort, where he had an interview with Col. Hare
about the dissatisfaction prevailing in the Burgher
Legers, in consequence of the delay in taking the field;
the Gallant Colonel is said to have acceded to Sir A.'s
moving his force into the field immediately, and that he
would follow to support him. The [Cat liver is said to
be placed under Sir A., I need not say to the joy of all
there. On the 10th Sir A. left for Tarka and Tam-
bookieland, in consequence of dispatches, the purport of
which was as follows:—At the instance of the diplo-
matic agent, Mr. Fynn, Mr. Joseph Read, commander
of the Bushmen and Fingoe subsidies, was ordered to
proceed to the missionary institution of Shiloh to pro-
tect it; of course there must have been cause for
ordering a force there. On a certain day the perfidious
Mapassa, under a pretext of an interview with Mr.
Read, marched on the station in three divisions. On
his approaching the place, Mr. Read sent a messenger
to him to know the object of such a demonstration,
taking at the same time every precaution against a
sudden surprise. He and one of the missionaries of the
place had a consultation with Mapassa, and tried to
dissuade him from an attack on the station. The
missionary retired, and Mr. Read, after a little
more conversation, told Mapassa he had better
draw off his men and be gone. At this instant, some of
Mapassa's men were seen loading, and preparing to fire;
and as Mr. Read was moving towards the furthest point
of his own line to check some of the sons of the soil
(bushmen), who were becoming rather excited and res-
tive on seeing what the Tambookies were up to, he was
fired at, and which was twice repeated. Hereupon one
of the bushmen fired, and killed a Tambookie, when the
dastards turned their backs and fled. They tried to
rally on the other side of the river, but were routed with
a casualty of 40 killed and 30 wounded on their side,
whilst only one Fingoe was wounded on the Colonial
side. Among the slain was Mapassa's brother, and
several of his head councillors. The Tambookies were
about 1,000 strong.
" The day after, Neila, another Tambookie chief, tried
his strength with 300 of his warriors, against 25 of
Mr. Read's people, but he was routed, leaving seven on
the field, and with his successor severely wounded. Took
five guns and 17 horses. Sir A. is said to have spoken
in the highest terms of Mr. Read, in his dispatch to his
Excellency. It is said that this severe lesson has
brought Mapassa to his bearings, and that he sent to Sir
A. when at Klip Plaat, begging to be taken out of
the bush.
" Sir Andreae main force is at Mr. Calderwood's sta-
tion (Birklands), which will shortly be joined by the
following contingents.—Mr. Read's people, Kat River
people ; farmers from Cradock ; and then will com-
mence the long-talked-of attack on the Amatola. Cap-
tain Sutton commands the Kat River force under Sir
A. Sir A. is very much out of health. While at Shi-
loh he is said to have received a paper signed by Ma-
como, Tsatzoe, Sandilli, Sutu, &c., the purport of which
was to sue for peace. They say that though at war
with the colony they have the highest respect for him
personally. That it was the annulling of his treaties
that shook their confidence in the Government ; and
that whilst they were yet trying to catch the murderers,
war was informally declared against them. Sir A. re-
turned a severe message. Tzatzoe's daughter must have
written a letter. Tzatzeo has not joined the hostile
bands, but is evidently doing his best to bring about
peace. He would have gone to Fort Peddie as in the
last war, but is afraid of another Colonel Smith taking
his quarters."
In a postscript the writer says—
"l should have said that on the evening of' the same
day, and immediately on Mr. Read's return from rout-
ing the enemy, and as they were at meals, a messenger
came to say that Neila, Mapassa's uncle, was coming on
the station in great force. He at once sent 30 bush-
men and 300 Fingoes to meet them in the plain. He
kept the best of his force in defence of the place. The
skirmish was kept- up the whole night, and a complete
victory obtained over the enemy at daybreak ; 17 were
killed, 5 guns, 14 horses, 1,500 head of cattle captured."
The next letter is a day and a march or two further
in advance. It is dated from Tyumie River Camp,
July 23:
" By my last of the 16th," the writer says, " you are
informed of our being in Kafirland. Since then we have
moved further in. We are now not far from the Amatola.
We have not been molested by the Kafirs since we have
entered their country. We have made some patrols
through the country, and seen both Kafirs and cattle,
but, on account of orders, we did not molest them. We
are told that we are not to act on the offensive; that we
are not to fire first, but wait till they fire, and then we
can return it, when we are on patrol; but we burn and
destroy all their huts and kraals we fall in with, even to
the very foot of the Amatola mountains."
The writer then represents the burghers as most im-
patient of the long delay at head-quarters, and proceeds,
—" But on the other hand, I must also inform you that
our commander, Sir Andreas Stockenstrom, has done all
that a man can do to satisfy us, and to have no delay.
He has been the last ten days on horseback. He has
been to the Tambookies, and has settled them. He has
brought all the burghers from that side, and he has
placed all his divisions on their appointed stations, so
that he has the three sides of the Amatola. The force
he has thus collected is now 3,000 strong, all burghers,
there being no troops under his command. He is now
at our camp (Tyumie, July 23), where he came to-day.
By his orders given out to-day it seems that he is
not going to delay. By these orders we are to start
to-morrow to the Tyumie Hoek, where we are to
form a fortified camp, and next Tuesday we are to at-
tack the enemy in his stronghold; and Sir Andreas says
he intends to take his dinner on the Amatola, if he is
spared on that day. Our division, under Sir Andreas
himself, will begin the attack from this side. The C. les-
berg and Cradock burghers, under Commandant Jou-
bort, from the other side; while Captain Sutton, with
the Kat River burghers, will take the middle course, and
we are to meet together on the top of the Amntola.
That it will be the lot of some to fall before this object
is obtained is nothing but certain. Who that will be it
is not for us to say; wo must trust in the Lord, and that
we are fighting in a good cause, where we must do our
duty as men, and also that the prayers of all Christians
are offered up for our success."
On Thursday the Resistance, from Monte Video, ar-
rived in Simon's Bay, having on board 500 men of the
2d battalion of the 45th Regiment, Such of the men as
are sick will, it is understood, be landed for hospital
here, and the rest will proceed at once, without being
disembarked, to Algoa Bay. The fighting work, it is
hoped, will be over before they teach the frontier ; but
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Much success has attended the attempts recently made
to land supplies near the mouth of tho Fish River, as
well as at the Cowie mouth. The newly-arrived troops,
by the way, will probably be sent on by sea to the former

LANDING SUPPLIES.
(From the South African Commercial Advertiser.)
weFlreoamrnththeaSt hthipePci'alrgLoieste twhheieivh
ahtae sr
Ijoues,l" hand,
whichthoas ji! s t
as follows:-360 bags of biscuit. 220 begs of meal,
been landed at the mouth of the Fish River,cons3NBtos
bags of rice, 700 bags of grain, and 218 barrels of
flour. The landing, as stated a fortnight ago, was in-
accurate in many partiettiars.
We have, also, information from Port Elizabeth of the
18th instant, to the effect that the brig William Woolley,
25b tons, has been taken up to convey supplies to the
mouth of the Buffalo, but which destination has since
been altered to the Fish River, it not being the intention
of his Excellency, for the present, to form a post at the
latter point, while to the Amatoli, to which point the
troops are diverging, the distance is not greater from the •
Fish River than to the former, while, as a depot
for military stores, it is on many accounts far more
preferable. The William Woolley has on board for the
commissariat one hundred casks of salt meat, beef, and
pork, partly the produce of the colony, and in part ob-
tained from-the American vessel now in Algoa Bay. The
remainder of the cargo will be made up of biscuit, meal,
rice, coffee, sugar, and forage corn. We understand that