The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-13 00:00:00

WAR IN KAFFIRLAND.

(From the Herald.)
We have just received Cape o!' Good Hope papers to
the 16th of May inclusiv from which we regret to
. learn that the Kaffirs continued their depredations,
though with but partial success. The settlers have
neither security for their cattle nor for their lives ; and
it is melancholy to think of the deplorable condition to
Which they are reduced for want of a pOwerful force to
drive the Kaffir tribes beyond the boundary, or at least
to keep them in complete cheek. Some sharp skirmishes
had taken place between the British troops and the
ellenlY, in several of which the latter were valiantly re-
pulsed• Very little loss of life was sustained in these
several affairs, but the destruction of property was im-
mense• We subjoin details :
\Min the Supplement to the South African ammercial
Advertiser of May 13.)

Cape Town, May 14.
The Frontier Post arrived this morning. A Government
notice, dated Graham's Town, 7th May, gives an outline of
.:,ents up to that date. The outposts, villages, "
, have in many instances been relieved, supplied with
ammunition, or with such reinforcements as could be spared,
And no marked action has taken place on either side. The
`4l3vernor is waiting for reinforcements, and till these shall
arrive,
cattle, flocks, arid isolated houses are exposed to the
destructive enemy. Every public officer, as well as every
colonists, is now aware of the urgency of the demand for re-
. day Tforcements on the frontier, and all are doing their duty by
and by night.
It does not yet appear that the Tambookies have joined,
.and expectations are entertained that they will not all join.
The Kaffirs are still only in small part es, within the
(1Y• Wherever met or Feen they have been dispersed, or
.estroyed. All that is wanting on the side of the colonists is
organisation."
From Block Drift, Fort Beaufort, and Somerset, and from
the fort and posts of Kat River, there is no intelligence of
111°Inetit. Attacks of small parties of Kaffirs, always repulsed
With loss to the enemy, and scarcely any loss of li:e to the
colonists, but with great loss of property, continue from day
7 (lay. And such will prok;ably
are befairly the coin ndhandition
.of the whole
'rottier till the Bargher levies
-t The most important announcement brought by this post is
appointment of Sir A. Stockenstrom to command the
torth-western levies, and probably to come down on Kaffir-
'alid from that quarter, when the tbrces enter it on the r;ght
of the mountains.
Besides the intelligence given below, letters f om Graham's
th"rn, written at eleven o'clock on Saturday night, mention
trlat at Colonel Richardson had arrived from Fort Peddle, and
he had a gallant affair with the enemy at Trompetters'
rift.

;The following is from the Extra of the Graham's Town
"Arad of May 2, which reached Cape Town at half- past
"inat.eloi'sclock on 'Sunday last, the 10th instant, and brings down
•-`l"gence to Tuesday, May 5.
c 0 I'v OF COMMUNICATION FROM COLONEL 50ME12..5EnT.,...
M`Lueltie's, Kareiga, Sunday,
.m.. 3
„.
s of about
' am here surrounded by Kstlirs, and I only. arrived here
• !).71 Friday night, just in time to save
;2tirteen families assembled here, and at
Dellistd children, at
!;!isouga, and offive hundred people, wotnen a
the
l'ivfearm on the
• leeopolis, who had fired a -a their last round of aminnui-
tion. I had a good flol m'
with the Kaffirs this morning
in the Cowie bush, and have given them a famous dressing.
They came out to fight
• two dense kloofs. I got a good position for the gun, and diss
us in two bodies, from the points of
mounted my men and sent themin the bush, and after half
an hour's fighting we drove them off and silenced their fire,
• killing several.
• "them.
We got one gun and ammunition from
My object in sending
no more than what I h: :vein
. Holy
thei s foreu c ahme
sn?
havingmun itio n . I have
distributed
all I have to the farmers,'Hal I havep given 400 rounds to the
school (Theopolis) people, liCtifE acid
is in fact nothing. The
Airs have taken about 5.000 head of cattle from this and
theii school. The latter still retain abOut 1,200 head, but I
:a° 'obliged to reinforce them last night with 30 men, or they
tstaa,l4 all have been destroyed. I can do nothing without I
men. •I am much vexed that neither Mr. Salts
Doitile party I detached to Salem have joined me.
ilt cripples me entirely, and I doubt if I can save those
ne°Pl4 ,yet, if the force do not join me. The Kaffirs are
tirning and destroying every farm, and all the oat-hay, and
hi People are so worked that I cannot prevent it. I cannot
b le any communication with Bathurst. The whole Kowie
• a:h from Woest's Hill to the mouth of the Kowie is full of
,firs: I beg you will write to the Lieutenant-Governor,
a11,,' acquaint him that unless he send the Cape Mounted
t):Lies, as well as the cavalry, to cross at Kaffir Drift, and
"at as soon asßathurst country must be de-
°flite., possible, the Bath
eed. I cannot help them, unless I have 500 men instead
• 14V40. If I hold the country, it is as much as I can pos-
here, would have
LY do. If I had not come every house
-ve,n, destroyed, and every man, woman, ad child murdered.
t„, Ane,i, following is a copy of Col. Somerset's official dispatch
- ''"e Civil Commissioner of Albany :
M‘Luckie's Farm, Kareiga River, May 4.
shiTre--Ilaving moved with the troops under my orders to
u„:Part of Albany on the Ist inst., in order to afford pro-
a__"(4). to the inhabitants against the attacks of the Kaffir
s-,17,„ and knowing your anxiety, as well as that of the
that
for their welfare, I feel it necessary to acquaint you
4" I arrived here about seven o'clock P.si. on the Ist inst.
taxsi'ig observed on my route that the whole of the Kowie
44 was thickly infested with Kaffirs, I moved a patrol
they on the morning of the 2d inst. to Mr. Dell's farm on
I{,,
g,.„ souga, where I found several families collected in a
their tattle, amounting to about 2,000 head, and the people
1,, susted from fatir-rue with watching. Learning that the
;71'le at Theopolis were in great distress from want of
Lirlunition, I communicated with that station from Mr.
C"; in a short time Mr. Taylor, the minister, came over
4„.1.1ie and acquainted me that his station had been
ettkidd several nights successively, that his people were
that:!' 4?, :without and quite exhausted ;
i„,, ammunition,
Without .
, hope,
aentld assist them that night they were
Must fall a sacrifice that there were
500 persons who
Would attack them to the Kaffirs, who had stated they
and 12 men of C.Ma.e.that night.
lo • I detached a sergeant
with 100 rounds of ani With Mr. 'Taylor, anti I supplied hint
also left at Mr. Dell's
amunition as an immediate help. 1
party
to_ elit for the night. klavin th I sled some relief to that
autfering people I rout. us af or -
nightfall I sent
of 12 burghers, as a
relief to
det I f ned home, and at
s„, ac mien. of 20 more C.M.R. to Theopolis, under,
thug
Harvey, with a further supply of ammunition, and
iList_s secured these people for the night. At daybreak yester-
Coi' Morning I was fortunate enough to fall in with a large
tae f Kaffirs, who appeared to have established themselves
Tout Kowie Bush, and attacked them with the troops and
O;-ls'.1ed them severely, which I hope will keep them quiet
e,,,,,sas'taY pr two. I hen proceeded to Theopolis, anti has7ing io'onaalunicated with, that station, I arranged with the mis-
to bring them all up here this day. I hope to forward
10thoe_ir7amilies to. Graham's Town at an early hour to-morrow
• 4 j_ll.l4K, together with some other families, who are here in
,all ofdestitution ; the whole of their property, house:, and
as,.;4eY possess, having been set on fire by the Kaffirs as
t,-;`,' as they sew the troops advancing. These latter I beg
to 'Lee-Minuend tO the Government to be put on rations, and
41,!1ve some lodgings allotted to them.
the!a! troops under my command having been detached by
tLieutenant-Governor for the protection of this part of the
he try, have been, under Providence, the means of saving
trt,valuable lives of several helpless families ; had they ar-
th ed forty-eight hours later all must have fallen a sacrifice to
7.. these ruthless savages, who were only waiting to complete
eirs Work of destruction (by murdering the helpless families
rchildren) to occupy and establish themselves in their
uses • and having been defeated in this- by the opportune
,Ival'of the troops, they set fire to the buildings, haystacks.
Ball their property. they
Mr. M'Luckie's about 1,800
'4d off,from Mr. of cattle have been carried Dell's about
t... 7), from Theopolis about 1,200, besides the total destruc-
t 71.(4 almost all their
,hay crops.
ill 4 now only remains for me to express my admiration at
Iqets.llllant stand that has been made by the inhabitants
ItZlor the protection of their families, althoug 1 sur-
14;oed by hundreds of the savage enemy ; they have stood
ittieta like men. And although seeing their prverty
aitt-e°3'etl, their homesteads in flames, and their all at the
(es," °f these barbarians, have never flinched, but have
ter::*ith a cheerful countenance) supported their charac-
'N ',.°11 and Britons in defence of all most dear to them,
it "us,eY had not done so, the assistance the troops have
it!.. 4"te to afford would have come to late.
,%.lahti4l4l,, ~,ttitich indebted to Messrs. Fuller and Ferreira, of
'11ii.6,1144.t.-13,''.9Wn for their assistance in patrolling and in
til le lObin,nlis'sionaries and their families. There is yet
in ~'"aWie "'one • several more families on the right bank of
11-01:14 =alto-jet require rotection, hundreds of Kaffirs being
ance of 20 miles. But I. cannot
II 'kit ante hush for a (hi!
--stbil any i hope that I can cross over into the
Me rat tlil?lmediate _ .
. b eattie ~_strict, either to atlord. protection or to intercept
to Kaffirland. Pro-
,,ably ts ',oat the Kaffirs are dng isl , irok Dge Lit:at-Governor will see lit to &lath the cavalry
I
'art pe ~
4 recia,st re to that district.
• 'Patch to 11,,,tt?tsu will communicate the coute
him so
l'essad for ta- 'non* the Lieutenant-Governor, ita
tits of this
I am, Ike ule that 1 cannot forward a dispatch to .
.1
The Civil Com •mis 11. SOMERSET, Comm. Field Force.
sioner of Albany, &c., Graharn'a Town'
tss (FrOm the Graha;T=--s Town Journal, May 9.)
ii_,s•ae followin
4atter before g particulars of a spirited affair are given in a
ore us, dated
4 A
4 d "the nlorni " KLuckie's, May 6.
f et,lehni_ . lig of the sth inst., Colonel Somerset, with
Fit-- - . ent ot his force of GO men and a field piece, moved
tonhtl:s.tosition at M‘Luckie's to the mouth of the Kowie,
• tSltsn'idlitriOf the post held b' y
C NV.: 4 Out twelve miles fo Mr.rpose of ascertaining the
\V Cock. and if necessary
city 1, ng him assistance. On nearing the point on which
es ere in
_ tattle i arching the detachment observed a law drove
'?ittere),o_,
,I 1 the possession of a considerable body of the
t el,r_at Who were so near the edge of the Kowie bush,
"aoat 170110 a dash was instantly made at them, only
la the b`9 head were recaptured, the Kaffirs taking shelter
‘'6;?1°1151 fib, with the loss of two men and many wounded.
--matat„,Merset, on reaching Mr. Cock's dwelling-house,
tile i• on a commanding height overlooking the mouth of
-‘er labout hour before ... tu, , earned that an e his arrival the
Q(44 M force--the number being estimated at from 4to
itels watell4lted down upon the cattle as they were being driven
Ls'ard. rfs'hd,thve in the cattle guard, and captured the whole
-",elte ,andr-u body of Kaffirs were mostly armed with fire-
: 'hire,47, .kept up an incessant fire, which was spiritedly
'e'rer. "s` L'Y the little garrison with a loss to the Ka firs of
Lc 41 kit
iti. _ ed and wounded,—a small cannon at the building
..,,,,A iTell
in„ served and doing good execution. It was here
the 4ttlel'alvie.
"f ts-ed that almost the entire country on the left bank
been laid waste and burnt,
had
end
pigs
suatts.c. , carried off, poultry destroyed,
mete', lve in their sty The Kaffirs fought with great
• 421(1, cotalion, and rnu-sets.have suffered,
a great loss in killed
r'gore are eleven or twelve bodies were seen, but many.
i,.., led' to have fallen. The foilowlo.g morning
..tin,„
.perating upon the kloofs in this locality, 4 tAeaVY
lisittAwaS heard at the camp at M`Luckie's, and the
lotb.„, ment instantly , - -Nth t lie enemtv, taking advantage of their absence,. had
_ i silo._ . .. Hirt
tlaus,-"'t 4 the Post -
ill 4d- gall ' with great spirit, hilt ivzfit Edit with un
, te‘N,at..T.d , Itie troops hal
by Ensigns Harvey and Caw-, o.e atiCers
repulsed the enemy st, g,eli
• t hick th ‘ uad driven a strong Isssly of them into a ktoof in
- , ttql elentV., were hemmed in. On iseemg joined by the de-
els .
s, tI, VMS insasediately resolved to issiLeiv atm into
NI • '"ohgboid ..
144Isting of h • Asssordingly dismounting. tisa troops,
st., e Cape M
. allel*°4 Gu osisted Rifles, and a few of the Irtta
tai 11l ssiiitill'-ust under Caotata nogg, entered the bush,
, lst;,_ tied, ~,__
~ a murderous Cobaiet swiss S:or some time main-
ante;"•ett,:tval cconbstants bring so ,olose i`s7t in several
AZ, Or ~,,.?°*d.sr of the Kaffir guns Lernt the tis'slitl, and
ttis+icrli.vi ill'i.,_lensva
.Lieutenant Bisset had his han.i. siitsistly
satZtelanjury4l,ll,63k.but we ,sre.happy to say sustained no
t't to t deSperat' 4 111"'. are ""; (P have fousht with the
flies
AL
ss Pon t.ie
re,,,t_ Way 0 (°.n. and it was not until the field-piece was
P"siiion tl t
itese Alio j,u ,14 the ellerny was completely
ttoo 44 . ..,ours are
iiiii,),
wn
of
their toinmtaevr7
2.6lostheinigo ss.ssiehltlt.etf; aan4l6,:itiaa litany
v ille bush by Ivounded being dragged off the t4eir comrades, it appearing to be the