The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-14 00:00:00

TROOPS.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
(From the Zuid Afrihaan, of Jan. 30.)
The frontier-pest, which arrived this morning, has
brought the good news of a signal defeat sustained by
the enemy on the 21st instant at Fort Hare, which was
boldly attacked by a very large force. It is said that
the Kafirs were on- this occasion led on by their Prophet
and Sendilli in person,—the first dressed in a red cloak,
formerly in poe.ession of. the 7th Dragoons, and the
latter in the uniformof An officer: The less of the ene-
my is veriously stated from 100 to 150; that of the
British ;hie!, a h ire, comparatively small. - Sixty horses.
the riders of which had fallen iu the fight, aoo fell into
our hands.
Some weggons under escort from Graham's Town (50
C. M. Rifles under Captain Carey having been dettaeh,l
for that purpose) reeehed For; Hare in safety about two
hours after the Kati:s had retired.
The communicethm with Fort Cox was still com-
pletely cut eft and that with the Governor at King
William's Town exceedingly difficult and dangerous.
The Friend of the Sovereignty says, that if reliance
can be plate d on authentic and private information,
Moshesh is very anxious to avoid a - quarrel with the-
British Government.
The ficrozes has again. left for East London with a
reinforceTneiit of about 400 volunteers.
It appears from the Journal that a party of 27 of the
coloured residents of Theopolis came to Graham's Town -
with articles for the market. Twenty of them, bjeg
12 Hottentots, 2 Fingoes, and 6 Bechuanas, were are
rested on suspicion of treasonable designs against the
country, and brought before the Magistrate. The
Fingoes gave evidence of a meeting having been held
on the 15th (when the Rev. Mr. Smit, of Graham's
Town, visited the institution at the instance of the Board
of Defence), at which a letter was read- by the leader of
the Hottentots, named Kieviet Piqueur, purporting
to have been received from one Lynx, a Blinkwater
Gonah, telling his brethren and allies at Theopolis, that
the Kafir war was not on the part of the Government,
but was an attempt by the boers to rob the Kafirs of
their cattle and expel them from their country; intimat-
log also, that although they would be pressed like other
Hottentots to join the colonists in this work, they bad
better not go on such ae errand. It transpired in court
that the Rev. Ur. Snit was aware of the receipt of this
letter. Oa being asked why he had not brought such a
treasonable document to the notice of the authorities,
Mr. &nit replied that he had done so to the Clerk of the
Peace, which statement, however, that officer imme-
diately denied. More, it is inferred, will cone of this
matter anon.
The Fingoes state, though at the peril of their lives,
that they suspect the Theopolis Hottentots of being
friendly to the Kafirs, and th fact of their cattle run-
ning at large, no preparations being made for defence
against the dreaded enemy of former days, very strongly
strengthens this assumption. The Bechuanas and Fin-
goes—S in number—have hal their guns returned to
them, but the 12 Hottentots were disarmed, their powder
taken away, and they were remanded for further exa-
mination.
Some further investigation into the affairs of this place
was made at the Court-house this morning (25th). The
Rev. N. Smit explained the purport of the letter sent to
the Hottentots, the substance of which was the same as
that published under the head of Events of the Week
(Thursday). Mr. Smith said that he endeavoured to
remove the improper feeling that letter had caused, and
to the best of his belief had succeeded in doing so. He
expressed his belief that the Theopolis people are loyal
towards the Government. The Blinkwater disaffection
he considers to have arisen from the burning of the huts
in July last.
Of the 12 Hottentots lodged in gaol on the 23d instant,
seven have been released upon their OlVil recognizances,
and the other five detained until the result of -Mr. Cur-
tie's proceedings be known.

CHEERING INTELLIGENCE.
(From the Extra of the Frontier Times.)
The following cheering intelligence was received this
morning from Fort Hare, from which the public will be
gratified to learn, that not only a fresh success has been
gained over the enemy, but that all the waggons that
were lately sent to Fort Hare with supplies, Sco., have
reached their destination in safety.
Fort Hare, Jan. 23,1851.

Sir,—As I understand that the heavy firing that took
place here on the 21st instant was heard in Albany,
which may create alarm,—l have the honour to ac-
quaint you that the enemy attacked my position at
about nine A.M. on the morning of the 21st in great
force, having in advance a considerable body of mounted
men, and forming their force into three large columns,
and moving rapidly to their left, made a most determined
attack on our guards in charge of the cattle.
Tha attack was met by a spirited advance of the
Fingoes, and supported by a detachment of the C. M.
Rifles under Lieut. and Adjutant Bell.
As the columns of the enemy advanced the guns in
the bastions were worked with great effect by the de-
t ,chment of It)yal Artillery under Acting-Bombardier
Merchant, the fire of which broke their columns awl did
considerable execution, the enemy continuing working
to. their left, evidently receiving considerable reinforce-
uipnts from parties concealed behind the hills around
our position.
A very sharp engagement was continued for two hours
and a half without intermission. While this was going
on a body of Kafirs from the Upper Chumie, and led on
by Soga, the principal chief belonging to the Mission
station in the Chumie, attacked the rear of the cattle in
Alice, and succeeded in capturing about 200 head, The
brother of this mtu. whose name was Manana (well

known in Graham's Town) was shot in Alice.
The Kafirs made a most determined attempt to cut
off the right body of the cattle collected in Mice; but a
well directed fire from soma of the inhabitants and a
body of Fingoes (who were concealed among the cattle)
drove the enemy off—who at length being completely
routed at all points retired with severe loss. Upwards
of one hundred bodies lay about, and numbers of wounded
were carried away by the enemy during their operations.
I had the anxiety of having to afford protection to a
convoy of waggons expected from Leeuw Fontein, and
being obliged to detach a strong party of the C. M.
Rifles for this service rendered me unable to follow up
the enemy in the way I could have wished. As it was
he gut a severe handling. Several chiefs and head-men
were slain—amongst others 10 deserters from the late
police; several horses were also captured.
The action was most severe, and the fire most spirited
and determined.
I have to regret the loss of 6 Fingoes killed and 10
wounded severely.
I understand it had been planned to attack us for four
days, but the severe loss sustained by the enemy has, I
believe, damped their ardour and changed their deterrni-
nation.—l have the honour to be, Sir, Szo ,
H. SOMERSET, Major• General.
C. 11. Bernaby, Major Royal Artillery,
Commandant, Graham's Town.
" Alice, Jan. 22. 1851,..

" The long looked-for engagement with the Kafirs
took place yesterday (21st), and a warm affair it was. I
penned a hurried letter directly after the affair, but could
not succeed in sending it—nothing but official documents
from the General could be allowed. I need not, I think,
say any more relative to the action, than it was a sharp
contested tight, from beginning to end, which lasted
abopt four hours iti, all. Thera could not have
been less than from five to seven thousand .of
the enemy—it is impossible to state the real num-
bzrs—as far as the ere could reach, which would
be about ten miles, the hills were entirely black with
them, both horse and foot. Tiley seemed determined to
take the fort, and town also, if it could have been done
at the distance of gun shot—nearer than this they would
not come, only in one or two instances, and then they
were shot. The number of killed and wounded on their
side must have been very considerable, although they
could not b© found. The ordnance did very little
good at the commencement, but it did execution at the
close;—there was one shell in particular, that did good
service—l am positive at least from ten to fifteen
fell, I saw this with my eys-glass. They managed to
put about four musket balls. into Dowell's premises.
There were about twenty-five men in front of the house,
under cover of the water run, which was the sole cause
of preventing the loss of the whole of the Fingoe cattle.
Here the action terminated, at about two o'clock.
" Alice, 21st January, 1851.
" To day has been with us a most important day.
About half-past aloe o'clock this morning an e,tick upuu
the t ,wo and Fort Hare commenced, Oar attention was
first drawn to the FAL,V9 csttle, which were seen being
driven past Wyune's house at a most furious rate. •.I
managed to get a spy glass, and with that could.
see the Kafirs pursuing the Fingoes and cattle
in a most determined manner ; the Fingoes
under . arms at the fort and town then
turned out to meet the Kafirs and a regular fight
commenced. At this time thousands of Kafirs were seen
in several bodies making their, way to where the fight
was going on. There must have been several hundred
of Kafirs on horseback. The cattle were at this time in
and about the town. A party of the Cape M. Rifles then
tamed out to assist the Fingoes—eand firing at a most
furious rate both by Kafirs and ihOse on our side was
kept up. The Kafirs continued to advance upon the
town rapidly, and nothing that could be done seemed to
check:them; shell tiring from the fore then commenced,
and some of the shots were well thrown. I should say
that about fifty shots with the cdnnon were fired. While
engaged with the party of Kafirs I ita now writing
about another large body, ' both mounted and on foot,
Were seen rapidly advancing upon the town from another
direction. At first sight it was thought these were Fin-
goes, but we soon discovered our mistake. Many of teem
ran down a. small ravine called the Gaga, and got
actually within three hundred yards of the town. Mr.
R. Levy managed to knock one of these fellows over,
who was afterwards identified as the brother of a chief
called Sogo, living at the Gwala mission station. I bad
one shot at a couple, but unfortunately the distance was
too great, and my shot did not tell. I saw the Kafir that
Levy shot, re
t was a most daring fellow, and seemed to
lead on the rest. They.(the Kafirs) succeeded in getting
away some goats and a few cattle but not many. I had no
possession of the
idea the Rita"' were - '
iso d arung—immense bodies kept
volleys into
it
vjlaoloverlooking the town, and fired
t effect. After the firing had
ceased (and which wasa vigoruotin
td,.
not_uh s_.el y
ut 0 kwer
tp t t uohp
seef for r i
ft harne3e.
hours), I took a stroll
dead bodies were lying ar
bo
of the town I saw the dead bodinecst jofattharteet ieitlofiurtsskir and
two
Fingoes, which latter were unfortunately killed
while fighting bravely. A mounted party went out in
a short distance, and I have
Of them that the bodies of eighteen
btheeenctoouldrsney oofday
n ethe