The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-07 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

THE KAFIR WAR.
(From the Cape Town Mail Extra, Jan. 8.)
The Frontier Post brings the important and most
gratifying intelligence that Sir Harry Smith, with a
large escort, has forced his way out of Fort Cox,
without loss, and arrived on the 30± ult. at King
William's Town.

This morning the welcome intelligence reached us
from King William's Town, the dispatches being
brought by Kafirs of Pato's tribe, who succeeded in
eluding the enemy who have possession of the Fish
River passes, of the escape of the Governor from Fort
Cox, and his arrival there on the 30th ultimo. His
Excellency made a dash from the fort with 250 of the
Cape Mounted Rifles, forcing his passage through the
Debe Neck, though opposed by a large body of the
enemy, who kept up a heavy fire, but without, as far
us we could learn, occasioning any loss to the colonial
troops. His Excellency, it is said, exchanged his
hat for a forage cap of the Rifles, as a prudent precau-
tion againet being made a target of by his assailants.
Fort Cox, as well as all the forts along the line
of the Buffalo, will be maintained—East London
being made the base of the military operations now
about to take place. Supplies may be readily
landed there, and then forwarded with great
facility along that line. By holding this chain of
posts the attention of the Kafirs is drawn off
from the colony, and to which we may attri-
bute our comparative freedom from any large bodies
of the enemy, so that our farmers have been able to
send their cattle to the rear, and to reap a consider-
able quantity of corn. Had the Governor relin-
quished these posts, it would have greatly inspirited
the Kafirs, and thousands would ere this have rushed
into the colony, and laid waste the border districts.
His Excellency's presence in King William's Town
is, very opportune, as it may probably have the effect
of keeping Umhala quiet. At present he is strongly
suspected of cherishing hostile intentions, but, like all
his countrymen, he is a shrewd, calculating savage,
who weighs the probabilities with great care, and will
only act with decision where he sees, or fancies he
perceives, his own immediate interest. Pato remains
unequivocally allied to the British cause. His conduct
throughout has been marked by a frank decision which
gives confidence, difficult as it now is to inspire this, in
the sincerity of such professions. His son Delima, it is
said, is in the neighbourhood of King William's Town
with 1,400 men ready to act with the Governor on any
service he may appoint. It is expected, too, with con-
fidence that a diversion will be made in favour of the
colony from Port Natal. In that settlement there
are many thousand Zoola warriors, a portion of
whom, if moved along the Quathlamba to the sources
of the T'somo, might effectually engage the attention
of the Ama-Temboo (Tambookies) and Ama-Galeka
(Kreli's) tribes, and prevent them from engaging
with the other tribes in the war now waging with
the colony. Added to this, a reinforcement of
troops, with artillery, is expected immediately at East
London.

But still, with all these means and appliances, let
the colonists understand that the safety of themselves
and their families depends, under Providence, upon
their own efforts, promptly and decisively made. Sir
Harry Smith is at present in the midst of the enemy,
holding them in check, and preventing them from pre-
cipitating themselves upon the colony. But at pre-
sent he can do no more than this. To enter upon
offensive operations he must have aid, and in the
meantime there is danger lest the troops should be
destroyed in detail. Should a single military post be
carried, the effect may be most disastrous to the
colony, while, on the other hand, if reinforcements be
at once poured into Kafirland, the tide will be turned
—the military communications will be opened, and
the object in view--the complete subjugation of the
Gaikas—be effectually accomplished.
The following is the sum of the information which
has been gleaned from the Kafir messengers, the
bearers of the dispatches received yesterday from the
Governor :

" They state that all the Gaikas, including Botman,
Tola, and the chiefs of Eno's tribes' are fighting.
Seyolo is also engaged, and has moved down to Line
Drift to prevent any communication that way. Ma-
passa and Nyila, Tambookies, have also joined. Anta
attacked Vikaf, the petty chief who protected Niven's
Mission Station. They had a severe skirmish, the
latter driven back, and the station destroyed. Xox
also bad Tyala, the head man, appointed by the Go-
vernor to assist Brownlee, murdered, for telling the
Kafirs it was folly to make war through the laud for
the sake of one man, Sandilli.
" A good many Kafirs were killed in the different
engagements. The Kafirs are beginning to ask when
the wonders stated by the prophet will come to pass,
as they have been fighting their best, and the English
have not yet commenced, and still, notwithstanding
his predictions of safety, they are killed. The tribes
of Kreli and Bugu (Books), also of Umhala, Toise
and Pato, have not at present joined in the war.
"The conduct of the Cape Corps throughout the
skirmishes which have taken place between the Kafirs
and troops is mentioned in terms of deserved approba-
tion. They have done themselves high honour and
the country good service. Several Kafirs were
knocked over while escorting the Governor, and after
the arrival of his Excellency at Ring William's Town,
in a skirmish with a strong party of the enemy, five
of the latter were killed and two guns taken without
sustaining any loss themselves. Their gallant conduct
affords a fine example, and gives the best encourage-
ment to all engaged."

Sir Harry Smith has issued the following Govern-
ment notice :

" King William's Town, Dec. 31, 1850.
" His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by Col.
Mackinnon, reached King William's Town to-day, at
one o'clock, having forced his passage with a large escort
of the Cape Corps through numerous bodies of Kafirs
from Fort Cox via' Fort White. It was his intention to
have proceeded to Fort hare. but the enemy were in
such force that his means were not adequate to its ac-
complishment. Every power is delegated to Colonel
Somerset, during the forced absence of the Governor
from the colony, to raise levies, &c., and to name the
rallying points of assembly. And his Excellency does
most ardently hope that the colonists will rise en masse
to aid her Majesty's troops, and the reinforcement
of men and guns, which will shortly arrive at East
London, to destroy and exterminate these most barba-
rous and treacherous savages, who for the moment are
formidable. Every post in British Kaffraria is neces-
sarily maintained. The abandonment of one of them
would have been the signal for revolt to every T'Slambie
chief. They are well provisioned for six weeks, and
form a nucleus for an invading army of patriots. The
Gaikas must be driven out of the Amatolas, and ex-
pelled for ever. However great the inroad into the
colony may have been, it is consoling to his Excellency
to know, that the maintenance of these posts, which in-
deed could not have been abandoned, occupies the atten-
tion of thousands of Kafira, who would otherwise have
gone into the colony. The line of the Buffalo must be
I:tehe frontier.erier
maintained, coute qui coute. It involves the safety even
of her Majesty's troops, which is paramount.
" By his Excellency's command,
" JO/IN GAavocx, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Private Secretary."
The following items of additional intelligence are
published in an "extra" of the Cape Monitor, dated
Jan. 18 :
" The convicts from the Zuurberg station bad arrived
safely at Port Elizabeth on the 2d inst. The Kafir con-
victs were on the point of being shipped for Cape Town.
" Thirty-eight discharged soldiers and Hottentots,
well armed, had been sent up from Port Elizabeth on the
4th, in charge of Mr. Daniell; also 50 able Fingoes
armed. These would be the first levies in the field. It
was trusted that some of the burghers would move to
the front.
commencing, The Kafirs were
oeos
destroy
oßyi River, and
troops,
te oo
thennt
ch
eel westwardnatyrawasteti
nga
it
" The road between Port Elizabeth and Sidbury was
choked up with cattle belonging to the farmers.
" We have letters from Fort Hare to the 3d inst.,
and from Shilo and Whi.tlesea to the 2d.
" Mapassa'a and Kreh's tribes are moving forward to
attack the Shilo country; the Hottentots at Kat River
were greatly disaffected.
nissioners, &c., under
.Y, Was doing great mis-
chief in Winterberg.
" All the burghers bad been called out by Colonel
Somerseterm throughnus'with
craerdrythineg Rat River
fire and brand
the Governor's authority, und cer their own respective
large
commandants.
" Several Englishmen had been murdered by the
‘a
the a Ci boomd
m
oinrtdoerevoefrylleframrmen, nasn.d
ilie
at
w was
s feared
Hot-
tentots would join him-
.
"It was thought that if the burghers came forward
and wore let loose to do it in their own way freely, all
would still be well.
"About forty of the settlers in the • •
military villages
had escaped. All had escaped from Ely.
"Dispatches had been sent to the Lieutenant-Gover-
nor of Natal to bring down 3,000 Zoolahs on the Gaikas,
through the foot of the Quathlamba mountains, which is
only twelve days' march.
" A mail had been dispatched from Graham's Town to
the Governor at King William's Town on the 4th.
" Colonel Somerset, after his repulse on attempting to
communicate with the Governor on the 28th ult., suc-
ceeded in doing so by a Kafir messenger ea the 29th, and
received his Excellency's reply.
" Colonel Somerset hag, we understand, represented
the necessity of detaining all troops touching at the
Cape, and dispatching them instantly to the frontier,
whether cavalry or infantry, and recommends their
being landed at Algoa Bay, but was still sanguine that
the forces would shortly present a bold front to the
enemy, and encourage the depressed farmers and in-
habitants.
"He had succeeded in collecting several .valuable
Fingo levies.
" Fort Beaufort had been in great jeopardy; it was
occupied by only 50 troops, but there was a good spirit
there, and a burgher force of 60 mounted men, who had
successfully resisted an attack of Hermanus's Kafirs two
days before.
" The Kafirs had attempted a strong combination
with the coloured classes, which had succeeded in Kat
River.

" From the paucity of troops, none had as yot bcen
detached to the Kat River.