Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-02-09
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.


The Cafre war in South Africa has been
prosecuted with an atrocity disgraceful to an
enlightened Christian nation. Both Moravian
and Wesleyan missions have been destroyed,
In one instance two hundred and fifty Hotten-
tots perished by the hands of English soldiers,
in the same church where they had listened to
the word of God from the Morayian mission
aries not because they were enemies, but in
an attempt to dsarm a peaceable population
And now there is danger Of the, destruction OF
the French Protestant missions. Major War
rem, the British Resident at Bloem- Fountain,
sent an armed force to assail a Tamboukis
tribe, about six hundred families strong, who
were settled on the Orange River, and had not
committed any hostilities upon the colonists.
The only conceivable reason for this attack was
a desire to produce diversion upon the Caffre
frontier and it was thought to be no great
matter to change small number Of suspicious
nentrals into open enemies. The Tamboukis
were driven from their houses with slaughter,
and the survivors scattered throughout large
district including that Of the Bassutos, soon
spread their depredations over the whole from
tier. The chief Of the Bassutos, Moshesh, a
polite old chief, was well aware of the supe-
riority Of the white man, and indisposed to
break with the British on that account, though
partof his territory had been arbitrarily taken
from him. Major Warren made Moshesh re-
sponsible for troubles which had been really
caused by the dispersion of the Tamboukis,
thirsting, as they were, for vengeance; and he
imposed on the Bossuto chief the alternative of
war or the paying fine Of 5000 head of cat
tie and 800 horses. In vain Messrs. Casalis
and Dyke-two missionaries--went, accompa-
MED by a son of Moshesh, to try to avert the
horrors of a war of rapine and determination.
Major Warren took the field on the 28th of
June, at the head of about 1000 men, English,
Beers, and natives of different tribes, and on
the 3Oth he met with disastrous defeat from
about 5000 Bassutos and their allies The
Resident lost above two hundred men, Moshesh
only fourteen. @ snt @
Moshesh is not q Christian, but he respects
the missionaries, and many of his warriors en-
gagged in this battle were devoted Christians
The Boers, generally hostile to the natives dis
approve of the war; and many of them have
refused to take up arms. At the latest dates,
the British Resident was preparing for new
attack with stronger force; and the prospect
was, that the seven fourishing mission stations
among the Bassutos would be laid waste with
fire and sword And, as a specimen of what
they were to expect, two agents of the British
Government-one Of them liberated convict
had been sent at the head of 800 or 400 Fin
goes, to scour the frontier, killing firing and
pillaging.
This is specimen of British justice, as it
has been meted out towards feeble powers,
from the times of William the Conqueror to
the present day, in Ireland, in India, in Amer
ica, in China and in Africa. 1t is q singular
fact that while the English Government fur
nishes efficient protection to Protestant mis-
sions in some parts of the world, in other por,
tions it destroys them by fire and sword. 1t is
gratifying to know, however, that these bar
barous proceedings are reprobated in the strong.
est terms by British Christians The cores
pondent of the Christian Times says: "This
unprovoked and immoral-this ignoble and
brutal war, is waged under the orders Of Eng
lishmen, and under the flag of England"
Americans could hardly say more.-N Y. Obs.