Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-02-11
,Ehn Var with The XnInS.

Eho war with ihe EniDS.
! CAPE IoWH, Jao. 27.-Oa the 2l5t instant
4 British column, consisting Of Il portion CT the
iwea,y-fourth regiment, battery OF artillery,
| aGd eco naive euxiligrcs, were utterly ami
| hi!:red rear tho TugeIs liver by 20. 900 Ilus,
;GhO captured :. vaiu,tle convoy Of l02 wagons,
COO tian, tgo cauno1s, 400 shot AID shells,
l.GC0 rih:s, go, 900 pounds OF afnmunltior,
! 81, Gao pounds weight 81 provisions. al3 tho
coiGr3 CT Tie T1cnly-!hurih regiment. |: Is
estimated that 5000 MalGS were killed and
! TluaG9d 10 the battle.
| Among the killed on Inc British SD are two
majors, iau. captains, tGelrc l!cuteaa1ta, and
| tic QlarlcfmeSIcr OF TIC Twenty fourth .cgl
| fncrt. two 'captans Of the Royal artillery. a
cul0ne!, captain, ionr l;cuteaanis. and surgeoa-
major G! cpsoccTs, besides twenty one other
British officers commanding the native insies.
Sewn attacks subsequently, made By the Il'us
have been repul,ed, and the colony is DOW
.oucwhat rcc1ycrics from the inter coustcfus
iion ;Sfich ct Gts: prevailed Natal, however,
Is il gT.at danger, aad Disturbances are feared
IS r11ruliuj
L?rl Cfc!ms!crj, the commander oil the
expedition. las b2ea icrccl 10 retire ie Geese
lua.co of tho defeat.
J: is estimated that 500 soldiers we're Killed,
besides the officers enumerated above.
Governor Sir Barilo Ererc has sen: appeals
20 l. igisrd ard Inc Maultius for reiaioico.
gGcuis
TIE mail steamer for Eoeia1d vas dispatched
4 day earlier than uuil With q request Tor SIX
rccimsnta OF i0iap;ry and brigade Of cavalry.
LONDON, Feb. ll.-Tha Standards dispatch
from Csie Town says the British tUlc, was
compelled TO rccros5 the borders. Tbs force
which was naDit!!alci Hss attacked while
au,rilns The camp OF the headquarters Ct the
cc!unn al lns.ndusana during tic sb'encs of
Lord Chelmsford With q strong l)rc, recon-
nGit2ring.
ANT BATTLES IN SOUTH AFRICA. Il noticed
orc morning, writes az EagIisbnan 10 South
Africa. that along the bottom of the ffoot wall
Of ny h9usc 90 tbs verandah there lay quaD
lify of reddish brown powder; there was enough
to Il i coffee CUP. o. looking closer [ saw
that i; vas made up OF small and llrger irsg
mcn,s which Gistened, and on inspecting some
in NY hand they TUNED gu. to be the heads.
logs, trucks, etc. Of COUNTLESS ants. ADuuber
of these animals we're sill 90 tho wall above,
hrd my attention being now arrested, watch.
cd them and saw that thoy were contributing to
tho carnage beneath.
This species &C ant is @ ANAL, coz psratively
harmless ono, tho chief sin of which is that it
makes It's Way TO every species Of food and
swarns OF it. As !s uausl with ants. the gen.
crsi body CT insects is accompanied by larger
individuals. which are provided with heads and
jaws quite dsproportionste to their bodss and
Sith these jays they do Hll the cutting up.
Among tho ants on tho wall there wss g large
sprinking Of these ''soidier ants" and the
whole community seemed to be bent on de-
s.royiDg lhenl The proportion o. heavy jswed
to ordinary ants was about one TO ten. l ssw 8
group CT little ones fastening on to g big ant
which msdo desperate efforts to release ITSELF
q. ifgt tho big one BIZ. several little ones 10 two,
end ths paris dropped down from the wall but
siter while tho little ones covered ell the legs
OF tho big ono, and finally get on his back and
cut bin in two. The group then dropped him
down to swell tho mass below.
SIIaltsr sceHes were enacted elsewhere On the
wall. Ghs commencement Of one combat YVES
as follows: = big ant walked elonz till il. met
smother big one, End shook antenrn Just then
these big ones. Neither took any notice, bu.
continued rapid conversation. Suddenly other
ANAL ones came up when the big one whole
leg YVES grabbed turned furiously on the little
one, and Eez ID him By the middle. This could
not BE dono until the big one had doubled him
self up; Is soon as he had hold of bis small an
tsgonss, he lifted hiu? in tho air sud shipped
him in two.
Meanwhile, all the biz ones legs had been
seized BY the little ores and the party seemed
TO turn over and over, little bits tum bling down,
now leg, now half an ant, till the big orc was
7Glquiahet. The way in which the big ant
turned en- the little one was singulary indics.
a.ive OF rage The determined manner in which
NJ lsii hold Of tho little one was quite humsn.
IF had had msgnifging glaze, the scene would
have bean really 1citing.
The landing Of American cutie has oct been
pTnbihi od hp L, E,,I.sn 49,