The Sun. — 1851-04-03 (London, England)

BENTLEY.  In the shape of a notice of the recently published autobiography of Mr. R. P. Gillies, Bentley this month gives us a most amusing history of the changes which literature has undergone during the course of the last half century, and how the seven volume works which in those days issued from the press, longo intcrvallo, have been superseded by the daily and weekly publication of fly sheets of condensed information. We have two articles on Kafir Land ; the first, a humorous account of the adventures of a volunteer troop during the course of the last war; the other a most valuable paper by Lieutenant-Colonel Napier, tracing the history of the various Kafir eruptions (for the Kafirs, and not ourselves, have been invariably the invaders) upon the Hottentot territory, until they came to the white man's territory, proving to demonstration that the person really responsible for all the blood that has been shed since 1846. the real author of those Kafir wars, is not Sir B. D'Urban nor Sir Harry Smith, no, nor except secondarily, the Kafir chiefs ; but the teal author of these Kafir wars is my Lord Glenelg, who, misled by the gross misrepresentations of the missionaries, " with most incomprehensible blindness," instead of supporting the energetic measures adopted by the colonists, actually disapproved of them, encouraged the savage Kafirs, and entered into a treaty with them. Colonel Napier thus proceeds:— " After such a specimen of childish policy on our part, it was scarcely to be imagined by such as knew the nature of the Kafir, that he would now long think proper to' sit still.' " The ruinous war which unexpectedly' broke out in 1846, and took us, as usual, unprepared and unawares, was still fresh in the recollection of all, when the last outrage, of which we have so lately received the accounts, has afforded another proof—if such were wanting—of the little reliance to be placed on any' treaties' with these treacherous and blood-thirsty barbarians, who, strange to say, still find ready advocates amongst many of our fellow-countrymen at home. It is, however, time that such delusions should have an end; it is time that all mistaken leniency towards these murdering robbers should be cast aside; that war should be carried on to the very knife; that they should be hunted out like wild beasts from their lairs, driven completly beyond, the Kye ; and, if any fresh ' treaty' be entered into with suCh incorrigible ruffians, it must be of such a nature as clearly to make them understand that a price will be put upon their heads, and that they will be shot down without mercy, whenever, on whatever pretence, they may be caught within the colonial boundaries." It is a pleasant consideration, truly, for the overburdened people of this country that they have already had 2,000,0001. to pay, and will probably have to pay 2,600,000/. more, merely for having procured Lord Glenelg the satisfaction of having hybernated at the Colonial. office for four years. Mr. Wolff continues his amusing anecdotes of Spanish life, and Mr. Charles Sumner contributes an excellent biography of the late eminent Mr. Justice Story, of the United States. The story of the execution of Fieschi is well told; but the whole matter is of so disgusting a character that we wonder the editor should have had the bad taste to give the paper insertion. This, and the account of the death of Balthazar Gerard, which also appears in this number, must have beat intended originally for Reynolds's, rather than for Bentley's, Miscellany.