The Sun. — 1857-03-31 (London, England)

THE ZULU KAFFIRS.  We have been favoured with a copy of the following letter from D'Urban, in South Africa, dated the 15th December, and giving a more particular narrative than has yet appeared of the ferocious warfare among the Zulu Kaffirs near Port Natal : "The Zulu tribes are now in a state of bloody revolution, and frightful scenes are enacted amongst them. Panda, King of the Zulus, has several grown up elm, who have been casting covetous eyes on the inheritance. He is getting old and very fat, and unfit for war, and has repressed all the plans of younger men against our Kaffirs. His immediate predecessors, Daula and D.lngana, seeing that their kings had always been murdered by their sons as the latter grew up, determined to anticipate any danger from that quarter by killing off their wives and concubines as soon as they were found pregnant. Panda, finding this course did not save the last two kings a violent death, yielded in this respectto the voice of nature, and allowed his children to live. Such as the kings and the chiefs, such are the people ; and the acts above described are only different in their extent and degree from what is done continually among the Zulus of all classes.  "Some pressure has been applied to Panda by his sons, whereby they have attained a division of territory, or have been appointed chiefs like others ; but, being dissatisfied and quarrelling with each other about the territory assigned them, they appealed to Panda. He told them to fight it out. On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Imbulazi, his son or nephew, with a few of the old chiefs was awaiting the attack of Cetuwaya, son of Panda. The latter had succeeded in obtaining adherents from among the old chiefs to a much larger extent than was expected. When Cetuwaya's army appeared in sight of Imbulazi, the force of the former was so overpoweringly superior, that the lattter took to flight at once. They were stationed about seven miles from the Tugela, our boundary, and made for the river. The white young men who had been acting with Imbulazi's army, were killed in the boa'. Many were despatched before they reached the river. Meanwhile a party was formed from among our people under the eye of our government agent stationed near the Tugela. Mr. Walmsley, son of Sir Joshua Walmsley, M. P., 60 of our HottentA police, and volunteers from the native assistants of our hunters, agreed to cross the Tugela armed, under the superintendence of John Dunn, a young roving blade, and Kaffirinterpreter to Walwsley, for the purpose of endeavouring to stop the battle by parley. John Dunn was fired at, and narrowly escaped being shot. His party returned to fire a volley, and for some considerable time their discipline was sufficient to keep back the confused ranks of the savages. But, at last, they perceived they were being surrounded, and were obliged tcr retreat, their arms were thrown away, and only four or five returned across the Tugela. John Dunn only escaped by being mounted. The slaughter of the escaping Kaffirs was then carried on. A body of about 600 women and girls are spoken of as advancing into the river until they were' nearly out of their depth, when they were assegayed by their ruthless pursuers. The river was. literally, dyed with blood. Numbers were drowned. Bodies have Since been washed up in great numbers along the coast ; we have heard of them south of us as far as the Illawa (100 miles from the Tugela), where they gave rise to reports of a shipwreck. About 3,000 have come into our district and have been distributed among our natives. Fears are entertained about the supply of food for them. Our Kaffirs sympathise with the defeated, knowing that their fate would be their own if Cetuwaya could have his will. As soon as these affairs were reported, Mr. Shepstone, the secretary for native affairs, repaired to the spot, and the governor is.now there. "For us town dwellers there is no danger whatever ; for the isolated settlers on the frontiers there may be some risks, but even theirs is only partial and uncertain.  "It would save a deal of bloodshed and ultimate expense if the British Government would send a military expedition at once, take possession of the country, setting up. a chief under their protection, and limit his powers. It. would save much in every way, and must come in the end. A tower on the healthy high grounds on the borders of the Delagoa Bay would form a military depot, and keep the Zulus in. ord?r." _