SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2603, 21 November 1865, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.

The wisdom of the British Goverinent m limiting the Northern boundary of the Cape Colony, was never more apparent than at the present time. The Orange Free State, as ifc is called, is at war with the Basutos, and opinions are divided as to the cause of the outbreak. One of the Eastern provinces papeis, the Great Eastern, maintains that the biughers aie to blame ; that they only wanted an excuse to annex more territory, and seize cattle and loot. On the other hand, the Free State organs allege an irruption of the Basntos, who committed many horrible murders, and plundered the settlers. We yesterday published the latest intelligence of what would (but for the limiting of British territory) have been another Kafir war ; to-day we supply extracts from the Cape papers, giving a more detailed account of the war from its outbreak. Origin of the War.— lo Europeans killed— loo,ooo sheep captured by Basutos, June 15. The commandos — which had divided at Wmbiirg on the 13th May, the one wing to go to Bethlehem, the other to remain at or in the neighbourhood of Leeuwkop— combined again on the 10th inst., and inarched to the line near Governeurskop. Heie they encamped, half on the Pree State and the remainder on Basuto ground. The President had previously sent a demand in to Paulus Moperi to deliver up the Kafirs who had committed the aggression upon Muller, and to pay a fine of fifty head of cattle. The act of aggression upon Muller was, that, as he was cutting corn in the late disputed territory, but by Sir Philip Wodehouse awarded to the Free State, and after Moperi had received notice of the resolution of the Volksraad that the Kafiis might take away all com which was harvested, but that they would not be allowed to cut the growing crops — a party of Kafirs had taken him, beaten him, and carried him to Moperi's, who, after some detention, released him. (It should be generally known that much of the com not harvested wa3 sown by the Kafirs after the decision of Sir Philip Wodehouse had been made known to them.) Af open's reply was, that it was true that his Kafirs had been guilty of aggression, which he adjudged at a fine of one cow, but the President, he said, had passed the line (presumed to be at Lesoane's) which was also a fine of a cow, so that we were even. The Piesident had given liim to the 9th instant to deliver, and therefoie we had to wait till that evening, until intelligence arrived from Winburg, before we moved. On the 13th we broke np, and moved on to the line, where we laid over Sunday, and on Monday marched on in eight columns to the first village in Basutoland, and on Tuesday arrived heie. We encamped about a mile and a half from Moperi's town, and threw up a sod wall round the camp. Hitherto we had seen but few Kafirs in small patrols. Yesterday, however, We went out 850 strong and two guns j leaving COO in the camp, and on arriving at the first rise we observed seven commandos of Kafirs stationed at different points on the sides of the hills, at distances varying from three to four miles. On proceeding a little further we were fired upon fiom the top ot a mountain, and the guns were 1 brought to bear upon the parts whence the firing proceeded. A party also stormed the opposite hill, and fired briskly with their rifles until the firing of the enemy ceased. We passed on a small distance, observing at the same time that tue commandos ot Kafirs were creeping out on to the flats, ready to come over to us . While we were getting into position, one of our scoxits brought word that a large commando had come out of the Poort (in which Moperi's town stands) and were storming the camp. The half of us were immediately sent back the way we had come, while the guns and the other half took another direction. On rounding the hill, at the first rise, within sight of the canm we found a largo commando of about 3000 Kafirs riding as hard as they could towards the camp. I have seen in. your articles, from time to time, remarks about the courage of the Basutos ; but, if you never saw a set of panic-stricken curs, you could have done so now. Kacing as they were until they saw us, they seemed to drop as it were away. A few galloped past us towards a hill— a belt of stones, far from us— two Kafirs and one horse falling to our rifles — while the others scampered back as fast as they had come. In the meantime, all the commandos first seen across the flats were now seen racing to the same, belted hill; and soon behind it were esconced about (5000 Kafirs. A poor fellow, Piet Wessels, with ,his brother and two others, galloped towards the hilL Piet; rode right in amongst the Kafirs, receiving a shot through the body, while hi« brother received a slight, assegia wound in the Bhoulder; but all, excepting Piet, got out of danger. The guns had been brought by the remainder of the commando to a neck, from whence they did good execution amongst 1 the fleeing Kafirs. One of the gun horses was shot in the hg, and the bullets flew amongst our people like hail, but no one was really wounded. 'From this -time nothing' could be done ?™ft a® 1 , th ? Vl**!V 1 **! £or though 10,000 or 12,000 Kafirs kept showing at long distances all round *the camp, none came within rifle-shot. As soon as the guns could be spared they were brought up, and the commando attending them stormed the hiJl at which the Kafirs lay, scattering them like chaff befoio the wind. Five Kafirs were shot here, and at another place a white man leading on some Kafirs shared the tame fate.- ■ The Whitworth rifled l canon

played effectively upon tho -KafifV until uoue were l to be seen within range, or they had drawn off to their fastnesses, after which our men came to camp and had a good rest and feed. To-day, for certain reasons which I do not feel at liberty to repeal,' it tfas been resolved to go back to the 1 line aiid keep a watch there for a time. It is estimated that at the \>dry le&t'flffcf ffafiK bit 'the dust. '" About 1 ftfte'ett bodies remained, but it is well known that, 1 aa a r\ile, they cany off their dead, and, many 'pools of blood have been found whore they were seen to fall, but no bodies found. ' To-morrow we march 1 backwords to the line. Sunday, 19.— Last evening our scouts brought in word that the Kafirs' (in force) hail been all the afternoon moving towards Koraimaberg, and as it was thought that it might be their intention to attack Winburg, under the impression that we should lie still to-day, orders were given to march at daybreak [, — which we did this morning — proceeding in a lino with the range of hills towards Koraimaberg. After proceeding about two hours, we obsoi'ved, at about the same distance bef6i'e us, at the point of a hill, ' n, largo commando of Kafirs, about 2,000 strong, apparently waiting for us. As we neared them they gave way, and passed over a rise towards a Poort, at which is situate a village in Makuatling. Our advance guard on arriving upon the rise, found that the Kafirs were forming in considerable numbers in the hollow beyond, with tho intention appai'ently, of disputing our advance to the village. This, however, was not our intention, as oidora liad been given that to offensive measures were to be taken during tho day, unless molested. As the Kalhs showed a disposition to remain and resist, the advance guard formed front, and the guns wore brought up. As soon as they saw our movements, they began to retreat, and a few balls and shells weie sent to hasten them. A little skirmishing took place, but only four or five Kafirs fell from the discharges of the guns. They were not near enough for rifles to do any execution. We learn from a piivate letter that Smithfield has been in imminent danger. As soon as war was declared — an event which thanks to the muddling policy of the President, was known to tho Basutos much sooner than to the inhabitants of Sinithlield — a Luge number of the blacks crossed the boundary, swept over the farms in the Caledon River district, burned all the houses in tho ward \\ ilgeboom Spruit, cleaied off 100,000 sheep and a proportionate number of cattle and hoises, and threatened Smithfield. Mr. Swanepoel, ono of the most wealthy fanners of the district, was divested of everything, and obliged to fly for his life, arriving in bmitlifiold with only the clothes in which he stood upright, and with nothing besides to call his own. except his land. Some thirty-five men under Hemming and Van Aswaagen tried '"to recover a portion of the stock that had been captuied, but weic sui rounded by Basutos, and obliged to throw up a stone wall, fiom behind which they kept the enemy at bay for s,cveial houis, and eventually (bove them off In the meanwhile some sixteen whites sot out to their assistance, but weic intercepted by the enemy, and ten of them killed, including Air. Robertson, brother to a gentleman residing m Aliwal Noi th, and four other Englishmen. It is not yet known what has become of the women and children. Messrs. Finlay and Bowker with a party of about one hundred men, followed the Basutos, and succeeded in recording, with gieat gallantry, about 5,000 sheep, but weie unable, fioiu the natuie of the giound and the forces opposed to them, to do moi c.