SOUTH AFRICA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume VII, Issue 316, 21 August 1858, Page 1 (Supplement)

SOUTH AFRICA.

By the way of Melbourne, we have news from the Cape of Good Hope to the 13 th May. War between the Orange Free State and the Basutos had commenced in earnest. Several encounters had taken place between the belligerents, and in most instances the Boers had gained the advantage. Dr Livingstone had arrived, and the colonists had presented him with a complimentary testimonial. The Reverend Robeit Moffat was present, and addressed the meeting. On Monday evening an " at home " took place at Government House, to which the members of all public institutions were invited, and next evening Dr Livingstone and his companions were entertained at dinner. It was expected that the Governor would leave for England in the Penelope, and no doubt was entertained whether his Excellency contemplated returning to the colony. Total Discomfiture or 10,000 Basutos !—! — A coriespondcntof the liloemfonteim Gazette alludes to the engagement ot Cathcart's Drift, on the 14 ultimo, in these teims : — " Well, aiter hard fighting i'or three days with thousands of mounted and wellarmed Basutos, the indomitable band of Winburg heroes have "conquered again. 1 ' They have done that which one of England,s heroes, Cathcart, was unable to accomplish. They have fought the same enemy engaged by him, and on the very spot where the British arms were compelled to retreat before a barbarian force, to the eternal disgrace of Britain, and the result now is, a complete victory to the Winbuigeis, who are now masters of the country from the confines of the Winburg district to the Caledon, and have taught the Basutos a lesson they will long remember. The tidings of Sir George Grey,s proclamation, piohibiting assistance from the old colony, were received with shouts of derision in our camp, lie is afraid, say the Winburgeis, in return for the kindness and Christian feeling exhibited by Sir Geoige Grey towards the Free State, in the face of his piotestations while here, to send him the swords of the I2th Lancers, and the guns and cannon balls taken from them by the Basutos. If Sir George Grey had witnessed the engagements of the 1 2th, 1 3th, and Mth, at Cathcart's Drift, he must have^ fell convinced that his proclamation waswholly gra. tuitous, nay moie, that the deeds of valour performed by the Winburgers on those days deserve to be recorded on the page of history." The Anglo-African, of the sth May, contains the following : — " A letter has been received this morning from a peison on commando to his wife, in which it is stated that the two commandos have joined ; that they attacked a large body of natives, about 6,000, at Letsea's, completely defeated them, burnt down Letsea's Town (the missionary station Monija, M. Arbousset), and were then en route to Moshesh's mountain." Not lesb lhan thirty four homesteads have been burned down during the late foray, and the cattle swept off" are said to be estimated at the astounding number of 10,000 sheep, 1,200 bead of cattle and 1,000 horses. Old Piet Botha had a narrow escape. Stripped of all his stock and cash (£3,000), he was ordered by the Basutos to leave his homestead at once, which order he had to obey to save his life. He is believed to he at piesent with one of the commandos.