SOUTH AFRICA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 469, 2 May 1857, Page 7

SOUTH AFRICA.

CEITICAL STATE CF OUE BOEDER DELATIONS. GEEAT MASSACRE OF ZULUS NEAK THE NATAL BOEDEES. (From the '• N.ual Mercury.") In our supplement last Friday we supplied all the details of the state of affairs in the Zulu country to the'latest dates then received. Several respectable traders and others have since arrived from the border, and, from a careful collation of the several accounts furnished by them, we supply the subjoined particulars:— . • We must premise that the critical condition of Zulu politics, and the preparations for a deadly contest, betweeu Panda's sons, for the sovereignty of the country, became known more than a month ago, to traders, in the course of their journeyings, and by them were revealed to the British agent, on their coming out of the country. Intimations of coming events (proved subsequently to have .been in the main correct) were given in the local papers for several weeks past; yet we . are positively assured that Mr. Shepstone declared to traders on the border, that Government had no authentic information until Friday, the 2Sth -ultimo, when a letter, received from Mr. Schrsoder, the missionary, apprised them of the-state of affairs. It was not until Monday that Mr.' Shepstone departed for the border, when he arrived some hours after the massacre. And it does not appear that he was armed with any instructions or authority to act, or that any defensive measures had been arranged ; but that lie remained several days in a'state of inaction, waiting for instructions from head quarters, to be ibrwarded on receipt of his information: He merely-, as we ai*e informed, distributed a-portion of the refugees among the neighbouring chiefs,, in the Urnvoti district, and ordered cattle for their sustenance, until Government should issue orders respecting1 them. With respect to the disarming mentioned last week, it was a very easy and unnecessary formality, since the crowd of savages that came in were mostly without arms, having lost or thrown away all encumbrances, in their desperate rush for life over the wide and swollen river; and vast numbers of them readied the JSTatal side bleeding and helpless. It appears that the two armies of Kitohwhj'a and Umbukzi came into close proximitj', about seven or eight miles from Tugelu, the dividing river between Natal and Zulu land. The former was much the more numerous, being, it is believed, 20,000 strong". Umbulazi's force mustered about 8000. The latter chief had crossed that river some days previously, to solicit assistance from our Government, and he had bren properly informed by the British agent at the , Nonoti, that he had no authority to interfere. The Chief left, declaring that if he were beaten he would throw himself on the protection of the English. Thus matters stood at the beginning of last week. Meanwhile numbers of Kaffirs were crossing and re-crossing the river, and the various reports plainly shewed that a crisis was impending. About Monday, the Ist instant, a movement took place, which, though dictated, no doubt, by good motives, was extremely injudicious—calculated seriously to endanger our relations with the Zulus, and

which has actually resulted in complicating the difficulties and embarrassing the policy of our Government. ■ , . A gentleman who acts, we believe, as interpreter at the Agent's residence, and as a sort of lieutenant to Mr. Walmsley, volunteered to cross the, river with a small body guard, to endeavour to negotiate terms of peace ;bet\veen the belligerent parties. The proposal was unfortunately acceded to, and the Kaffir police attached to the station, with the uniform, and arms supplied for their use by our Government,, besides a number of Hottentots and other natives, collected and armed for the purpose, proceeded on their dangerous mission—their leader (Mr. Dunn) being also armed to the teeth. The very appearance of such, a force (it numbered 60. men) was calculated to irritate already excited savages, and it is not surprising that no answers were returned • to repeated messages sent to Kitc'hwya with a , view'to open negotiations—more especially if it Ibe true, as positively affirmed, that Mr. Dunn' I and his men took up their quarters with Umbu--1 lazi, one of the contending parties, thus, appa- ■ 1 rently at least, ranging themselves on one side, and therefore being disqualified and discredited, as arbitrators between the two. At length Mr. Dunn proceeded in person towards Kitchwya's position, when he was fired upon, and the ball passed near his head. On this the party was drawn out, and ordered to. fire; and thus commenced the horrors of the day. A Dutchman named Gouws (a settler in Natal) was professedly supporting TJmbulazi at another point. Mr.' Dunn's little party thrice momentarily repulsed the huge massof Kitchwya's army,and gallantly stood their ground for a time; but against such terrible odds successful resistance was hopeless ; and the whole army lof Umbulazi took to flight, as well as the Dutch I man and his party. 'No battle, therefore, was , fought, but the scene was a rout arid a wholesale slaughter. Mr. Dunn escaped on his horse; , but his party and the whole of Umbulazi's army had to run a distance of seven miles before they reached the river, the further (that is the Natal) side of which, offered the only place of possible safety. Followed by a mighty mass of infuriated and triumphant savages, multitudes fell ! fainting by the way, and were quickly despatched by assagais, and multitudes more fell beneath the deadly thrust of that weapon while running for their lives. The women and children, who had taken refuge in the kloofs and ravines prior to the actual attack, were enclosed, and mercilessly butchered. Still several thousands of men, women, and children reached the Tugela, and plunged into, its swollen stream ,- where again the spear of : their brutal pursuers helped the deep and rapid current in the work of wholesale' destruction ._ ! The river was reddened with blood, where it was' not blackened with' the shrieking forms of innumerable savages; and sorhe idea of the ' number of corpses that shortly encumbered the water may be formed from the fact .that they . obstructed .the action of the oars, arid the passage of the boat, that conveyed.,the few; who ; were ,ab]e to avail: themselves, of .it. ...0f..-Mr. Dunn's party of 60,.0n1y eight or ten returned ;to tell the tule of horrors, and the number of Zulus that perished by spear or water in this' ; terrible massacre is estimated to be at least six , thousand. _ ■ • •- j : Notwithstanding all this sacrifice of life, fully; 8000 miserable half-drownedj:oi\ wounded wretches succeeded in reaching the Natal side : and- ; since the day of the slaughter Umbulazi.himself, : (who, at first was said to have been killed, but ; who, it seems, had succeeded in concealing him- • self) came over with one hundred ofhis'followers, i thY remnant of his army, and is now under British protection • '. as ' well as' a lad, one of Panda's youngest sons. But during the events we have recorded, imminent perilsj it may be assumed,, befel the European traders who, with their .property, were in that; part of the ;! Zulu country at the time. ; .And, indeed, it,is marvellous, that; any of them escaped. As it was,; one English lad, who, there seems ho reason,to, doubt, was acting under Go'iiws, in hostility to * Eitchwya,' fell a victim, and it is said Gouws" : own'son also. ' ' '"' ■ •:' The English traders (who ■ were entirely neutval) ;escaped across the river with the utmost difficulty; and peril.; , But;the whole of their, property was -carrried.off, by the, victorious, army; twelve .waggo.ns;Were;entire]ystnppedana sacked.and. no fewer/than 1600 head of cattle belonging; to the traders were carried off. Six of the wag-, gons^ with about 1000 heailof cattle, had been

taken in safety over the Zulu side of the river to an island in the centre; yet, even here, on this neutral ground (if it be not actually British territory) they were emptied of their contents ' and the cattle driven off. The value of the property and cattle thus seized is not "less than £4000, whilst a large amount of the property and cattle of traders still remains in the interior of the country, at the mercy of the victorious savages. We have the concurrent testimony of the most respectable and experienced traders, . for the belief that but'for the unfortunate attempt of Mr. Dunn and his party, clothed, in the apprehension of ignorant savages, with the authority of the British Government, no white man's life would have been endangered, no waggon plundered, and if any trader's cattle had been taken away in the foray, they would have been promptly returned on application. Up to the eve of the catastrophe, and during the known preparations, the traders had mixed freely in friendly and business intercourse with both parties, and the continued observance of a strict neutrality on our part would, it is fully believed, have prevented any loss or danger to Englishmen, as well as the very serious complications i which have now arisen.

(From the ' Naial-Mertrnry,' Dei-. 18.) THE ZULU WAR AND BOKDEB AFFAIEB. We continue from last week the narrative of events on and beyond the border, as the accounts have reached us. On Saturday a letter was received from the' Nonoti (near the border) which stated that/the banks of the Tugelaat its mouth, and the adjacent sea beach, were covered with dead bodies, of which 500 were counted in a narrow compass —that the state of these bodies were most horrible, and the stench unbearable, so much so that no one could live in the neighbourhood. ' Kechwayo had gone with a division of his army into the country, but left a sufficient force to guard the river banks, and carry on the work of death on all who attempted to escape across. Theonly ford not thus-guarded is one higher up the country. That wholesale slaughter is still going on is shown by the fact that bodies continue to float down the stream in great ' numbers hourly. Kechwayo divided his army into three parts to hunt for fugitives and kill all whose loyalty to his cause is doubtful among them, Panda himself is marked for destruction. The king's wile, was covered with wounds, but still alive. It is thought Panda bad succeeded, temporarily at least, in hiding himself. Umbuiazi,- the rightful heir and defeated brother, is not on this side of the river, as reported, and it is believed he is still alive, concealed in the bush. No immediate danger is apprehended in this colony, and prompt decisive measures will, with God's blessing, prevent any real occasion for alarm. The Slaughtered Zulus. —Sad tokens of the massacre continue to appear along the roast. Numbers of dead bodies, in a state of dreadful maceration and mutilation, have been washed up along the. beach, near this place, southwards, for thirty miles. They are found bearing horrible marks of the havoc of the assagai, though many are in such a state as almost to defy recognition, even as human beings. His Excellency ordered the women and children and the1 wounded men only to be brought over —the able-bodied being strictly forbidden to cross. Keehwayo's army is only a few miles from the border, and he is said to be resolved on taking Umbuiazi, alive or dead. On the other hand it is rumoured that Panda is raising an army, and may effect a junction with Umbuiazi and the Amtiswasi Boers. If this be true, the tables may still be turned on the brutal manslayer who has committed the recent outrages. Kechwayo himself is stated to have be<»n alarmed, conscious, no doubt, of the insult he has offered to the British Government. The missionaries in the Zulu country are reported to be in safety. Mr. Finn, the experienced Kafir magistrate, . remains for the present on duty at the Tugela.

(From the ! Gape Town Mails ' Correspondent ) ; DUrban, Natal, Jan. 31, 1857. - The news respecting the Zulu war has been very, sennt of late, —the strife appears to have retreated into the interior of the country, which is 'in such an unsettled ktid critical state, that, at present, it wouldbe the height of rashness to,attempt to travel through it. Some letters have been received from parties who have eros-

sad the border, and visited the adjacent districts ami-scenes' of the late massacre; they give in- >■ teresting particulars respecting the appearance of,' the .battle-field, which appears to be now, visited by "herds of wild hogs and wolves, and , other beasts and birds of prey. It must not be supposed however, that the danger to the colony has materially decreased, or that the necessity , for additional troops does not now exist; on the contrary, we require'such a force as urgently'as ever, and 1 trust there can be no doubt of our obtaining it. ■ Now that the German iLegion has arrived,' the. despatch of a fevvi hundred troops > from the frontier wonld be scarcely felt, and - would be of .essential service to us. > Our Government is exceedingly close as to its operations regarding the Zulu country, and no satisfactory answer can be obtained to-the■ various enquiries and memorials which have been received by them. There can be no doubt, that something must be done respecting the plundered cattle, - else the honor of the British name will.be for ever sacrificed among the native tribes of this part of South Africa. Our own Natal, Kafirs are constantly enquiring when the English intend to recover their cattle, and if nothing is done the effect on them will be most unfortunate.

Distuebei> State of the Fbontier.— From the froutier we only learn for some weeks that nobody can tell what the Caffres are thinking about. They are still slaughtering their cattle from mere superstition, and are said to be meditating the slaughter of the old men and women. Whether this is mere folly or whether there is some ulterior design of war or emigration, is,only matter of conjecture. Government is .wisely,, making preparations for the worst. .The horrors of Natal, among the Zulus warn us to be on our guard against the lava of savage human,nature. — Gape Town Mail, Jan. 22. ,We regret to learn that the Horse-Sickness has appeared rather earlier than usual in some districts of the colony, and it is feared that Lung-Sickiies? among the cattle threatens, another visit.— lbid. • A third batch of Angora Goats bad arrived at AJgoa Bay, by the Paling Grove, whence they .were,to be forwarded at once to GraaiiReinet.