CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 620, 12 July 1851, Page 4

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

[From the South Australian.] received by the Swea. Cape papers 4 rom the 4th to the 26th February leaving thus a blank from the 10th January tfie date of the last intelligence. We regret mpch to say that Sir Harry Smith had not been successful in speedily terminating the war. He was at King William’s Town, in tne heart of the Kafir country, and had thus kept in check the principal Kafir chiefs, and preserved a communication with the colony lhe Governor had altogether about 7 000 troops in Kafir land, and was about to make a strong attack upop tbe Kafirs in the Anatola Mountains, the principal seat of the hostile tribes ; but the colonists were very much afraid that qther tribes would take that opportunity to break into tbe colony. The most sinister circumstance of all that had occurred was a rebellion of tbe Hottentots, who had joined the enemy in large numbers ; and who are particularly formidable on account of their disc,pline and their possession of arms, lhe Jingoes were, therefore, the only natives thaf could be depended upon. In the papers before us are accounts of several desperate actions. On the 21st January the enemy made a most determined attack on Fort Hare, but they were beaten off by the Fwgoes, and a detachment of the Cape Moqnted Rifles, qnder Major-General Somerset, with great Ipss; 100 bodies were found on the field, besides those carried off. Pn the British side, six Fingoes were killed and ten wounded. The Kafirs, however, earned ofi 200 heqd pf cattle. On the 24th January, 120 Cape Mounted Riflemen, under Major Armstrong, dn,d 170 Fingoes, unde? Mr. 1 Juinto,n, we?e slacked, nqa.i; £ing

William's Town, by 6QO of Seyolo’s and Anta’s Kafirs. The latter were completely defeated. Only one trooper and one Fingoe were killed by the enemy. The following levies had arrived : —Swellendam, 697 men ; Cape Town, 400 men; Riversdale, 168 men ; George, 200coloured volunteers; Port Elizabeth, 100 Fingoes; Colesberg, 200 men ; Albert, 300 burghers. On the 20th January, 1,260 men had arrived by sea at Rast London, and the Governor was then to proceed to relieve several besieged forts. The papers are full of evidence taken as to the Hottentot rebellion, which is believed to be the result of a deep laid plot, and it is further stated that men of European race were the authors of both the wur and the rebellion.

t On the fiOth January, Col. Mackinnon , proceeded from King William’s Town with 2,200 men, consisting of regular troops, co- ; lonial levies, and Fingoes, to Fort White and Fort Cox, and placed in them six weeks’ supplies of provisions. He was attacked by the Kafirs, but. without loss on bis part, repulsed them by a fire of muqketry and shells, which did great execution. On the 3rd February, Sir Harry Smith published a proclamation, regretting the apathy and want of energy of many of the inhabitants; and assuring them that unless they came forward, the rebellion could not be checked, and the horrors that must pome would be on their owq heads. From the latest accounts, the Kafirs seem to have spread over the whole eastern Rentiers, a great part of which was deserted. A desperate fight was going on in the northern part of the Victoria district, between the burghers qnd Fingoes on one side, and the Tambookies and rebel Hottentots or, the other; and skirmishes were frequent in qll other parts. On the 15th, General Somerset and Col, Mackinnon made a combined movement on the Chumie Valley, which the latter entered and destroyed the huts and fields, On his return to King William’s Town, on the 17th, Col. Mackinnon was attacked by large fip.dies of Kafirs, who, were driven back with great loss. The loss of the British was 8 killed and 17 wounded. While tbe Kafirs were thus engaged, 400 Fingoes crossed the Keis, Kamma, from King William’s Town, and carried off 440 head of cattle.

Captain Tylden had most gallantly repulsed attacks made by large bodies of tbe enemy at Whittlesea, On two occasions the enemy lost in all 60 men killed and wounded; and afterwards he attacked a place called Shiloh, wh?P there fqpir loss was <[o men killed and wounded, and 800 cattle captured.

Mr. Joubert, field commandant, with his commando, had done good service. In two engagements they killed 150 Kafirs, and took 3,000 head p,f cattle. The commando had only one map slightly wounded. The screw steamer Bosphoros had arrived at the Cape. The following are the particulars of her voyage:—The Bosphorus sailed irom Plymouth December 18th, 8 a.rn.; arrived at Madeira December 24th, 3 p.m?; St. Vincent, December 29th, 9. 50. a.m.; Sierra Leone, January 3rd, IO„ 15. am.; ’ Table Bay January 27th, 2 p.m. Having stayed at Madeira 2 hours ; St. Vincent. 5i hours; Sierra Leone, 26g hours. In November, 1847, Governor Robe made some elaborate calculations o f the- time such a voyage should occupy, according to the voyages made by the SaraiSands, (190 miles per diem), and estimated that the voyage should occupy 33'days, exclusive of stoppages. The voyage of the Bpsphorus, exclusive of stoppages, was 41 days 21A hours. On comparing the details, we find that the Bospkorus made Sierra Leone, a distance of 2,900 miles, m IQ days, being 180 miles per ay, b,ut was 24 days in accomplishing the remaining 3,195 miles, being 132 miles per day. This seems very strange. According to this voyage, however, we might have news front? Britain in Todays by a fast-sailing vessel leaving tne Cape directly after the arrival Qt the steamer.

The Queen had accepted the resignation