SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3175, 23 April 1879, Page 2

SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS.

(T.IOM XlTd' CAPB Pi*BF3.)

Sic Baetle Eeesb's Plans.;- „. i , 1 PiBTESMAtiTZBUEa, March 14; The following toemo. has just been brought to light. It is not !j>renialurely published, nor! is it: no# ■ tpjtde' with official sanciion.' It Ijm been produced <p sjiow lhat : tb.e_, miliUry, mislead as tie true aspect, of t'i« polilic^l situation, and it is held to Account for the laxity: wUich wants some such explanation to be conceivable with 1 wni«h operations were conducted a.tthV outset. ' i v... •VConfidential.^Fpr his fi ßxG^llenpyjthb fXientenanl-Gene'ral) Cdmmandinjj *in South Aifr^a^lenolbse printed copieji of, a memo, on the appointment of a "Be'sident in!^ululi*n4.r, it isJl^wn'u^ Jon ihe • suppoiiliofcL ; inatf; GetewaytJ ffiay acquieoce in, t the" necesiity for «. Biitisii' Kesident. Will not be maierially lessened. We have reasou to bone that a consider* able number of tliei influential chiefs^with many of the common people, will separate their interests from those of the w«f pprty, ■ will accept the unqaestioned supremacy of the British Government, and agree to gove.ning -their, pebple'on the principled< of ' ; ISuvopean ' instead of according to the jp^actice Chaka. Should this expecla ;.on be i'alfilled, a Britis'i Eesident will be as. necessary ai» if Cetewayo submits, though the position ;s': (thl»i Eesidentf^Hfitl;) ' and his power somewhat greater. I propose to ask his lSxcellerioy.4ue LieutenantGeneral commanding in South Africa tp undertake, temporarily; the duties of Resident, as soon as we learn Cetewayo's answer, and I would further ask him to select for himself, and to forward to me for confirmation, the names of ofiicers qualified to andertake the duties of assistants to the Eesident till such time aa the possible necessity of active military operations in the field shall cease,-t)nd a permanent Ees.dent, with suitable Itaistants, &c., can :be app »inled. There should, I think, be »t least one such assistant with etch column of his Excellency's forces.—H. B. E. Feeb3, Govef-. nor and High Commissioner.—-Picier* maritzburg, Dceember 11, .1878."f>>'- | Ceiswayo's Beothke Suebentjebs. :

Colonial fcwrtrtary'a Office,*Cajw Totrn, ,13th March,. 1879,—Telegram,from thai High. Commissioner ito the Colonial Secretary: Oham surrendered to Captain McLeod in Swazieland, and arrivedat Laneberg from Derby with between 600 and 700 followers on the 7th. They were to leave for Colonel Wood's camp, Kambula Hill, on the 10th if Pongolo River was fordable. Relating to this event the Cape Argus says :-?l bis event is one iliat may easily be misunderstood. Obam was never on good terms with the Zulu X' lg, and was generally considered as the rival of Celewayo. Seeing the small nuiilief pf* followers he bas brought over with him.it is probable he has come over for personal reasons, it may be in the hope ol" taking Ceiewayo's place when the king has been deposed. It may be that the Zulus are., demoralise], but we lake leave to doubt' such a statement, coming from a man in the circumstances of Oham. ■ | The Sitita^ion at Ekowe—Pbovisiohs,! Onlt SiripicißNT to Lasl t6JHnd OFvMAECH.;. •.-■ ;. ; , ..- •. ■; . : :, ! ■ ' PIE^EEMABITZEUEa, li!L&Tch 10.

No great change in the military situation has occurred during the past week, but signs of a return to-activity have bee;n perceptible sinceT it was ascertained that reinforcements are comparatively close at hand. The Shah's complement, already landed, is now en route for. the Lower Tugela, where Colonel Law's expedition for the relief of Ekowe ism course of organisation. It is believed, however, that the actual movement will not take place for. some little time to come, the expeditionary force being still wanting in a native escort sufficiently large to ensure safety to the fourteen companies of Her Majesty's regular troops now assembled at the Lower Tugela. During the lrst week the gauntlet hM

not been successfully run, and saveral a temptg from this side to establish communication have met with no recognition from Ekowe. By the utmost pinohing it is believed that Pearson's supplies will not hold out beyond the present month. The border posts between the lower Tugela end Daw's Drift are being strengthened by reinforcements .of native levies raised within the colony. These levies rro no longer officered by Euro* peans in the proportion of one to ten; they are to fight in their owb w«y, 3 and and serve under leaders understanding the native language, and personally known to the men under their command. "Thl restriction which formerly leftwnety per cent, of the native contingent without guns has been removed,' an$ L all available; firearms are now being served out. "~ A very much larger proportion ,ef that levies are now mounted: yyr ■?(" '"" * W The Zulus are sujpecjedpf an intention to make a supreme effortllb,frustrate the contemplated"relief offikdweV Whether it be by forcing through?'! cflivorj'6r by bringing away a portion of the garrison. Native runners are freqaentlyJieatl from the fort to the Tugela, but only a small proportion !mecoeil in running tiie gaotttlet. From the most recently arrived of these messengers, it is gathered that the enemy Imjs Woken ttp^lhVW:\S'effrs?er3ed by Person's column ja its march up^K Ekowe. The locality of iHeTorTis'one of the most salubrious; ppots in Zulu!and, and the health 1 of the trwps there is reforlejl to be unon r the whole satisfactory. out to raid upon the enemy's mealie gardens, apd OM/pf iuch>party recently succeeded in getting as far as Cetewayo ■ old kraal, which, was committed to the flames. -

H •IntoHig«nce{irejcejvei;fto Wl J^^j ports a great scarcity of provisions. Many of the oxen haw. died from starvation.

The Tamar is n^mii from Ceylon with, the 67th Seglment, and the English r«tc> fpH«Uiomi^ol>MF/«jto^nnM of the next fortnight. Merokaittffipe getting up their stores with all possible ■diijiatch ?n coDieqnepce.ofrsj fcafc ip&ieh seems to be well founded, that waggons will either Impressed iQf?military serrice, or prices prohibitive to private hirers will ibe offered as an inducement Tuit gays* tion of transport has a more important beariog tttan Wer upoatiie eontfasfroE the new campaign. ' It is ii6t ef reeled that tW troops-will be in position for an advance iaio the enemy's country befoi'k 1 th» litter fie'4^of April, by.which Unmihe Zulus will have firedihVpisil/^ W I( Beiides baggage, munitions of war, and supplies for the t -oops, it will be Wand necessary to carry forrfle j<w~the-ea*alry , mounts apd draught auimals, as or raggans Mot-carry moft Men tmtNriß? supplie3,fof-ithe consfuap^oa of its own spaa. ;f lt ;] therefore beoomes a, question how the forces are to proceed, especially rftsiWn4r< rtr.yi.,i.x) m JM-HktO-Tbe'ororfures) of peroeiwhioh jvere said to have come. frpm v ,C^vew^iyo a week ago are now,believe^ to have^eejfcn^ltfßg bat a ruse deque,???, though frgm^whijffi side oiig'nating.iflia question upg^jfliph opinions diffefchir _v«Uoi»iT Newssfrdin Ekowe to 24th Wmamtx Saffloient prbmionVtoendtttf .alawkt^ Dnrmg iLorf (^elmsfprd'^ Lower,/r»gel«, he addressed %^upi in garrison at Fort Pearson. A 1 report in the .Times pf Natal says' that,, "Jinalludiur to ;t yras Ml firm cdnTictibQ'ttkt-tn*' troops there would liaTftbfeeilmbf«j 14hirt3s*ffl«»ot .tq have repulsed th;e attack of the 18,000 W 20,000 Zultis tepor(«NfAo have been -tbexeilf onjjJhey hadbeenkepttogether nnd had not Kit IKeTf formalion 7 Hhd that, therefore, pf the five com"ttiani he" said, possessed ,bettef) or fiptjrr soldiers, was only attributable to that one fact, and also now. Kaflße enotig%Camiiun^r'><bßi«ry. His-Eiwlleney.«^tm»^l%ladlrWng t^emriflfttotO] .4.fH?/^HJth^r T 9^sW! but stop hin^byjAft^aayj^.aiaarateißring, and that even then', after'all their ammu* They must always take up a firnflnd position, and,thwi- dttW aocount Change it; ljut'fight it <mf'i and not break their ranks, eY^nfightittg back to back', £ a,th«r ta»«i lose their'formation. Lord Cfielmsford 'concluded ' by« tayins that doabtlisg they woald be I'eaeer to cross the rirer, but that he ratist ailc them to have! toiatieince, and wait till reinforcementaarriTeiinabout amdnth.'tn'd t'xea he had erery tJbnldeiiceift them, and only hoped that they mighi shortly' Have an WMe 4f a mi'i^-JLIL-i^wi <blu OT.ikL. ____i. a I a saio ot'Tbb emvn oi^rao mounted a which wturnrdtotheT^ttt,afew weeks ago, the following priMs were realised :—A ham, r£s &,;Jrim of milk, a guinea: a bottle of pioKlesi'&f 6si 19k, Colonel Wood reports the. takinir of % Bm»U Zulu :Btron fi hold oai/th^sXty native force under. C^pUin Harvey, and capturing of No. 5 column. | M^mpm^mM ymMw^Mood, thirty miles from Luneeoif^on the 21st. -Thb-DiwicuiiTibs ov a C!oicuani»sb.

In consequence of failure to recognise any distinction between friend and foe, it hat been found neceiaiary by Wood to disband a body of his native auxiliaries. I {>Jll yWrr^pondent <! (W'fjiftfnfflifwe'g country says:—The Zulu affair is rid surprise to us. Colonial,"Volunteers, as they marc', act very unjustly in plundering native villages _aud traders' stations. Last week a handful from Dordrecht were Only prevented; from beingjmaspapfad Jby the fii illness anc faithfulness of one chief. The Basutorwere im©r* ? than a hundred to one, and tJmHlonhlo was all ready with Wmpfr gp-forth^i^ie^jel'jmti-tioned above also prevented an outbreak a few days ago./ Th,e> Volunteers are so wild and reckless, and undisciplined, that they may set the country ia a blaze any day. Most charges agalnal'tl^^ZolMpind ! their E'ng, n.6 matter Bow tflfficulf of Jjeliefj have met with ready acceptance. *In England, if not in this colony also, it is a singular; (apt thaft dnring the advance of the several columns, no mission station vwas, found,to have received injury. The same consideration was not' etteriaeji' to the kraaU of the enemy, and the second invasion may reveal a different iale'r' ' Hkad-Quabtees of Lobd CHinttfoaD. ! Head-quarters have been removed to Durban, where it is said Lord Chelmaford hopes to have more freedom of action. '