The Secretary of State for War has today received the following dispatch from Lord Chelmsford, Commander-in-Chief of Her Majesty's forces in Natal colony, South Africa. I regret to report a very disastrous engagement which took place on the morning of the 22nd of January between the Armies of the Zulu King Cetewayo and our own Number 3 Column, consisting of Five Companies of the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot, and One Company of the 2nd Battalion, a total of nearly 1,500 men, officers and other ranks. The Zulus, in overwhelming numbers, launched a highly disciplined attack on the slopes of the mountain of Isandhlwana, and in spite of gallant resistance, the Column was completely annihilated.