NEWS FROM THE CAPE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1553, 10 February 1879, Page 3

NEWS FROM THE CAPE.

[Press Special Wire.] Wellington, February 8. The own correspondent to Press Agency writing from Cape Town under date December 25th says : The latest phase of the Zulu difficulty is the sending by our High Commissioner of an ultimatum to the Zulu king, demanding the disbanding of bis army, free permission to young Zulus to marry, fair trial of all persons charged with any crime, and the reception of a British resident. The people of Natal appear to think the ultimat um too mild, and expect that Oetewayo will profess to agree to it, but only until such time as the present large force on his border is removed. Public opinion generally is that disarmament as well as disbandment should have been insisted on, and that while the Imperial Government have gone to the enormous expense they have already incurred, the power of Zulus to continually keep our border in a ferment should be once for all destroyed. The ultimatum was presented on the 14th, and an answer was demanded within thirty days. The natives on our northern border are still a little troublesome, A large number of rebels have fled to the islands on the Orange River, from which it is very difficult to dislodge them, and from whence they are perpetually making forages. Our natives are not so obliging as your New Zealanders. Instead of dying out ours increase in the most frightful manner. What with drought and war, this colony is not in a very happy condition just now. The drought that has existed in the Transvaal and Natal has at last broken up, and transport has been resumed. One of the newspapers in Pretoria had to suspend publication for two months, simply because they could not get paper conveyed from tho coast. The elections for the new Legislative Council for this colony have just taken place, and have resulted in a majority for our present Ministry. The elections for the Lower House take place in March. We are now in the height of summer, and the weather has beer, fine, with the usual amount of strong south-east winds.