CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 478, 6 February 1869, Page 3

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

The barque Bengalie brought to Auckland Cape papers to the 15th November. The s.s. Himalaya, on her way to Australia, had arrived. She brought intelligence of the appointment of Sir C. Hay, who is well known in England from his connection with the Hythe School of Musketry, as Commander-in-chief of the station. The Standard says that the best proof of the practical belief in the extensive gold fields to the north of the Transvaal are the frequent departure of digging parties from the colony and NataL " Diamonds are trumps" is still the slang phrase in Cape Town, for more diamonds have been found, and more probably will be found by those who take the trouble to search for them. The Southern Cross of Jan, 15 contains the following letter from a correspondent at the Cape : — Things are unusually dull at the Cape, and, now that the House is up, are likely to remain so. The fifth session of the Parliament was brought to a close on the 2nd inst, after a long sitting of 105 days. This is the last session. News from the Victoria diggings continues very fluctuating, but on the whole the prospects of those there are very good. Some excellent specimens have arrived in town within the last few weeks. There are many Californian and Australian miners waiting for the first favorable report to make a start and try their luck. Captain Bushel and a part/ of twelve diggers started from Queen's Town a short time agOj well provided. They had with them two bnllock wagons, provisions for twelve months, and a crushing machine said to be capable of crushing three tons of quartz per day, but of this I am rather ] doubtful. The machines are to be worked by oxen or Kaffir labor. The party is well provided in every respect for the journey, which is certainly enough to test the nerves of the strongest. They started, unfortunately, at a bad season of the year, and will have many difficulties to contend with before they reach the golden valley. Several other parties have determined to try their luck. A letter from Dr Taylor has appeared in the Mercury, giving an account of his visit to the Victoria gold fields. He believes the quartz would pay for crushing, but does not think — to judge fr6m what is yet known--that-it would pay digging parties, His visit, however,, was very short, as he reached the diggings only a couple of days before Black's party left. While on this subject 1 might be permitted to say that copious extracts from a letter written by a gentleman on the Thames gold fields, New Zealand, to a 1 journalist in this city, have lately been published in some of the Cape Town, and copied into the Port Elizabeth and several other papers of the colony, and have excited a good deal of attention. Those portions which referred to Hunt's claim, . the Manukau, the Golden Crown, the Middle Star, and others, together with the description of the field, the short dis-

tance from Auckland, the cheapness of provisions, and other facts that were mentioned were enough to damp the spirits of a good many in this town who had previously been boasting of " our diggings," and I venture to say that had there been any direct communication to the Thames a good many persons would have left this place for the New Zealand El Dorado. You have no lions, wolves, or jackals to look after at night time on your diggings. Ours is very different from,.the Thames in this respect, and sentries have to be posted, well armed, while ' their mates sleep. The latest excitement in town is about the alleged discovery of gold within 250 miles of Cape Town, but it now turns out that the specimen exhibited (richly impregnated with gold) never came from Oudtshoorn, and the gold fever has consequently again subsided. But several diamonds have been found in the colony, within the last few months, the best one valued at over L2OO. They are not being systematically searched for, but are mostly found by niggers. „ Possibly, some day we may export large quantities of precious stones. Who knows? Some parts of the colony have lately been visited with very heavy storms and floods, doing damage to the amount of L 60,000. There have, too, been several wrecks on our coasts, and two vessels burnt at sea within a few days' sail of this port, so that in this respect there haa been more doing than for years past.

A writer in describing a beautiful young lady says — " She has a face a painter might dwell upon." A story is told by a canny Scot, who, when refusing to accept of the office of elder in the church, was pressed with a promise that he would get one shilling every day he officiated, and a suit of clothes annually. At the expiry of the year, John made application to the minister for the promised garments, and was told it was all a joke. ' ' Aweel," said the imperturbable, ' ' It might be a joke aboot the clae3, but it was nae joke about the shillin', for I jist aye took it oobo' the plate." It is commonly reported that General Fremont lost his election out West by dividing his hair down the middle. The honorable Samuel M. has often assured me that on his first candidature for office in Oregon territory certain of the baser sort "voted agin' him 'cause of his puttin' on airs" in respect of his wearing a whit 9 shirt, or, as they irreverently styled it, a "boiled rag." '"