SIR HARRY SMITH'S PROGRESS. (Graham's Town Journal, Feb. 26.)

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 206, 20 May 1848, Page 3

SIR HARRY SMITH'S PROGRESS. (Graham's Town Journal, Feb. 26.)

" It will be a source of high satisfaction to every wellwisher to the prosperity of this countiy to leain that the progress of Sir Haiiy Smith across the N.E. boundary has been eminently successful. His Excellency knew the temper of the people rraongst whom he unhesitatingly threw himself. His fearless frankness \vas a sure passpoit to their hest wishes, while liis personal appearance i» the midst, \o say nothing of

the testimony be will collect through the medium of his own eyes und cars, c.innot fail to have ;i most powerful bearing on the futuie peace and civilization of South Afiic.i. Tlic lime has arrived when our conneuon with the extensive countiy acioss oui N. nnd N.E. boundaiy must be of a far closer and more definite chaiactei th.m that which ha? hithcito obtuncd, and hrnce we view the journey of Her Majesty's lliijh Commissioner ns marking one of Uic most important epochs in the history of this count) y. From accounts which have come to hand this week we gather (\ IC following conne< ted details of Ilis Excellency's proceedings— l he render keeping in mind t bat the previous report left his Evcelloncy preparing to depart from Colcsbcrjj, within a few miles of (ho Orange Rivci, forming in that direction ihe N.E. bound.uy : Quitting Colesboignbout 4 o'clock A m. on the 21st His Excellency and suite breaklabtod on the nelit bank of the Orange River at Botha's Drift, at which point the water being low the stream was easily crossed. To this stage his Excellency was accompanied by several of the C'olcsbcrg' inhabitants, who now took there leave, wishing him a happy and prosperous journey. Previous to this His Excellency was met at the pace of Jan Venter, by Ihe lim^hei Jan Olivier, Ficld'cornct oi the country now toiming the Division of Albert, with a mcmoiial which he had been deputed to present, expressive of the satisfaction of the inhabitants of the nuncxture of that country to the Colony. The fo lowing is a copy of this document : —

Then ynui own government must be maintained, and magiMaates, \c. appointed at vinous places. I will then cause Ciiuiu in s to be built. U >ou have no Chinches, you will soon be naked, and in a state of baibaiisin. I will have- Schools established, and Roads made ; although in many places, lhe.se 1 isi aiu aheady goo-1. To assist in all this, 1 will make cveiy tiadci pay ioi a license, who passes to this side of the Change Hivci, and all the money I can thus collect shall be applied to youi own benefit. I wish no p.ut of it to pass into the Colony, but to be all applied to the benefit of those on this side of the ll'ivcv—b'ack men as well as Boeis. But all ofyoumiibt agicc— that is to say, thcie must be a majoiitj among jou ol foui in five In all societies tlicie are fools and lascals ; foi this reason laws aie made, i mean to say, that if the majoiity wish for the system I piopose, I will endeavour to cany it out ; and I shall feel thankful to (->od, if I am the means of bunging my fiicnds horn misciy. Now as I have told \<m all this, jou must endeavour tojspicad it in evciy dueetion tlnough the community; and if you will only place your foi tunes in my hands, you shall sec that I will fulfil my woid, and that jou will again have a piospect of bicathing the hicath of Freedom, and escaping horn Ihe state of liability in which you may now stand to native inhabitants. As I told you befoic, he who lias done wiong requncs a friend and I come among you ns one. Now, although I have declaicd myself your fiicnd,-! pledge myself to nothing, — foi this icason, that theie vie many diflicultie? in government, which I will cndcavoui to ovcicome, lfjou arc sati.-iicd with what I have said. To this the Boers lcplicd — We thank yoni Excellency for the manner in which you hive spoken to us. We have always wished to belong to the colony, and always paid our quitients until the government said they required none. We lcgict to know that our bietlnen and friends aic one away, and are not of our mind ; but we hope you will receive us as pait of the colom. Governor. — I will receive the majoiity— not poitions of it ; but lam sure all will desiie to come when they hear of my intentions. Boers. — All of vs wish to come. Governor. — I believe it; I should othenmc not have come here Now send an c\picssat onco to your fiiends at the Mooi River, and tell them what has taken place. L hear some one has said I was coming with 2,000 men to Jan Kock. Although I could biing as many with me, I have come unarmed, without my own sword; and when 1 sec Jan Kock, if he says " I beg paulon," I shall lcply, "Thoic is my light hand — 1 am yoiu fiicnd, and all that is past is foigottcn;" Now if you will wii c at once to your friends at the Mooi ltiver, all will be settled— at least on this side of the ))iaakcnberg. On th" other side I must adopc fresh measiues. But eveiywheie the bl.ick man must be piotectcd ; for there is one God over us nil — black and white. Although I speak my mind boldly to you like a man, meaning to cany out my intentions, I should not have come among you it I had not icgaidcd you as fiiends. Ido trust befoic long to see chinches hcic. What my voice expicsscs my hcait feels. Understand that I do not requile ///'//// quitients, and all that may he collected shall be spent among yoinselves; but the Colony must not be put to a sixpence cxpcncc.

Adliilss. To bis Excellency Lieut. -General Sir 11. G. Smith, Bait., G.C.IJ, &c, Governor of the Colony oi the Cape of Good Hope, &i\, and Iligli Commissioner of the Eastern and North Eastern Boundaries of the Colony. We, the undersigned, emigrants from that colony, as well English as Afiicandcis, iesidin«* on, and in the ncighbouihood of the Caledon Rive , (the gieatcst piopoition of whom had the honour ol seiving under yom Excellency in the war of 183J,) desiie hereby to present to your Excellency our hcaitfelt congratulations on your appointment as the Governor and inler over us— and on your visit to this pait of the country, at a time when the colony and tciiitoiies adjacent are in an unsettled state We beg to assure your Excellency that wo place the gieatest faith and confidence in your wisdom and Justine. And as the position in which we have placed ourselves is ill defined, which leads to constant dissension, although we endeavour to hold our lands on a just and fair consideration — we pray your Excellency closely to investigate, or cause to be investigated, all matters concerning our affaiis, (which was promised by yom picdecessor,) and to render to us biich assistance as your Excellency may deem proper, in confoimity with justice, and the welfare of the country and its inhabitants. We wish your Exce^cncy every happiness and blessing, and that you may long live to reap the liuits of your wise and upright conduct — and that ihe Loid may bless and suppoit jour Excellency, is the piayer of yoiu Excellency's most obedient scivants. Signed by 99 persons— 2o English, 79 Dutch. Rj;ply. Mv Friends — I have come amongst you because I hope, through God Almighty, to be able to do you tome good. I have already explained to your friends, whom I saw this morning, my motives — 1 speak not of the past, but of the future. I do not approve of the measure you took in leaving the Colony— and had I been Governor, I do not think you would have done so, for I would have talked over your affaiis with you. But I see you want some one to assist you, and being placed in that high position which enables me to be of use to you, I have come among you. As Colonel Smith I could do nothing, but as Governor I can do every t/iinry. I have already told your friends that I have proposed, but not piomiscd, to place them under the sovereignty of the Queen of England ; and that you shall hold your lands (rom her Mojesty, and from no native whatever ; and I take on myself the indemnification which is due to the natives, who must be justly and fairly treated. I shall call upon you to pay quit rents according to a valuation — firstly, to pay these chiefs, whom you have engaged to pay, not me — secondly, to enable me to support magistrates and other officers for your government. I shall grant Licenses to all traders on this side the Orange River, aud all the money I cun thus lay hold of, shall be spent among you, in the first place in the erection of Chuiiciies— you want churches, without them you fall off m civilization. Secondly, in establishing Schools ; and thirdly, in making Roads. In short, you 6hall have the advantage of all the money so collected. You shall possess all the rights and privileges of citizens of the colony, and as soon as you have towns, shall be granted municipalities, ix. \ But yon must clearly understand that the whole body of emigiants must come into your way of thinking. Ido not mean evciy individual, because I know in every society there are fools — but a m«jority of 4 in s—because5 — because I know the four can keep the fifth in the right way. I shall call upon you to bear armi to aid me in keeping the peace both among Whites and Blacks — for I will have peace — and you know that what / say I wean, When I hive heard from all the Bo^rg on this

"ldenf the D.uKcnbeuy I shall know what to do, and liow I am l>e of service in you— and wbeu T i;ct to ilil otlict side of the Drukcnbcig, I shall sin the same to the people there. Whatever h,\> occurred up to the preMmt time I forget — if .Jan Kok abonl I come and say " I am sony," I should reply, " You have done wiongj hut theie is my light hand." A second ooiies.pondcnt fiom tins quaitci, rcfcrriii" to these piococdings, skives the following paiticulais — so chaiacluisiir ol his Excellency — and ol th.it kindness of Ihmil which is so continually seen hlended with the ioughe.l qualities of the impetuous intiepid soldier .— His Excellency reached Blcoin Fontein on Sunday afternoon, dining a die.ullul sioini of thundei and lain — mingled with which was heaid the rustoinniy salute ol fnc 'aims and homing. The native Chieis seem pei - lectly satisfied with his Excellency's plans. It appeals that he purposes, on lcccivino an invilalioiiufiom the white mliahitants to govern them, to cause each paity to pay ,i ccitain quit icnt for their f.ums— out of which the chiefs arc to receive a stipulated sum annually. Sir Harry won the hearts of all by his affability, and especially to tho'e who seived with him during the last Kaffir wir. * * * During the eaily pait of the day an addiess was presented to him by the lliet River Boers, embodying a petition for iclicf of ccitain grievances— aftct heanng ol which, and when about to lcply, his eye fell upon on old man, whose whitened locks told of some eighty African summers. His Excellency immediately called him fiom among the crowd —handed him his own chair, insisted upon his sitting down, and requested him to paidon him for having allowed him to stand so long. Such little traits of charactei as these iais>e Ins Excellency high in the esteem W the Boers. An expiess has been dispatched by the farmeis to the Mooi River, announcing that if the Boeis m that pait are desirous of partaking of tlic advantages now held out to them of British Government, they must signify their wishes, in this lespect to his Excellency— who is wilting to forget and forgive all that is past. I think this communication will have a powerlul effect. At about half-past one o'clock his Excellency enteied his horsewaggon, and was about to start, when Moiokko, the chief of the Baialongs, came to hid him faicwell. His Excellency thanked him veiy coidiallyfoi his attention, and gave him the following counsel— " Moiokko, 1 thank you for your good wishes — you and Moshcsh are two of the gieatcst chiefs under her Majesty — keep peace, attend to your inissionaiies — then your cattle will yet fat, and you will go to heaven." Our coirespondent, fiom whom we first quote, thus continues his narrative :— All the chiefs within reach have been here (at Blocn Fontein) to welcome his Excellency, and .ill of them, or ncaily, being involved in disputes about land bound - aiics, or some such matters, are desirous of the ititcrfeicnce ol the British Government to piescivc peace and protcit them in the enjoyment of their seveial rights, which most of them ieel they will not long niaint'iin without the exercise of some such controlling power. His Excellency had much to say to the emigrant fainicis, throughout which he laid great stress, m iact insisted, on all coming into his nnangements. The consequence is, that they have dispatched mes&engcis in eveiy direction, un>ir>g their countiymcn to meet his Excellency on the road, and give in their adhesion to the Ijiitish government.

bin. John I'iianklin 9 Ault.c ExrcuinoN. — Tne following is n»i nbsliacr of a letter inUlrcssed by Doctor King to Earl CJrey — The last whaler has armed, and Sir John Fiankhn and his 125 followers are shut up in the Arctic regions for a ihird wintcr f which the medical officer who served with Sir Edward I'mry in all his expeditions, consider! will, in all probability, be attended with the most serious con>equences. For ihis there is no help. To save them, however, from a fourth winter, when, in addition to disease, they will have to contend with starvation and all its horrors, Dr. Kinp has been constantly vi ging the Government, since last June, to take the most active steps for their rescue. He directs Qtiention to the Western land of Norih Sonieiset, as the spot where the lost expedition ii most likely to be found, and he offers his services to Earl G ey to journey to that spot by the same route he travelled in scaich of Sir John Ross. He is not satisfied with the effort the Admiralty have n solved to make in starch of the misiin^ paity. After entering minutely into the subject, he statrs— " To sum up in a few wor^li, the Board of Admiralty i their eft jrr, virtually declare the lost expedition cannot be relieved except the North West passasje is discovered — nt must first discovei the passage, and then seek out the lost expedition.' To this declaration I cannot assent, lor, by the following out my plan, 1 can search all that is known of the Western land of North Somerset, and be sure that every footstep I make ia bo much good work for the safety of the lost expedition, and for the fuitherance of Geographical and Historic.il Knowledge, while Sir James Clark Ross, before he gets a single footing on that land, must have solved the pioblcm which has buttled all on ingenuity in ships for three and a»half centuries The f; ciB speak for themselves. I.— Barrow's latrait was impassable in 1832, it may be impassable in 184 S. 2. — Sir James Clark Ross is using the same means ti> relieve the lost cxpedi'ion which have brought them into their difficulty — the relief party may therefore become a party in distress. 3.— The land that is made will be of doubtful charactn— the searching parties at the end of the summer, with the close of which every soul ot the lost expedition will have perished, may find they have been tracing an island many miles distant from the Western land of North Somerset, or navi. gating a deep bay, as Kotzcbue naviga'cJ the Sound named after him, and as Franklin navigated the sea called Melville Sound. The plan which I have pro' posed is to reach the Polar Sea across the Continent of America, and thus to proceed on my search from land known to be continent, where every fooling is so much good work done for the safety of the lost expedition, and for the furtherance of Geogmphica', and Natural Historical knowledge — and it the plan is laid aside, the lives of our lost countrymen will depend upon a bingle throw, in the iace of almost certain failure, if the difficulty in which they are involved h the sami> which, not to go further back than 1818, has driven away every officer, including even Parry himself, who has made thu attempt in ships."— Hampshire Telegraph, Dec. 17. The Eari. and the Farmck,-— A farmer called on Earl Fitzwillidin nnd complained that, in hio hunting excursions with his hounds, he had trodden down a licjd of wheat so as to do it damage. The Earl told him if he would procure an citun.ite of ihe loss he would pay it. The man informed him that he had done so already, and it was bilievud the damage would be fifty pounds. The E.nl paid it. Bui, as spring came on, the wheit which had been trodden down grew up, and became the best in the field. The farmer honestly returned the lilty pounds. "Ah," said the Bail, " this is what I hKe. This is as it ought to be betwetn man and man,'' Aftei making some iiiqiuiies about his family, the Eail went into another ji orn, and, returning, gave the man a cheque for one hutniied pounds, saying, "Take care of lhit>, and, when your eldest son is of age, present it to linn, .mil ted him the occasion that produced U,"'-/.ncrjw! /Jlt-nn,

Summary.— Tho Karl of Di«by lias contributed iv the most munifirent manner, .£2,500 towards the neceisaiy repair and restoration of the ancient Abbey Church at Sherborne, Dorset. Tl'e venerable fa : nc was founded in 704, nnd it is computed that £3 ,000 frill be required for its restoration Mr. Catty, one of the taxing masters of the Court of Chancery, baft just retired on a compemation of ,£5,424, 14s. 4d. per annum, for life, and half that sura to his executors lor icven years after his death !. . . . On Saturday week, two road laborers, Charles Farrow, aud Thomas Sladeu, were drinking together at a beer-house, at Blackstoue edge, five miles from Rochdale, and while in liquor they agreed to wrestle, when Furrow fell wi h his head against the fender, and waB so injured that he died on Sunday . . . . The Corporation of London have resolved to petition Pailiaraent to abolish the privilege from arrest, enjoyed by members of the Home of Commons. Some unfledged swallows were found last week in a nest built on an outhouse at Goldsboumgh, near Knareilorough. At the Stafford asoizes, held in March last, a respectable-connected person named Thomas Walley, was sentence 1 to fifteen years' trans, portation for an alleged violent assault upon the person bf a woman named Rocliell. His innocence having since been established, he has received her Majesty's pardon A young man died last wccU at Shields, from inflammatien of the bowels, caused by a plumslonc which he had accidentally swallowed, and which had lodged in the 6mall intestines. ..... The E( inhurgh Witness states that there is not one hearer besides the Minister's family, in one of the Parish Churches in Ross-shire, and that there is not one child in the parish school Thomas Sassoms has been killed by falling a depth of forty-five feet into a cutting, near the railway-works Over Darwcn, tvhilbliu h state of intoxication.. ....The Western Teir-c informs us that the colporteur ia tlie employ of the IVwn mission and Scripture Readers' Society has sold in Devon, in rather mote than a twelve month, 9,400 copies of the Scupturea, and 58,009 public itions ol the Religious Truct Society .The Corporation of Bristol have decided to erect public baths, and wash.houstb, on "the Wire," a piece of land belonging to the city, at acootof 6,000/. A youno, gentleman named Thomas Tullett, aged 19, •was killed in Liverpool, on the 5 h instant, by the discharge of a cannon at a bonfire A number of parties employed at the Royal Aiscnal, at Woolwich ( had a narrow escape, a few days ago, from destruction, from the fragments of a gun formed of iron, " toughened" by a new process, but not tough enough to ieSigt the explos ye powers of gunpowder It is said that Victor Cousin, hitherto one of the Parisian arch priests of infidelity, has embraced Christianity, and is about to become a Monk of La Trappe — London Watchman, Nov. 17.