CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. (From the Melbourne Daily News)

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 541, 21 June 1851, Page 3

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. (From the Melbourne Daily News )

By the Sivea, from Stockholm, viil Cape of Good Hope, consigned to Messrs. J. B Montefinre and Co., we have our usual file of C»pe papers to the 22nd Febrmrv. The Kaffir war was continuing, out had not so sensibly influenced the grain and flour maiket as was expected. Oa this point we »ive an extract of a letter, under date ot Febiuary 27th, with which we have been obligingly favoured by Messrs. C. and J. F. Beck and Co.: — " Cape Town, Feb. 27, 1851. I wrote you some time since with the state of our Wheat Marker, and the rise that had taken place consequent on the Kaffir War. S mie wheat wai sold as high as 27 s. per muid, at six months credit; but the pi ice gave way, and the preient rate may be quoted at 21s. 9d. (or best samples. Speculatois are a raid that we will have laige ltnpoits when news of the Kaffir war reaches America. Australia, and England, From the foimer place, no doubt, we may expect laige quantities, but fiom your quarter and England very lmle ; added to this, the quantity of the old crop remaining on hand in December last was very large, owing to the fine crop we had last year, which, as far as I could make up from official docume.it-,, exceeded the crop of 1849 by 20,000 muids; this year the crops aie not equal to last year, but siill a fair average. The Kaffir Wai- will, I har, ba a loni? one, and if such be the case, the }>rice at bread stuffs next year will be high hs the tame quantity will not be sown owing to the want ot hands; taking the population of the colony, able men of course, one out of every eight is at preient in the li Id under arms." The first of the Royal Mail Screw Steamers had arrived at the Cupe from England, and the second was daily expected. This, again, was to return on tha Ist of Aiatcti, find to be in England on the 3rd of April. iWdils are dropped by thcte puckets at Sierra Leone, St. Vincent, and th.; Cape de Veids. Now that they have found their way so far, we hope shortly to see the Imp horn the Cape to Australia completed. The ttate of tilings in Kaffiiland will be best judged of by Hie following proclamation winch appeared in the Cajie of Good Hojje Govei nment Gazette, of Ftcbiuary the 20Hi :— Whereas, by my Proclamation of the 2oih of Decem= bcr, 1850, I placed this Frontier under Martial Law, in order to facilitate the assembling of all able-bodied citiz n*, and buighers ,or the delence of this Colony, so gnevtiUuly oppressed by enemies upon its border*, and since bii I more opj>ies*ed by a most extensive, combined, and wicxcd rebellion, which has broken out in the Kjt River bettlemtnt and the country thereto ad jaccnt —the rebels making common cause with the rebel Kufiiis; and whereas a want of energy has manifested itself on the part of the inhabitant-., many of whose families and properties will be, in consequence, if they aie not alieady, at the mercy of the insurgents ; Now, theiefore, I do p-oclaim, declare, and make known, that uuleis the well-affected and able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 55, turn out as cillei on in my proclamation of the 2^th December aforesaid, (or the defence of their country, their families, and iheir homes, this rebellion cannot be cheeked, and if allowed to extend itself will be the means of occasioning the most serious evils. I therefore again cull upon the loyal inhabitants to rally round the CommaudiiiitGeueral, at Fort Haie, or at Fort Beaufort, as he may direct, for the purpose of at resting this rebellion, &o fiaught with danger. I deeply legret to observe the apatliy and unwillingness" of men who have hereto fore beeu so icady to rally round the Koyal Standard ; and I hereby proclaim and make ki.ownto the inhabitants generally, ibat unless they promptly and energetically turn out, the horror which must ensue will be upon their own heads, and those of their helpless families. The inhabitants beins; hereby emphatically and e<ch nestly warned of the impending danger, will, i confidently hope, arouße ihemselvti to avert the evils which are rapidly gatheiing, and must otherwise soon suuound them.

God save Ihe Queen ' Given under my Hdwi ami Sua! at King William's. Town, tliib '6 d day of February, 18,31. IJ. G. hMITH, Governor. In addition to those items of Cape news, we subjoin the following, from ibe South Aw>tiahan 1 hi; Governor had altogether auout 1,000 troops in K-irhilaml, and was <bout to make a strong attack upon the Auatold mountains, the principal sent of the hostile lube*, but vht* colonists wt'ie very inuih afraid ihat other liibe 3 would tal.e thai opportunity to bleak into the colony. The most sinister circumstance ot all that had occurred, v\us :\ rebellion of the Hottentots, who had joined the enemy in lar»e l umbers, and they are patticularly toitnidable on account of their disci-

phne and their possession of arms The Fmgoes were thcicfoie the only natives that could be depended on. Iv (he paneis hefce us, aie accounts of several desperate actions. On the 21st J.inu.iry the enemy made a most desperate attack on Fort Hate, but they were beaten off by the Fiugoes, aivl a detachment of the Cape Mounted Rifles, under Major General Somerser, with great lost ; 101) bodies wae found on the field besides those who were carried o(V. On the British side six Fin goes were killed and ten woi-n^ed. Tiie Kaffiis, however, carried off 200 cattle. On the 24th. January, 120 Cape Mouii'ed Riflemen, under Major Artnstiong, and 170 Finfjoes., undc-r Mr. Tainton, were attacked near King William's Town, by 600 Seyolo's and -\nta's Kaffirs. Tha latter were completely defeated. Only one trooper and one Finiroe were killed by the enemy. The following levies bad arrived: — Sweliendaui, 697 men, Cape Town, 400 men. Riversddle, 168 men. George, 2CO coloured volunteers. Port Elizibetb, 100 Fingoes. Colesburg, 200 men. Albert, 300 burgbers. On the 20th January, 1260 men had arrived by sea at E»st London, and the Governor was then tt> pror-pi'd to relieve several besieged foits. The pap-rs are full of evidence taken as to the Hottentot rebe'lion, which is believed to be the "result of a d*ep laiJ plot, and it is further stated, lint men of European race were the authors of both the war and the rebellion. From the latest accounts, the Kiffirs senna to have spread over the who'o east< r l frontiers, a great part of which was deserted. A dtsperdte fight was going on in the northern putt cf Victoru dUUicc, between the Bather-, and Fnignes on the one side, and the Tdnobookies and rebel Hottrniots on the other, and skirmishes were frequent in <ill other paits. On the 13th of February, Colonel M.ickinnon proceeded with 2.750 men, Irom King William's Town to Fort White and Fort Hare. lie left an European levy of 400 men with Geueial Somerset, at Fort H.uu. They were molested by Kaftiis on two occasions, bufc thet,e were easily dispersed with, bhelb and thar^es of Cavalry, On the 15th, General Someisetand Colonel Mackinnon made a combined movement on the Cdumie Valley, which the latter ctueiei! ana deployed the l.uts and field*!. In his return to King \\ ili.'am'e Town, on the 17tn, Colonel Mackinnon was attacked by large bodies of K'jffirs, who were driven back with great loss. Tb.3 loss ot the British 8 killed and \'J wounded. While the KalThs weie thus eiijjigpd, 40() Fm?oo» crossed the X( j is Katnma, from King William*) Town, and carried off 410 head of cattle. Cjptaii) Tylden tnd most RallanlJy repulsed attacks made by large bodies of the enemy, at Whittlssea. On two occasions the enemy lost G ) men, killed and wounded, and afterwards he attached a place called Shiloab, where their lots w.is 40 men killed uud wounded, and 800 cattle captured.