CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 112, 26 March 1862, Page 6

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,

The Cape Argus of the 21st December, in its summaryfor England, gives the following :—

The past monjh has been one of the dullest known in the colony for" a long time past, and of interesting: political news there is fully as little as of interesting news generally.. His Excellency the LieutenantGovernor is still in Cape Town, though, inconsequence of a recent famiiy bereavement and Mrs. Wynyard's delicate health, the effect of his genial presence is not so marked as it has been on former occasions. General Wynyard will remain here until after: the arrival of his Excellency the Governor, who is expected by the " Cambrian" next month. When Mr. VVodehouse has once entered on the duties of his high office, Genei-al Wyny.ard will most probably leave for Graham's Town, the seat of the LieutenantGovernorship. Meanwhile, nothing of importance lias transpired. Parliament has been further prorogued' to the Ist of February...

The British Kaffrarian custom tariff, .which' was the s.ame as that in the Cape colony, uutil the Cape Parliament, iv the course of last session, increased the duties payable on certain articles, has been altered, in order that it may again correspond with the Cape tariff. This result was not arrived at without some opposition on the part of British Kaffraria. Lieut-Governor Maclean was, we 'understand, instructed by his Excellency Sir George Grey to raise the Kaffrarian custom dues at the same time that those of this colony were increased. This instruction Colonel Maclean failed to cany out, and the consequence was that bonded goods at Port Elizabeth were shipped oft" to East'Lonclon, and introduced into the colony through Kaffraria, thus'deprjving the Cape Government of the duty altogether, and increasing the revenue of British Kaffraria. This, of course, was a pleasant state of things for the: KafFrarians, but it was soon terminated by the positive instructions of the Lieut.-Governor; and now the tariffs of the two colonies are1 x>recisely alike. If there Jjad been a duty on articles introduced into the Cape from British Kaffraria, this difficulty could never have happened ; but it is bettor to suffer from an occasional inconvenience of this" kind than to fetter that freedom of intercourse which the inhabitants of the two colonies at present enjoy.

It is to be regretted that there are again symptoms of uneasiness amongst the inhabitants of the Free State and the Transvaal, and that they seem to desire nothing so much as a war with the Basutos, under Moshesh. Wo have already repeatedly called attention, both in our monthly summaries and in our ordinary issues, to the fact that, single-handed, the Boers of the South African Republics are quite unable to cope with such a power as Mohe&ch could bring into the I field. They are themselves perfectly aware of this fact, and for some time applied such low cunning as here passes for diplomacy, to the great object of committing the colony, and if necessary the British Empire, to their unworthy quarrel. Happily, their efforts in this direction failed, and for a short time it seemed that the Boer Republicans had given up their miserable scheme of conquest and aggrandisement, Recent events, however, have thrown a new light on the matter; the inhabitants of the Free State and the Trausvaol are purchasing arms in large quantities, and they neglect no opportunity of irritating the natives, and tempting them to some overt act which shall give a color to the statement that that barbarism I of South Africa meditates a general onslaught on its civilization. ■ I

Kreli, the Kafir chief who was expelled in 1858 from the country between the Kei and the Basbeo, is again in trouble, though it'is now of a 'different kind to his last great misfortune.' His people 'are rlyjng hi hundreds, in consequence of the drought. They have exhausted almost all their- provisions. Cattle and crops have alike disappeared, and starvation for the whole tribe seems inevitable, unless they disperse.

.There has been a smart, brush in. the Transkeian territory, between six of the mounted police'and ten J3asiiso and Bushmen thieves. The Basutos fled; tli6 Bushmen J.ook refuge in a pave. The Bushmen, whety .the policemen entered their place of refuge, fired wftfy guns and arrows, And wounded tiergjjant M'Cartny slightly in tlie cheek with a poisoned arrow; Intlio end, two of the Bushmen were shot dead; and tjie other three who escaped, badly hurt. The police re took eleven horses and throe head of cattle,