CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

West Coast Times, Issue 308, 18 September 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

(FROM THE CAPE STANDARD, JULY 12.3

TIIE FREE STATE. ' June 17.— The A Friend" gives the conclusion of the correspondence between the Governor of this colony and the President of the Free State. In our last monthly summary we mentioned the wise advice given by his Excellency to his neighbor potentate abou; the expediency of dealing liberally and generously with the Basutos, and trying to make them Mends rather than enemies forced to live by raiding, fronx the loss of the most fertile part of their land. The Volksraad was indignant at what they called the intermeddling of Sir Philip, and the President wrote a reply while mounted on the stilts of dignity and independence. ,In Africa, as .in Europe, good advice, not backed by something more than moral force, is worse than thrown away. Sir Philip had to do what Earl Russell did in regard to Denmark, and what Aye fear here the Paris Congress will have to do, unless Napoleonic persuasion and firmness carry the day — that is, eat bis leek. He did it, however, in a quiet, gentlemanly way, as witness the' following extract of his letter of tie 28th May to President Brand :—: — "It only remains for me to r assure you that I have no desire to trouble you with any further discussion of the general arrangements of the peace lately concluded between the Free State and the Basutos. -At the "head of a Government which has ever maintained friendly and intimate relations with the Free State, which has up to this time participated in the arrangements of its foreign • relations, and which must always be seriously affected by its policy towards the natives, I believe that I did no more than my duty in submitting for your consideration the apprehensions I entertained, and do still ■ entertain, as ,to th'e-results of the terms of the peace lately concluded. It will give me much satisfaction, if my apprehensions should prove tS be. unfounded, and if you should be enabled to preserve order, and to promote the well being not only of the Free State, but of the people of this colony and of the Basutos^ themselves." His Excellency still insists upon the. liability for a rateable share of the compensation for the Natal raid, of the section of Basuto tribe that has been received into the Free State citizenship. To wind off, without respect to dates, noteworthy events which have transpired among our, neighbors, we will state here that the Volksraad!, after' voting L2OO to the President for travelling expenses, in addition to his salary of LI2OO, refused the petition of lower officials for augmentations to their pay, on account of the poverty of .the state. To alleviate this poverty the Volksraad has sanctioned the issue of " bluebacks " purporting to represent LIOO,OOO, in addition to last year's issue of L 30,000 The value 6f an old blue-back, representing 20s, is now 1 7s 6d ; what it will be after the second deluge we are unwilling to guess. The injustice done to the French Missionaries is to be atoned for by liberal grants of land. The settlement of the ceded territory exists yet principally on paper, but a good many people from j the colony are trekking northward, and numerous burghers advance claims for far pis on the ground of their 'military sa-vices during the late war. The discovery of gold in the Transvaal still requires confirmation. ■ When last heard of M'Corkindale was in Natal, and President Pretorius was anxiously expecting him in the Transvaal with a supply of gold • for the Government. Of the Highland emigrants that M'Corkindale was to bring,, out we harve heard nothing of late. '