The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-27 00:00:00

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

RECEPTION OF THE NEW

We yesterday gave a telegraphic summary of the
news received by the steam ship Mauritius. We are
now in possession of our letters from the Cape with
dates to June U.

The reception of the new constitution was the
great event of the month. At the Cape a meeting
had been held to hail the new institutions with
which the country is endowed. The constitution
was warmly received, and an address of thanks
voted, which will be found below. The South
African Adrertiser says :—" We have heard from
the lips of all but infants, blessings on the Queen
who had made their fathers free. In his person, in
his family, in his soul, the poorest inhabitant of this
colony no longer knows a master on earth. The
constitution combines the whole power of the state
for the protection of every individual. This is civil
and religions liberty. When St. Paul pronounced
the words—" I am a Roman," the arm of the pro-
vincial oppressor was paralysed. The name of a
British subject is not less powerful over a wider
empire than Rome ever knew. The gift of
liberty, thus understood, was rapturously accepted
on Monday last, and thus one grand act of the colonial
drama was triumphantly concluded. At Stellenbosch,
Swellendam, Coleeberg, George, and blalmesbury,
addresses of the same character had also been voted.
In the eastern districts some dissatisfaction is mani-
fest, and it is complained "that the constitution
makes no provision for a equation of the provinces,
a removal of the seat of government, or for the fu-
ture defence of the frontier."

At Graham's Town the people had passed resolu-
tions declaring, together with their gratitude for re-,
presentative institutions, that these do not meet the
moderato requirements, or satisfy the reasonable ex-
pectations of the people of the province. They par-
ticularly complain " that the constitution is unaccom-
panied by any suitable provision, either for a re.
moval of the seat of government from Cape Town,
or for the establishment of a strong and efficient
government in this province. That, viewinz this
omission as fatal to the interests of the people of
this frontier, they feel themselves called on to record
their utter want of confidence in any form of govern-
ment by which the affairs of this province, together
with a complex border policy, will be committed to
the administration of a governor, an executive, and a
legislature sitting in Cape Town, more than 600
miles distant from this frontier—so constantly ex-
posed to the inroads of barbarian hordes, by whom
it has been laid waste and plundered thrice within
the comparative short period of eighteen years,—
not to dwell upon the innumerable murders and rob-
beries committed by them between these fatal pe-
riods." It is believed, however, iu the colony that a
little discussion in the first new plrliament will
show that the constitution makes the best provision
that could have been devised, on all points affecting
the general warfare, by bringing the whole colony
into une council, in the first place, expressly for the
purpose of discussing and settling them by general
consent.

The government was taking the necessary mea-
sures for completing a register of voters, so that the
elections may commence with as little delay as pos-
sible.

It appears by come notices in the frontier papers,
an extract from which will be found below, that there
are still some brigands at large in the Fish River
Bush, tho relics of the war, whom it will be neces
nary to root out, but generally the frontier districts
are rapidly recovering their former settled and pros-
perous appearance.
Notwithstanding the troubles of the last two years,
the material interests of the colony, as a whole, hive
steadily improved. Landed property has every-
where risen in value. Capital finds constant and
remunerating employment. All sorts of labour
are in demand at high, but not extravagant rates.
The Graham's Town ✓ourant says :—" Our farmers

are gradually returning and resuming their usual
occupations. The plan of settlement of the N.E.
boundary is proceeding satisfactorily, and the expec-
tatimi of the scheme being extended along the line
of the South Victoria division gists a degree of con-
fidence to our frontier men, which would not base
been otherwise felt. The Kat Ricer commission has
nearly closed its labours, and has, we understand,
collected a mass of evidence which, when published,
will be found alike interesting and important."
The trade and commerce of the colony during the
last year are described in the Report of the Commit-
tee of the Commercial F.xeliange, to be gradually
extending, not only to the uttermost limits of cleat-
'
',anon, but to regions hitherto unexplored by the
most adventurous travellers. In the same document
the committee mention frith satisfaction the grant of
a constitution and the contract made with the General
Screw Steam Shipping Company, to have two vessels
of 300 tons each running between the ports of Table
Bay and Natal ; the improvements made during the
year in the coaling of steamers ; the expectation of
seeing a lighthouse reared on Cape Point ; the grow-
ing improvement in the Poet-office arrangements; the
receipt of the Prize Medals from the Great Exhibi-
tion of 1931; the rapid increase in the quantity of
wool; and the progress of road making in the co-
lony.

HOTTENTOT BANDITTI.—LOSS OF LIFE.
(From the Grahams's retell Journal.)
Circumstances have trausi.ired within the past week,
which show that Hottentot banditti still infest the fa ane,ses
of the Fish River Bush. On Sunday, Lieutenant Surmen, ,
of the Mounted Pulice, received information that two oxen
ha 1 been stolen from Mr. Tharratt, and that Ruhr spnor
took the direction of tee Fish River. With this clue Mr.
Surmon, with that intelligecce and zeal which ever distin-
guishes him, started off on Monday morning, with about •
dozen of the men under his command, and soon catne upon
the trail near the Esca, on the Queen's Road. This trail
took the bush on the right of the road, and led to a
mall spring or fountain in the dense thicket, where one
of the mis.ing oxen had been slaughtered, cut up, and
tho flesh taken away. From this point the spoor went
deeper iuto the denser and snore unfrequented tt.icket,
taking the direction of the haunt of the notorious rebel
Pockbaas, from which be wet routed by the Albany
Rangers under Captain W. Stubbs at the early part of the
war. From the entangled character of the hush at this
part it need scarcely he remarked that the police could only
make their stay through it on foot—and they were
doing rs very cautiously, when a signal was given by the
advanced guard that the enemy was in sight. At the next
moment the bandits, some 10 or 12 in number, were seen
rushing over an adjacent ridge. Pursuit in the dense scrub
being out of the questicn, the police instantly fired upon
the fugitives, the result being that a Hottentot woman was
shot dead, and one or two of the bandits severely wounded.
In one instance the robber was seen to fall tw ice. and yet
he succeeded in getting into the bush and eluding the pur-
suers. In tho other case the robber also escaped, but from
the blood spoor it was evident he must have received severe,
not to say fatal injury. On elimination of the locality it
was found that these bandits had formed a lodgment in a
cluster of caves in the face of • precipitous cliff, concealed by
bush, and tmapproachaele ezeept by a circuitous path alike
difficult and hazardous to tread. In these caves were found
great stores of beef, soap, clothing, bedding, &c., some of
the articles indicating very clearly that communication
with Graham's Town was frequent. One gun and a few
other articles were taken, and the rest thrown into a heap
and burned. No shots were fired by the bandits—leading
to the conclusion that they were without gunpowder. Had
they been supplied, the approach to the caves in question
could only have been made at the imminent risk of life on
the part of the assailing party.
Information reached town yesterday of an attack near
the Queen's-road the previous evening on a party of Fin-
goes by some Hottentot bandits ; and we regret to say
' with the lost of one man, who was shot dead by the
robbers.

Sir George Clerk had arrived in the Indiana as
commissioner for settling the affairs of the Orange
River sovereignty, and assistant commissioner, with
Mr. Owen, to General Cathcart for settling the
affairs of the eastern frontier generally. The South
African Commercial Advertiser observes that " his
appointment will afford scope for the fullest exercise
of all the good qualities ascribed to him ; for, not-
withstanding the peace, the affairs of Southern Alit ica
still present a host of difficulties, the worse to operate
upon from their being, or appearing in imperial eyes,
to be small difficulties. The affairs of all Europe
taken together are less complicated than the relations I
now existing between this government and the
native tribes. Along an open frontier, five or six
hundred miles in extent, the colony touches the ter-
ritories of not less than seven or eight African chiefs,
with all of whom we have hsd inexplicable con-
nexions in peace and inconclusive struggles in war.
The problem is, how to preserve tranquillity among
all these potentates, and to protect the inhabitants
of the thinly-peopled districts from being overrun at
any moment in case of a misunderstanding.'