The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-12 00:00:00

.~ ~~.~.

ficial teacher and a glorious guide. It is useless to
iurorm the mind wt Ile the 'oody is left unutishit and
the abode filthy. No education can be effectual to
which sanitary reform does not at once furnish an
element and open a path of access.

WHEN Sir HENRY POTTINGER was appointed
governor of the Cape of Good Hope, he loitered and
fingered about head-quarters till the Express was
obliged to take upon itself the office of trumpeter, and
blow " boot and saddle." And with such good will
was the blast blown that it blew the loiterer oat tomes
forthwith. Sir HARRY SMITH, on the contrary, with
characteristic promptitude, is already immersed in his
preparations for departure, and has been obliged to
decline a cordial invitation to a public dinner is
Glasgow, where the confidence, esteem, and love he
inspired during his residence in the eventful year of
1819 are still warm as on the day of his departure.
This soldier-like expedition is of good omen for the
colony, and reminds one of Sir HARRY'S memorable
ride from Cape Town to the eastern frontier, on the
breaking out of Htsrzs's war.
Our confidence in the fitness of the new governor
has been repeatedly expressed, and that confidence
will be materially increased if it shall prove that
ministers, in nominating a new governor for the
Cape, have also modified the existing arrangements
respecting the frontier authorities. Sir lIENRY POT-
TINGER, though nominally a military man, has been
so long engaged exclusively in the discharge of diplo-
, matic functions, that to all practical intents he is a
mere civilian. It was, therefore, requisite that a
military officer should be coupled with him for the
oonduct of the Kaffir war. This multiplication of
authorities —a lieateaant-governor for _ the eastern

provinces having been, 'for the sake of
addi-
tional complexity, added to make up a triumvirate
—has been found productive of great delay
and emberrasament. The high military reputation of
bir RAMAT SMITH leaves little room to deabt that the
civil and military command have been combined in
his person ; and the reported promotion of the
Lieutensnt-Governor of the eastern districts, if true,
would obviate any delicacy on the score of super-
seding that officer. Until the Kaffir war is ended,
and the country settled in some way likely to be
lasting, it is moat desirable that all authority should
centre in one person. It is only thus that the unity,
consistency, and promptitude of action required 111
' such unsettled times can be obtained. We do not
venture to doubt that Sir HARRY proceeds to the
Cape as the only governor for the time being, and
also as commander-in-chief.

There is another arrangement connected with his
appointment which we have already earnestly pressed
upon government. As soon as the intimation of Sir
HENRY POTTINGRR'S nomination to Madras reached
us, we called attention to the expediency of making
Sir HARRY SMITH his successor at the Cape. And
at the same time we added that his power satisfacto-
rily to settle the affairs of the colony would be local-
, cuLbly increased, if a free charter of government,
analogous to that conferred upon New Zealand, were
sent out along with him. We urged this arrange-
ment, knowing how far the boon of local self-govern-
ment would go to confirm the loyalty of the Cape
colonists ' • how warmly the outline of the New Zea-
land charter had been applauded by all classes and
parties in the Cape colony ; and how admirably its
provisions for ensuring justice to the aborigines,
and gradually absorbing them within the pale of
civilised society, were adapted to the peculiar circum-
stances of the eastern and north-eastern frontiers.

Events which have since occurred have increased
our anxiety to see Sir HARRY SMITH made the bearer
of the first charter of constitutional government to the
Cape of Good Hope. It appears by the latest intel-
ligence received from that quarter that the burgher
levies, having been discharged, have declined to re-
engage for a new term, and that the Fingoes who have
been disbanded also refuse to re-enlist. The remarks
of the local journals, corroborated by private letters,
indicate that this is in part owing to the disgust at
• protracted military operations, the weak point of all
militia forces; but also in part to the inability of
those at present in command to win the affections of
an irregular soldiery. Sir HARRY SMITH'S ante-
cedents in Kaffirland have shown him to be
just the man to keep an irregular soldiery
together by enthusiastic attachment to his person, if
ones they have been got together. His difficulty will
be to collect the requisite force from among the set-
tlers and aborigines in *fir present listless and dis-
eentented mood. Some Impetus will be required to
stir them, to awaken the spirit of enterprise among
them, to put them in the mood to throng around his
colours. And to this end we can think of no better
measure than conferring upon the colony a constitu-
tional charter, similar in its greatoutlinestothat of New
Zealand. The desire for local self-government has long
been ardently cherished, and as ardently expressed by
the Cape colonists. To grant it to them at this moment
would be to create a new spirit within them. The elite of
the colonial youth would flock to the frontier to prove
themselves worthy of the privileges conferred upon
them. And the Fingo and Hottentot, elevated in
their own estimation by having the full rights of
citizenship conferred upon them, would fall into
rank, twice the men they were. The regulations of
the New Zealand charter, too, relating to aboriginal
provinces, would be an apt framework to aid in erect-
ing the structure of civihaed government throughout
Kaffirland—a task which can now no longer be
postponed.

Tire La Plata Courier (a new journal published at
Montevideo) contains news to the 28th May. The
officers in command of the combined French and
English squadrons in the roads of Montevideo, have
proposed an armistice to ORIBE, which has been ac-
cepted. The terms are :-1. The belligerents continue
to occupy respectively the posts of which they are at
present in possession. 2. They are only to communi-
cate with each other except by flags. 3. Hostili-
ties are not to be renewed without twenty-four hours'
previous notice. The Montevidean government has
,despatched orders to Colonia, and all other points
occupied by its forces, to observe this truce. It was
reported at Montevideo, on the 28th of May, that
Omsk had liberated all his prisoners of war. It is
stated by the captain of the Fauvette (the vessel
which brought these papers to St. Malo) that a rumour
was spread at Montevideo, on the 29th, to the effect
that the exorbitant demands of Ros ts had interposed
a temporary check to the negotiations.

The following appeared in part of our last eTening's

impression.
We have Paris letters and papers of Tuesday.
Although the Chamber of /Deputies virtually closed
its session a fortnight ago, the formal adjournment of
the legislative body did not take place until Monday,
when the royal ordonnance to that effect was presented
in the Chamber of Peers by M. Hebert, and, in the
Chamber of Deputies, by M. Gnizot. There is no
intelligence of geaeral interest.

The Madrid mails were not received in Paris on
Tuesday when oar express left.

Letters from Rome, of the Ist inst., have brought
the intelligence of the nomination of the provincial
deputies, who are to meet in that city in November,
and to form a representative council. The mode of
selection is as follow': The provincial governor or
legate sends a list of names to the Cardinal Secretary
of State, among which the latter selects the deputy.
Although the principal of popular election is not thus
brought into play, still it is an important step towards
a representative system, and will doubtless, in due
time, ripen into an elective system, mare or lest
popular. The reality of its,,:pproach to a constitu-
tional system may be pmct • lly estimated by the
agony of terror into which it has thrown Andzia
and the despotic court/. Twenty-three deputies have
been thus appointed, representing the provinces of
the states of the church. Rome is represented by the
Prince Barberini and the lawyer Vanntelli. its
majority of the representative are eminent lawyers,
and all without exception are laymen. Bok is
represented by M. M. Sylvani, a lawyer and W.
Minghettis_ paper, • journaliarr, the editor dais a
Blero_of iron =
governor
Name ha jab
Weed •
said that there are
emrun hom the ass ofehmde►
tihenewenearedpresmn,t7twod;:eranePttueinevrestothenpro.eaf:tthathe is occupied with
67 the investigation
that an
arrest of the highest im.. . • made
jatestintscowtrena.
coTtairedsentimentsto
toot 77.
ness baying declined to • •
rev
of attending mass at the anat. of 'r
festival of that saint • , „.• ••"/
The Count llondanini,ofc4l4ilit
inspector-general for the W
a go
1k