The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-14 00:00:00

NATAL

IPURRAN, PORT NATAL, lAN, 20.
The n'timate prosperity of this town, and indeed
of the whole colony, depends on the removal of the bar of
land at the mouth of the harbour. This important work
has progressed so far that the barque I came out in, of 390
tons register, entered with ease, drawing 12 feet water:
when in, it is perhaps one of the very finest harbours in the
world, encircled by wooded hills, which recede where this
town stands, and capable, when properly deepened, of con-
taining.all the navies of Europe
This is not a healthy town, although not subject to any
epidemics, its extreme sultriness at this scason in grog it
very enervating, while clouds of sand blow in all directions.
But new corners suffer from far other causes, intro. tlircially
an indecision as to their ur.erior movements; this lasts till
their means are exhausted, and then they would willingly
go to England again. This applies to parties landing with
501. to 150/. This is at present no place for a poor man to
come to, unless he Is a clever ordinary mechanic or market
gardener, determined at once to go to work. No one (with
these exceptions) should conic out here who cannot afford
to lay upoa his oars for a month to look about, and then
have 400/. to 5001. in hand to work with.

Business here is conducted almost entirely on credit : if
land is sold by private parties, perhaps a quarter of tho
amount is paid down, and remainder at six, nine, and
twelve months, so encouraging mere speculators, to the
great injury of the bow'. fide purchaser.
The principal supplies of this place arc drawn from the
Cape. The returns are all specie, for it may be said then)
arc now no exports, or only of the most trivial enaracter.
The land in this colony, to a treat extent, requires
but a small expense in cultivation to retailer abun-
dantly all the nee rosaries of life, and not only so, but to
make this an exporting place of importance ; there arc al.o
vast tracts of the finest graving land. Sugar cane grows
wild, coffee comes to perfection, indigo is indigenous, as is
also cotton ; but this last requires, to cultivate successfully,
far more continuous labour than the Kaifirs can be de-
pended on for. The eroton and castor oil plants are wild in
the woods; senna of the finest quality abounds—indeed
there can scarcely he named plant, tree, or flower of the
tropics or temperate climes but will grow on the different
elevations sit:madly. Yet, comparatively, no land is cul-
tivated. Men are mare disposed to hang about the town
' than at once to go spots their land, build up their house, and
become comparatively independent.
I sin sorry I cannot speak in more favourable terms of
this place and the surrouudiag country, for which Nature
has done so much. .

"as
As regards hnuschold economy, it may be remarked that
hovels realise 30s. to 2/. per month, rent. tridloored and
unceiled houses, with three, or four inconvenient rooms! .11.
to .51. per mouth; celled and floored houses, of six to eight
rooms, 71. to 8/. per month. Bread, 3d. per lb. ; beef (the
only meat of the place), 2.1. to 3d. per lb. ; fowls, Is. to Is.
3d. each. Beer three times the price it is in England, as
are also many of the common necessaries of life.
As regards politics, you will hear more of the unfortu-
nately-commenced frostier war in England titan we do
hem; but it appears as if the peace of the colony would be
probably disturbed, for all are invited to enrol themselves
into a militia, and arms are providing for their equipment.
Many are in a state of consternation, and now ask why arc
such great privileges granted to refugee Kadin; who will
work for you when they please, leave you without a mo-
ment's notice when they please' and after all, in every pro-
bability, if pardoned by an hostile chief they have left,
would slaughter the British without hesitation, if they had
the opportunity. They have not, in my opinion, tho
slightest idea of gratitude for the protection afforded them
from the vengeance of those chiefs or petty kings they have
deserted from.

SLAVERY IN NWERIC.I.—The following letter was
sent by Mr. It. W. Emerson, in answer to an invitation to
attend the annual meeting of an anti-slavery Reciety held
at Concord, United States, on the ad oh.:—" New York,
March 18, ISII.-1/car friend: I had more reasons than
one to regret leaving home at this time, and, if any present
engagements were not of two seasons' standing, I should
have made every effort to relieve myself. For your liberty
meeting, I think it has a certain importance just now, and
really at this moment it seems imperative that every loser
of bunion rights should, in every manner, singly or socially,
in private and in public, by voice and by pen—sand, first of
all, by substantial help and hospitality to the slave, and de-
fendber him against his hunters, enter his protest for huma-
nity against the detestable statute of the last t'uiaa,-ress. I
find it a subject of conversation in all cars and steamlaoate,
and everywhere distributing society into two classes, accord-
ing to the moral feasibility of individuals on one part, and
their habitual docility to party leading on the other. I
do not know how the majority of to-day will be found to
decide. Sometimes people of natural probity and :affection
are so warped by the habit of party, and show themselves
so unexpectedly callous and inhuman, that it seems we
must wait for the Almighty to create a new generation a
little more keenly alive to moral impressions, before any
improvement in institutions can be looked for. But, as far
as I have observed, there i., on all great qw.stion,, a tido
or undulation in the public mind, a series of actions and
re-actions. The momentary interest carries it to-day ; but,
prewnoly, the advocates of the liberal principle are victo-
rious—anal the more entirely, because they had persisted
unehakin under evil report. And, as justice alone satisfies
everybody, they are sure to prevail at last. If the world
has any reason iu it, it is for ever safe and successful to urge
the cau‘e of Soso and right. I know it is very needless to
say this to you, and others like you, who cannot, if they
would, help serving the truth, tlaouala all the world he gone
to woraiiip Mammon. Lest it is the only answer I know
how to make to uur mathematical compatriots. So, wish-
ing you a day of h appy thoughts and sympathies on
Thursday, I remain, yours respectfully and gratefully, It.
W. EmElletri."

THE PASSPORT SYSTEM.—A communication !litho
Aix-la-Chapelle Gazette announces that the Prussian govern-
ment has been led by the many unrdeasantnesses and con-
stant squabbles which one portion of the recent passport re-
gulations has caused, to rescind it. In future, English tra-
vellers provided with proper English passports will not ho
refused admission, though their passports stay not have been
rind by a Prussian ambassador. Notwithstanding this
relaxation from the former severe role, it will ho advisable
for all travellers not to neglect getting their passports riss;r:
in London by the Prussian ambassador. The complaints of
the police at Aix have been the means of procuring this
modification While this deference is shown to English
travellers, a measure has just been determined on of a con-
trary nature towards the French. It appears that the
French diplomatic authorities in Prussia, and the l'russian
envoy in Paris, have been in tho habit of levying fees of 5
francs for ris,,ing passports. The Frenchmen, however,
have evaded paying the Prussian fee in Paris, by proceed-
ing to Brussels, and procuring the rie., of the Prussian am-
basaador there, who makes no charge. This practice having
conic to the knowledge of the Prussian government, the am-
bassador at Brussels has been ordered to make the same
charge as his colleague in Paris fur all risjs of French pass-
ports.

A CI-ONOILY GLANCE AT A FEW OF TUE MANY
I:gnus-mist, VET HITHERTO MUCH aezor.ecre!s, RE-
SOURCE,: or GALWAT.—It is needless here to dwell on its
prepoudi rating geographical position, its immense, yet al-
most idle water-power, its geological riches, &c. 1 have
been kindly fasoured with a rariety of mineral ores front
different places about Galway, viz., Lemontielil, Brown-
ville, Arran Isles, Salt Hill, also from the opposite shores in
the county Clare, which I believe to be a continuation of tho
same metallic strata, principally composed of sulphurets of
lead, copper, iron, and silver. I investigated their chemical
constitution and application to the arts and manufactures.
It is really surprising that Galway, so bountifully supplied
by nature, and with all the elements necessary to constitute
it ono of the first manufacturing depots in the British em-
pire, has so long remained in the shade unnoticed. The rich-
ness of its lead ores equals, indeed surpasses, many of those
so extensively worked in Durham, Cumberland, and York-
shire. The sample of lead ore which I examined was
galena, technically called sulphuret of lead ; it contains is
100 parts lead 86-6 and sulphur 13-4, with about 12 oz. of
pure silver per ton of ore. The iron is generally in the
pyritic state, or, as it is called, bisulphuret of iron, and is
admirably suited for the manufacture of oil of vitriol, being
a compound of 2N parts of iron and 32 of sulphur and in
a 100 parts iron 46-7 and sulphur 53-3. The copper ore 1
found to be as a sulphuret present in the iron (ire, bat
not in large quantities ; however, that it is derivable
from it is evident. The reduction of the above ores at
home would prove a source of immense wealth and
profit to those who would embark therein, besides the
unlimited amount of remunerative employment it would
give to our starving people, both labourers and
artisans. The lead ore, as worked on the estate of George
F. O'Elahertio, Esq., I have been informed, is sent out
of this country at 11/. per ton, to to reduced, refined, and
returned back to the market at from 20/. to 22/. per ton, or
as litharge, 241. ; or converted to many other forms more
lucrative to the manufacturer, besides the amount of em-
ployment it gives, which would lessen our poor rates and
ultimately leave almost no such rate in requisition. The
sulphur contained in the above sulphurated metals would
be most advantageously applied to the formation of sul-
phuric acid or oil of vitriol, a substance so extensiv, ly
used and so essential both to the manufacturing and
pharmaceutic chemist ; of all the acids the sulphuric is
the most extensively used in the arts, and is., in fact,
the primary agent ter obtaining almost all the other acids
by disengaging them from saline or other combinations;
in this way the nitric, muriatic or hydrochlosie, tartaric
acetic, and many other acids are procured; it Is employed in
the direct formation of alum, of the sulphates' of copper, zinc,
potass and soda. In that of sulphuric ether, and of sugar,
by the saccharification of starch, &c., it serves also fur
opening the pores of skins in tanning, or determining the
nature of several salts by the acid characters that ate dis-
engaged, &c. It is largely used in the manufacture of
bleaching powder, or ellormde of lime and soda ash iugre-
dients so extensively used in the home and foreign market.
Soda ash is used extensively in the manufacture of soap,
. glass, paper, &e, and largely exported to America. In
fact, it is one of the staple trades of England in the Ame-
rican market, and which could be most profitably made ill
Galway, which will ere long become the pivot on which the
trade and commerce of the eastern and western world will
turn.—JAMES M'Annts, late Chemist of the Apetliocaries'
Hall of Ireland, Chemical Works, Galway. June 6. 18-51.

TUE ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE AT LEEDS.
—Yesterday William &Ott was again brought up before
the Lee& magistrates for final examination on the charge
of having shot at Mrs. Sophia Widdop, and afterwards
shooting himself. The prisoner was committed fur trial
on both charges.