The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-07 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HO.

REPORTED RIOT AT CAPE TOWN. 'il
By the Mary Ann, Cap•ain Darke, arrived off
Portsmouth yesterday. we have net-eyed iniellgence
to the 191 October from the Cape of Good Rope, at
which date the colony is represented as being en a
state of great excitement.
It is asserted that a wean io-ary feeling has taken '
place among the laboaring classes, the coolies in par-
ticular, induced by there being no work for them, as
business was at a complete stand, and every bowie
and store closed. An airti-convict associaticn mee iog
was to have been held on the 18th outside the tlwn-
hall, but as the feeling of the labouring porn! etion
was going spinet it, and are danger wee% appreberded,
the Governor forbade the meeting. On the follow-
ing day (19th) an immense mob attacked, at Geer n
Point, Cape Town, the house of Mr. Fairborn
(the leader of the anti-convict association), brake
into and completely gutted it, nearly killing Mr. Fair-
born. A shot was fired from a window up,tairs by •
servant, a black boy, and took effr et in the shoulder of
a coolie. The riot was only suppressed by very t nee-
; getie attacks of the police on the rioters, m .ny of
whom were very severely wounded, and seven made

prisoners.
Orders had be?n received from England placing the
Dee, steam troop ship, at the disposal of Sir H. Smith,
and the Pantaloon, brig, left the Cape on the 17th to
recall the Dee from her cruise in the Mozambique.
Provisions of every kind were still refused to the go-
vernment, and on the 17th Sir Harry issuei a stern
proclamation pointing out the cruelty of the colony
attempting to starve him and his troops, that he
should use the force at his disposal with great reluc-
tance, but he would not starve, and told them that
"by one stroke of my pen I can proclaim martial-
law,' and he trusted such cruel means would no longer
be maintained.
A gentleman arriving by this ship informed our
correspondent that he had taken great sire at the
Cape to ascertain the real state of opinion from all
chases, and it was generally supposed that, in a very
few days, the matter would end by the colonists ac-
cepting Sir H. Smith's proposal to keep the convic's
afloat until further advices from England. The re-
actionary party were chiefly under the influence of
Mr. Salem and Mr. B. Horton.
On the 17th of October two whi e men ere
brought into Cape Town from the Orange r were
brought into Cape Town from the Orange river,
where they _had murdered with a crowbar a farmer
(cousin to Mr. Melle, chemist at the Cape), and buried
the body, which was afterwards scooped up by the
dogs, and thus led to the discovery of the murder
and offenders, who pleading guilty were condemned
to death on the day the Mary Ana sailed.
The Castor and Olyser were in Simon's Bay, the
Southampton having sailed for Rio.
In consequence of the attack above referred to, and
another of a similar nature, the governor issued the
following proclamation :
Whereas it is reported that the house of Mr. Benjamin
Norden, in Cape Town, and the hones of Mr. John Fair-
bairn, at Green Point, were last night respevively attacked
and severely injured by riotous and unruly mobs, and human
life imminently endangered ; anti whereas so long as the pre-
sent excitement is kept up, and more especially so long as
the labouring classes are kept in idleness and exposed to
privation by the stoppage of trade and business, now sought
to be enforced by a dangerous confederacy in this city, all
crowds and assemblies congregating in the pubic streets and
Ooronghfares are calculated to excite much and welt- founded
alarm in the minds of her Majesty's peaceable and loyal
subjects, and are therefore by law illegal ana whereas,
whilst I desire at all times to respect the rightsof her
Majesty's subjects to meet freely at safe and fitting places
for all lawful purposes—a right which I myself was lately
instrumental in conferring—l cannot in the existing cir-
cumstances of this city and its vicinity permit the assent-'
blind of crowds or large number of persons in the public
streets or thoroughfares for the purpose or under the pre-
tence of discussing public quesuone, or of hooting and
,insulting ihdividuals who happen to be obnoxious to such
mobs, or for any other purpose of an exciting nature and
unconnected with the ordinary pursuits and avocations of
peaceable inhabitants:
Now, th. refore, I do hereby peremptorily prohi'.it al such
mobs, crowds, or meetings in any public street or thorough-
fore, and authorise and enjoin the police force, supported,
it necessary, by military power, to prevent the formation
of all mobs or crowds of persons collecting together for
any each purpose as aforesaid, and to disperse any such
mob Or crowd which may happen to have forned, se as to
set free from the present state of intimidation such of her
Majesty's subjects as are deterred, by. fear of violence in per-
sonal property, from tra•acting their ordinary and lswfal
ballots. and so as to preserve, as much as may be, quiet
and good order throughout the city, and repress in their
origin the excesses to which such irregular and illegal assem-
blies, in periods of excitement like the present, have a ten-
dency to lead ; and I most earnestly exhort all Majesty's
faithful subjec's to resume or pursue their several avocations,
and aid ana assist in preserving the peace of this city, so long
and so honourably distinguished for its order and tran-

quality.
A "general order" from head•gaarters at Cape
Town, dated the 16th of October, contained an ad-
dress from the governor to the troops in the colony,
congra•ulatiog them upon their forbearance under
the trying circumstances surrounding them, espe-
cially with regard to the case of adequate Bopp'
being withheld from them, and enjoining them
pursue the same line of conduct as most certain to
be the beet they could follow, both for themselves
and the preservation of that peace se desirable and
indippensable to tee safety and welfare of the com-
munity at large.

DRATRUCTION OF LARKING AND CO.'S LINEN
FACTORY By Fitts —CROYDON, FIIDAY, 1 • N.—A fire
of a very destructive character broke out between 8 and 9
o'clock last night, in the linen lactory belonging to Mews.
Larking and Co., at North End, Croydon. The factory
was at the rear of the front warehouse, and was adjoined at
one side by the extensive coach factory belonging to Mr.
Armfield, and was separated from the lengthy range of car-
penter, and builders' shops, belonginc to Mr. Kent, by only
en exceedingly narrow thorougblar , known as Kent's-
yard, so that on the discovery being mask a fearful conflagra-
tion was expected, and the numerous parties living in the
houses near the spot at once commenced removing
their furniture, &0., to a more distant place, in
order to escape the ravages of the flames. From
personal inquiries, made on the spot daring the pro
gross of the fire, it appears that whilst one of the P
division of police was going his rounds in Kent yard he per-
ceived an unusual body of smoke hovering over Misers.
Larkin's' factory, and, whilst looking to find out the cause,
an immense body of flame shot through the side window.
Mr. Inspector Shaw sent a strong body of police to render
assistance, and, at the same time, despatched an express to
Lonion for the aid of the engines. The flames, however, in
the course of a few minutes, had obtained the complete pos-
session of the whole of the stock in trade, in the factory as
well as the looms, and were rushing forth from the different
apertures in the place, and also thraugh the roof, com-
' pletely illuminating the di.trict within a compass of 8 or 10
miles. This caused the enginesol the town, as well as those
belonging to the barracks sad the Hoa. East India Company
at Addiscombe, to start to the scene of conflagration. The
firemen instantly set to work from a well in the police
station yard, and with the aid of the police and inhabitants,
a emtibued stream of water was kept pouring upiin the
Are. The moment the news reached London, Mr. Hender-
son, the chief of the D section of Brigade, with en eneine
and • detachment of fireman, started for the spot ; and Mr.
Connorton, with the West of England Brigade and engine.
quickly followed. When ttey reached the scene the whole
or the factory was destroyed, so that the only assistance they
could be was to cool the smoking ruins, and prey, nt any
further outbreak. The coach factory of Mr. Armfield has
sustained but trifling injury, owing to the exer-
tions of the police and firemen; bat the greater
portion of the windows in Mr. Kent's workshops are
ilemolehed, and the side front very severely damaged by
fire, &c. The whole of Messrs. Larkinp' front warehouse
has escaped any injury. Maas. Ls:kings' lows is partially,
if not wholly, protected by insurances in the Guardian Fire-
office. Respecting the origin of the deluder the r. porter
was informed that a boy who was at work in the history was
sent to post a letter, and in his hurry he left a candle burn-
ing, and it is supposed that it must have fallen down or else
a spark shot from the same upon some of the linen under-
ring the process of finishing, and hence the outbreak.
JOHN O'GAIINT'S-PALACR, LINCOLN.—The beauti-
ful oriel window, so well known to antiquaries, and which
excited the attention and admiration of the Arcleologic.d
Society in 1848, was advertised for sale a short time since
(preparatory, it is supposed, to some alterations), when Esrl
brnwnlow became the purchaser. His lordship has since
very handsomely presented the window to the county magi*.
testes, with a view to its being preserved is the castle, which
will form an appropriate site, it having been one of the offi-
cial residence. of the Prince John. The south wall, which
contains this window, is the only portion of the palace that
has not fallen a prey to the band of time, or the taste of a late
proprietor. The front next the street, which was pretty en-
tire when Back published his view in 1726, with the arms of
Emland and France quartered on a large shield, has been
entirely pulled down and rebuilt, and deprived of its ancient
character and ornament. The window, which has survived
the chances of 500 years, covered with senlptare, is still in
good preservation. We are indebted to Mr. Pagin fir an
elaborate delineation of its form and enrichments, in his
work, Specimens of Gothic Archi.ecture." The curious
investigator of domestic antiquitits wall not fail to appreciate
this iateressing relic, as well as the liberality of the kad•
lieutenant, which has preserved it from the desecration of
being removed from the city.—Lincoln Mercury.
A GLASS BEWZR.—It is proposed to lay down s
glass culvert for the main sewers of Rugby. It has been
reeoramanded on ommant of its onoothatee sad general
sessalp