The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-28 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

The Oriental Company's steam-packet Madrid,
Cipt. J. Weeks, arrived at Southampton yesterday,
and lauded her mails under the charge of Lieut. J.
Inglis, RN., Admit alty agent. Her dates are—Gibi al-
tar, Feb. 18 ; Cadiz, F, I). 19; Lisboa, Feb. 21; Oporto,
Feb. 22; Vigo, Feb. 23.
At Lisbon it was ri ported that the British squa-
dron were soon to leave the Tagus for England, with
the exception of the Howe and Scourge. The Home
is to sail for the Queen Dowager on March 26. The
squadron are now comparatively healthy. The St.
Vincent has still 18 men at the hospital. There was
one new case of small-pox on the 19th.
LISBON, FEB. 21.
The only single subject of news that is now occu-
pying the Lower House is the project of. law relating to the
military force, and as thero is no upptstion, every deputy
being the nominee of the ministers, or rather of the minis-
ters' waster, Costa Cabral, there ctn be small doubt but
that there will he no reducion in the wiliest), force of the
country ; rather the reverse, for not only will the Cabral
battalions be kept on foot, but an augmentation of their
strength seems very probable.
In connexion with this subject the public mind has been
rather stsrtled et 111 expose made in the Cbamber of Peers,
by the Marshal Duke of Saldsnho, who, in the c Arse of his
speech, produced and read to the home a num:ter of de-
spatches and reports from various civil governors in dill rent
parts of the country, in which the tact is proclaimed that
the people are evcrywherepliguelites, and are aiming at a
restoration, a fact well known without the admission of the
Marshal, hut the singularity of the matter is, that be should
have had the bold honesty so publicly to avow it ; it L,
therefore, upea this ground that he justifies the keeping on
foot of so large a military force.
The " Times affair" is still before the two houses ; not a
Lut it induces some sparring. Count Tojal takes the
matter very coolly; he rays that, for his part, he can see no
reason why a minister shouldn't "honestly' look after his
own foi tunes.

The Englah squadron yet remains in the Tagus. It has
been rumoured that the detention is at the instance of Sir G.
Hamilton Seymour, prohnbly a measure of precaution, for the
acts of the queen, and the terrorism by which she would en -
tain her throne, threaten serious events. Toe Scourge and
the Terrible steamers had a trial of speed yesterday, and
during the afternoon the latter went over the bar, her desti-
nation being south.
Exchange on London : 30 days, 531 ; 9J days, 631 e.—ln
commace nothing new.

COLONIAL.
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

By the Simlah, from Calcutta, we have dates to
the Ist of January, by which we learn that the whole of the
Kaffir chiefs had assembled at King tVilliam's Tows, where
they were met by Sir H. Sin th, who addressed the chiefs and
upward of 2,000 Raffles unarmed on the 21th of December,
and having produced a staff, and a sergeant's halbert, he up-
braided several of the chiefs for their faithless conduct in the
observance of their engagement+, and then offered them
their election of peace or war. The staves were emblemati-
cal of war and peace; they might choose which they pleased.
Me chiefs accepted the staff of peace, and Sir H. Smith
declared himself Inkesi Halvah:, the great chief. The
country now surrendered is to be called British Caffraria.
The 7a% Dragoon Guards, 27th Inniskillens, 91st, Ist bat.,
82nd, and 90:h regiment will immediately return to England
in consequence of orders already received.
By an arrival from the Cape of Good Hope. at Cork, we
base Graham's Town journals to the 18th December. Sir
Harry Smith had arrived at Graham's Town. In hie pro•
grew from Algna Bsy, hi+ excellency met Sir H. Pottinger,
en route to the coast, at Sidhury, when a lengthened con-
ference took place on the state of public affairs.