The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-27 00:00:00

THE CAPE AND THE CONVICTS.

The well-known missionary, Be,. J. J. Freeman,
writes as follows respecting the feeling in the Cape Colony
respecting convicts. The letter from which we quote is to
be found in the British Bonner of yesterday :
For a few moments I may just advert to this question of
convicts. I have never sem or heard of a people so unite
in any measure as the people of this colony are against
introduction of owlish in any form and to any atent. The
united voice of Great Britain, some years ago, an the qua-
lien of the emancipation of our slaves, was not more sanest
and unequivocal than the voice of this colony not to admit
• convict. Nothing can enable the government to carry
the measure, of making this in any way • penal settlement,
but martial law and a strong military force. Europeans.
Atricans, and all the coloured classes, make • dad stand
against it, as for their lives. The manifestation of feeling
is everywhere most decided. Popular meetings, crowded
usamblies, riveted auditoria, impatience for news, bells
tolled, shops closed, newspapers bordered with black linos,
black flag hoisted, all possible indications of the public sen-
timent on the subject ale displayed, and Lord Grey has
gone down to the very lowest grade of distrust, aversion, and
antempt to which • public man can be reduced. I think be
will never snowed in regaining the confidence or respect of
this colony, whatever measures he may now adopt. lie is
considered as having broken faith with the colony,
and that in a very dishonourable , and as
having shown himself ready to sacrifice the moral
interests of the colony, while professing that he
would do nothing in the matter of sending convicts here,
without asartaliiing first the sentiments of the colonists
themselves. ilia intimation that the general interests of the
empire required the adoption of the measure is felt to be
unsound, unjust, and cruel; and the threat that the Cape
should be left at the mercy of the Coffees in the event of
another war, has made an indelible impression on the
hearts of the colonists of the utter unfitness of the men that
could hold or utter sash a sentiment to be intrusted with
the reins of the colonial administration of our empire. The
colonists are forced by the authorities at home into the adop-
tion of measures dancers*. to their interests, and then
cooly told that when the danger comes they must help them-
selves out of it!

CALIFORNIA.

We qnote the following letter from the Morning
Post, which states that it has just been received
from the gold regions and may be relied on as
authentic ; it is the production of a young man in
humble circumstances, and addressed without reserve
to his friends in London :
Borman Island, California, Oct. 8, 1849.
Dean Fatanne,-1 take this opportunity, after a Lang
silence, of writing, but the old saying is, " better late than
never." I dare ley you have beard of California and its
gold, to which pines numbers have come with the foolish
idea of picking it up as soon as they arrived, and that
daily, bat they found their error when they got hers. 1
have been here about five weeks. I have managed to get
about half au ounce per day, with very hard digging for it,
for any one that wants gold must dig hard for it. I have
worked into the soil about eignt feet, from there to the rock,
which is about three feet, which is the only soil that will pay
the washing of it, as the gold in nearly all plaose has settled
down to the reek. It appears in former years there has been
an eruption ef the earth, which Yea thrown the gold up, as
there are huge masses of rocks scattered about. Where the
gold is, the rocks are covered with soil to the depth of thir-
teen feet, where the gold is in general to be found. I
Wised, Odes God to rive me my health, to endeavour to
stop up attke mind all winter, if there is not too mud rain
falls, when I hops to be able to do something. I
here a small machine with which I wash the soil, which
is made of an iron plate, with holes in it, and the
water is kept continually poured on, and the machine is
rocked in the same manner as a cradle, by a person sitting,
hada, a pot la one heed, with long handle, and with the
grim reclaim the dulls. The holes in the iron plats let
the am dirt go through, and prevent the stones from going
When the plate is fell of stones they are thrown
ter Lilegke partitions ia the cradle receive the fine dirt,
' lablak with die water sad the cradle kept constantly rock.
' Kik leaves estir the gold sad a line bleak sand they call
' seater. Nem ef the machines that have come from the
Sta ed !Ragland answer bat the rocker. There is,
I believe. slant
600 vessels in Ban Premises nearly ell
deseeled. Woes sada to work on board, IL 81. per
' Eq. anel in he
Sad. Vessels going to sea cannot get
en tar 101.0 ineidit. English vessels that are here have
le glee the apprentices IL per day to get then to stop by the
desk and then only the youngest will stay Captains
have left their ships, sad Madre of the United States army
and navy all flock to the WM. Sometimes you may get
three or four ounces per day, perhaps the nest day nothing ;
it is quits a isdery. Ten must excuse the wridng, as I have
been ding the picked sad shovel lately, and my head is out
of order. I have sack Meeral simple of the gold nifty.
dug. I intend is the which is approaching to get a
large rocker, the partitions underneath the plate having
quicksilver, whisk saves the minutest particles of the gold.
Ton would saireedy credit the state society is in at the
mines; though there an people of all characters and grades
is life, still everything as quiet sad orderly. You may
leave anything anywhere for months—go back, it is in the
game spot where you left it. No ose will touch it. say
eat is aught thievieg, for the Seat time he is oowhided ;
fee the second
time, he is brought to a tree, and there
shot. For shooting at any person, excepting in self-
dehisce, ee he stealing from the person at any time, they
see ekes. When I fleet came here there was a gang that
salted deemealde the "Bands," who went about robbing
end murdering, as it suited them ; but they are all ten down.
Some of them were caught and shot ; others sent down to
Sea Francisco, tried, and imprisoned for a certain number
ef years. Thus is no disilaction of persons here—one is es
geed as the ether, end treat each other with the greatest
utility, from the general in the army to the sweep. Every
pence goes armed when they travel, but there is searely any
esemion for it. Plenty of wolves infest the neighbourhood
d a night, but do as harm. There are bears, but not many.
The wows with my kind regard to you, also to Ile. B—,
likewine to Robert end Sereh Ann (and I hope they ere all
and Mr. W—, not forgetting Kr. sad Mn.s
I;--rued family, and I hope they are all well. I hod also
le em yea again. Yon must not be angry that I do not write
awls. hat I often think of you. Before I conclude 1 will inform
criktke present priced prow's ions ; they have been higher.
per lb., 25.; bread, per loaf, 3s. ; beef, per lb., 2s. ;
salt pork, Is. Bd. ; brandy, 10e. per bottle ; Esglish ale, 124.
per bottle ; sugar, 2a. per lb. ; eggs and sedges, 4s. cock ;
washing 21. ;er down ; carpenters, I ounces of gold per day;
bleekemiths, 1 ounce per day. I must now begin- get
log-posse built for the inter. There are fan of us living
in a teat. Every ens is living in tents at the Wades ; but it
never rade in the sander, end in the winter It rains plenty.
This sheet of paper cost Is., California price —I rafted,
yours sincerely,
P.S.—I am two hundred mike in the interior.

MUZDZIt 111 • RAILWAY CARBIAOZ.—A horrible
fustier wee committed a few dale sin on the road from
Turin to Asti. A araaja, who had recently arrived at
Turin, where he received a suss of 6,000 francs, left by the
railroad ON Asti; bat be had been followed to the station by
fear saes, who knew that he had received the money at
Turin, sad who got into the same carriage. On the snivel
et the train at Valdialtiesa. these mat left, and when the
train arrived at Asti their nametasato TIMM' was found
bad from et ea sad hie many had been cured
eft.—G6SP•sti.