The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-04 00:00:00

TRADE ON THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA.

A correspondent of the St. Hekna Advocate writes
u follows:

" A gentleman who has been recently engaged in the
trade of the South West Coast of Africa, has furnished the
following information relative to the coast between the
Cape Colony and Walwich Say, which may perhaps be of
interest to your readers.
"As regards guano, he states that the supply at Halifax•
Penguin, and Seal Islands, Ichaboe and Poeusaion, is now
exhausted, and nothing is to be collected except • very
sandy inferior description without smell. There is also a
small supply of recent deposit, which when mixed up with
the other may sometimes realise a remunerating price, but
seems to be hardly worth tho expenses. The greatest at-
traction as that coast is copper and other minerals.
A misinig company have commenced operations at
Pedestal Paint, and are slaking a shaft of coluiderable rite.
Some specimens of ore already procured are worth 4.51. a
ton, but the 'apply will be small, and difficult to separate
from the quarts la which the veins of copper omit. It is
eapectedthat gold, planes., and precious stones will be met
with, but from the geological structure of this coast the sup-
ply of these must be scanty. He could not observe any for-
mation bat the primitive quartz and granite rock, with
abundance of mica and iron. The limestone and coal de-
posits do not (neer, so that the treasures generally met with
beneath these cannot here be expected. Abundance of
inferior pebbles are found upon many of the islands, mostly
opals, and some similar to the Ceylon moonstone. Their
low value may be estimated by the quantity in which they
occur.

There is, however, another branch of trade feeling its
way on the coast, similar to the tallow trade of Australia.
An establishment has been formed in Walwieh Bay for
that purpose. The transit from the coast to the interior,
where the cattle are pastured, is about 60 miles. Bullocks
will be brought down from thence and slaughtered on the
coast, and the tallow packed in the hides. The barter for
this trade will be in common Manchester fabrics, old flint
muskets, felt hats, and other common supplies required by
a community of blacks, partially converted, and beginning
to assume European habits. The boom of the northern
Cape frontier too, are beginning to look forward to supplies
from this part of the coast, and ts the attention of mer-
' chants at bogie has already been turned to this subject, it
may be expected that in a short time we shall sea trading
depots all along this part of the coast."

RAILWAY COMMTNICATIOM BETWEEN PIEDMONT
AND SIVITZWILAND. —The fatrie# ?krill** states. (says

the ilerriens Marewadits, of the 29th ult..) that a coutianylif
Swiss, Italia, and Beglish engineers, have beta studying
the best tenons of opening a conununicatieu by rail, as short
u possible, by the St. Gothard or the St. Bernard. It
seems that they have discovered a passage from the Vallehl
to the Val d'Aosta, which will only require a tunnel of three
kilometres.

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OP HACKETT FROM HIS
AmmucAm Paseox.—Captain Bowyer, the chief Aker of
the New York Police in London during the Great Exhibi-
tion, received lectors from America by yesterday's post, in-
forming him of a most daring attempt at escape by the
notorious George Hackett and his confederate, who are
now confined in New Jersey gaol, awaiting their trial froths
plate robbery recently committed by them on the other side
of the Atlantic. Captain Bowyer's information is to the
effect that one of the turnkeys, well acquainted with
Hackett's reputation, had been watching him with more
than ordinary vigilance, =don going to lock hint up for the
night suddenly missed him from the place he should have
been in at the time. Search was instantly made, and he
was found scented near one of the outer passage
doors of the building ready to avail himself of
the first opportunity to escape, as he did at Pen-
tonville. Suspicion in the meantime was directed to-
wards his accomplice, and he was also dragged from his
hiding-place by the prison officers. On being searched
a large pointed knife, resembling a emotions de CA4SBO,
was discovered in the leg of his pantaloons, though
how he obtained it is at present a mystery. On this being
brought to light he sulkily exclaimed, " Every man has his
day, and George and me will have ours yet, for our lives
ain't worth much in this way." They were both recon-
ducted by a secret route to distant and separate cells under
very close surveillance, and ironed till the trial. The
woman who accompanied them from England is also com-
mitted for trial, sufficient evidence having been adduced to
connect her as an aooompliee in the same robbery.