The Express.
London, England, 1846-11-05 00:00:00

. COLONIAL.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.—We have received
files of the South African Commercial Advertiser to the
29th August, but they add nothing to the intelligence from
the frontier concerning the operations against the Kaffir',
beyond the following details from the Graham's Town Jour-
nal, of August 22 Poet arrived from Kaffirland this
evening, viii Fish River mouth, brings the intelli-
gence of the lose of fourteen of our men, killed by the
Kaffirs. The particulars of this affair show that our men
cannot be too wary, of the crafty enemy, and that, though he
has retired and will not face our troops, yet he is watching
with the malignant eye of the panther, their every move-
ment, and will take every opportunity which may present
itself stealthily to spring upon any who may unguardedly
place themselves within his reach. The details of this un-
fortunate catastrophe are given in the following communion-

Lion :—Col. Johnstone and Sir Andreas Stockenstrom have
gone on with near 3,000 men, with twenty waggons of provi-
sions • they go on until they come up with the Kaffir cattle. I
am afraid they will do but little, u they have no mounted force.
Col. Johnstone is, I think, about the best officer we have in the
field, so that if they have an opportunity of doing anything,
they will try their best. A few days ago twenty-one waggon
drivers left the general's camp, to go in search of Kaffir
corn ; but when they had got about eight miles off, seven of
them returned, thinking that it was not prudent for them to
go any further from the camp. All the Hottentots persisted,
and went on until they found that they were surrounded by
a large body of Kaffir'. Only one of the party escaped, the
thirteen were all butchered. About two weeks ago the
Kaffirs killed three poor Hottentot lads, who went out after
some goats ; their bodies were found, and were buried at the
camp. It appears that since that time the Kadin have taken
the bodies out of the graves, first mutilated them, and then
carried them to the Buffalo river, and hung them on
a tree at the drift, through which the troops had to
pass. Cabala and Macomo have again sent in for peace,
but their messengers were not allowed to enter the camp ;
and were driven off. It is supposed that when Col. John-
stone returns from the Kei the Governor will recommence

operations. This will probably be in October.—From an-
other quarter we lave the following: Capt. Hogg, 7th
Dragoon Guards, arrived with express from Col. Hare, to
the effect that Macomo had sent in to ask for peace, stating
that many had been killed on both aides; that the ploughing
season was fast passing away; and they wished the troops to
return home, that he might return also to his place near
Fort Beaufort. The General is as firm as a rock, and re-
turned for answer, that he could not take his word, as he had
already forfeited his oath. Nothing can equal the firmness
and decision of the General towards the Kaffirs ; while to
all in camp his kind and unassuming attention makes him
a general favourite. He always lends a patient ear to
our little grievances and complaints, while he bears an equal
share of the privations and hardships all have to endure. He
metes out that just treatment to the Kaffirs they have so long
merited. Women are constantly coming into camp, some
with the excuse of begging food, others to ask for peace. To
the former request they are referred to ask food of their
husbands ; to the latter, that the general does not treat with
women on such matters. They complain of the Fingoes
depriving them of their trinkets, but are informed that if
they fear the Fingoes, they ought to get at a greater distance
from them. They are always remarkably ignorant; do
not know where their husbands or cattle are—have
not seen them for a month ; but all agree that
Tola's and Eno's people are still in the Fish River
Bush. Umhala has sent in several messages, to the
effect that he is still ' sitting still,' but was informed
that if really anxious for peace he must come into camp him-
self. This will not do. The general opinion here is, that the
Katfirs will be driven over the Kei, but nothing has fallen
from the General to warrant this assertion. The Kaffirs at
first showed in great force at Murray's Rock. We went out
and tired a few cannon shot at them; they returned the fire,
but as it was late we returned to camp. The next morning
when we returned they had decamped. One of the camp
followers, a Kaffir of Umkey's tribe, a most faithful creature,
under a promise of cattle, set off with a few letters to Colonel
Johnstone in tho mountains, but the poor fellow has never
since been heard of. A moat awful ease has again occurred:
Fifteen waggondrivers went out to-day to seek for plunder on
their own account; one only, a man named Sam, a Fingoe of
MeLucas's, has returned to tell the tale. They were surrounded
by some 300 Kaffirs, he only made his escape. These men
were drivers of Commissariat waggons. Several introls have
been out, but only the body of one man has yet been found.
Stockeustrom is at the Kabuzi, Dohne's Station, with his
division. Col. Johnstore, with part of our division is to join
him to-morrow, and proceed to Kreili'a country for cattle.
The General remains here (Fort Beresford)withthe infantry
to patrol the mountains. Colonel Somerset, you are aware,
I suppose, has returned with his corps to Fort Peddle. This
is a judicious movement, ashis horses are too poor for active
service; 60 have already beea shot.
Thursday. Commandant Onkruydt arrived in Gra-
ham's Town to-day from the Fish River mouth,where a party
of his burgher force have been stationed, and gives a most
encouraging account of the lively appearance of affairs at
Waterloo Bay, and the facility with which goods are landed
there. Four vessels were in the port or roadstead, the
whole presenting a scene of cheerful, active, commercial
industry. Immense quantities of supplies of all kinds were
on the beach, and there is now, it is said, no fear of any
want being felt by the troops in the ficed for at least several
months to tome. Some losses of cattle are, however, re-
ported in the immediate neighbourhood of the camp. Four
or five spans of oxen, in the employ of the commissariat,
have been adroitly carried off by Kettle mar uders, many of
whom still lurk in the bushy ravines in that quarter. Let-
ters received in town from the camp to the 19th inst.,
represent the Kaffirs as having again made their ap-
pearance in the neighbourhood of the Ohemie in some
force. It is said that a patrol of one hundred Burghers
found it necessary to retire before them, and that a
Fingo patrol was nearly surrounded, and with some difficulty
escaped being cut off. Capt. Sutton with the Kat River Legion
had been directed to move upon this quarter, and was ex-
pected to be there yesterday, and if so, there can be eo doubt,
should the enemy remain, hut he will give a good amount of I
him Accounts from Fort Peddle state, that the chief
stock hail sent in to say it was his intention to deliver him-
self up to the British authorities. Ho was expected tither
at Colonel Somerset's camp, or at Capt. M•Lean'a quarters
yesterday.
Saturday.—Report came in, that on Thursday a patrol of
the Stellenbosch burghers, under Capt. Hugo, and who
commands the post et Manley's Flat, had fallen in with a
small party of Kaffirs in the Fish River Bush. Five of the
marauders were seen and tired on, and two are supposed to
have been wounded. The whole, however, succeeded in
escaping into the bush, leaving behind them twenty-eight
head of cattle, some assegais, several pairs of ladies'
shoes, a lady's dress, karosses, and other trifling articles.
Received also a report that two or three spans of oxen had
been captured by Kettles on Quagga Flat, and it is said two
persons, who were in charge of them, wounded. Mr. W.
Stubbs, with the Sporting Club, returned about noon to-day,
after a most suceetsful pursuit of the marauders, who swept
off, on Thursday evening, Mr. Pankhurst's cattle from the
Graham's Town flats. It will be seen that this party started
from town early on Friday morning, and got on the spoor
near the old road over Botha's-hill. Thence they took the
direction through the Fish River Bush towards
Koester's Drift, and thence to the Kings (Lemon
Kraal) on the Fiah River, where, after eight hours' incessant
I riding, they first sighted the cattle in the valley below them,
at the edge of the bush. Screening themselves by the bush,
the party with great judgment contrived to wind their way
down the height, towards the point where the cattle were
obeerved, and having reached a convenient distance, they
left their horses in charge of a few men, while the rest en-
tered the bush, and soon got a glimpse of four Kettles stand-
ing quite unconscious of danger around a fire, and another a
little distance from them. Approaching these marauders
until within about ninety yards, they gave them a volley,
and the whole fell forward over the tire, every one supposed
to be wounded. They however sprung upon their feet and
tied, but two of them were seen to be severely hit in their
flight, and again fell, hut eventually recovered themselves,
and escaped into the hush, where the party were too jaded
to follow them. The marauders left everything behind
them ; 18 assegais, karosses, knapsacks, veldt-shoes, tinder
boxes, &c., falling into the hands of the pursuers. The
assegais were brought away, but the other articles were
burnt. A beast had been killed, and part of it eaten, the
rest the pursuers destroyed. They also recaptured 13 head
of cattle, a horse, and two foals. A party of mounted men
is again ordered daily to petrol the Haut around Graham's
Town for the protection of the cattle still kept upon the
commonage.

AUSTRALIA.—Accounts received by way of
Singapore from the scene of operation in the Mur-
ray district, Western Australia, report, that coal has
at length been discovered in the colony. The follow-
ing is from a supplement of the Swan Riser News: '
SWAN RIVEIL—We delay the publication of our
journal on account of dispatches just received, of such im-
mense importance, as to demand the instant publication
of an extra sheet. By the streneus exertions of F. C. Sin-
gleton, Esq., M.C., our advices had been expressed to the
Overland Mail, but by some accident the Marseilles dispatch
was mimed • but, nothing daunted, our correspondeut hur-
ried it forward, after the Southampton Mail, in company
with a packet of supplements extra of the Inquirer, which
we were requested to distribute. We leave these truly
startling documents to speak for themselves :
DISCOVERY OF A STRATUM OF COAL !—Mr. Samuel
Moore, in a letter to the editor of the Inquirer, dated July
30th, states that a drain running N.N.E., 100 yards long and
about four feet deep, having been cut in a clay plain, on the
lands of Mr. Beacham, thirty-five miles south of Freemantle,
and within a short distance of the Murray river, a stratum
was discovered about three feet from the surface, of clay, Si-
milar to the shale of Lancashire, running nearly horizor.tally
along both sides of the drain, and containing shining sub-
stances like fractured coal embedded in it, which, when
burnt, produced gas and flame. On digging some yards
east and west, the stratum was again met with, dipping
to the west about two inches in the yard. On the east
side, a depth of fourteen feet and a half was reached,
and the following strata passed through :-1. A yellow sandy
clay. 2. Yellow clay containing reddish spots. 3. Shale clay
containing black shining substances resembling coal. 4.
Brown clay. .5. Azure blue clay, about six inches thick, con-
taining veins of a black substance, in which the marks of
large leaves were discernable. 6. Blue clay, rather lighter
than the last, and three fret thick. 7. Dark brown clay,
forty-six inches thick. 8. Hard sand, two feet and a half
thick. And 9- strong adhesive clay. Here the operations
were stopped by the accumulation of the rain in the small
shaft that has been sunk, but samples of the various strata
were submitted to Mr. Birch (a chemist from Staffordshire),
who at once pronounced them to be coal
Mr. F. C. Singleton accompanied Mr. Moore in his expe-
dition of discovery, and gives a similar report.
Both gentlemen have sent, for the Swan River news, full
particulars of their impressions on the subject; and Mr.
Moore informs us that he intends to send down a boring in-
strument forthwith to the field of operations.
DISCOVERY OF A Naw PORT.—DI Mangles Bay, at the
south extremity of Cockburn Sound, and at a distance of
three miles N. by E. from Peel's Harbour, a depth of water
has been found of five and six fathoms, at 100 yards from the
sandy beach, and ten to eleven fathoms at a cable's length
further out, " On a bottom," says Mr. Roe, the surveyor-
! general, "of the best possible holding ground, con-
sisting of soft clay ; " the frontage of the splendid
anchorage is the proposed town site of -Rockingham, and the
country around being of a level character as far as the
forests, Mr. Roe suggests that railways could be easily made
to bring down the timber and shift it into the ship, which
would be in perfect shelter with her bow or stern warped •
close to the shore. This port is to be named after
the ex-colonial minister and to be called " Port Glad-
stone." The Surveyor-General was engaged in making
the chart of this port, which is so well calculated to supply
' tho want so long felt, of good and secure anchorages on the