The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-11 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

DISTRESS IN THE COLONY.
The Diamond Company's Cape mail steamship
Albany, Captain Edington, from Table Bay, Dec.
9; St. Helena, Dec. 17 ; and Madeira, Jan. 4,
arrived at Falmouth on Tuesday night. She
brought a mail consisting of eleven sacks,which was
landed and forwarded yesterday morning, 25 pas-
sengers, and the following cargo :-1,644 bales of
wool, 352 bags of sugar, 42 cases of arrowroot,
8 cases of ostrich feathers, 276 elephants' tusks, 80
rhinoceros' horns, 158 bundles of bides, 3 bales of
sheep skins, 6 bales of goat skins, 2 bales of angora
hair 2 1 bale cotton, and various packages of
sundries.

At the Cape there was no decided change to re-
port on the general character of commercial opera-
tions throughout the colony, but the aspect
of matters on the whole was more
There was every reason to conclude that
the effects of the commercial crisis, from which
the Eastern province more particularly bad suf-
fered so severely, were gradually poising away,
and that very shortly matters would assume a
generally prosperous aspect, and business be car-
ried on at once in a prudent and profitable way.
Large quantities of wool had been sent to market,
and there teemed to be a disposition amongst
growers to devote more taro to its preparation, so
as to improve its quality and enhance its value.
The continued drought had, however, exercised a
prejudicial, and often destructive, influence upon
the flocks, so as is some cases to sweep away a con-
siderable portion of the farmers' profits for
the year. Whole districts in some parts of
the colony were described as being literally
perched up, and deprived both of grass and water.
But there were some districts which had not suffered
in this way, and it was hoped that the drought
would speedily come to an end. The distress
amongst the labouring classes continued at both
ends of the colony. Accounts received. from the
interior represent the amount of destitution and
distress existing there es being alarming. Many
men who were commonly supposed to be in a far
better position than working men were said to be
suffering severely from privation. The Bishop of
Cape Town, on a recent return from a visitation
tour, had stated that ostensible proprietors of
6,000 or 7,000 acres of land were actually suffering
from want of the common necessaries of life.
Very praiseworthy exertions had been made, both
by the muncipality of Cape Town and by public
subscriptions, to alleviate the distress, but these
efforts had been found unequal to meet such a great
emergency, and a memorial had been presented to
the governor requesting him to proceed with some
of the public works. His excellency admitted the
existing distress, and even expressed his opinion
that it would increase, but stated that, although
parliament bad authorised the works, it had not
provided the funds for that purpose, and he de-
clined to borrow money without a parliamentary
sanction or a public guarantee. He said either a
special session oflparliament must be convened, which
he considered it expedient to avoid if possible, or
the men of affluence in Cape Town should guaran-
teelthe payment of a certain amount, say 10,0001.,
which the government would then borrow, and at
once set about some public work for the relief of
the unemployed. The deputation that waited upon
his excellency agreed that the latter course would
be the better, and a committee had since been
employed in obtaining the names of guarantors.
His excellency said there would be no real risk, as
parliament would be sure to grant a vote to relieve
the guarantors from their responsibility.
The return of Bishop Coleus° to his diocese had
excited a great sensation in Natal. The metropo-
litan Bishop Gray had, however, so far given no
public indication of any intention on his own part
to stir further in the matter. It was therefore
thought quite possible that his lordship would not
dispute Bishop Colenso's right to remain Bishop of
Natal.
The war between the Orange Free State and the
Basutos was still going on in a desultory manner.
A feeling was gaining ground that the result would
be far less favourable to the Free State than was
anticipated. Recruiting had been attempted in the
colony on behalf of the Free State, and Sir P.
Wodehouse had intimated to the president of the
state that if such a course was continued the
transport of gunpowder through the colony for the
state would be prohibited.
The Union Company's steamship Dane had been
lost near Cape Recife about a week before the
Albany sailed. The Dane's captain, Waldek, had
had his certificate suspended for his conduct in the
affair. The other officers had been acquitted by
the court of inquiry. The Dane's passengers and
crew were all saved, and her mails were subse-
quently also rescued.
The governor's project of removing the Tamboo-
kiss beyond the Kei had not turned out satisfacto-
rily. The Tambookies disliked the scheme, and had
objected to being moved.

NEws ritom JAMAICA.—In consequence of the
recent heavy weather the homeward bound steamers from
the West Ladies to Liverpool and Southamptm have been
considerably detained. The Grenadier), with dates from
Colon to the 7th, put into Holyhead on Tuesday night, for
coal. The Hayti, with date, from Kingston to the 9th
December, arrived in the Mersey last night. The
next outward bound steamer from Liverpool is the Vene-
zuela°, which sails for the West Indies on Sunday
morning.
PRIVILEGES OF MILITARY OFFICERS IN FRANCE.
—M. Omer, a well-known actor in the theatres of the
boulevard, publishes a letter addressed by him to the
Minister of Justice, showing the difficulties he hoe had to
encounter in obtaining reparation, either by a public apology
or by a judicial decision, for • personal mama committed
on him by a military officer. On the 22nd of November,
while standing under the vestibule of the Gymesse Theatre,
he was struck violently in the face by a persou quite
unknown to him, and to whom he bad given no provocation
whatever. The aggressor was arrested by the bystanders,
and proved to be Captain Ballot, an officer
of the staff. M. Omer first endeavoured to ob-
tain military justice, but in reply to an application
to the marshal commanding the division in which Paris
is comprised, was informed that the complaint was not
within the competency of the army tribunals, and must
be prosecuted before the civil authority. M. Omer then
applied to the Tribunal of Correctional Police, but with a
I like result ; the Procereuvimpririal declared that tbe court
of police was incompetent, and refused to grant the sum-
, mons demanded. The victim of the outrage, finding repa-
ration denied him on all sides, has now addressed the
Minister of Jostice directly, and in his letter to that fuse.
Weary asks whether, to obtain a fitting satisfaction, his
only alternative is to commit a punishable offence or a dis-
booonrsble action—the former by fighting a duel, the latter
by accepting a compensation in money.—tia/ignan".
WF.ST INDIA Bisnors. —A colonist writer :
" There are paid from the Consolidated Fund the salaries of
I four West India bishops, as well as • portion of the
stipends of the assistant curates in the diocese of Barba-
; does, 10t. each—which is drawn quarterly on the Pay-
master•GeneraL There are at prevent five bishops (two noe-
lresident) for the British Wert Indies, viz., the Bishops
of Jamaica, Kingston, Barbados', Antigua, and British
Guiana. Bishop Coleridge did the duty of the last
three, and was not evertesked in days when there wag
Ino steam communication between the islands. Con.
sideriog the limited population of the West Indies,
and that the vast majority of the people are diameters,
the number of bishops is out of all proportion to
, the clergy. Some of the colonies are almost ex.
1 elusively ROM= catholic, snob se St Lucia, Dominica,
asd Trinidad; in others again the Wesleyan, and
Moravian, are in the ascendant. Barbados. alone is the
stronghold of the church of England, end even in that
island them is a strong body ce disseeters, 'melodies Mora-
lvisas, Wesley's" and Roman catholic*. The pay of the
Auntie:at:clergy from the tame of the colonies is an annual
souroe of irritation is thresfourths of the islands, and the
beartborninp are continued by the incessant applications
• for grant* from the Treasury for repairs of church buildings,
rectory, Re., sad which are =silly squandered in gross
• jobs. Most of the clergy am connected with the public
officers, and of later years some of the rectors are nominated
members of couecil and nominated to the commission of
the pesos. Both these are modern inuovatioes to which the
Secretary of State's Wen** ought to be at ones directed.
so as to muse their removal, as elide molder pceition
Soon the utter ruin of social concord, and is greatly dotal-
menial to the peace end prosperity of sash rettleeneet."