The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-23 00:00:00

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

(rxtrrza's Exrities.)

According to advices received by the Britain the
Cape had recovered its equanimity after the excitement
of the royal visit. His Royal Highness the Duke of Edin-
burgh left Simon's Bay on the god October for Australia.
His lengthened stay seemed to have passed off as agreeably
to himself as it evidently was to the Caps people.
The prince during his stay mingled freely
all classes, and paid private as well askinponnbit
visite to institutions. He also suede a careful inspection
of the Breakwater works, and finally acknowledged the
hospitality be had received by giving • return ball at
Timers-town prior to his departure. This ball was, in
every way, a princely return of thou, given to the duke by
the governor, colonists and military, and paned off with
brilliant éclat. The duke left Ca town finally on Sept. 2S.
The meeting of the Dutch Reformed Synod was opened
on the Bth Oct. It had excited much interest, but bad
endedabruptly and unsatisfactorily. The first question to be
determined before it was whether the Rev. Messrs. Bergey'
and Kotre, the clergymen whose doubted orthodoxy
caused the legal proceeding, that were adjudicated upon
by the Privy Council, on an appeal adverse to the Synod,
should or should not be at once recognised as ministers of
the church and members of the Synod. A considerable
minority of members thought the judgment of the Privy
Council should be acquiesced in. The majority, however,
decided that the Synod should be adjourned sine die until
an answer could be obtained to • petition transmitted to
the Queen to have it cleared up whether the judgment of
the Privy Council was intended to have effect only
Quosd Tmporalia. or whether it extended to
spiritual matters. These ministers continued their ser-
i vices, and with a few exceptions their congregations
adhered to them. It was said by a local journal that the
" liberalism" of these ministers, though it prevailed in the
Dutch church, had but very little sympathy with the
extreme views held by the theologians of Germany or by
Bishop Coleus*. His Excellency Sir P. E. Wodahouae would
I return toEngland by the next mail on six months' leave of
absence, but it was not considered likely be would ',tarot°
the colony, as his term of office will by that time have ex-
pired. The colonists express hopes that Sir George Grey
will be their next governor.

Business during the past month had shown signs of an
improvement in the colony. The weather had been very
satisfactory for agriculture, and the crops were ewe pro-
mising. Very little had been done during the month in
the way of wool shipments, owing to the low price of wool
in the English markets. Several vessels, however, had
sailed with full cargoes.
A dangerous fever of a low typhoidal character, and
sometimes assuming • malignant typhus form, had con-
tinued to prevail in Cape Town, and in many other places
in the oniony. The number of cases constantly under
treatment in Cape Town WWI about 500, and the mortality
was about 60 a week, while the ordinary mortality of the
city was under 20 • week. Every effort was being made to
enforce sanitary rules.

The Benito war still continued. The Free State was
said to have obtained some very decided successes over the
Basuto&

An earthquake had occurred at Bart London and King
William Town. The buildings were much shaken.
At Natal, in the case of the interdict sought to be
obtained by Dr. Colonio against the Key. Messrs. Green,
B. Fr. Robineon, and Walt= for preaching, the court had
refused the application. The reverend respondents were
now to be cited individually to appear on the first day in
next term, to show cause why they should not be deprived
of their licences in the diocese, _ _

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Capetown had been
mobbed at Namannal, and a mock religious procession
paraded before him his absolution was asked for in deri-
sion, and his person pelted with filth by some ignorant
members of the Dutch community, in consequence of his
having baptized two illegitimate children. The better
class of the Dutch had protested against this outrage, and
sympathised with the bishop.
The Norseman arrived out on Oct. 15, and the Kaffraria
on the 13th.

Her Majesty's ships Nympbe and Daphne, and the
transports England Queen and Bosphorus, were reported
to have arrived out. [The wreck of the latter must have
occurred several days after the departure of the Briton.]

filuitc.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

The thirty-sixth season of this great metropoli-
tan musical institution commenced last night with a fine
performance of /Nail.
The performance was deprived of the aid of the perma-
nent conductor of the society, Mr. Costa, in consequence
of whose indisposition Mr. Sainton assumed the office with
• general efficiency which he has before evinced in a like

capacity under similar circumstances. Another sub-
stitution last night was that of Mr. Perren for Mr.
Cummings, who was unable to sing in consequence
of en attack of inflammation of the larynx. The
principal soprano solos were sung by Madame Lemmenz.
Sherrington with that parity of tone and refinement of
style which she has so often displayed in the same music,
her air, " Hear ye, Israel," being, as usual, specially
noticeable for its chaste delivery. The contralto recita-
tives, and the sublime air, " 0 rest in the Lord," have
been so often sung by Madame Sainton-Dolby that it is
only necessary to say that they were given last night with
all the earnest pathos and genuine feeling for which this
artist has long been distinguished. The short air, " Woe
unto them," was sung with nice expression by Miss Julia
Elton, who, with Miss Robertine Henderson, was
thoroughly efficient in the concerted music. The most
important solos in this oratorio ere those assigned to
Elijah, the music of which part no singer can now declaim
as Mr. Bentley does. Often as this gentleman has sung
this music, he has never given it more finely than List
night. In she many passages of declamatory grandeur and
of sublime pathos occurring in the music of Elijah, this
artist's performance is all that could be desired. In the
dramatic and florid air, "Is not his word like • fire I"
the pathetic lament " It is enough," and in the great
scene of the resuscitation of the widow's son, this artist's
admirable powers were as conspicuous last night as on
many former occasions. The subordinate parts in the
concerted music were assigned to Messrs. F. Walker, C.
Henry, and Mr. Smythson. The noble choruses of this
great work were sung with a steadiness ►nd earnestness
that can only be acquired by a large number of excel'.
tants after many repetitious—such as Elijah has had at
the concerts of the sacred Harmonic Society, and such as
we hope it may long continue to have at their perform-
ances.

The next concert, being the five hundredth performance
given by the society in the great room of Exeter.ball, is
to take place on December 13. The committee state that
" having in view the holding the third triennial Handel
Festival, a general revision of the Festival choir will take
place, and such additions be made thereto as will maintain
the supremacy of the Handel Festivals as the greatest and
most complete choral exhibitions in the world."