The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING. AUGUST 12, 1863.

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

The London and East India Shipping Company's
steamship Golden Fleece, Captain E. G. Bird, has
arrived attPenzance from Calcutta May 17, Madras
May 28, Cape of Good Hope July 2. She brings a
large mail from the Cape, including the Frontier
mail that reached Capetown too late for the last
mail steamer, the Roman. Her passengers from
India are about 90, and from the Cape about 20.
At the Cape the prospects of business were little
altered, and prices ruling about the same, with the
exception of wool, which was declining. In the
eastern province carriers were again complain-
ing of the dry state of the up country districts ;
very little ploughing was going on there, and
farmers were getting anxious about the prospects
for food and forage. A warm dispute had taken
place in the Cape Legislature on the report of a
Government official, which charged the farm-
ing squatters and settlers at Namaqualand,
Clanwilliam, and adjoining districts, with cruelly
exterminating the Bushman people by hunting
them down and shooting them. The report gave
details and authorities, but several members of the
House of Assembly denied the statements. A motion
to suspend the sale of crown lands in those districts
until the Bushman had been provided for and
placed under the protection of the law was re-
jected.
The synod of the English church at Graham's
Town had been opened by the Lord Bishop of that
diocese. The Bishop, in his address, had discussed
at some length the power and constitution of the
synods.

An indignation meeting has been held at Port
Elizabeth on account of the delay of the Frontier
mail, but the circumstances arose, not from the
negligence of the postal authorities at Cape Town,
but from the conveyance breaking down on some
of the rough roads of the Eastern Province.
The long disputed boundary line between the
Queen's Town district and British Kaffraria had
at length been settled. Kaffir robberies on the
frontiers were still being continued. At the village
of Whittelsea two Germans had been beaten by
Kaffirs, robbed, and left for dead.
In the Free State, at a special meeting of the
Volksraad, at Bloemfontein, Mr. Pretorus's resig-
nation of the Presidency had been accepted, also
the resignation of Mr. Allison as Secretary and
Treasurer. General.

News from Madagascar.
confirm theariverrdepaotrt the
tCapthe revolution arose
through the King's liberal measures and grants to
Europeans. The principal cause of the dissatisfac-
tion of the people being brought to a climax is said
to be Mr. Ellis having sent persons to preach at a
village in which are deposited the remains of the
late Queen, who was an anti-Christian, and the
preaching was considered an insult and desecration
to her memory_

In Simon's Bay were the Narcissus, screw, 51,
flagship of Sir Baldwin Walker ; Seringapatam,
4; Pioneer, 6. The latter arrived, June 27, from
Sydney, en route for Plymouth. The Gorgon, 6,
left, June 30, for Madagascar. The Chinese gun-
boas Tien-tsin arrived out June 25; the French
gunboat Fulton, 4, from Brest for New Caledonia,
arrived out June 21. The French gunboat Sybille,
4, also for New Caledonia, was still in Simon's Bay.

in accordance with your orders, has been left at
Hanover Junction. All the artiliery, I am informed,
was taken away, and the singe regiment of infantry
which constituted the guard for the bridges, proved
unequal to the duty, as you have no doubt lea►ned.
Reinforcements were ordered to go np, but some
delay occurred, and they arrived too late to save
the bridge or the brave guard which had unsuccess-
fully defended it. The Yankees, reported to be three
regiments of cavalry, returned from the Central
Road in the direction of Hanover (old town), and
nothing has been heard of them since.

" It was stated that Gen, H. F. Lee was captured
at the house of Mr. Wickham, but I trust it will
prove to be one of the many startling rumours which
the newsmongers invent. The advance of your
army increases our want of cavalry on the north
and east of the city, but except one regiment from
North Carolina, I do not know of any which we can
expect soon to be available, to us. In yours of the
20th you say, If any of the brigades that I have
left behind for the protection of Richmond can, in
your opinion, be spared, I should like them to be
sent me.' It has been an effort with me to answer
the clamour to have troops stopped or recalled to
protect the city and the railroad communicating
with your army. Corse's brigade has gone, and
Wise's is the only other left by you.
Cook's was in North Carolina, and Davis's
brigade was sent to complete Heth's division in
place of Cook's, and Ransom's and Jenkins's
constitute the defences of the south side as far as
Weldon, and are relied on for service elsewhere
from Wilmington to Richmond.
"General Ely is positive that the enemy intend
to attack here, and his scouts bring intelligence
which, if I believe it, would render no more anxiety
for the city than at any former time. Ido not be-
lieve that the Yankees have such force as is stated,
but they have enough to render it necessary to keep
some troops within reach, and some at Petersburg,
at least until Suffolk is truly evacuated. Do not
understand me as balancing accounts in the matter
of brigades. I only repeat that I have not any to
send you, and enough to form an army to threaten
North
if not capture Washington as soon as it is uncovered
was to show you
Carolina is very
small, and I may add that the brigades are claimed
bt
that t Hooker's
the force
and My
purpose, n
as properly of their command. Our information as
to the enemy's intentions may be more full and
trustworthy hereafter. It is now materially greater
than when you were here.

" Very respectfully and truly yours,
" JEFF. DAVIS."

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

His Grace the Duke of Somerset, the Hon. Capt,
Drummond, Mr. Mansfeld, Mr. Milner Gibson, and
Mr. Romaine, arrived at Portland on Saturday
night, and on Monday morning commenced their
inspection by going over the Britannia, training
ship for naval cadets, after which they landed and
went over the Breakwater works, where the foun-
dations of a large circular fort, at its extremity, are
being put in. This work is in 50 feet of water, and
will mount about 60 guns, in three tiers. Their
lordships were accompanied by Mr. Coode, Admi-
ralty engineer, by Capt. Parnell, R.N., Captain
Sotheby, R.N., Lieut.-Col., Henderson (successor to
Sir Joshua Jebb), Capt. Du Cane (Director of Con-
vict Prisons), and Major Nugent (commanding
Royal Engineers). They afterwards proceeded in
waggons up the tramroad to the Convict Prison,
where are now about 1,200 prisoners, over which
the official party was conducted by Captain Buller,
in charge of the establishment. After examin-
ing this their lordships made an inspection of
the works of fortification on the Verne-hill, the
strength of which is, perhaps, as great as that of
any works that have been erected in modern times.
The casemate barracks and fortifications were
minutely examined and explained to their lord-
ships in detail by Major Nugent and Lieutenant
Home, in charge of the works. These, as well as
the breakwater, have been principally erected by
convict labour. The official party did not leave
the works till near six o'clock.
Th© whole of the mortar vessels built for the Ad-
miralty during the late Russian war, and since laid
up in ordinary at Yantlett Creek, Chatham, have
bee❑ surveyed by the dockyard officials, and those
found in a sound and serviceable condition are being
brought forward for the service of the dockyard.
The mortar vessels No. 5 and No. 7 are to be fitted
at Gravesend for harbour service•

The Brisk, 16, screw steam corvette,Capt. J. Luce,
arrived at Spithead from the West Coast of Africa
yesterday. On anchoring she exchanged the
customary salutes with the flagship Victory. She
sailed again from Spithead yesterday afternoon for
Plymouth to be paid off, taking with her a few
supernumeraries for the flagship there.
The Orontes troopship, Captain W. H. Hire, went
out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday morning, and
proceeded to the measured mile in Stokes Bay, to
make her official trial of speed, under the supervision
of Capt. H. Broadhead, of her Majesty's ship Asia,
and commanding the steam reserve at Portsmouth,
Mr. Murdock, chief inspector of machinery afloat,
and Mr. Ward. Mr. Langdon, who represented the
firm of Messrs. I. Watt and Co., the makers of the
engines, was also on board. On coming out of the
harbour a schooner yacht, with a string of boats
astern, was anchored in mid.channel, so that the
greatest care had to be exercised by the pilot to pre-
vent this new and valuable ship from getting ashore
or running the schooner down. She made six runs
at full speed, with steam pressure at 221 b., vacuum
22in., and 60 revolutions of engines, giving an ave-
rage of 12.352 knots ; and at half-boiler power, with
steam pressure at 251 b., vacuum 25in., and 46.5 re-
volutions of engines, giving an average speed of
9.755 knots. She then made the circle, with helm
a-port, at full power,
in 9min. 24sec., and at half-
power, with helm a-port, in 11rnin. Isec. ; and with
helm astarboard, at full power, the circle was made
in 9min., and at half-power in 9min. 28sec. The
half-circle was made, with full power and helm a-
port, 9min. 26sec., and at half-power, 4min. 45sec.;
and 7,fith helm astarboard, full power, 9min.l7sec.;
half-power, 4min. 41sec. Her draught of water
was—forward, 21ft. bin. ; aft, 22ft. 6in. The trial
was considered very satisfactory. The Orontes re-
turned into harbour about 2 p.m. to complete her
fitting out, prior to further service.
In consequence of the success which has attended
the ventilating arrangements carried out on board
the iron-cased frigate Royal Oak, Admiralty
directions have been forwarded to Chatham direct-
ing that the iron frigate Achilles, 6,000 tons, 1,250
horse-power, now rapidly approaching completion
at that dockyard, is to be ventilated on the
same principle. The leading feature of the
new system is that a constant circulation of air is
kept up between the decks by means of open gratings
to all the berths and cabins, instead of the old-
fashioned plan of bulkheads. The adoption of such
a system on board the Achilles will,
however, be
attended with some difficulty, as that vessel is construtted with as many as 18 watertight, and conse-
campartments, which will consi-
quently airtight,
derably interfere with the ventilating arrangements.
As in the case of the Royal Oak, all the four huge
iron masts with which the Achilles is to be fitted
will serve the purpose of ventilators, as they will
be hollow, and contain an opening from each deck.
Mr. 13aker's system of ventilation will be fitted on
board the Achilles for ventilating the engine room
and stokeholes, by which a uniform temperature of
will be maintained. The
between 80 and 90 deg.
Lords of the Admiralty have within the last few
days directed Messrs. Penn and Co. to fix their tell-
tale apparatus to the engines of the Achilles.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—H. R. Simons and M. Salt have
been nominated to naval cadetships; W. P. O'Brien,
paymaster, to the Formidable; Robert Crosawaite,

engineer, to the Liverpool ; end E. N. Cockrell,
first class assistant engineer to the Marlborough.

THE ARMY.

Yesterday a detachment of the 94th Regiment,
numbering 190 non-commissioned officers and men,
left Chatham garrison, and proceeded to Gravesend,
where they embarked for Kurrachee, to join the
service companies in India.

The Royal Stuart, hired transport, arrived at
Spithead from Madras yesterday with militia in-
valids and time-expired men. The militia invalids
will be disembarked and sent on to Netley Hospital,
and the time-expired men to their several depots,
to-day.