The Sun.
London, England, 1823-01-01 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

By the Venus, KILGOUR, which arrived on
Monday from the Cape of Good Hope, letters
have beef► received in town from that Colony to
the 17th October. The Venus left St. Helena
on the 30th October, and on her passage from
that island to Falmouth, on the 2d of December
spoke the Adamant, homeward bound from Cal-
cutta, in lat. 34. 6., long. 34. 48., all well. The
following is an extract of a, letter brought by the
Venus, dated Cape Town, October 16-:

" Our last accounts from our settlement at Graham's Town
continue to be of a very unsatisfaCtory kind. The settlers there
are Very discontented with their. situation, and such as have
been able to raise the means and obtain the Governor's permis
sion, are rapidly quitting the place. In the environs of that
settlement the Caffres have lately made some dangerous incur-
sions, and several of the settlers who had taken up their habi-
-1 tations in the immediate vicinity, bad, it was reported, fallen
victims to the savages. This had also been the case with some
individuals who had imprudently ventured in the woods, for
the purpose of hunting, and who have not since been heard of,
but it was feared had be"en murdered, as traces of a party of
Caffres having been in the direction of their route, were dis-
covered by the party who were sent in pursuit of the absentees.
To add to the inconveniences of those settlers residing in
the outskirts of Graham's Town, hostilities are stated to have
taken place between two of the Caille tribes, in their neigh-
bourhood, and several cattle had been carried off at various
times by the marauding parties of the combatants in their pur-
suit of each other through or near to the European settlements.
Two muskets had also been stolen from the house of one
Minim, Whose 'residence was on the borders of the Hottentot
country. Some of the settlers, however, On this side of Gra-
ham's Town, had succeeded in manuring, and, in somemea-
sure, cultivating several phits of the ground there which had
hitherto defied:all agricultural ingenuity and industry; and
there was every prospect of a considerably further portion being
brought fit for cultivation by the next season, although the im-
pregnation of salt-petre in the ground is very strong, andt7.-
eeedingly difficult to get rid of.

" Alf hope of civilizing the Caffres. is now given over : the
national feature of this people is ferocity, and they
,do not pos-
sess any of that uncultivated shrewdness which has heen so
much oh4erved in many tribes and nations of savages. They
are very eruel, and without any, ideas of society, or: any appar-
ent wish te know.more than their rude state of life has already
taught them ; and our settlers'ilave.now givfn over all thought
of attempting. to :obtain.their friendship, and are only anxious
to guard themselves against the consequences of their :ani-
mosity.

" The tribe of Kia King is however some exception to this
rifle. This Chief,' ever Since be has obtained his authority,
has been very anxious to be upon sociable and intimate terms
with the English; and has rendered us all the assistance in his
power to check the atrocious inroads and daring depredations
of the natives ; and through his means frequently droves of
cattle, belonging to the settlers, which would otherwise have
been inevitably lost, have been recovered.—ln' return for these
favours, he b?is received considerable presenti from the Go-
vernor, as well as from some of our principal settlers; 'but al-
though his tribe is thus somewhat seciable, no hope is enter-
tained that any considerable intercourse will ever be carried on
between the European settlers and the natives. I should here
mention the Portion of country held by them comprehends the
Most fertile, u well as the most barren part of the country."