The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-22 00:00:00

sage of Danish history. But the friendliness exhibited
by Russia was no greater, in a public sense, than was
exhibited by England and France. England and
France both protested against the-unjust and spoliat-
ing war which the Germans waged, and which Prussia
fostered. We cannot, therefore, see in what respect
Denmark is more bounden to Russia than to
her two more civilised and, more powerful allies.
It is true there is a • family connexion be-
tween the Houses of Romanzoff and Den-
mark, but as there is neither " kith nor kin in
trade," according to the proverb, so is there among
monarchs little consanguineous affection when in-
terests diverge. We cannot Sstippose that it is from
any feelings of mere consanguinity that Denmark has
exhibited such a marked deference for the Court of
Petersburgh and such a willingness to meet its wi:hs.
The two Cabinets have few- or no interests in com-
mon, and the Danish people have certainly no liking
for the Russian Government or system. How is it,
then, it may be asked, that for the last three months
there have been such frequent interchanges of couriers
between Copenhagen and Petersburgh, and that so
many as five Russian' ships of war have, during that
period, anchored in Danish waters ? If we are to
believe the Weser Zeituny, these circumstances have
arisen from the eager desire of Russia to purchase the
island of Bornholm of the Court of Denmark, with a
view to make in it a harbour of the first rank. Now,
though the Russian navy has never been formidable,
notwithstanding the immense sums lavished on it, and
though probably it never can be in our day formid-
able to even any second-rate naval power—yet it
is the duty of England to see that the maritime
condition of Europe is not disturbed, and that
a great military monarchy is not by these—or by any
other means whatever placed in a condition to be
nearer the British shores by almost approximating to
the German Ocean. Such a position gained by Russia,
whether by purchase or by influence, would greatly
diminish the importance of a maritime kingdom like
Denmark—might occasion serious inconvenience to
Sweden—to Hamburgb, to Mecklenburgh, to Bel-
gium, and to Holland, and even to England and
France. These considerations are more than sufficient
to excite the vigilance of Great Britain, totally irre-
spective of the injury which such an acquisition on
the part of Russia would inflict on Denmark itself. It
is no answer to say that the Baltic is closed for six
months in the year—that a tideless sea, with light
nights, can never produce thoroughly good sailors.
Though we know the fact to be so, and that the
maritime system of Russia is thoroughly lubberly
and inefficient, and can never be formidable
by itself, yet with the aid and assistance of
Danes and of Danish harbours, it may accomplish,
in combination with others,- purposes now wholly
without its reach. Besides, it is not so much as a
naval as a military power that the possession of Born-
holm would give Russia influence ; and of such ag-
gressive influence she has no need whatever. Under
the circumstances to which we allude doubtless ex-
planations have been asked of the Cabinet of Copen-
hagen. These ought to be clear and explicit, so as to
satisfy the reasonable anxiety of the principal Secre-
tary of State for Foreign ;Affairs. Independently
however, of the most frank #nd cordial explanations,
it were well that a British war-steamer and a frigate
should be detached for the ,purpose of giving our
Government more accurate information than it may
be possible to obtain from mere civilians at Copen-
hagen. If, instead of keeping so many of her Ma-
jesty's ships rotting at our ports, one, a steamer, was
designated for the Baltic, a national—indeed a Euro-

pean—service might have been opportunely effected,
for this question concerns England, France, the North
of Germany, and all the minor maritime powers of
the Baltic and the North Sea.

EVENING-, OCT 013 ER 22, 1851.

THE KAFIR. WAR.
(FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)
CAPE TOWN, SEPT. 10.—In consequence of the
non-arrival of the mail steamer Sir Robert Peel, due
on the 26th ult., and owing to important dispatches
from Sir Harry Smith, her Majesty's steamer Birken-
head will start from Simon's Bay this evening, at five
r.m., fur England, under full steam, with her Ma-
jesty's mails. She is expected to make the passage in
32 days. The following is a short summary of events
since the departure of the Hellespont :
Affairs both in the colony and beyond the frontier
have assumed a more gloomy aspect than they have
ever worn since the commencement of the war, for
in while the enemy have sustained no important check
Kafirland, they have continued to lay waste exten-
sive tracts, sweeping off thousands of head of cattle,
sheep, &c., while the loss of life on the part of the
colonists in the different skirmishes has been consi-
derable. The strength of the army has in the mean-
time received a considerable increase by the arrival
from England of her Majesty's steamers Birkenhead
and Cyclops, and the freight ship Sumner, with the
2d Queen's Royals, a company of Artillery, and de-
tachments for the different regiments in the field, to-
gether with the return of her Majesty's steamer
Hermes, with the 12th Foot, from Mauritius,
an addition of 56 officers and 1,455 rank and file.ma king
The 12th Lancers and the 60th Rifles are hourly
and anxiously looked for.
At the Sovereignty affairs are in a bad state. Two
companies of the 4511 Foot, under Captain Parish,
and some Cape corps, have been sent by Lieutenant-
Governor Pine to Major IVarden's relief. It is,
however, stated that Moshesh and Molitzane have
joined and are marching on the colony. If this re-
port be correct, they will prove our most formidable
foe ;. at all events it is stated that the news from this
quarter has had the effect of hurrying off the steamer.
The frontier post, due yesterday, has not yet arrived.
The Birkenhead, however, brought a single Graham's
Town journal of the 6th inst., which is the latest
intelligence we have, from which the following are
extracted :

" Fort Peddie, Sept. 1.
" To•day we were aroused to arms by heavy firing
between Breakfast Valley and the mountains near
Committees Drift. An express arrived from a patrol
that was out bringing intelligence of an affair with
the enemy, and requesting waggons, &c., for the pur-
pose of conveying the killed and wounded to Fort
Peddie. The detachment of the 91st Regiment, under
Lieutenant Rae, with 30 Ji'ingoes, immediately left,
and reached the Camp on the morning of the 2d. It
appears the 2d Royals fought like Britons, and had
they known a little more of the Kafir character, would
have taught the enemy a lesson they wound not soon
have forgotten.
" Return of killed and wounded—Royal Suppers
and Miners, 1 killed and 1 wounded ; 21 Royals, 1
sergeant and 1 private killed and 5 wounded ; Cape
Mounted Rifles, 1 wounded ; Armstrong's Horse, 1
wounded. One of the wounded men died after his
arrival at Port Peddie.
" The conduct of the 2d is ♦ery highly spoken of."
Another hand writes as follows :

" September 4th.
Colonel Burn, 2d Royals, had a sharp affair last
Monday near Breakfast Valley, in the Fish River
Bush, with Stock's Botman's, and Seyolo's Kafirs,
conjoined with a lot of rebel Hottentots. The killed
and wounded were sent in here-3 of the former and
twelve of the latter. The killed were buried yester-
day ; the wounded are doing well under Dr. O'Con-
nor. Colonel Burn returned to King William's Town
by way of Old Fort Wiltshire, and on his line of
march the Kafirs attacked him again, as we heard
very heavy firing in that direction, but have not yet
learnt the results. The Kafirs appear to have plenty
of ammunition."
Dates from East London are to the 2d of Sept.
The Dee had arrived with troops and levies.
The Journal, in its summary for the week, ob-
serves :
" We are unable to record any improvement in
frontier affairs since our last. From all parts of the
country we have intelligence of the maraudings of
the enemy. In Albany, although defended by nearly
800 troops and a strong provisional farce, there still
continues to be extensive aggressions committed.
Scarcely a day passes without tidings of disaster.
The loss of cattle has been ruinous. The rebel Hot-
tentots are still in the Kurraa, at Oliphant's Hoek,
and in the Fish River Bush.ln the latter place they
have already given evidence of their strength. In the
Bavians River and surrounding country matters are
unquestionably in a fearful and distressing state."
The following has been the first document issued
since the arrival of Major Hogg and Mr. Owen :
" GOVERNMENT NOTICE.
" King William's Town, Sept. 1, 1851.
" His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief having
submitted to her Mjesty's High Commissioner and
Assistant-Commissioners the proceedings of a Court
of Inquiry, held in Graham's Town, to investigate
the causes that have led to the recent desertions of
certain soldiers of the Cape Corp., and the report
thereon, that such desertions have been caused by
rumours having been spread among the men that they
were to be disarmed and given over to the Fingoes
and Settlers, they deem it necessary to notify to the
Hottentot classes generally, that determined as the
Government may be to punish the guilty, it will not
fail effectually to protect from injury and oppression
the loyal and innocent; and they are further advised
that runiours.of a contrary tendency can only have
been framed for the purpose of involving them in the
same disastrous consequences which await those of
their fellow-subjects implicated in rebellion, that they
are entirely groundless, and if traced to their authors
will subject them to condign punishment.
"By his Excellency's command,
" JouN GARVOCK, Lieutenant-Colonel."
The distribution of the army at the Cape is as fol-
lows :—The 6th Royals and 73d Foot at King Wil-
liam's Town; the 2d Queen's Royals in Kafraria ;
the 45th Foot in detachments between Natal and
the frontier; the 12th Foot and 74th Highlanders are
at present attached to General Somerset's division ;
91st at Fort Hare; and the Cape Mounted Rifles in
the field from Natal to British Kafraria ; the 60th
Rifles, when they arrive, are to be attached to the
Ist division • and the 12th Lancere, it is said, will
proceed to the Sovereignty, but this is uncertain.
The war vessels in Simon's-bay are her Majesty's
ship Castor , Commodore Wyvill, and the Hermes
steamer, Captain rishbourne. The Dee is at East
London, and the Cyclops and Radamanthus steamers
are en route to that port with troops and stores. Her
Majesty's ship Penguin sailed on the 2d inst. for the
east coast on a cruise.

The amount received by the Cape-town Committee
for the relief of the destitute on the frontier is up-
wards of 2,000/.—Times.

A GLOUCESTER GHOST.
Notwithstanding the reputation which ghosts have
of only honouring the earth with their ghastly pre-
sence at the midnight hour—
" the witching hour, when churchyards yawn,
And graves give up tier dead,"
many seem to think them capable of breaking through
their usual etiquette on this point, and visiting
" the glimpses of the moon,
Making night hideous,"
at other and earlier hours. Northgate-street, in the
neighbourhood of the Black Dog, was, on Wednes-
day night, all agog at the awful presence of an un-
mistakable ghost at the top window of an empty
house now undergoing repair. Yes, there was the
awful visitant, "all in white," looking like the trou-
bled spirit of some young girl just risen in its grave
clothes to scare poor mortals. The news flew; the
panic spread ; and upwards of 200 persons soon col-
lected,
and stood gazing up intently at the apparition.
Two lads, more bold than the rest, determined on
satisfying themselves and the multitude; as to the
substantiality of the poor ghost, and furnishing
themselves with a lighted candle, made their way
through the back of the premises into the haunted
dwelling. Boldly ascending the stairs theyregacrihaelyd
the room which afforded a resting place to the
phsmtom, and picking their way across the rafters,
for there was no flooring, they found the ghost, as
most of its species turn out to bne,otavnegrymhoarremlneosrs
and unsubstantial creature, being hi
less than the light of street-lamptheaanpen,
uprlecthteed bviyhitthee.
swing window, which w
washed wall of the room. The lads presented them-
selves at the window to assure the spectators below
that they were uninjured, and the ghost "
eye," when the gazers dispersed,
laughingy
ll
own and neighbours' credulity, On theat
arefdol,loawbinnngt
night, however, the phanatom e
fifty persons collected, and could not p.,,rsuade them-
selves but that after all it must be a
real ghosts !
Gloucester Journal.
T T rs^

_IIE ILL-LOOKING lionn A PUN THAT WAS NO
JOKE.—A Frenchman, near the. Canada line, in Vermont,
sold a horse to his Yankee neighbour, which he recommended
as being a very sound,
prepossessing appearance. To every inquiry il?
spiteo tohfebbisu7;
respecting the qualities of the horse,ery ttinegYrreynchman gave a
favourable reply but always commenced his commendation
with the deprecatory remark, " He's not look ver good."
The Yankee, caring little for the looks of the horse, of which
he could judge for himself, without the seller's assistance, and
being fully persuaded, atter minute examination, that the
beast was worth the moderate sum asked for him, made the
purchase, and took him home. A few days afterwards he
returned to the seller, in high dudgeon, and declared that he
had been cheated in the quality of the horse. " Vat is the
mattaire?" said the Frenchman. " Matter!" said the
Yankee, " matter enough—the horse can't see ! —he is blind
as a bat !" "Ah !" said the Frenchman, " Vat I.uinavrtathseerttteaolnl
okn Post
Na-asill,Lotztolosto
'7N:lg:7—be gar, j
ydoonu'?t knlovwasitfehlieloouokhaet
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.--About a
to the
it I'v'ajcsvidnigscovered
one this morning a tire broke out at Bermondsey,l
spine of the work-
yard of Mr. William Warwick, Willow_
overheating of a rick of tan. Fortunately
engines of the West
soon after the spontaneous combustion,l,h be-y
Brigade were promptly on the
oinfelnnwghlaonwd earnedeLompPlodyoend-Faiirlenijrhi
spot, and the Vigilance Qt the firemen NeveatQd the Are awn
0.14011042g*