The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-29 00:00:00

THE CAPE MAIL.

PLYMOUTH, TUESDAY.
The Cape Royal Mail steamer Norman, Captain
Boxer, arrived here this evening. She left Table
Bay Nov. 2d; St. Helena, 29 ; and Ascension, Dec.
4. She brings the usual mails, a large general
cargo, and 27 passengers. Among the latter are
Dr. Melvin, inspector of hospitals ; Capt. Lucas,
73d Regiment ; Captain Squire, 2d Regiment; and
Lieutenant Harvey, Royal Engineers.
The cargo includes £3,380 in gold and silver
specie, 678 tusks, and 3 cases -ivory, 1,206 bags of
copper ore, and 148 slabs of ditto.

At the Cape the scheme of settling the Anglo-
German Legion in British Caffraria had failed, and
a more promising scheme, that of settling colonial
farmers in that district, was in progress. The great
reduction of the military force in that neighbour-
hood had created some uneasiness lest the Kaffirs
should be tempted to rebel within the Cape colony.
There was every prospect of a very full harvest.'
Commerce and agriculture in general were continu-
ing to progress very favourably.

A very serious drought prevails on the frontier ;
crops failing, and young stock dying rapidly.
The small-pox, from a neglect of vaccination and
other causes; has, it was estimated, destroyed more
lives in its last visitation to the colony than ever
has been known from the same cause. It has proved
fatal in 1,500 cases.

Intelligence had been received from Dr. Living-
stone up to the 4th Oct.. Writing on that date from
the Kongone River, he reported that the members of
the expedition had been favoured with fair health ;
their ailments were more like common colds than
fever. Dr. Livingstone has been very warmly
received by his former friends among the natives,
and the Portuguese had rendered him active as-
sistance.

The Sardinian ship Malabar was wrecked in
Table Bay, November 6th. The crew were saved.
Some very valuable and interesting observations
on the comet had been taken by the Astronomer
Royal.

The Hermes was in Table Bay; she was to be
sent as soon as possible in search of the Sappho.
Boscawen and Lynx in Simon's Bay.
The Boscawen returned to Simon's Bay, Nov. 2.
She met the Lyra and Persian on the 18th of
October, at Mozambique. The Lyra had taken 16
dhows, one of which went down, with 137 negroes
and crew; all hands lost. The Lyra and Persian
were ordered to Simon's Bay.
The Phoebe, mail steamer, arrived at the Cape on
the 11th of November.

MURDER IN EPPING FOREST.—Yesterday Mr.
C. C. Lewis, coroner for the district, and the jury pre-
viously empanelled to inquire into the deaths of a won a
and child, whose lifeless remains were found in a pool in
Epping Forest (having both been, as it now turns out,
barbarously murdered), reassembled for the third time at
the Wake's Arms, New-road, Epping Forest. A good
deal of evidence was given, but it was not of a positive cha-
racter, and did not even lead to the identification of the
bodies. The coroner gave his opinion that a murder had
been committed, and the jury returned a verdict,'" That
the deceased were wilfully murdered by some person or
persons unknown ;" and at the same time, in conjunction
with the coroner, they expressed their high gratification at
the laudable exertions made by the police authorities in en-
deavouxing to unravel this mysterious affair. _