The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-16 00:00:00

THE CAPE MAIL.

PLYMOUTH, Wednesday.
The mail steamer Norseman arrived here this
evening with the above mail and 118 passengers,
including Rear-Admiral Cockburn, late command-
ing at the Cape Station. She left the Cape on the
13th ult., St. Helena on the 21st, and Ascension on
the 25th.

The principal news brought by the Norseman is
disasters, caused by the a long list of shipping
heavy weather that had prevailed along the eastern
coast of South Africa for the last three weeks and
more, particularly off Cape Recife and L'Agulhas.
In the western districts the winds had been com-
paratively light. In Table Bay all the vessels had
ridden out the gale in safety, partly through the
protection afforded by the breakwater, but mainly
from the gales, though northerly, having rather
more westing than easting. Outside the bay, how-
ever, and Agulhas, the violence of the tempest had
been quite unprecedented. The Stalwart, iron ship,
belonging to the Bombay Iron Ship Company, from
Bombay, with cotton for Liverpool, was abandoned,
and sunk on June 22d, the crew and passengers leav-
ing her in three boats. Captain Wilson was at first
left on board, but his crew returned at great hazard
to rescue him. After great privations they reached
land. One of the boats was, however, capsized in
the surf, and the mate and ten men drowned. A
little boy and girl who were saved, the children
of Mr. Cartlege, a Government civil engineer on
the Bombay Establishment, lost in their boxes the
address of the parties in England to whom they
were going.

The Alfred, from Bombay with cotton, wool,
linseed, and hemp for London, succeeded in getting
into the outer anchorage of the Buffalo, but went
down at her anchorage seven miles off East London
on June 22. No lives were lost.

The ship Agincourt, belonging to Messrs. Living-
stone and Co., London, from Southampton for
Hong Kong with coals and boilers, foundered in
36 S. 25 E. on June 24. The crew was saved, but
the captain died through exhaustion.
The barque Maythorn, of Glasgow, from Basine
for America, with rice, on the 21st June, in 36 S.
19 B, had her decks swept, and the second mate
and a seaman drowned.

The Hamburgh barque Hermann had her decks
swept when off Cape, St. Francis, and one seaman
drowned. Several other 'vessels had reported
suffering serious damages, but there were no further
fatal casualties or total losses reported ; but in addi-
tion to those vessels arrived in port, or the fate of
which was known, there was much anxiety felt for
the fate of several others known to have been within
the influence of the gales.
The barque Shepherd, of Shields, from Colombo
for London, had her second mate washed overboard
and drowned, and two men disabled.
Frontier affairs in the Orange Free State remained
pacific. The Volksraad had closed its sitting,
having previously authorised the issue of additional
Government notes for £200,000. Unsatisfactory
rumours of the Basuto were being constantly re-

ceived, but no immediate resumption of hostilities
was expected.

The prospects of the coming crops were very
satisfactory.

The news of the London monetary crisis and of
the decline of the price of wools in the home mar-
kets had depressed the produce markets.

The Celt arrived out July 12. Her Majesty's
ship Leopard had arrived from Hoeg Kong, and
was to leave in 10 days for England.
The Icarus arrived out July 2, bound for China.