The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-26 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

By the arrival of the Lord Raglan from Cape
Town we have received our letters and papers,
dated Sept. 23.
We extract the following from the summary of
the Cape Argus :2-
"By the latest English journals we perceive that
it was thought in England, up to August, that we
were still in dread of a Kaffir outbreak ; but it is
not so. Instead of being engaged in destroying
our savage enemies, both the people and the Go-
vernor are actively employed in saving them from
destruction. They are in a wretched state ; thou-
sands of them have died from starvation, and they
are flocking into the colony to obtain relief. On
the frontier Kaffir relief committees have been
formed. to provide applicants with the neces-
saries of life. In the Western Province, also, Oom-
mittees have been formed to collect subscriptions
for the same purpose. The Frontier Relief Com-
mittees' proceedings did not please Sir George
Grey. He regarded their philanthropic exertions
as likely to thwart his plans, and when they wrote
their views to him, and asked his Excellency to
publish them in the Government Gazette, he flatly
refused to do so, and told them that he did
not agree with them. He pointed out to them that
their measures for Kaffir relief, however well in-
tended, might do much injury.
"His Excellency remarks that it has been vtry
generally stated that the Kafirs have, in the events
which have recently transpired, been acting under
a superstitious delusion. It is his belief, however,
on the contrary, that the conduct of the Kafir
nation resulted from a deep-laid political scheme
to involve the government in war, and to bring
such a host of desperate enemies upon us as might
render the destruction of many amongst the Euro-
peans a by no means impossible event.
" His Excellency states this, not that it makes
him in the least less ready now to save the
Kaffirs from starving, but simply to show that,
with the safety and welfare of all her Majesty's
subjects resting in his hands, he must beware
of the chiefs and people of a nation who had
recourse to such desperate means to destroy those
of whose interests he is the guardian—and he there-
fore necessarily must be. cautious EC) to relieve the
distress of the Kaffirs as not to peril the lives and
safety of the people of this colony or of Natal. It
is known that Kreli has even recently been trying
to create a fresh excitement, and that sever?! of the
chiefs, regardless of the sufferings' of their people,
are doing their best to hold them together for the
purpose of preserving their strength, and taking
advantage of any opening that may present itself.
,By the last accounts, it appears that the prophet
has himself headed a band uf robbers.

This letter from his Excellency gave great satis-
faction to the majority of the colonists. It should
be stated here that the Kaffir Relief Committee in
Cape Town had from the first resolved to hand over
their funds to his Excellency for disposal. We
have not yet heard how much the Committee suc-
ceeded in collecting iu Cape Town and its neigh-
bourhood, but we believe very little. Tho move-
ment was by no means popular Old colonists have
a great deal of difficulty in comprehending how it
can be their duty on one day to shoot Kafirs, and
on the next to unloosen their purse-strings to pro-
vide funds for feeding them.
The chief Macomo is a prisoner. He was taken
is the colony without a pass, and has been sentenced
to twelve months imprisonment.
The inhabitants of the Western Province are
looking forward with much anxiety to hear that the
construction of the Cape Town and Wellington
Railway has been undertaken by a company in
Engtind upon advantageous terms.
At G aliam's Town there is a movement in favour
of a railway from that town to Port Elizabeth,
but the inhabitants of the latter place are generally
in favour of a line from that place to Graaf-Reinet,
and the inhabitants of Graaf-Reiuet have joined
with them in keeping alive an agitation in favour
of that line.
Since the departure of all th—e troops that were in
this city, when the melancholy news arrived from
India, the Cape Royal Rifles have been performing
barrack duty in the most exemplarymainer, and
the corps has been greatly augmented of ilate.
There is a rumour afloat that the English and In-
dian Government, together, have instructed the Go-
vernor to purchase a thousand horses. This has
operated on the owners of horses just as the high
prices of wine did on the wino farmers. They do not
care to sell at any price, and the most absurd and
extravagant prices are a-ked. No doubt many
will, as in the case of wine sales, overstand their
market, and will find, by and bye, that they
have made a great mistake. The rumour that
the Governor is instructed to purchase a thousand
horses is not true. He has about three months
before him iu which to purchase about a hundred
and fifty. It was said at least three months ago
that there was not a horse in the colony to be had
for love nor money, but this was a mere rumour
got up by interested parties. Hundreds have been
exported since that time. Horse, doubtless, cote-
ni.:nd high prices, but there is no scarcity. The
Cape horses lately imported into India and the
Mauritius have fully realised the expectat ons of
purchasers.
We are all anxious to hear how our mails are to
be forwarded from Engtsnd, now Lindsay's line has
beeu discontinued. Surely we are not to be left for
any groat length of time uncared

----
ACCIDENT.—An inquest was held yesterday on the
body of a woman, aged 63, the wife of a Chelsea pen-
sioner named Davies. The woman was one of a crowd
of persons who stood looking at a fight at the corner of
West-street, St. illartin'e-lane, when a cab drove up and
knocked her dogn, and the wheel passed over her body,
She died yesterday at Charing-cross Hospital. A gen.
tleman who was in the.cab gave the driver hie card ; but
the driver having lost it, and there being no witness
present, the coroner adjourned the inquest till Monday
for the attendance of come periou who Jaw the ACCidOnt.