Cape Of Good Hope.
The Times, 1824-10-05T00:00:00

We yesterday received letters from the Cape of Good Hope, daterl the 10th of July, which disclose some curious additional particulars of the late events, out of' which has arisen so violent a ferment in that colony-viz., the trial of Mr. Edwards for libel-the restrictions on the press, follow- ed by the suspension of the South African Advertiser, and a inagazine called the Aiouth African journal-anrd the ano- nymous placard reflecting oni the character of ILord Charles! Somerset. It is well known that one of the mnotives fbr restrainia the press at the particular periodl in wvhiclh the interference took place, was to prevent the publication of: tihe trial of MIr. Edwards ; of which, tlherefore', little has yet transpiredl, except that lhe has been colivictud of' a libel agallnst Lhe Governior, and sentenced to transportatlun ft'or seven years to New South WVales. Edwards's crime, it non' appears, consisted in havinig addrcssed letters to Lord Charles Somerset, in which lie introduced severe imputa- tions on his charactet. His Lordslti) gave these letters to; the Fiscal, or principal law officer ot'the colony, who imme- diately commencedl a prosecution for libel against Mr. Ed-. wards, founded on their. contents, M r. Pdwards, on the trial, energetically insisted orn his ri.*ht to be tried according to the mode of procedure for libel in England, and defied the C'ourt to prove eithier that lie was the author of the let- ters or the publisher of the libels. " Suppose," said hie, " that any person were to call nie a cock-fti-iter, a horse- jockey, a blaclcleg, a swindler, a man that had been black-1 balledl and horsewhippwe(d at Newmarket, that person wouild' not be guilty of publishing a libel upon me. But H' I were inyself to tell all the worl(l wliat names ha.l been cast upon ine, I alone should be guilty of'puhlishing a libel. So, in thie pre sent case, his Lordship has been guilty of piblishing the libel, which is stated t) be contained in a private commltnu- nioation to himself." On heaiing the list of witnesses read over, iMr. Edwar(is remarked, "'I observe that the naine ! of one of the witnesses is not inscribed. I will acquaint the Couzrt with her name. It is Cartharina, formerly slave to Mr. Vantler Rirt, and at present mistress ot'his Excellency Lord Charles Henrv Some- set. His Excellency's iiaine as a witneiss is also omitted ; but I will dare' his Excellency to show his face in tlhis Cour-. I would prove how mnany prize negroes he gave Mr. Vander Riet to pu:lehase the freedoin of this woman." The Comminissioners of the Court, I Messrs. Bresler anEl BorchierIs, bef'orc whom be w-as tried, | permitted Mr. E'dwards durinig the first (lays of his trial to !proceed ina similar straini, but at lengtli they absolutely pro- hiibited him from using aniy language of a personal nature. No witnesses were called otn the occasioll, either to prove tile libel or the publication r01'it. Yet heC waas foulld guilty, ari( contlemned to seven years' transportation, whlichi sen- tence was afterwartis confirtmed by the full Court. 'T'his conviction, it is stated, is not ande'r the Eniglish, but the Dutch law, the provisions of wbich, it is said, are stiil al- lowedt to remain in force in this colony. As a ftull report of' this trial is, hIowever, on its way to Eu'glandl, wilerc L )rd Charles Somerset fortunately does not possess so muchi power as at tho Cape of Good Hiope, it will soonI be ascer- tained by its pibllication, on what principles this extraor- dlinary dlcision has taken place. Rerpecting the rcs:rictions oni the proes, we fintd few niew facts in the letters. MVfr. lringle, the editor of the magazine, had inidulgedl in sonie remarks on the administration of tbe coolony, for which lie received a reprimand, and a requisi- tion to stibmit his articles previous to publication to the censorship of the Fiscal ; oJ wlhichl he at once abain- iloned thie unldertaking, givinig up at the samne time iis appointment of Librarian at the public library. Onl the affair of the placard, the letters state, that it was first Iseen by Captainr John Findlay one morning early, on his way to the 1parade, to look for signals. He (Iid not reuove the offiensive paper, but it was afterwar(ds, as reported, taken dowti by a man on horseback. C(aptain Findlay matle knowvn the affair at the Governtmeot-house, on which an oath of secrecy respecting it was administered to hiim by the Fiscal, whio immediately advertiseda reward, of 5,000 rix-dollars for the discovery of the person who wrote the placard, and 1,000 to any person who would pro- dluce the paper itselr. A stateinent was then drawn, in which this placard was described to be of a very horrible nature, but without any further particulars ; and the prin- cipal residents at the Cape, under the impression of the moment, subscribed an ad'dition., reward to that offercd by the Governmint to the ainoutt of 15,000 rix-dollars. Still neithier the author of' the placard, nor the placard itself, lhad been brougltt to liglit. The mierchants, therefore, who hadl no itiforination of the precisc naLure ot' tiis placardi, nor any proof, in fact, that it hadl ever existed, began to feel then- selves in an excessively ridiculous and humniliatintg situation. But their imortification was net to end wvith this, far this affair of the placard ha(d been matle the pretext for many acts of a very offensive anl arbitrary nature. The !4ouses of several respectable individtuals -were searclhed, atid their private pap)ers ransacked, by virtue of search-warrants, to look for this supposed or ideal placard. One person was sent to prison en suspicion, but afterwards liberated ; and evein poor Edwards, who was quictly awaiting there, otit of harm's way, the execution of his sentence, was ordered into closer confinenent. Reports were also circulated that war- rants were out for the apprehension of other persons, among whom Printgle. the editir of the tmagazine, was said to be in- cludedl. This report, as regarded him, p-i,oved to be with- otit foundation. He waited on the Fiscal to learn whether any warrant had rce.lly beeti issued against him, but could obtain no information on the sutbject. 'fite Fiscal, how- ever, insiste(d oii knowiiig who hiad1 told MIr. 1'rinigle that a wvarrant had beuen issue(d against him, anlt on his hesitating to revval thle narne, was taken before the Cotlmnissio))er, Mr. Benthick, who asked him " ii'hc oa.s aware of a De!eh late, :hi.chl aut10ri:Zed his I,eingr sent to prison in case e persisted in relibsing o gtil'e np thLe i,nae of his friend U/1o haid told him. of t,h' trarrat Jfor his conZ777it- tal beinga made out." After a coiiversationi or examinatioI3 of two hours by Mr. Bentinek, Ur. 1Pringle gave up the name of his infbrmant. After this period, loyal adfircsscs vere poured in upon his Excellency from the Court of Justice, in which} the trIer- chan tswere inivited to join, but the Committee refused, and said the subject ouight to be contsigned to oblivions. It was understoo(l. also, that the conduct of the Governmrent was disapproved of by the Commissioners sent out tD inquire into thll atdmitiistiation of' the co!ony, who were iortunatcly on thle salot durinig a scene of perhaps the greatest confusioil amid disor(ler that has ever occurred in an Etiglisli settle- nment, and from whom the Government at home will doubt- less reccive a tiue statemint of all that has occurretd. Ofne tling is sufficiently evident-whicil is, that Lord ChiarlesSoinerset,iiotwitlistandiuig hispowerful fainily,cannot mucih longer coontinue to govern at the Cape of' Good Hiope. CAPE OF GOOD HOP.L.