CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

New Zealander, Volume XVIII, Issue 1651, 12 February 1862, Page 3

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

By the 11 Avalanche,” we have received Cape Town Papers to the 21st December, from which we extract the following : The past month has been one of the dullest known in the colony for a long time past, and of interesting political news there is fully as little as of interesting news generally. His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor is still in Cape Town, though, in consequence of a recent family bereavement, and Mrs. Wynyard’s delicate health, the effect of his genial presence is not so marked as it has been on former occasions. General Wynyard will remain here until after the arrival of his Excellency the Governor, who is expected by the Cambrian next month. When Mr. Wodehouse has once entered on the duties of his high office. General Wynyard will most probably leave for Graham’s* Town, the seat of the Lieut.-Governor-ship. Meanwhile, nothing of importance has transpired. Parliament has been farther prorogued- to the Ist of February. The British Kaflrarian customs tariff, which was the same as that in the Cape Colony, until the Cape Parliament, in the course of last session, increased the duties payable on certain aitides, has been altered, in order that it may again correspond with the Cape tariff. We regret to announce the death of the Hon. Harry Rivers, who for upwards of the last nineteen years has held the onerous post of TreasurerGeneral of the colony. The deceased gentleman died on the 6th December, at the ripe age of 76. Mr. Rivers was one of the oldest members of the colonial civil service. He was born’atßradmore, in Middlesex, in the year 1785. The Separation movement is rather languid at present. The Hon. Mr. Tucker, who last session led the Separationists in the Legislative Council, has published an address on the Duke of Newcastle’s reply to the Separation petition to the Queen. The hon. gentleman thinks it useless to hope for Separation from a Cape Parliament, and prefers to go to the Colonial Office at once. • Argus. PcniJc Works.— lt is expected that the Cape Town and Wellington Railway will be opened as far as Stellenbosch, a distance of twenty-five miles, by the Ist March. The Table Bay, Mossel Bay, and Algoa Bay harbour works are making satisfactory progress. The line of telegraph between Port Elizabeth and Graham’s Town is nearly completed. The directors of the Wynberg Railway Company are taking the necessary preliminary steps for the speedy and economical construction of the line.— Cape Mail. Native Affairs. —There are again symptoms of uneasiness amongst the inhabitants of the Free State and the Transvaal; and there are indications that they anticipate the outbreak of a war with the Basutos. The Government of the Republics, and the Native Chiefs are alike busily engaged in making preparations that will prove serviceable in the event of a hostile declaration. Kreli, the Kaffir Chief who was in 1858 expelled from the country between the Kei and the Bashee, is again unfortunate. His people are dying by hundreds from famine, caused by the drought. Considerable interest has, of course, been excited at the Cape, as elsewhere, by the gratifying news from Madagascar. It is still uncertain however whether the Cape can immediately avail itself of the trade which is now being opened up with that island. It will in any case give a strong additional argument in favour of establishing the line of mail communication long contemplated between this country and Mauritius Of purely local matters that have attracted attention during the month, the most important refer to the various municipal improvements projected by the Municipal Commissioners. The first of them is in connection with a general system of underground drainage for the city. -No definite conclusion has been come to, respecting the plan proposed by the City Engineer, but it has been determined to place £SOOO on the Estimates as a first instalment to begin with next year. It is further proposed to open the Botanic Gardens entirely to the public, and for that purpose to supplement the Government vote with a Municipal grant of £2OO a year. The Oidium. —This terrible disease is again making its appearance amongst our vineyards, and sadly interfering with the prospects of the vine crop. Cricket is the raire at present, all through the colony, and some good matches have recently been played. At a late match at Rondebosch, Mr. Charles Van Reenen threw the ball a distance of one hundred and sixteen feet.

The Cape Town Volunteer Artillery have been inspected by General Wynyard, who expressed himself highly gratified with their efficiency. The Volunteer movement in this colony for the most appears to be on the decline. It is said that the Lighthouse lately completed on the Roman Rock in Simon’s Bay is so much cracked towards the base that the Colonial Engineer refuses to take it over. The tender of De Pass & Co., for taking 200,000 gallons of water per day, for ]4O days, to the top of the Lion’s Hill, for the city purposes — i.e. t flushing sewers, watering streets, &c., is £l7 10s. per day. The minor miscellaneous news of the month has been varied enough. Throughout the colony and Natal, a good deal of excitement was occasioned by the competition for the four Whitworth Rifles presented by Prince Alfred, to be awarded to the best shot in each province. Arrival of Passenger Ships. —On Thursday, the ship Avalanche, Capt. Stott, from London, to Auckland, New Zealand, and the ship Robert Morrison, Capt. Thorn, from London to Swan River, arrived in Table Bay. The Avalanche put in tor supplies—she had a large number of passengers on board. The Robert Morrison put in also for supplies, and in consequence of the refractory conduct of some of I her crew—she will sail again immediately. The passengers of both vessels appear to be in excellent health and spirits. On board the Robert Morrison there is a splendid selection of agricultural stock. Ecclesiastical. The ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the new Wesleyan Native Chapel at Port Elizabeth took place on Monday, the 9th instant. The services were commenced by the singing of a Kaffir hymn, after which, prayer in the Kaffir language, was offered up. The Rev. E. D. Hepburn, Superintendent of the circuit, then called upon W. Smith, Esq,, Mayor, to lay the foundo-tion-stone, and that gentlemen proceeded, with the usual formalities, to perform the ceremon St. Paul’s Church, Port Elizabeth, is rap Iy approaching completion. Plans for the new Jewish synagogue, Cape Town, are in course of preparation by Mr. Hogg, architect, of this city. The building will be plain and unpretending in its character. The financial position of the Church of England is, as it has been for months past, exciting considerable attention amongst Churchmen. On this subject an Eastern Province paper has the following sensible remarks : The grants from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and other sources in England are not and cannot be held on any very long tenure. The Government grants have their days evidently numbered ; and it is well that these sources fall off by gradual diminution, for so may they be met by corresponding incr asa of voluntary efforts, without coming down with one rude shock upon what is not yet an old established rule and practice, viz., that the members of the Church should provide for the ordinances of religion themselves. From a sheet almanac issued by the Moravian printing press at Genadendal, we get some interesting particulars relative to the formation of the several Moravian stations in South Africa. The first commencement was by the Rev. Mr. Schmidt, who settled at Baviaan's River (now Genadental) as far back as 1737. His work was not approved of, however, by the Government of that time, and in 1742 he was compelled to return to Europe. In 1792 a new attempt was resolved on, and the Rev. Messrs Marsveld, Schwinn, and Ruhnel came out, and took up their station at Baviaan s River, which was changed to its present name of Genadendal—the Vale of Grace— 1806. The Moravians have now twelve stations in the colony* with a resident population of 8,892, of whom, 2,092 are communicants. The number of BUS* •ionarieu »thirty

Wool lias been good and abundant. The bulk ■of it has been shipped, and will figure well at the February sales. The Orient took 71 bales at Sd, per lb. The lambing season having been an extremel} T favorable one, sanguine expectations are entertained that the early clip will be a large one. The farmers are busy harvesting. The yield of grain has been large, but in some districts rust has seized the wheat. Agriculture. —The prospects of Agriculture this year are favorable. Over the country gener•ally there have been seasonable rains, the good effects of which are best attested by the considerable reduction in the price of meat. Vineyards. —Oidiura has invaded the vineyards this year as last, but its progress has been greatly checked by the timely application of sulphur; and there is a fair prospect now of a tolerably abundant vintage. Wine Trade.— The Wine Trade of the colony is still depressed, and we fear must long continue to be so. This is partly the result of the ravages of oidium, but it is owing in a still greater degree to the very iniquitous working of Mr. Gladstone’s “alcoholization scale” in the French commercial treaty. The practical effect of it is not to give free trade and open competition to all, but a protection to French wines and a virtual prohibition to those of a British colony. While the best claret pays only a duty of one shilling per gallon, Cape Sherry or Madiera is mulcted at the rate of two shillings and five pence.