throw upon the Commander-in-chief the odium of
refusing that which its own sentence renders impossible
for him to grant without insulting the officers of the
Bengal Army in general and those of the 44th in
particular."

Sir W. Gomm arrived at Calcutta and assumed
command of the Indian Army on the 6th of December. Sir
Charles Napier was at Loodiana on the 30th of November,
and was expected at Bombay about the end of the year.
During his eighteen months' administration, forty-five
officers of the Bengal Army have been brought to trial,
of whom fourteen have been cashiered, six dismissed,
seven have lost rank, five have been suspended, and ten
reprimanded; only two have been honourably acquitted,
one simply acquitted, and four pardoned or their sentence
commuted.

The accounts from Ceylon are to the 12th of December.
The new Governor, Sir George Anderson, met the
Legislative for the first time on the 4th. His address
made a favourable impression. He spoke with
satisfaction of the prevailing tranquillity, and of the prospect
of a prosperous revenue; and expressed his hope of
being able, at no distant period, to lessen the burdens
of the people by lessening taxation; "the imperative
duty," he said, "of all governments." It is generally
understood in the island, that the governor has received
orders to reside frequently in Kandy, instead of making
Colombo always his residence. Almost all the Europeans
reside there, on coffee estates, and most of the European
capital has been expended there. This province is also
the latest of our native possessions. These reasons
combined, added to the coolness and salubrity of the climate,
point it out as the most eligible seat of government.

The intelligence from the Cape of Good Hope is
important. In consequence of an apprehended inroad of
the Kaffirs, Sir Harry Smith proceeded rapidly to King
William's Town, and was unexpectedly present at a
Kaffir meeting held there on the 26th of October. A
number of chiefs were assembled, but the celebrated
Sandilli was absent. The chiefs protested that they
preferred being under the British rule, and having their
property protected, to living like monkeys in the bush.
Sandilli's brother said that he had not come because a
fall from his horse had hurt him and made him unable
to rise. Sir Harry Smith answered—That was a lie;
Sandilli was afraid. "But," said Sir Harry, "tell him I
do not wish to hurt him; let him come in as my son;
I will protect him." On mentioning the rumours that
were spread abroad in the colony, Sir H. Smith wished to
know who had thus alarmed the colonists; he understood
they had originated with the native Gaika tribes. He was
surprised that they should be such fools as to believe in
such a fool—a boy prophet who was covered all over with
grease, and as black as a coal. If they were not happy,
continued his Excellency, and wanted war, he would
make war (holding up a long stick with a brass nob at
the end, called generally the stick of peace). "I will
make war, and bring my troops from Cape Town in
four days, as I came myself; and I will drive you all
over the Kei, and get Krili to drive you to the
Umzimvoobo, and I will be there too—I was there once;
and you know it—and then get Faku to drive you
further; and then you will be scattered over the earth as
beasts of the field and vagabonds. But the good I
will protect and assist, and be their father. I will kill
every one that will not fight on my side. There is a
God above; he knows all things." There were about
350 Kaffirs in all; and the meeting separated peaceably,
his Excellency inviting the chiefs into the house. The
chiefs were very humble, and came forward at His
Excellency's request to shake hands with him, as a token
of peace and allegiance to the Queen, as British subjects.
A few days after this meeting, Sir Harry Smith issued
a proclamation deposing Sandilli from his rank and
authority as a chief, and appointing Mr. Charles
Brownlee, commissioner for the Gaika tribe, to assume
the direct control of Sandilli's tribes, under the instructions
of Colonel M'Kinnon, the chief commissioner of
British Kaffraria.

The West India Mail has brought intelligence from
the different colonies to the end of December. In
Jamaica the cholera was committing fearful ravages on
the north side of the island—particularly at Montego
Bay and Falmouth. On the south side it was abating,
and had almost entirely disappeared from Kingston.
In the agricultural districts in all parts of the country
the greatest mortality had taken place, whole properties
having become almost entirely depopulated. The
injury that must result to the agricultural interest is
incalculable. Crops on the ground, some of which
promised to yield abundantly, cannot be taken off for
the want of labour. The Boards of Health of the
different places were meeting regularly for the purpose
of adopting measures for the relief of the sufferers and
to prevent the spread of the scourge. The legislature
stood adjourned to the 14th of January. The council,
as well as the house had decided on memorialising
her Majesty, praying for the introduction of African
immigrants.

In British Guiana, the Court of Policy had been
engaged on several important measures, but stood
adjourned to the 13th of January. Among other
business transacted, bills establishing a new department
of the public service, the office of Auditor-General of
Accounts, for the examination of the litigated accounts
of the courts of justice, and of all public accounts
generally, and providing for the holding of inferior
criminal courts in Essequibo by one of the puisne judges,
were advanced a stage. An ordinance had also been
passed for constituting boards of health for Georgetown
and New Amsterdam, to guard against the contingency
of a visit from cholera.

A serious military riot had taken place at Berbice.
The police arrested some soldiers, and took them to the
station-house; a body of the companions of the prisoners
came down on the station-house, attacked the police, and
the inhabitants who joined them, and were only
prevented from effecting a rescue by the arrival of the
Commander-in-chief and the officers of the corps. Many
persons received serious wounds.

The accounts from the other colonies are unimportant.
In most of them sanitary measures had been adopted
in anticipation of the cholera.

Throughout the Australian Colonies there is a
growing agitation against the transportation system.
In New South Wales, large meetings upon the subject
have been held, both at Sydney and in the interior.
In Van Diemen's Land there have been meetings in all
the districts of the island, at which the public feeling
has been strongly and unanimously expressed. The
course of action agreed to by all the meetings is to
remonstrate with the Colonial Office against the continuance
of transportation, and the system of misrepresentation of
colonial sentiment in the imperial parliament which
had been systematicaly pursued by Earl Grey; and also
to pledge themselves, in example of the people of the
Cape, not to employ convicts. Meanwhile, the government
partisans and pro-transportation party was not
inactive. An attempt had been made to get up a petition
in favour of the continuance of transportation in a
modified form, but the manoeuvre was promptly met by
the anti-transportation association issuing an address,
cautioning the colonists against attaching their names
to any document of the kiud until it had been printed
and publicly discussed.

The session of the legislative council of New South
Wales was adjourned on October 2nd. During its
sittings the principal acts passed were those for
establishing and endowing a university for Sydney, for
improving the organisation of the police, for regulating
the corporation of Sydney, and for confirming certain
presbyterian marriages. The result of the transportation
debate was the adoption of measures with the
view of pledging the Secretaiy of State that convictism
should not be resumed.

The news that Port Philip was to be erected into a
distinct and independent colony had been joyfully
received at Melbourne. It was not decided whether
the event should be commemorated by illuminations,
or by the establishment of an orphan or female
emigration asylum, or of a college. A cathedral church
has been founded, and it is proposed to erect a town-hall
in Melbourne, at a cost of £2000.