the country beyond, and putting themselves in direct
communication at the rendezvous assigned. This duty
accomplished, they scoured the neighbourhood afresh, and
returned to head quarters, after three weeks' absence,
with 23,000 head of cattle and a proportionate spoil in
goats and horses. Nor did these droves constitute the
whole of their following. The Fingoes of Butterworth,
in number 7000 souls, with chattels in the shape of
30,000 kine, expressed a wish to be removed from the
reach of the exasperated Kreili, and they migrated
accordingly, under convoy of Colonel Eyre's division,
for protection and location in some part of the British
territory. Such was the issue of the expedition across
the Kei.—On the l5th January, Sandilli and the other
Gaika chiefs held a meeting, and resolved to sue for
terms of peace. Their suit was made through two of their
councillors. Sir Harry Smith replied that he could offer
no terms to "rebels; "that they must surrender
unconditionally. If they did this, their lives would be spared;
the rest must depend wholly on her Majesty's mercy.
As they did not do this, or in any way renew their offer,
in eight days of grace allowed them, another expedition
was to have marched into the country of Sandilli and
the other Gaika chiefs, on the 26th and 27th January.
The news of the starting of this expedition had not
arrived at Cape Town when the mail departed for
England.—The news from the Orange River Sovereignty
had also taken a favourable turn. The assistant-
commissioners, Major Hogge and Mr. Owen, had met
Prætorius and Adriaan Standen, and a great assemblage
of the Trans-Vaal-Boers, and had found so much good
inclination on the part ofPrætorius and Standen, that
"all difficulties had been arranged; " and the proscription
under which Prætorius had been living for five years
past—a reward of £1000 for his head—had been removed
by a public proclamation of Sir Harry Smith. The
assistant-commissioners had announced that the emigrant
farmers beyond the Vaal are to have the management of
their own local affairs.

From the intelligence received from India, it appears
that there is likely to be another Burmese war. A naval
squadron, under Commodore Lambert, having been sent
to Rangoon to demand satisfaction for certain aggressive
proceedings on the part of the King of Ava. The King
offered ready submission to this demand, and displaced
the governor of Rangoon by whom it had been first
opposed. But these amiable professions turned out
insincere; for scarcely had the new governor, or viceroy,
been placed in authority than he commenced a series of
annoyances and insults against all British subjects.
Commodore Lambert sought an interview with the
viceroy, which was not only refused, but all communication
between the shore and the fleet strictly prohibited.
Many of the British took refuge on board the English
vessels, while those who remained behind desirous of
securing their property were cast into prison. The fleet
remained at anchor for 24 hours on the opposite side of
the river, when intimation was received from the viceroy
that he should fire on the squadron should the Commodore
attempt to move down the river. On the 10th of
January the Fox was towed down, and anchored within
a few hundred yards of the stockade erected by
the viceroy, when the steamer, having returned to bring
away with her a Burmese man-of-war, was fired on,
which was immediately returned with great vigour. The
enemy dispersed after some three hundred of them
were slain. The squadron then proceeded on its course,
and the river ports of Burmah were proclaimed to be
in a state of blockade. Commodore Lambert then
proceeded to Calcutta for further instructions. Another
campaign was therefore deemed unavoidable, which, it
was supposed, could not be commenced before October.

Accounts have been received of dreadful acts of
Piracy and Murder in the Indian Ocean. The Victory,
of London, a barque of 570 tons, commanded by Captain
Mullens, having sailed to some Chinese port, was
chartered to convey coolies to Callao. On tlie 6th of
December she sailed from Cumsingmoon with upwards
of 300 coolies on board and a general cargo. On the
afternoon of the 10th, between three and four o'clock,
the coolies made a rush into the cabin, and with little
difficulty possessed themselves of the ship's arms. The
slaughter then commenced. A party having proceeded
to seize the captain, he was gallantly defended by a
brave fellow of the name of Henry Watt, but he being
overpowered and put to death, and his mutilated body
thrown overboard, Captain Mullens was obliged to take
shelter in the rigging. He was soon, however, compelled
to come down, and the coolies despatched him with
cutlasses and heavy iron bolts, and threw him overboard.
After murdering three other men, they compelled Mr.
Fagg, the chief mate, to steer the vessel, which was
ultimately brought to anchor at Paulo Ubi, on the coast
of Cochin China, where, after destroying all her papers,
and going ashore, they abandoned her, leaving Mr. Fagg
behind, who afterwards made his way to Singapore.—
The Herald, of Leith, under the command of Mr. Lawson,
left Shanghai for Leith in the course of last
October, and in addition to the master and his wife, Mrs.
Lawson, there were on board two European mates, a
steward, carpenter, a cook, a Portuguese seaman, 12
Manilla men, and a Manilla boy. Some four or five
days after the Herald had left Shanghai, the crew were
put upon their customary allowances, which annoyed
them. They then laid a plan to destroy the whole of
the Europeans, but this was privately communicated to
the captain by a Portuguese whom they had endeavoured
to enlist in their cause, and led to the precautions being
adopted of mustering them on deck every night and
taking their knives from them. This exasperated them
the more, and while they were under weigh for St.
Helena, they contrived during the night of the 25th day
of the voyage to overpower the captain, carpenter, and
officers, whose dead bodies were found below in the
morning by the Portuguese. These were then thrown
overboard. In a few days more they recommenced the
slaughter, the Portuguese, cook, and; the boy alone
succeeding in moving their clemency on a promise of
secrecy. They then determined to scuttle the ship,
which they afterwards abandoned in the boat, leaving
Mrs. Lawson, who they were resolved should not escape,
secured in one of the cabins of the ship, which soon after
foundered. The following morning they reached Java,
when the authorities hearing of the matter, they were
all taken into custody, the Portuguese, the cook, and
the boy,being detained to give the necessary evidence
against them.—A third vessel was likely to have had a
similar tragedy on board. The Coreyra, Mr. Paterson
commander, manned by a Javanese crew, was proceeding
from Madagascar to Shanghai, when the men revolted.
The second mate was murdered, but the other officers
succeeded in overpowering the ruffians, and the ship was
got into Hong Kong.

NARRATIVE OF FOREIGN EVENTS.

The most important article of news from France is
that the President has effected another coup d'état, the
conversion of the Five per Cent. Rentes into Four-and-
a-half; a measure which will lessen the interest on the
Stock by eighteen millions and a half of francs, and is in
fact a robbery on the stock-holders to that extent. A
very large proportion of the rentiers, who will suffer
this loss, are poor people of the working classes, who had
money in the savings banks in 1848, and were obliged
to accept five per cent, stock in lieu of their deposits
seized by the provisional government. A decree has
been promulgated regulating the relations of the chambers
with the President. Each senator may propose to
present to the President the basis of a bill of great
national interest. Any proposals of modifications of the
constitution must be signed by ten senators. The corps
legislatif cannot reject a bill without discussing all the
articles separately. The president is to receive 100,000