Deep River. It is situated between the two last mentioned places and those of Stoffel Zelie and Solomon Vermaak. Two fine streamlets called Wolve and Deep Rivers flow through it, at the distance of above a mile from each other, and discharge themselves into the Rugte Vallei. It extends from the mountains to the sea. It is generally considered as a half place, for which reason it has not hitherto been granted in loan, but I think that on a measurement a considerable portion of the land claimed by the farmers of the adjoining places would appear to belong to it. The upper part of this lot consists of sour grasses, the lower of sweet. It is said to be favourable for corn, cattle, horses, and sheep. This place is situated about midway between Plettenberg and Mossel Bays. The Duyvel's Kop, the road over which is used by most waggons proceeding from the Lange Kloof or the Karoo to this part of the coast, is not above two or three miles from it.

9. Melkhout Kraal leggende aan de Drie Vallei, to distinguish it from the place of the same name lying on the Knysna. Stoffel Zelie. Borders on the lake formed by the junction of the Rugte Vallei, the Zwarte, Deep, and Wolve Rivers, on that called the Ronde Vallei, formed mostly by rain water, and on the sheet of water formed by the mouth of Traketekou, called the Lange Vallei. This last is brackish when the mouth is shut. The Melkhout Kraal and the Government Land adjoining to it can be overflown by Deep River. This place is one of the best for horses, corn, and cattle on this part of the coast. Some sheep may also be kept there, but in mentioning the fitness of any place in this district for those animals, it can only be considered as with relation to a neighbouring one, for the whole tract between Plettenberg Bay and Outeniqua Land would not perhaps maintain as many as one good farm in the district of Graaff-Reinet. This place is now for sale for the sum of 5,000 Rixdollars.

10. Hooge Kraal leggende aan Kleine Keurbooms River. Solomon Vermaak. Is between the last mentioned and the mountains. Good for corn, horses, and sheep, but not for cattle. Kleine Keurbooms River falls into the mouth of Traketekou or Lange Vallei. This place can be overflown with less difficulty than any of the others.

11. Klip Krans. Johannes Vivier. Good for cattle and horses, but bad for corn and sheep. The last have always been particularly unhealthy there.

12. Avontuur. Belonging to the same. Situated between the last and the mountains. Traketekou is the boundary of it on the west, and Little Keurbooms River separates it from Vermaak's place on the east.

The places numbered 7, 10, 11, and 12 could, I believe, be procured altogether for a less sum than is demanded by Zelie for that numbered 9. If these five places were united with the ungranted land numbered 8, they would form one of the most delightful estates in the universe. Enclosed between the sea and majestic mountains, adorned with beautiful lakes and woods, abounding in excellent fish, fowl, and in almost every description of animal from the diminutive blue buck to the towering elephant.

Cape of Good Hope, June 1809.

[Copy.]

Proclamation by the EARL OF CALEDON.

Inasmuch as it appears from the representation of the Board of Landdrost and Heemraden of the Cape District that it would tend to accelerate the proceedings of that Board in its capacity of the Court for determining petty Lawsuits, if it were empowered to administer Oaths to the parties in certain cases: I do, by virtue of the Power and Authority in me vested, hereby authorize the said Court of Landdrost and Heemraden to administer Oaths in such cases of petty Lawsuits, in which it may appear to the Court necessary to have such solemn deposition from the Witnesses, or in such cases in which the Court or the parties interested may require it. But the Court is not hereby empowered to administer the Oaths which are sometimes required by their Sentence, of the Parties themselves.

And it is hereby directed that this Proclamation shall be published and affixed in the usual manner.

Given under my Hand and Seal at the Cape of Good Hope, this 30th day of June 1809.

(Signed)

CALEDON.

[Original.]

Letter from CHARLES ARBUTHNOT, ESQRE., to EDWARD
COOKE, ESQRE.

TREASURY CHAMBERS, 30 June 1809.

SIR,-Having laid before the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury your Letter of the 1st ultimo on one from Mr. Blair dated Cape of Good Hope the 21 January last relative to his appointment as Collector of the Customs there, and transmitting Copy of a Letter and its Enclosures from Lord Caledon, whereby it appears that his Lordship wished by issuing his warrant to Mr. Blair to obviate any legal Doubt upon the Question which might possibly arise on the Power of Mr. Blair's Commission, and had no wish to claim any Right of Appointment in himself as Governor; I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you for the Information of Lord Castlereagh that they conceive it is not within the Province of the Governor of any of His Majesty's Colonies Abroad to interfere with the Appointments of Revenue Officers or with legal Emoluments arising out of those Appointments without the Sanction of this Board or unless called upon by the personal Misconduct of the Officers themselves.

Letter from VICE ADMIRAL BERTIE to the HONOURABLE
W. W. POLE.

Racehorse, SIMON'S BAY, 7th July 1809.

SIR,-By my several Letters herewith accompanying I have had the honor to acknowledge the dispatches received by the Sylvia Cutter, which vessel arrived here the 7th June, and sailed again on the 11th in pursuance of her further Orders from their Lordships. Adverting to the Letter I had the honor to receive by the Sylvia, whereby their Lordships have been pleased to repeat their directions that the Raisonable should be sent to England, I have the honor to acquaint you that at the moment of the Sylvia's

arrival the Raisonable was on the point of sailing with Stores and refreshments absolutely indispensable to the Blockading Squadron, and at the same time to enable the Leopard on the arrival of the former to proceed to Bombay, it having been judged expedient she should be docked to repair the defects of her stem, Captain Rowley having orders on the return of the Leopard to the cruizing ground to proceed here for the purpose of being sent to England in obedience to their Lordships' direction. Subsequent to my letter of the 31st May, communicating to you the proceedings of the Squadron, no vessel has arrived with the exception of the Staunch, which Vessel it has been found necessary to heave out and new copper; but from the very reduced means of this Naval Yard, I am concerned to state the progress has been very slow, and that both her, the Racehorse, and Olympia, which are the only vessels here, are now incomplete in their Sails. I have &c.

(Signed)

A. BERTIE.

[Copy.]

Government Advertisement.

Notice is hereby given that in compliance with the suggestion of the President and Members of the Burgher Senate, and in consequence of the Farmer of the Salt pans not having brought into Store a sufficient quantity of Salt for the exigencies of this Town, it is hereby permitted to all persons to bring Salt into Cape Town until further notice, duty free, and without paying any compensation to the Farmer of the Pans; and to sell the same either in large or small proportions, as may suit their convenience. Castle of Good Hope, 7th July 1809.

By Command of His Excellency the Governor.

[Original.]

Letter from the EARL OF CALEDON to VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH. CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE, July 7th 1809.

MY LORD!-Mr. Musgrave (relative to whose application for arms for the Government of Monte Video I had the honour to address your Lordship on the 21st of May last) having lodged in the Colonial Treasury the sum of 600 doubloons, being the estimated value of 2000 stand of arms, and having enter'd into security that he would in the first instance touch at Rio de Janeiro there to receive the orders of His Majesty's Ambassador for their disposal, I directed the arms to be accordingly given to him, with which he sailed from hence on the 10th of June. To put your Lordship in entire possession of the part I have taken upon this occasion I beg to refer to Nos. 1 & 2, being the Letters I addressed to Lord Strangford, who will no doubt communicate to His Majesty's Ministers the measures he has in consequence thought fit to adopt.

His Majesty's cutter Sylvia arrived in Table Bay on the 8th of June, when Lieut. Drury delivered to me your Lordship's dispatch of the 17th March (No. 23) containing the copy of a secret dispatch addressed to the Governor General in Council at Fort William in Bengal. I have no intelligence at present to offer to your Lordship upon the subject to which it relates.

According to your Lordship's commands I submitted a report on the 1st of July 1808 upon the Memorial of Mrs. Sarah Batt to the Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council, shortly after which period Mrs. Batt without any permission from His Majesty's Government at home made her appearance here. As her husband had previously applied for a passport to leave the colony I permitted her to land, and she is still resident. Now my Lord the case of Mrs. Batt, in itself of little consequence, is producing a great effect upon the public mind, and renders it necessary for me to receive your instructions whether I must give weight to the colonial institutions and permit the constituted authorities to send persons out of this colony whom the Dutch Laws would have excluded upon a policy I consider generally useful and which my experience informs me is almost essential to the police of this settlement.

VII.

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