CAPE COLONY. 



CENSUS. 



The Colonel said that he had eight thousand 

 Basntos in front of him. On the 13th of De- 

 cember a patrolling force numbering six hun- 

 dred and fifty men, who had moved out to- 

 ward the north, under Captain Brabant, on 

 entering Tsita Neck, met with a large number 

 of the enemy. Captain Brabant retired on the 

 village, and, after communicating with Colonel 

 Carrington, evacuated it, the enemy taking pos- 

 session and firing heavily, killing one rifleman. 

 Colonel Oarrington's division, which consisted 

 of five hundred men, then moved eastward for 

 three miles. The enemy charged repeatedly on 

 all sides, wounding several men. The number 

 of the enemy engaged was estimated at from 

 nine to ten thousand. This was said to be the 

 most important engagement that had yet oc- 

 curred. 



Mr. Thompson, the magistrate at Gatberg, 

 was surrounded by three thousand of the enemy 

 and reduced to a very scanty supply of ammu- 

 nition, when he was relieved, December 7th ; 

 the defenders of the post were all brought off, 

 and the residency was abandoned. 



On the 23d of December the complete rout 

 of Umhlonhlo, with the loss of three hundred 

 men, was reported. 



A new element of trouble was introduced 

 into the situation in the latter part of Decem- 

 ber by the revolt of the Boers of the Transvaal. 

 The insurrection began with meetings of the 

 Boers in large numbers, at which forcible meas- 

 ures were threatened. An attempt was made 

 to arrest the leaders of the movement, and a 

 proclamation was issued warning the discon- 

 tented Boers of the results of persistence in 

 their action. On the 19th of December about 

 five thousand men, out of a total of eight thou- 

 sand whites capable of bearing arms in the 

 Transvaal, had taken possession of Heidelberg, 

 and established a republican government, with 

 Paul Kruger as President, and Joubert as com- 

 mandant. An action was begun at Potchef- 

 strorn on the 15th of December, which was 

 continued at that place and before the military 

 camp for several days, and ended in the Boers 

 gaining and holding the place. On another 

 day, a detachment of two hundred and fifty 

 men of the Ninety-fourth Regiment, while 

 marching from Lydenburg to Pretoria, were 

 attacked near Middleburg, while all the men, 

 having laid aside their arms, were endeavoring 

 to extricate some wagons from a swamp. One 

 hundred and twenty men were killed and 

 wounded, and the rest of the detachment were 

 taken prisoners. 



On the 31st of December the garrisons of 

 Standerston and "Wakerstroorn were reported 

 to be well intrenched and supplied, and confi- 

 dent. The Boers, having seized Utrecht, had 

 abandoned it, offering no violence e'xcept to 

 break open the magazine, whence the bulk of 

 the ammunition had been removed from their 

 reach. The British headquarters and one com- 

 pany of the Sixtieth Regiment, four companies 

 of drafted men, and two of mounted troops, 



under Sir George Colley, were to leave Natal 

 for the front on the 1st of January. About 

 fifteen hundred troops were already on the 

 way, with two cannons and one Gatling gun. 

 The Boers of the Orange Free State were said 

 to be greatly excited, and the President of that 

 State was compelled to send word that he 

 feared he would be unable to restrain them 

 from giving aid to the insurrection. Sir George 

 Colley had issued an address to the troops, 

 saying that the stain cast on the British arms 

 must be quickly effaced and the rebellion sup- 

 pressed. He trusted, however, that the officers 

 and men would not retaliate for the outrages, 

 and would avoid punishing the innocent with 

 the guilty. He charged them to remember 

 that the Boers, though misled and deluded, 

 were on the whole a brave and high-spirited 

 people, actuated by feelings that in the main 

 are entitled to respect. 



A proclamation was issued by the heads of 

 the insurrectionary government, defining and 

 defending the constitution of the new republic. 

 The proclamation contained an offer of pardon 

 to those who opposed the movement for inde- 

 pendence, and stated that the present officers 

 could hold their positions provided they would 

 recognize the republic, and that the British 

 consul would be permitted to continue his 

 residence. It also sanctioned the expenditure 

 of money that had been made during the period 

 of annexation. Martial law was proclaimed by 

 the republicans. 



CENSUS. Nearly all the large countries of the 

 civilized world have taken their periodical cen- 

 suses in 1880, or are to take them during the 

 year 1881. The United States, Germany, and 

 Austria are among the former states ; while a 

 new census of the whole of the British Empire 

 is due in 1881. In view of the importance of 

 this subject, it appears desirable to refer to the 

 efforts which have been made in recent years 

 to render the results of the official censuses more 

 and more accurate, and to the preparations made 

 for taking the new census in the countries 

 named. 



The considerable progress which has been ef- 

 fected in the method of taking the recent cen- 

 suses is especially due to the careful discussion 

 of the subject by the International Statistical 

 Congresses. Of these, nine have been held in the 

 following years and at the following places: 

 first, 1853, Brussels ; second, 1855, Paris; third, 

 1857, Vienna; fourth, 1860, London; fifth, 

 1863, Berlin ; sixth, 1867, Florence ; seventh, 

 1869, The Hague ; eighth, 1872, St. Petersburg; 

 ninth, 1876, Buda-Pesth. 



Besides these Congresses, meetings of the 

 Permanent Commission of the Statistical Con- 

 gresses have been held in 1873 at Vienna, in 

 1874 at Stockholm, in 1876 at Buda-Pesth, and 

 in 1876 at Paris. Another meeting of the Per- 

 manent Commission was arranged for 1879, but 

 it did not take place. 



It was especially the Congress held in 1872 

 at St. Petersburg which very thoroughly inves- 



