The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-10-23 00:00:00

_ ~-~.~. Set. '3,51849 Cbt Kiimpool &tanbarb. I'URSDj . I 7 MORNING, OCT. 23, 184 g. P rins intelligence brought I)y * - 111 " tet "" her Arne " •I tea, from Canada, is of a very excitiniZ • ytnti impor taut nature. The Mo n treal 1.3 azette of the t;th ins!' . L tB , that the " present state of matters there is lorai:al in th e extreme, an d w ill soon he alarming." " Engl an d m i g ht, b u t s h e t e ll s it's ' - she will ;kr back up on h er s t e p s ; s h e t e ll s us in plain of as that if we cons id er h er connex i on w ith us %at: little benefit to us, as she consid e rs it. has to her, we h a d b e t ter pu t a fi na l en d t o i . at n en and that she wonders we do not." Our 17enfitemporary then. goes on to remark upon the Of know n and long-tried loyalty of a great body m en "who l oo k e d on G rea t B r it a i n i n thi s wor ld, 18 . el they still d o t o H eaven i n th e nex t " an d t o th e es in opposition to them, who have always been eZ o nrable t o repu bli can i nst i tut i on ' s . H e t h en rns, that "f rom th e d a t e o f th e R e b e lli on L os s es a great portion of the loya' lists ceased to con "der themselves bound by their allegiance. Tate .ol6,t and a bala nce o f a d van t ages t oo k th e pla ce o f to u feelings. A revolution which years of hardship ,„ 111 d .” not have effected, was accomplished in a we e k 1„ Ile conclusion of the article which we quote be 4, deserves the early and serious attention of all of are desir ous t o re t a l n that important portion t he British empire. We may add, that our con -1 7 norary's gloomy appr e hensions are shared in by te stified by o f t h e i nte lli gent c l ass i n th e co l ony , as i s by private letters which we have seen, an °rant from one of which we will now give : Montreal, Oct. Bth. t al ZWe are hastening fast towards separation. every one a ,,, 8 of it as the one thing needful for us, commercially ,"" Politically, and nearly all the papers (except the go ing sueoz ones) are daily discussing the project, and mak ecnoparisons with figures, too, showing how it woull b .Prove our condition. We almost think Mr. Isaac Bucha .:ll was right, that " Lord Elgin will be the last British }%nvernor in these parts." I have reason to believe that a in b er of influential gentlemen are now preparing a Per for the publi c , a nd this manifesto will shortly ap- V ft r. The governor is sneaking about from Niagara to 0 ! ) tt Dover, B ran tf or d, a nd other parts, and promises o uortl Y to vi sit Toronto. God speed him home, for he 1119 produces ►mischief here." T he following are the Gazette's remarks to which We alluded above : ho " The true state of opinion in Canada now is directly i t ;tile to British connection. It is of no use to disguise r ° o l ourselves, nor to conceal it from the British • for In Lower Canada both English and French are ripe st i i a change. In Upper Canada, we believe, that there is Of a roajbrity of the population pretending to be desirous I_,cOntinuing to be connected with England . ; but the in 'truants of the towns along the lakes are last changing teal opinions, and, in a short time, the old feeling—the teal feeling —will be confined to old-country settlers in ah e back townships. But it is not difficult to foresee the grtach of the time, when the difference of fifteen pence o o soel on wheat will have changea their opinions also. f e n ve believe to be the correct statement of the position r outers here at present. If there is any party in iglgland that desires the colony to be retained, we tell a tk en ' seriously that they have no time to lose, in making I I effort to save it. In two years they will have no party tre through which to act." the is really painful to observe the shifts to which e Free Traders and Bullionists are driven, to .° 'aunt for the events of the past two years. Potato al s, rail way specu l at i on . E uropean revo l u ti ons — imaginable pleas—have been urged to meet th e naked and undeniable fact that we have had, this period, to suffer a depreciation of—at a f e rY mod era t e es ti ma t e —some two hund re d mil ..l,°rle of the aggregate capital of the country. Our con temporary, the Manchester Guardian, is p riarllarti y ingenious in his explanations of this singu • ( 1 ' occurrence; and in his publication of Wednes aY enters i n to an e laborate argument which, ha ppily, contains a few important admissions. We q u ote a portion of our contemporary's remarks : L i e :_lhe parliamentary plpers which have recently been vered, now place within our reach the means of an d a ac ,t comparison of the export trade of this country r inß 1847 and 1848,—two years which, in the future I nni eo ercial history of this country, will rank amongst the rttllest eventf u l on recor d. Th e one w ill v i e w ith, if it do e s bl't entirely eclipse, the year 1825, so marked in the ern nrY of all who are old enough to recollect it, for its IPeculations, high prices, subsequent collapse, ruin, t i"'rnercial panic, monetary crisis, and wide-spread V ank ruptcy : the other, for revolutions, convulsions, and itical excitement, has no parallel in the history of abl e Such are the two years, each the most remark of e in its own way that history discloses, and the trade Which, falling as they did together, we have now to t e ° , 'Pare. l We are also enabled to bring into comparison . „," trad e o f a t l east n i ne mont h s o f t h e present year, in o ta „, e of th e mos t i mpor t an t ar ti c l es on w hi c h the cors et and industry of this neighbourhood depend. The year 1817, though marked by such unusual con imp I ]inns, may be said, so far as regarded the general . 6 4 :e of the country, to have been a fair average year. .„ r ing the first six or seven months, there was an unu -;g1 buoyancy, great speculation, high prices, and very il l ensire transactions, which the momentary squeeze in I , i_n 2 olley market, in April, had little effect in checking. f e large transactions of that portion of the year made up e e! the limited business in the three or four months of toupmercial gloom, panic, despondency, and distrust th t h Which it concluded. The amount of the exports of e Year reached £58,847,377. Within its circle, braem ited all the striking features of commercial experience. ke ° egari, with high hope and great speculation. These 618 re succeeded by disappointment, crises, losses, and 'lvencies, to an extent unknown at any former time." " Speculation, high prices, subsequent collapse, op in, panic, monetary crisis, and wide ;vt.,ead bankruptcy"—an imposing catalogue of not unlike Mr. Jones Loyd's famous cycle ! il u ese occurred in 1825 ; and they were exceeded etas d isaster by the state of affairs in 1847. Yet this 4 a under a law which was expressly and emphati cally to p reven t un d ue s p ecu l a ti ons an d " subse icilent coll apse ." S ure ly our b u lli on i s t s must now w to alit that, th us f ar , th e i r l eg islation has been a it i ' ll re• But the potato rot came to interfere with dWorking ! Granted. We had to import some h i t een millions worth of food. Why that, accord toßkto all the arguments of the free traders, ought t o "aye given a stimulus to our import trade. Yet e a r every million's worth of this food we had to tie c jißce above ten millions of the value of the I,, o ' ll .,lnulated property of the country ! The railway 10 1 ce, too, are urged as a cause of all this sacrifice. h i : spent some millions in the construction of ll , o et remunerative undertakings; yet the aggregate reiTertY of the country became of two hundred Loilions less value in consequ e n ce ! Mill s , m i nes , lb, s e% farms, the national securities became of less 4,4, 1 7 value, because we had converted land into Of ,? 41 productiveness, taken iron from the bowels pi o 'ne earth and made it yield railway fares, em pro37ed labourers and made them consumers of the th ie du ets of native industry, and of imported pro prot—in a wor d, b ecause we h a d i ncrease d th e pri ll ,etive capital of the country. On the same tit ; — Ple, a man who builds a street, or a mill upon li o aroperty, or fashions a cargo of timber into a lab o e ship, ought to find the product of his in ti ts, or his skill, diminished, instead of being e n te aeed irCi, s ll ,_e Contemporary goes on to paint the events took place in the following year-1848— ~ illve entered upon "full of hope. He says:— *llieteople little dreamed of the cruel disappointment to they were doomed. The month of January looked 'eh), ' . ine exports exceeded even those of January, 1847. .ar ! , - ' 4 e a . tly i, vvent on equally well, the exprts still in ad tioa' on the 18th of that month, the French revo- N th " P oke upon us with the suddenness and awfulness Itirradunder. A new and most unlooked-for element was dad,,nced into all commercial calculations. The fears l'elee!nrebodings of the most timid were realised with a tag, it Y Which no one could have anticipated. The con -411 at " s d h stri a nrea vs. it a rapid . ity . unparalleled. Italy, Zavais l German y were all, within a few short weeks, ea ln o ,_ and the fair promises of January were, before , 1 8 f March, all converted into dismay and gloom. nea.,4Ports fell off by millions in each month ; and al intlepV, durin g the last three months of the year, a con ale "not e revival had taken place, their amount for the ttt „Year Was £6,000,000 less than in 1847." e)cp 8 examine, briefly, this specious plea. We to °llea. in 1848, less, by six millions sterling than Prh forei We had six millions less to receive from gner for our labour, skill, and materials. been he re finer th Property of the country ought to have t'ool d L ila six millions less, and no more, than it it wa l !ave been, had our exports not so fallen off. e six millions the sum total of our loss ? tioz olli s we could say so. And here is the strange tir o J• e are almost the only nation in 4„tevoliiPtd23einch w as not i nvolved i n the vortext of o, e i , No contendin g arm i es t ram pl e d on e quiet , No insurgent mobs disturbed greatly I: t b d I .abours of our producing classes. We ourtsielix miilions worth of the result of those it ? s all ~i,i t t , _for a season on our hands—little more 1 ,4 1 . (1 be ea 'n of what we pay annually in taxation— illions !Ise of this, we are told, that hundreds of t bu ch lave been sacr ifi ce d b y indiv i duals, and, 1 to,_° a mount, the p ro p er t y o f th e na ti on i s a t 104 7ent 0 . f less money value. The deprecia "e Price of the stock of one railway com pany aloft ; would 3 more than eni , ef the amount 04 our Ziexreas ec l imports. The actnet ea rn i ngs df the, London and North Western line, in 1848, would . alone be equal to nearly half the falling off, to which is traced so great a portion of our present sufferings ! We wish our philosophers to bring a "little more of common sense and candour to bear upon this ;:lbject—let them face the question fairly—let them tell us how it is that the entire property of the country is worth so much less now than it was thle .. o years ago. If they can do this without taking into their consideration the effect of our monetary laws, we are greatly deceived. WE fully admit, with the London Times, the importance of the project of Prince Albert, which has for its object the promotion of an improved taste for design amongst our manufacturers and artizans, and the establishment of a friendly inter change of thought upon such subjects, with our Continental neighbours. This proposed grand ex hibition of arts and manufactures is your true peace congress. It will do more to bring us to an understanding of each others characters, to remove national prejudices, and to awaken a wholesome feeling of emulation, by which the industry of the whole human race will he benefited, than all the spechifyings of the Cobdens, Elihu Burritts, and their dreamy class. But we do not think that our contemporary is quite warranted in the views which he takes of the inferiority of the British taste in manufactures, set forth in the following extract from his remarks of Saturday last : " Industrious and ingenious as our countrymen are, they want some of the qualities which contribute not only to intellectual elevation, but even to commercial success. Large sums are annually lavished in the vain attempt to create a school of taste, yet at this moment our manufac turers are obliged to pilfer French patterns, and think themselves eminently successful when they disguise the inventions of Paris and Lyons without spoiling them. As a general rule, our native manufacturers have no resources except a beggarly dependence on fureigners, a servile ad herence to classic and other conventional forms, and the merest imitation. Our position, our mineral wealth, our machinery, our commerce, and the inexhaustible energy of our race, enable us to carry all markets before us, and to force our commodities on the world ; but the want of native taste is a continual drag on our efforts, and entails severe losses in a market continually affected by the ca prices of fashion. Now, just as manners are learnt in good society, and moral , among the virtuous, so taste in all its branches can only be acquired by communication with those who possess the precious gift, and by familiarity with their works and ideas. No amount of solitary thought, no effort of unassisted industry, can make a man a good Christian, a goad poet, a good artist, or a good anything else. He must condescend to be helped ; and it this is true of the relation between man and man, it is not less true of the intercourse of nations. "There is scarcely an article that could be mentioned in which our sterling qualities do not turn to less account than they should do—ail for want of the graces. Our manufactures are cheap and good—often too good, as they only perpetuate ugliness. Our furniture is calculated to last for centuries, but is generally insipid and heavy. The wood may be well seasoned, the lines may be straight, and the corners right angles. The drawers may fit, and doors may be well hung. What is more, the lock and key may do their duty. But the whole is a mere stupid repetition, line for line, of some vulgar model, of which there are ten thousand too many already. In any third-rate French town there are dozens of cabinet-makers whose politics may be rather loose, and whose workmanship may not be al. ways trustworthy, but who at the price of the London article will turn out a real work of imagination. FGr comfort and for use we might prefer the home goods, but if we wish for the occasional refreshment of an agreeable object, or covet a poetical air for our apartments, we should find it much cheaper to import. It is the same with every other sort of manufacture. From millinery to men of war, from rockets to lighthouses, from cookery to tactics, from bonbons to triumphal arches, our neighbours surpass us in the science and the taste necessary to bring these things to perfection. As for us, it must he confessed that we live by " sucking their brains." The tortoise beats the hare. Our dogged resolution serves us for ge nius, and we reap the crop which others have sown. Such we say is our case for the most part. 'We have amongst us extraordinary instances of science, genius and taste; but as a general rule, there is more of these quali ties in a French operative than in an English employer." There is of course some truth in all this. We do " pilfer French patterns ;" but why ? Because, with a certain portion of the public, nothing finds favour which is domestic in taste or manufacture. Our cambrics, our woollen stuffs, our printed calicoes, our silks, sell all the better if they are styled " French ;" yet they are Manchester, Brad ford, and Spitalflelds, nevertheless. So long as we worship French taste, and flatter the vanity of our neighbours by giving a preference to their handi work, there can be little chance of reward for the exertions of English originality. 'We are not, however, disposed to admit that the taste of the English artizan is so decidedly inferior to that of the foreigner as our contemporary would persuade us. We are certainly inferior to few of our neighbours, and not at all to France, in paint ing, in sculpture, in poetry, or in the leading walks of science or art; and if we do not devote these to the production of "real works of imagination" in tables and chairs, it is, no doubt, because we prefer such articles, when possessed of the sterling quali ties of endurance and usefulness. It may be de sirable that "a poetical air" should be given to our apartments, and that we should enjoy " the occasional refreshment of an agreeable object" there; but airs are poetical, and objects agreeable, according to the associations which they excite in the individual. The editor of the Times may ad mire the gilded frippery of a Parisian saloon; other men the more solid, and equally picturesque fur nishing of the baronial halls of England. Our contemporary may possibly like to luxuriate in a beard and imperial, a la feline France; other people prefer the cleanliness of a smooth shaven face. The cultivation of a classic taste might induce a few of our exquisites to go back to the Roman Toga, and to discard the modern dress coats, and all the variety of paletots and overcoats ; our wives and sisters might incline to return to the days of short waists and powder, or of hoops and trains; but, in any of these cases, it would not be clear that taste had improved, but only that taste had altered. If nothing beyond the modelling of British taste upon a French pattern, and production of " works of imagination" in tables, and chairs, coats and dresses, is to result from Prince Albert's proposed grand exhibition of works of art and science, we shall not look forward to it with any great expecta tion of a good result. We should as little augur good from an increased importation of French manners and morals. 'We look forward, however, to better things ; to the rejection by every nation, thus to be brought into a comparison of intellect and skill with their neighbours, of old prejudices, and absurd uses of the gifts of God. In some things it may be, that England may be induced to adopt the arts and tastes of other countries ; but we rather incline to believe that the result would be that she would he driven to cling to her own as the most useful, and to get rid of her stupid preference for the productions and her disastrous aping or the habits and tastes of rivals, who are neither her equals in art or in morals. THAT the agriculture of a large portion of the Continent is of the very rudest description, and that the encouragement of additional markets is all that is required to give a vast development to the raising of agricultural products, are facts of which we have long been convinced. In new countries, such as the United States, there can be no rational limit to the production of a supply far exceeding the wants of their inhabitants for centuries to come. Nor, the statistics of our respected county mem ber, Mr. Brown, notwithstanding, can any known point in price he fixed, below which the surplus of such countries will not reach us. Already we have seen enough to satisfy us that the United States will shortly be in a position to inundate our mar kets with cereal productions. In such a country agriculture is the natural, the first and the main pursuit. Its capital is the vast tracts of virgin soil, only waiting the industry of its increasing popula tion to cover them with abundance of the food re quired for man. The price at which that food can be raised it is impossible to determine. We cannot tell how rapidly or how energetically the myriads, now flocking from every country to the Western States of that land, will press forward in the race of competition, as growers of grain, with the existing population of the already settled states. All that we know is that these myriads go out expressly to till the ground ; that their mainstays are the plough and the sickle, the axe and the spade; and that the result must as inevitably be a gradual decre ase i n the price of food, compared with that of other com modities, or with money, as it will be an increase of food available for the wants of the world. There can be no limit to surplus production until the soil holds as many beings as it is capable of feeding. There be no check to decreasing prices, with an increasing supply, until the value of that supply becomes so low that a man no longer betters him self by his labour. In America, and other new countries, it is to the bringing of additional land under cultivation that • we have to look for increased supply. In Enrope, however,. we hare to expect that' increase from the improvement of agricultural science. The farming of the Polish serf is unaided by the appliances of modern science. His agricultural implements are imperfect, and a large portion of the roil can scarcely be said to have been cleared at all. Russia, of the interim of which we know comparatively 'little ' , has vast tracts of land,yet to be colonized and cultivated, and many portions of them unprovided with roads fir the transport of agricultural products when raised. Of the position and prospects of the future development of that country, the reviewer (in Frazer's Magazine) of the work of a recent ' tourist, Hazthausen, remarks : " The north of that country is almost wholly covered with woods. Among them is one uninteirupted track of forests, of greater size than the whole kingdom of Spain. Next comes a region of little or no fertility, extiending from the Irral to Smolensk, covering an area of 18,000 square miles, and inhabited by a population of more than 16,000, who are extensively engaged in the manufacture of almost all articles of industry, but who could not manage to exist and to pursue their avocations if the northern forest did not supply them with fuel and timber, and if corn were not provided for them by the fertile plains of the south. Thesa southern plains- have an abundance of loam, and extend over a territory of twice the size of France. The wheat grows there for a hundred years in the same soil, without artificial help from manuring. In the south-east begin those boundless 'steppen,' the haunts of the migratory nations, whose descent upon the civilized countries of Europe has always marked, and perhaps will again mark, the grand epochs in the history of the world." There can he no question as to the probability that from southern Russia we may shortly antici pate a greatly increased supply, as the result of the inducements which we are affording to extended and improved cultivation. The attention of the public has recently been directed to another coun try—Hungary—hitherto scarcely known, save as an insignificant dependency of Austria, yet contain ing, as we now know, the germs of a powerful people. The agriculture of Hungary is thus de scribed from the spot by the private correspondent of the London Times " Of the value of manure they have not the least idea, or rather they set too much store by it, for it accumulates in the towns so as to breed a fever from time to time. The agent of the Steam Navigation Company wished a heap of dung to be removed from the vicinity of the land ing place here ; but the peasant answered that the dung of his father and grandfather had lain there, and he did not understand how he could be called on to remove it for the public convenience. It never struck him that if he laid it on his land he should put money in his pocket, so it was removed by the steam boat agent. The ploughs here are of the rudest description, and are all of wood, except a coarse ploughshare, which turns aside the earth so insuf ficiently that all the ploughing is done with six oxen, when, with the modern plough, a pair of stout oxen is quite sufficient for the heaviest land. The harrows look as if they had come out of Noah's ark, being entirely of rude branches of trees pegged together in the most inar tistic manner, and do their work so imperfectly that the considerable part of the seed corn is blown away. When harvest timecomes, the wheat, instead of being reaped, is mown down like grass, the mower receiving an eighth of the whole for his trouble in mowing. The corn is then heaped up in stacks, and often lies on the ground until the outside grows green again. There is no - thrashing except in the modern farm of a wealthy magnate here and there, and even with them if a wheel goes wrong there is nobody in all the country round who can repair it, and a man must be sent for from Pesth and Vienna. The grain is trodden out by horses in the open air, at an immense loss, and the substitute for a granary is no doubt the same as between the Lena and the Oxus, before the days of Arpad. A hole is dug in the earth, narrow at the top and broad below, and here the corn is deposited. To exclude the damp, the mouth is so narrow and the cavity so deep, that the man who takes it out is let down with a rope, like Joseph into the pit, and after half a year the corn gets so earthy a flavour that the bread gets an unavoidable gozit, which every traveller in the back settlements of Hungary can remember." Such a state of things is not likely to continue in these days of railway enterprise and industrial ad vancement. The rude plough will be laid aside ; the ruder harrow will be rejected; and the produce of the soil will find its way gradually, in an improved condition, to the markets of the world. The quality of the land itself is inconceivably rich. The same writer thus describes it "The ground about Szolnok, as well as all along the Theirs from Tokay to its confluence with the Danube, near Belgrade, is fat black humus., and consequently not good for potatoes, but excellent for rapeseed and wheat, the proportion of rape sown to the product being around Szolnok as Ito 90-95 and 100. With more hands and better agriculture the vale of the Theiss might become a Peruvian gold mine ; for instance, from here to Mezii 'i OL. is a five hours' journey, all black alluvial soil, and only two houses are to be seen. It, therefore, follows that those who really are laborious, and understand the mo dern processes of agriculture have very good incomes ; for instance, Mr. Z , a native of Stuhlweissenburg, rents a fine estate near here of 4.000 acres from the Almasy family, for the sum of 33,000 florins (about £1,300 ster ling) ; the expenses of cultivation amount to about the same sum—together with £2,600. One year lately his income, from rapeseed alone, was 90,000 florins, or about £3,600 sterling ; and this from only a third of the land, another third being grain, and the rest pasture and mixed crops. In a good year he makes £6,000 per annum, which, with the deduction of £2,600 per annum for rent and cultivation, leaves him above £3,000 per annum. But you may rest assured that Mr. Z knows the value of time, and does not saunter about all day smoking his pipe. The poor, simple, brave, and good-natured Magyar sadly needs a " Poor Richard " to tell him that there are " no gains without pains." The Magyar will undoubtedly find a "Poor Rich ard " shortly, not only to incite him to increased energy, but to teach him as well how to avail himself of the sources of wealth which Providence has placed within his reach. Hitherto he has been content to produce for little more than his own wants alone. But it is inherent in the human race to strive after the attainment of wealth, when the path is laid open to them. The mighty Danube was not made to flow for ever through the fertile plains of Hungary, without bearing their rich pro duce to the ocean. The Magyar race have failed in their wild effort to assert for themselves distinct nationality by force of arms ; but another, and a surer path to greatness, is open to them ; the "Peruvian mine" is beneath their feet; and Eng land's and the world's markets are open to turn its products into gold. "What must be the result to the British agriculturist of the increase of supply to come from all these sources it is not difficult to prophecy. He may hold his own for a time, in competition with countries, of whose agriculture that of Hungary is a specimen; but he will not do so when science, skill, and means equal to his own, are everywhere applied to promote the work of cultivation. The Mayor of Liverpool and Mr. Cardwell, had an interview, on Monday, with Lord John Russell. On Monday, a little before midnight, Mr. Hill, of Wavertree, was knocked down near the railway bridge, and robbed of .Z 1 12s. 6th On Tuesday, John Bowers, a watchmaker, living in Whale-street, destroyed himself by cutting his throat with a razor. On Tuesday, the body of a man, unknown, was found in the Prince's-dock basin, between the timbers of the gridiron. Mr. Whitfield Smith and Mr. H. W. Cannell, of this town, have been admitted members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. _ _ On Tuesday, James earberzy, an emigrant who was going to America in the ship Ben Grant, dropped down on the deck when the vessel was near the Bell Buoy, and died almost immediately. On Tuesday, William Henry M'George, a child three years old, living in Collier-street, Toxteth-park, was so severely burnt, through its clothes catching fire, that it died in a few hours. It is said that a Liverpool firm has made a purchase in New York, within the last month, of close on 10,000 barrels of extra superfine flour, which will stand, land e d in Liverpool, only 16s. 9d. per barrel. WATER RATES.—On Tuesday, a number of persons were summoned for nonpayment of water rates, and in each case judgment was given. We understand that all persons owing water rent for the first quarter of last year will be proceeded against. ST. PETER'S WARD.-Mr. Thomas Clarke, who is an opponent of the Pike scheme, and a dock rater, is a can didate for this ward, and we confidently recommend him to the constituency as a very proper gentleman to repre sent their interests. A deputation, consisting of the Baron de Goldsmid, Mr. Bailey, and Mr. Brassey, Directors of the Birkenhead Dock Company, accompanied by Mr. Itendel, had an in terview with the Commissioners of her Majesty's Wood.. and Forests on Friday. Late on Sunday night, in Low-hill, Mr. Gaskell, auc tioneer, and Mr. Speed, cattle dealer, were driving their vehicles in opposite directions, when, owing to the dark ness of the night, each horse was struck by the shaft of the opposite vehicle, and both were killed on the spot. Neither of the gentlemen were seriously injured. The Sarah Sands, from this port to New York, landed, on Tuesday week, at Dunmore, a small town at the mouth of Waterford harbour, five men and three bo3s who had concealed themselves on board before the vessel left this port. On application to the Mayor of Waterford, the parties were sent to this port. OPENING OF THE NEW UNITARIAN CHAPEL, HOPE STREET.—The beautiful edifice lately erected in Hope street, was opened on Thursday. The attendance was exceedingly numerous, and althongh many extra seats had been provided, still numbers were obliged to stand during the whole service. The event was celebrated by a soiree in the Philharmonic Hall, at which about six hundred ladies and gentlemen were present. Mr. J. Bolton was in the chair. The ball presented a very dazzling appear ance. .~.~_-. THE LIYFRPOOL STAND:IIIO. LIVERPOOL OCTOtER SESSIONS. There sessions, for the trial of prisoners in the Liver pool Borough gaol, commenced yesterday, before Gilbert Henderson, Esq.. the Recorder. The calendar contained the names of 122 prisoners, —of whom 16 , were charged pith felony, and 17 with misdemeanour and assaults. Of the whole number 19 can read imperfectly ;• 43 can read and write imperfectly; 55 can neitharead nor write; and 5 can read write well. The following-gentlemen were sworn in to constitute THE GRAND JURY. Abraham Gartside, Wool Broker, North John-street, &rennin. Thomas Addison ' Sharebroker, Dale-street. Timothy Boarneßourne, Broker, Dale-street. George Barnsley, Cotton Broker, Liver-court. William Cliffe, the younger, Merchant, Exchange-chambers: Thomas Froste, Merchant, Cook-street. John Francis G oodwin, Corn Merchant, Lower Castle street. Will - lain Huson, Broker, Sweeting-street. James Nathan Holmes, Merchant, Back Goree. John Herd, Merchant, Brunswick-street. Thomas Hibbert, nerchant,.Sackville-street. Gasket Johnson, Coal Merchant, Castle-street. Robert Livingston, Merchant, Old Churchyard. John Woo!fall Mulleneux, Rectifier, Dale-street. Thomas Mather, Corn Merchant, Drury-lane. Richard Ford North, Cotton Spinner, St. George's-plaop.. Robert Procter, Broker, Brunswick-street. _ Stephen Wrighi Kelso, ktip Broker, Lancaster-buildings. James Beazly, Merchant, Rumford-place. The proclamation against vice and immorality having been read, The RECORDER proceeded' to address the grand jury. He said it would he found that there were named in the calendar about 120 persons, who bad been committed within the space of seven weeks, since the last sitting of the court. He had known the calendar heavier, and he had also known it lighter; a d in the present instance the number was about the average. Contrary to the usual list of offences, he did not find any serious charge of breaking into and robbing warehouses, or robberies in which carters were implicated, or robbing and plundering of emigrants. He therefore inferred that the activity of the police, and the severity with which that court had visited such offences, bad tended greatly to suppress I them. The most serious case was one in which the parties were charged with having stolen £230 in cash. The next serious case was one of breaking into a house, while the family were attending Divine worship, and carry ing off valuables to a considerable amount. There was also a case which showed how curiously crime adapted itself to circumstances,—a man, pretending to be a doctor, having found access to a house, to administer to a patient, found means, (in company with another,) to carry off a watch. There were two cases of ladies, who carried bags in their hands, being robbed. It appeared that ladies frequently carried such small bags, sometimes containing their watches and money. If they are observed, they are followed into shops, and often lost their property. Ho had before had occasion to remark upon the increase 01 crime amongst females as compared with that amongst men. Out of 117 prisoners charged with felony no fewer than 47 were females. On many occasions robberies of the latter were upon men who had got into drink, and went into their company. One of these cases was that of a man who ;. had lost £4O in money. He had taken the precaution, as he thought, to hand it to a boy for safety ; but the whole three were afterwards found in bed together in a house of ill fame, and the money was stolen. The court, in this and similar cases, could do- but little; and they must look chiefly to the improvement in the morals and disposition of those who thus throw themselves into danger, for any great reduction in this species of offence. There were several cases of picking pockets against young delin quents, but not so many as on some former occasions. The court, by inflicting flogging on the males, had considerably arrested it. When females were taken up for the offence, the court must deal with them with some kind of equivalent severity. Shoplifting was also committed more by females than males, and some systematic mode of punishment must be adopted for its prevention, but additional severity was directed not sn much to punish offenders, as to deter others from•like offences. He next remarked, that when there were a great many prisoners in the gaol, it was highly important that they should be kept, as far as possible, separate, to prevent that contamination which was the result of their being congregated together. He had lately visited, with great satisfaction, the jail in Port- land Island, in which the prisoners were kept separate during the night. Here unfortunately, there was no op portunity of carrying out the separate system, and the prisoners were necessarily put in proximity with each other, into hammocks, in tier above tier, so that communicaticn between them might be carried on. He was, however, satisfied that the officers of the jail, in whom he had every confidence, did all in their power to reduce the evil, but they could not (from the nature and crowded state of the prison) accomplish all that was desirable. It became, therefore, the more ne cessary that in the punishment of offenders severity should be restored. He then dismissed the grand jury to the performance of their duties. Several prisoners were tried during the day, but there was no case of peculiar or general interest. ADDRESS OF THE LIVERPOOL ORANGEMEN TO 'V M. BEERS, ESQ., EX J. P. At the usual monthly meeting of Lodge No. 40 of the Loyal Orange Institution, held in their lodge-room, Bur lington-street, Liverpool, on the 10th of October, it was Unanimously Resolved. That the thanks of this ledge he given to Brother Wm. Beers, Esq., for his gentlemanly, straight-forward, and impressive letter, published rela ive to the affray near Castlewillan, on the 12th of July last, and the proceed ings consequent thereon. That while we, as a body, fully agree with every senti ment expressed in his excellent letter, we are certain that we express not only the feelings of the Orangemen of Liverpool, but the body of the order in England generally. Signed in behalf of the lodge. NELSON KENNAH, M. JOHN LITTLE, D. M. ROBT. BELL, Sec. To these resolutions, which were transmitted to Mr. Beers, that gentleman returned the following spirited, but temperate reply:— DEAR BRETHREN,—I have had the pleasure of receiv ing your kind and flattering address through Brother William Rankin, approving the sentiments expressed by me in my first letter to the Protestants of Ireland, for which please accept my warmest thanks. I considered it my duty, as a sincere Protestant, to write the letter alluded to in your address, being devoted to the cause of Protestantism, for the defence and support of which (in every lawful manner) I trust I shall never flinch. We should be more united than ever now when our enemies are increasing and encroaching, and be ready at any moment to support the laws and the constitution of this country, and, above all, the Protestant faith, for which our forefathers have died. We have great privi leges as Protestant people : may the King of Kings guard, protect, and keep us, and may we be his instruments for the promotion of his truth. Believe me, dear brethren, faithfully yours, WM. BEERS, Grand Master of the Comity of Down Orangemen. Newcastle, Castlewillan, 16th October, 1849. THE CHOLERA.—At length we are enabled to congra tulate our readers on the almost total cessation of the ravages of cholera. For the week ending Saturday last there were only 19 deaths from this disease, which, in the week ending August 18, carried off 572. This week there have been very few cases reported, and the services of the extra medical staff appointed by the select vestry will be immediately dispensed with. TIIE BURIAL GROUNDS.—Dr. Sutherland has been in Liverpool in respect to the burial grounds, and in com pany with the inspector of nuisances, made a personal inspection of them on Tuesday. He requires further in formation, however, as to the size of each cemetery, and the space still at disposal'in each for interments, and the necessary information is under preparation in the borough engineer's department. On Tuesday morning, an aged woman, named Anne Jones, residing in Southwell.street, Toxteth-park, was found dead on the footwalk in Mersey-view-street. She left home about ten o'clock the preceding evening, quite well, and nothing was beard of her until she was found as above described. On a post mortem examination of the body, it appeared that death had resulted from concussion of the brain, caused by external violence. On Monday, Thomas Carter, a man in the employ of Mr. T. ltoose, spirit dealer, Temple-street, was driving a shandry along Whitechapel, when the horse took fright, and ran at a furious rate towards Lord-street. The driver tried to pull up, but the horse ran against a post at the bottom of Lord-street. The shock threw the driver out, who was so seriously injured that he died the following day. EDUCATION.—It will be seen that two sermons will be preached on Sunday next, in St. Matthew's Church, Scotland-road, in behalf of the day and Sunday schools attached to the church. We sincerely hope that on this occasion the liberality of the public will be generously extended, as the schools are situated in a densely-popu lated, but poor district, and afford accommodation for 800 children ; and the committee are ready to open them, so soon as they are furnished with the means of doing so. Considerably more than the number of children we have named are already desirous of entering the schools, and we need not anticipate what will become of them if they are not permitted to do so. THE NEW BATHS.—The baths and washhouses sub committee for the erection of the Cornwallis-street baths and washhouses have accepted the tender of Mr. William Tomkinson for the building, Mr. Richard Turner for the roof, and Messrs. Smith and Wylie for the pipes and boilers. Leave was given to Mr. Tomkinson to proceed at once.—Mr. Parker stated that the total area of the plunge baths in Paul-street was 45 feet ; those to be con structed in the Cornwallis-street establishment would be of an area of 1500 feet, from four to seven feet deep. Then in Paul-street there were 38 private baths, the partition dividing some of which did not reach to the roof; in Cornwallis-street there would be 54 bath rooms, and 46 shower baths. Each female would there have a separate room to wash in, and the drying would be effected in 40 minutes. BIRKENHEAD VESTRY.—At a vestry meeting held on Thursday, Mr. Harwood consented to resign the situation of assistant-overseer, which be did in the following terms : " In tendering my resignation to the overseers, I take the opportunity of stating, I believe the statement put forth in the printed circular to the owners of property and rate payers to be correct, on the understanding that, at the same time, the overseers state that nothing contained in such circular is intended to reflect on my honesty. Robt. Harwood."—The resignation of Mr. Harwood being ac cepted, Mr. Craven submitted a paper which had been drawn up, defining the duties and mode of appointment of Mr. Harwood's successor. The paper stated that the assistant-overseer was to be paid five per cent. out of the amount collected, and find sureties in £5OO, by the Gua rantee Society of London. The vestry adopted the sug gestions. GENERAL TRADE REPORT. Mmday Afternoon. Politica!l:nett:mon the enntitent are viewed with some little anxiet?, whißt keeps the public mind uneasy, encl . + the funds hale ffirctuated I . ler cent. during the week. Until somethirg further is heard from St. Petersburgh respecting the Turkish dispute, We must continue in igno rance of the views of Russia r though it is generally believed she will tot be so insane as-to go to extremities ; but there are not wholtre looking on the gloomy side. In Prance there is considerable uneasiness, and the opinion seems to be gaining ground that the Republic, as at present constituted, canndt stand ; that wl;th so fickle a people they must either extend the period of the presidentship or revert to some description of monarchy. Our Share Market clooes - betterlo-day ;-and should the traffic returns skew a farther increase Vhis week, com bined with the report that a . strong attempt will be made to raise the fares, a considerable improvement may be ; expected. London Stock, which stood at IC-74.ou'Monday last, and was done as low as 105 on Wednesday, took a decided advance on the increase in the receipts-being made known ; and it will be seen below; that the closing price this afternoon is 4 per cent. .'rig-her than the lawest In London the feverishness of the market was morn pal pable on the returns coming out.; London Stock went to hitt on Thursday, before the regular business begair ; but subsequently subsided (seeto-dWspriceselsewhere). But it iB not only in one description of stock that an enhance ment in value has taken place, which is demonstrated by the subjoined quotations, up t 0.3; o'clock this afternoon, with, we may add, more good business doing : Ambergate 6 $ to 6d x int ; Lancashire and Cheshire p re f., 13; Birming ham and Oxford guar.,. 25 to 26; Caledonian, 123 to 2; Do. pref., 83; E. Lincolnshire;; 263 to 27; Glasgow and Greenock, 153 to 161; Do. 3-shares, 73 to 8k ; Great Western,. 50 to 52; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 60; Do. (M. & L.), 41 to 40 d ; Do. halves, 193 to 19 d ; Do. Nth.% 6 1 6 / 3 d ; Liverpool and Bury, c2O d; Lancaster and Preston 3-shares, 113 t 0 ,1234; Leeds and Tbirsk .t'2s extensions, 13X1; L'pool and Southport, 32 to 33 d ; London stock, 109 ; Do. new 3-shares, 3 p ; Do. 3- shares (C), 13 to 13 p ; South-Western-..40-shares, 143 to 14 di Midland stock, 43; Do. 3-shares, 213 North Staffords, 81 d; North-Westerns, 103 d; Shrewsbury and Birming. (A). 73 d;-. Shropshire Union, 33 d ; Dover .t3O-shares, 163 to 173 ; Do. . No. 4,5 j South Staffords, 43 to 43 (1; North Midlands, 1931. Do. pref., 43 to 43 d ; Newcastle pref., 5 8/9 d; Dublin; and Belfast, 3.33 to 33 d; Boulogne and A:miens 33 to 6; Bouert• and Havre, 83 to 93 ; L'pool Borough Bank, 3 d. We continue to experience a steady demand for most articles ofproduce. 700 bags of Bengal Sugar were sold this day at 40s. to 40s. 6d. for middling white. For 2000. bags of fine Bengal Rice lls. 6d. was offered and refused. The .narket for Tea is quiet, and prices are with difficulty supported. _ The transactions in Cotton during the past week have been the largest ever recorded, and the trade have taken 65,000 bales, at an advance of d. per lb. on American, and 4-d. on Surat. When we contemplate the enormous quantity of Cotton which has exchanged hands during the fortnight-250,000 bales—and perceive that the stock• is only 420,000 bales, we must confess that the trade are not in a pleasant position. They. have done wisely in purchasing heavily, but they ought to have commenced earlier. One-half of the present stock is in the hands of speculators, and the remainder held for higher prices, chiefly on American account. The sales on Saturday. were 10,000 bales, and amounted to-day to 20,000, at an advance of an eighth per lb. The. accounts by the steamer America, arrived last evening, confirm all the previous statements of a late and short crop. In•the south they had experienced a week of fine weather, which was enabling planters to proceed rapidly, with picking. The general estimate of the coming crop. is 2,000,000 bales. The firmness manifested in the- cern markets of the United Kingdom, during the week previous to our last publication, has been supported up to the present time, although the amount of transactions have generally been limited in extent, and in some cases, i. e., Manchester, Wakefield, and London (to-day), prices come rather easier. There is little said about potatoes in our advices from Ire land, the only mention being made in the Belfast letter,, which states that " the accounts were still very conflicting ; in some districts they were reported as turning out well, and others just the reverse : we consider the loss may be estimated at about one-half." This latter remark must also be viewed in connexion with the fact that much above the average amount of land in Ireland is under potato cultivation. In the uncertainty as to the amount of In- dian corn likely to be taken into consumption, buyers and sellers conjointly aid in the limitation of business, and the high rates asked by importers have checked sales, and the desire evinced by speculators to purchase for investment has somewhat slackened. With regard to the Liverpool trade, and the probable tenor of to-morrow's market, we find that the imports of flour on Friday and Saturday last. amounted to 29,310 brio., beinz a considerable increase in the proportion of arrivals at this port latterly; but as parties do not expect a con tinuance in the same ratio, and as holders are a little firmer to-day than on Friday, if the quality turn out favourable, prices will sustain little, if any, depreciation on this account. The series of public sales of Wool terminated in Lon don on the 13th instant; about 43,000 bales colonial aad 5000 bales other wools were off , ?red : the general tone was rather languid, and ill-conditioned flocks (of which there was a large propertion) went about Id. per lb. below the July series; in well-bred clean sorts the depreciation was less apparent, On Wednesday, the following low Wools were brought to auction here—say, 1091 bales East India, 1612 bales Buenos Ayres and Cordova, and 703 hales Oporto, Turkey, Barbary, &c. ; total, 3109 bales. There was a fair attendance of both home and continental buyers, and the result, on the whole, was satisfactory. The ma nufacturers continue very busy, and by private we have a healthy demand for most kinds of Wool. Stocks here are very low, and arrivals are likely to meet with a ready sale. The arrivals of Timber during the past week consist of 24 vessels, 14,246 tons. St. John's Timber still main tains the price of ld. per foot girth, but the sales are not so prompt on the arrival of the cargoes as before, which evinces a feeling that the present prices cannot be main tained for a much lq i nger period. Quebec Timber, in con sequence of the large arrivals lately, is and will without doubt decline in price—a fair average being 14d. per foot; on the contrary, deals of all descriptions are in request at advanced prices, the importers having on a sudden alarm of reduced prices stopped the supply ; which error it is now too late in the season to correct. _ _ Scotch pig iron had advanced last week to 435. for mixed numbers, 455. for No. 1 Gartsherrie, f.o.b. at Glasgow. The market is now flat at these rates. Welsh bar iron is ss. less, say £4 15s. per ton f.o.b. in Wales. Copper, tin-plate, and lead firm. We have to report a fair business in American provi sions this week. The trade have operated freely, and holders have realized an advance upon some articles. With a moderate demand for Irish Butter, the quota tions to-day (landed in Liverpool) are as follow :—Water ford, 68s. g 725. ; Kilkenny, Carlow, and Clonmel, 68s. @ 725. ; Carrick, 665. @ 68s. ; Wexford, Carlow, 70s. @ 71s. ; Belfast, 6Gs. @ 70s. ; Ballymoney and Coleraine, 68a. @ 70s. ; Banbridge, 665. @ 693. ; Newry and Dundalk, 645. @ 665.; Dublin, Carlow, 665. (i'y 683. ; Sligo, 645. to 665. ; Londonderry, 645. @ 68s. Bacon : long middles, free from bone, new, 48s. @ 50s. Lard : fine keg, 40s. @ 425. EXHIBITION OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. FOURTH NOTICE. 373. Thoughts of Horne. Aaron Parley.—ls a very pleasing composition in water colours. The su:iject is pic turesquely told. In the foreground an Asiatic, with his child--we could almost imagine the former to be sketched from a subject occasionally to be seen in our own streets and outskirts, where he plies a little trade in tracts—is seated, as if resting on a roadside bank. The roll of the ocean in the back ground has caught his ear ; and his musings have evidently borne him far away to the distant land of his fathers. towards which he has instinctively half turned his gaze. There are great feeling and character in this picture. 380. Auld Robin Gray. Jane P. Egerton—ls another pretty drawing in water colours. The face of Jessie is most expressive, and the figure and accessories throughout convey to us a faithful picture of the poor heartbroken girl, when complaining in her wretchedness— " I gang like a Gliaist, and I care !la' to spin, I dare na think o' Jamie, for that wad be a sin." 338. Italian Image Boys at a Roadside Alehouse. J. Collinson.—Contains sonic good painting, with one great defect. The figures are generally good; those of three boys in the left corner of the foreground very clever. But there it no perspective in the picture. The group looks rather as if ranged along a wall, than as occupying an interior. 402. Scene from Don Quixote. J. Gilbert.—Ts a clever little picture. The figure of Sancho is especially good. 42. The Battle of Preston Pans. 21st Sept., 1715. Finished sketch. Sir W. Allan, P.R.S.A.R.A.—This is a very spirited battle piece, full of vigour, incidents and colour. As an historical painting it is very valuable, as conveying not only a scene memorable in our annals, but, we understand, portraits as well of some of the principal actors. 77. Scene from the Bourgeois Gentlehomme. W. P. Frith, A.R.A.—This painting possesses the care and finish for which the ar ti s t i s ce l e b rate d . Th e cos t umes are very rich and cleverly painted. 84. A Florentine Lady. Painted from a sketch taken at a window during the fete of Florence, in honour of the National Guard. A. J. Woolmer.—ls very pleasing, and contains some good painting, as does 85. The Garden Terrace. H. Jutson.—Many portions of this are very creditable to the artist. 103. Fruit. W. Duffield.—ls one of the best paintings of its character in the room. The grapes are very trans parent. 116. Portrait of an Old Lady. D. Williamson.—ls very meritorious. LIVERPOOL AND HAvuu.—The attention of the im porting merchants of the United States is called to the advertisement of the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-packet Company, in which they announce the intention of carrying any foreign merchandise offered to them for shipment to the United States, on and after the Ist of January, 1850, the period when the new navi gation laws will come into operation ; and early in the spring of the year a first-class steamer will sail weekly between Havre and Liverpool, for the purpose of accom modating the exporting houses of the continent. ST. ANNE'S CHu•RCH•—At the meeting of the Health Committee last week, a letter was read from Mrs. Marga ret Crosfield affirming, that notwithstanding the public contradictions, burials have taken place within St. Anne's Church. She had many relations laid in the vaults under the pews in that church, and had herself been present when an interment took place near to the pulpit. It was formerly, she stated, " a very Conservative place of wor ship, and genteel families buried within its precincts." The sexton of the church, who has been connected with it for twenty-eight years, affirms that he never heard of any such burial within the church. THE agrtruiturai Allb ß?ortirultural COLUMN. If must be evident to the most careless oblerver, that the taste for horticultural pursuits has rapidly increased in Liverpool during the last two or three years. Every class of society seems to have imilibed a love (or the ettlo tivien of plants. This is especially the calti with the wealthier inhabitants, who, having the means at thet disposal. are gradually acquiring the most refined tastes for plnts of ornamental and useful characters. But the' gentry of Liverpool cannot hope to attain that extraordi nary perfection which characterises the horticulture of the metropolis and other places, unless, like the cuAtiva-- tors of those localities, they form some kind of combina tion for mutual assistance. In London. the Horticultural Society has wrought wonders. Its benefits are not con fined to one locality, but are diffusett over the whole kingdom. Other places have their societies, which pro duce the most benefffcial' results., We need go no farther than Manchester, where - an excellent society is established and is productive of much good. Gardeners may combine and form societies, but the benefits of such combinations must necessarily be very limited ; whereas, if the employ ers would unite, a society might be formed which would produce incalculable advantages; -bbtle to-themselves and those employed by. them. Stich a society is; we believe, in contemplation ; and we - hope that gentlemen who love gardening will do their utmost to support- it ha such a manner, that it may eventually develope the extraordi nary resources which unquestionably exist- in this great commercial emporium. As far as we hare been informed, the proposed society has for its - objects the union of' those gentlemen who make horticulture one of their pleasures, and,. by bringing them together; diffuse whatever know ledge they may acquire, for the benefit of the members; the reward of gardeners, and others, by prizes and certi ficates for meritorious productions exhibite4 , at the meet ings;. the establishment of a muteumfor dried , speoirnams ; and' the importation and distrib - ation of seeds-aml Should this society be formed, andits objects carried eut, it is easy to perceive that very considerable good may result, and Liverpool will soon take the lead improvincial horticulture. PAPERS ON AGRICULTURAL- CHEXIBTRY. NO. IV. We have now briefly pointed out the functions of the , elementary forms of vegetable organism, and we con cluded our last by saying that alkalies and alkaline salts are the substances pencipally absorbed from the soil; and from these are formed all of the ultimate constituents of plants. _ It may not be thought advisable to enter too muchinto detail upon these points of agricultural chemistry,..but we are of the opposite opinion. There is no royal road to agricultural chemistry, any more than to the other sci ences ; and unless the student thinks the matter worthy some attention, he had better not take -up a subject more than all others liable to misconstructions. Vegetable matter, when submitted to analysis, is found to consist of the following chemical principles—carbon. hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen ; but it-must not be pre sumed that these constituents are all derived in the form of food, from the soil. The carbon, for instance, which is a principal constituent, is derived from the atmosphere, and so also in all probability is the chief portion of the other elements. The combinations of these elementary gases, with the inorganic bases absorbed from the soil, produce all the various vegetable principles. Now, though manure may furnish the inorganic salts in solution, it is certain, front direct experiment, that it in no way increases the amount of gaseous food to the plant, the same quantity of carbon being produced by untnanur,d plants itS by those which have been richly manured. This is an important point for consideration, and involves some of the most curious phenomena of the material world ; but the object with which we started—namely, a simple exposition of the subject—will not allow us to diverge too much, however tempting the theme. Fr . om - what we have already said, it will be readily un derstood that the absorbent functions of plants divide themselves into two kinds—first, those which absorb nutriment from the soil; and, secondly, those which in hale gases from the atmosphere. Excretion is performed by the leaves, which reject oxygen, and a portion of the water absorbed ; and it is an opinion of some that solid matters are thrown off by the roots, but this opinion rests upon very slight grounds. Although alkalies and alkaline salts are essential to the existence of the plant, other matters are also taken up by the roots. These substances depend principally upon the nature of the plant itself. Thus the flinty stems of corn require a supply of silica to strengthen them, and the corn itself requires phosphate of magnesia. Therefore, the grand aim of the agricultural chemist is, first, to ascertain the chemical composition of the vegetables to be cultiva ted ; and, secondly, what soils contain the most of those substances which are found to be the principal constitu ents of the analysed plant. Both of these points are less difficult than is generally imagined. REVIEWS. A Popular History of British Sea-weeds. By the Rev. D. L'indsborough, A.L.S., London: Reeve, Benham. and Reeve, King William -street, Strand. Little as the lovely sea-weeds, that strew our shores, are noticed and understood, they are rarely despised ; the most incurious stroller on the sandy beach, marks with some interest the delicately beautiful forms which are strewed in such rich profusion, even the eye of childhood is delighted with these ocean flowers, and who is there who cannot remember the eager delight with which they were collected in the first sea-side ramble ? Gathered only to be thrown away as new and more delicate beauties presented themselves. Indeed many who could wander heedlessly through the flower-bespangled meadow, trampl ing beneath their feet, with careless indifference, the flowers of earth, still stoop to gather the garlands of ocean's gay flowers. Yet notwithstanding this general predisposition in favor of sea-weeds, how seldom do we find any one tolerably conversant with their history. We can only attribute this to the costly character of all works on algology hitherto published. This injury to science is however removed by the elegant publication of Dr. Lansborough, which is all that can be wished for by the young student ; it i s c h eap , tastefully got up; and illustrated with 80 figures, most accurately drawn and coloured ; besides uncoloured struc tural illustrations. The letter-press is divested of scien tific pbreseology as much as possible, and the work alto gether is a most meritorious production. As a sea-side companion, it will recommend itself to every one who feels a desire to know something more of these beautiful creations, and feel, "There is a rapture on the lonely shore." A Century of Orchidaceous Plants, selected from Cur tis's Botanical Magazine, consisting of a hundred of those most worthy of cultivation. The descrip tions by Sir William Hooker, R.H., D.C.L., &c., director of the royal gardens at Kew. Accompanied by an introduction on the culture and general management of Orchidaceous Plants. London : Reeve, Benham, and Reeve. (Coat int!ed.) Plate 50. Calasetum globfferum.—This is a curious species, with upright spikes of flowers of an almost glo bular shape, and a purple and green colour. The label lum is much spotted with purple. It is a native of Brazil. Plate 51. Culasetum purum.—This is a singular plant, with upright spikes, of green flowers, and having a most grotesque form, almost resembling the head and shoulders of a man in armour. It also is a Brazilian species. MISCELLANEA. An experiment has been tried with success in the neigh bourhood of Sheffield. It consists of a model pauper farm, upon which a large number of able-bodied paupers are employed in bringing a large tract of hitherto waste land into cultivation. The plan originated with Mr. Watkinson, clerk to the Sheffield union, and at present works admirably. Mr. Parker, gardener to George Brown, Esq., of Wel lington-road, Wavertree, dug a stick of celery last week, which, after being cleaned, weighed 134 lbs., and mea sured 42 inches in length and 211 inches in circumference.. This is probably the largest ever grown in the neighbour hood of Liverpool. AN INDIAN /lOTHOUSE.-Dr. Hooker gives the follow ing account of the management of Betel-pepper, in the neighbourhood of Darjeeling, in a climate much colder than that which is natural to it :—" Some curious long low sheds at Kallyagunje puzzled me very much, and on examining them they proved to be for the growth of Paun, or Betel-pepper, which I here for the first time saw cultivated,—another indication of the moisture of the climate. These sheds are 20 to 50 yards long, Bor 12 or so broad, and scarcely 5 high; they are made of Bamboo, wattled all round and over the top. Slender rods are placed a few feet apart, inside, up which the Betel Vine, alias Pepper, climbs, and quickly fills the place with its deep green glossy foliage. The native enters every morning by a little door, and carefully cleans the plants. Constant heat, damp, and moisture, shelter from solar beams, scorching heat, and nocturnal radia tion, are thus all procured for the creeper, which would certainly not live 24 hours, if exposed to the climate of this treeless district. Great attention is paid to the cul tivation, which is very profitable.—Hooker's Journal of Botany. OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK. • STOVE, GREENHOUSE, &c.—Those plants which have ornamented the stove with th e i r fl owers during the sum mer, such as Echites, All acuandas, lledychiums, &c., should be kept as much as possible in a state of rest while winter flowering plants may be gently urged by in creased watering and warmer temperature. In the con servatory, after wet weather, an occasional fire will be be neficial to expel damp. The sashes can be opened to assist in airing the house. FLowr.R GARDEN.—PIace alpine plants in their winter quarters. Transplant evergreen and deciduous shrubs and herbaceous plants. Plant bulbs, such as crocuses, snowdrops, early tulips, anemonies, &c. KITCHEN GARDEN.—Dress strawberry beds, by slightly forking in some well rotted manure. Draw the soil to leeks, and any of the cabbage crop that may require it. Plant garlic and shallots. Trench and ridge vacant ground. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. " J. E. G., Eastham."—We would advise you to pur. chase the auriculas in spring. You will thus avoid the risks of winter. _ _ "John Ifolt."—The way to treat Cephalotus felieularis during the winter is to lessen the supply of w a t er; also lessen the temperature. An intermediate house suits it befit. ift , 701)