The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-24 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

some means can be discovered for its cure, one of the
greatest scourges of the century.
Two phases are presented by the plants when suffering
under the attack of this mysterious pest. The more ordi-
nary appearance presented may be this described. The
upper part of the leaf rises in well.detlned conical blisters,
in the very earliest instance without any change of matter,
whether above or below them. This is the first stage, and
lasts but a few hours. Gradually, within the cavity of the
pustules, a fungus is formed, at tint of the colour of deal
sawdust. lint gradually reddening and darkening. By de-
green this tills the whole blister, the exterior appearance of
the leaf remaining unchanged ; and this is the second
luso . In the third, confluence of the pustules vim-
tn..l,......—generally at the edge of the leaf furthest from
the -talk ; the fungus becomes of a brown red, the ex-
terior of the cavity assumes a copper or purple hue, and
the tissue of the leaf begins to perish. Finally, the whole
interior is covered with fungus, a rusty matter forms on
the exterior, the edge of the leaf slits up and crumbles,
and the whole leaf falls to pieces.
. .

The otter phase is Less offensive to the eye, though
equally fatal to the plant. It er,n►mencee by the appear.
sure of brown or purple blotches on the upper side of the
leaf. The edges curl up, as if they had been burnt. The
blotches spread--penetratto the tissue of the leaf—become

brittile, split up, and the whole drops to pieces. A cob-
web-like film, in both eaNeb, frequently covets the under
surface of tin kat 4ln the itself the whitish mildew
has usually formed when it itlinor the size of a small pea.
The 4.4,re extends itself with great rapidity by radiating
filaments ; they merely attach themselves, without pene-
tutting the cuticle ; the upper part rises, rounds itself,
ripens, and is carried off to some other grape where it can
inlet ify.
. .

No -wonder that this disease should have attracted the
notice of the most e aaa i a tent naturalists and practical men.
In Germany, Professor Muhl; in France, Louis Leclerc;
in Portugal, Mr. Forrester in Italy, Professor Sangi-
!mote : and in England, Mr. Brockedon, in his lecture
delivered before the 'Loyal Institution, have all treated the
subject.
It was in the spring of I'4o that this fungus first made
its apiwaranee in a hothouse at Margate. Hy a somewhat
ambiguous compliment to the gardener who first noticed
it. Mr. E. Tucker, it has received the name of the °Minns
Tawkeri. In Isl 7 it reached France. For throe rears it re-
turned with increasing violence, but still not exciting any
gr mit alarm, till, in 1/451, its ravages created *iodide both there
and in Italy. It sprraul along the Ligurian coast to Naples;
it came back through the 'Tyrol, devastating Switzerland,
and touching Haden ; it extended itself aeross the Illyrian
states to Hungary ; it coasted Mediterranean Spain to
Malaga : it entered Algeria, the Archipelago, and Syria:
hilt it; most fatal EllVltt.:44 were ieserve4l for Madeira.
Then., when the poverty is always extreme, and where
tie tints art° the only resource, the 'lumers is perfectly
frightful ; the one staple of the island is ruined ; and what
is to he•ilile of its 1141,000 inhabitant* is past human
iteinginath
Portugal itself, it is hoped, will not this year suffer so
severely as her neighbours, though the latest reports are
sufficiently gloomy. The vintage of the Alto I twin), should
it be mined, would indict an incalculable blow on the mi.
tiood prosperity ; and therefOre it is not wonderful that a
complete panic sl Id have prevailed at Porto. A tour
made by Mr. Forrester to the wine districts in the end of
July leads to the belief that for this year at least the
scourge will there appear in a modified form. He was
even struck with the apparent vigour and health of the
vines : and ho examined with the utmost attention the
wine districts moon 1114 safrio to Peso de Itegon, anal as far
s Villa Real. He emafeases, however, that in some places,
and especially about the Caldas de Moledlo, he saw the
fatal fungus; he then calculated the yield that the Alto
Haunt would have given at 100,0 M pi! vs, Isrt "upp"ed
that the fifth Nut of this would be lost through the
" molestia." It is worthy of remark that lithe Minh..,
and especially round Itareellos, there has been for some
years a chestnut disease of similar character, and that
great fears me entertained of the entire destruction of
that tree..

As 111 all epidemics, the most absurd reasons are RR-
signed by the peasantry of the infected countries for the
exidence of the oidialet. Just as, in the great plague at
Milan, men were tortured to death on suspicion of hating
smeared the walls with plague ointments—and in that at
Prague the Jews were torn in pieces on the plea that they
had poisoned the wells—so at Strasbnrg the vinegrowe'rs
will have the cause of the grape disease to be the smoke
of the engines on the Paris and Strasburg Railroad : at
Genoa they attribute it to gas; the bourgeois of Marseilles
to bad air; and the larnolor of Madeira to the English
And the remedies proposed are MI contradictory,
And in many cases as absurd, as the eauee'a alleged. "It
ix plethora," says one; " reduce the vine, and you cure it."
" It is atrophy," says another ; " manure the tree, and you
will remove it." "We want more rain," cries a third
" More sun." persists a fourth ; " t'ut off the affected
shoots." recommends a fifth : " Tobacco is a specific,"
urges a sixth. And the list might be' extended to sixty
recipes. instead of six. Only one has been found certain,
and that is impracticable on a large scale—the puffing of
sulphur over the branches anti grapes, or the vaporising it
on hothouse pipes.
What of this year's oiditna may have on the social
condition of Francs., where, out of five hundred millions
of hectolitres of wine, half will perish. it is impossible to
say. We can scarcely imagine a parallel ease in England.
A barley disease would deprive the English labourer of his
beer, its the limos in quest' leprives the French pea.
sant of his wine ; but the employment of the former does
not depend to 'ltch an extent on the barley crop as that of
the latter on the vineyard. In the meantime. one thing
only is evident : and it is pot an altogether useless lesson
to scientific pride. No litatnati means have as yet been
thou(' capable of orret,ting, or even checking, the plague.

SATURDAY,

Anil it is carious to see huw, in different language, the kg.
norant and the learned agree iii one confession. "Our
only trust.' says the Malaga peaAant. is iu La Santis.
lama." We can but hope. • writes Mr. boxicedun. that
the Power which has ervated thr o.idium may withdraw
what to us appears so few-fill a scourge.-

t ortign anb Colonial Marlin:pct.

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.
PARIS, September 22.
THE Emperor and Empress honoured the Imperial
Academy of Music with their presence yusterliy
evening. A new ballet was produced, called (Elia
and Mysis.
Before the breaking up of the camp at Satory, the
Emperor wished to command once more in person
the troops under the orders of General Levasseur.
Accordingly the order of the day announced the
manteuvres for three o'clock ; and the Emperor
arrived with his usual punctuality in an open car-
riage, accompanied by his cousin the Prince Napo.
leon, the Duke of Alba, and escorted by the cuirass
siert. The Empress only arrived towards the end of
the day, accompanied by the Duchess of Alba and
two ladies of honour, and attended by several cham-
berlains. The escort was selected from the regiment
of Guides. An immense concourse of people covered
the surrounding heights and plains. The weather
MIS magnificent. The Emperor was received by
Msrshal Matnan, by all the generals of divisions,
and the foreign officers present in Paris. His Ma.
jesty immediately mounted on horseback, anti the
review began. At the end of the manceuvres, ext.
cuted with rare precision and emelt:Lie, the troops
formed three sides of a square, the carriages of the
Empress and a considerable crowd forming the fourth
side. The officers took position in the centre, having
the Emperor in the midst of them, who addressed
the army se follows:
" Officers, sulsotticers, and soldiers, at the moment of
breaking up the camp of Satory, I desire to testify to you
my entire satisfaction. The three divisions which have
succeeded each other have shown that spirit of discipline,
of good fellowship, that love for the profession of anus,
which nmintains the military spirit so essential to s great
nation. Indeed, in perilous times, who has sustained elle
Aires but these assemblages of armed men, spning front
the people?—foamed for discipline, animated by a high
sense of duty, and preserving in the midst of peace l when
generally egotism and interest enervates) that devotion to
their country founded on self-denial, that love of glory
founded on the contempt of riches.
" This it is which has made of armies the sanctuary of
honour. T hns is it that in time of peace there exists a
union of sentiments—l may say, indeed, an esprit de corps
—between us and foreign armies. We admire those who
in their own country frel and act as we do, who, so long
as politics do not transform them into enemies, we are
happy to welcome as comrades and as brothers.
" Receive, my friends, jointly with my praises of your
good conduct, my thanks for the attachment which you
entertain for myself and the Empress. Coma on my atlec•
tion, and believe me that, next to the honour of Lavhig
been thrice elected by the people, nothing can render me
more proud than to command such men as you.'
These words of the Emperor were received with
the greatest enthusiasm, and with shouts of " Vivo
l'Empereur!" At six o'clock he left the camp and
regained his residence at St. Cloud.
M. Drouyn de l'Huys and M. de Persigny have
both returned to Paris. The Emperor started this
morning for the north : he will arrive at Arras about
four o'clock this evening.
The Moniker contains an official avertissement,
or warning, to the Constitution ad, couched in these
terms :
"Taking into consideration that this journal, w:thout
taking notice of the recommendations given previously,
persists, with a view to private speculation, systematically
to exalt certain mercantile enterprises, and to depreciate
others, in bringing discredit on them by erroneous and
malevolent appreciations ;
" Upon the proposition of the Director of the' Genera
Safety,' directs, &c., &e.
" Le Ministre, &c.,
" Paris, 21st Sept., 114,53." "F. ret PERsiGn."
This is a sad blow to a newspaper wishing to pass
for a semi-official journal. Some time ago I warned
you not to put too much faith in its articles, said to
be drawn from high sources.
The Monitenr notices in a leading column that
her Majesty the Queen of England had appointed •
Lord Lucan, the Marquis of Worcester (son of the
Duke of Beaufort), Lord Bingham, and Colonel
Dupuis to proceed to the camp at Helfant to compli-
ment the Emperor in the name of her Britannic
Majesty.
The Prince de Chimay, after an audience with his
MRiesty the King of the Belgians, set off for Lille,
having been charged with a mission to compliment
the Emperor of the French on his arrival near to
the Belgian frontiers.

The Count de Chambord will keep the family fries
of hi., birthday, the goat of thid month, with bid

SEPTEMBER 24, 1853.

mother, the Duehess de Berri, at Itrunsve (Styria I.
where he will receive the congratulations of those
friends who may desire to join in celebrating that
event.
The explanations of Russia on the subject of the
refused to 'secede to the 'Turkish " moditieations-
have arrived in Paris, but have not yet been officially
communicated to the French Government. They
were transmitted to the. Russian Minister, M. de
Kisselef, who will (as diplomatic etiquette requires)
read them over to M. l)ruuyn de Minister for
Foreign Affiurs.
A notable diminution has taken place in the price
of meat in l'auis, in consequenee of the measures
taken by the tiovennuent for lowering the duties on
the importation of foreign cattle into France.
The Odisan opened on Monday with a new play
by Miry, called Guzman the lirare. Their Imperial
Majesties were expeeted to have been present, but
k as the hero of the piere was un ancestor of the. Em
press it was considered better taste to abstain from
assisting at its first representation, its its success
might be attributed to a courtier spirit in the au-
dience, and not to the sole merits of the author. The
Queen Christine was present, and the piece was not
quite a failure.

lbtussm.q, September 1:1.

Rumours of an impending invasion free► France
have again become rife. They have already found
their way into the German journals, which announce,
in the most serious manner, that Napoleon 111. is
prepanng a manifesto declaring that, resting on the
precedent established by Russia towards Turkey, and
sanctioned by the powers, he thinks tit to wimpy
some Belgian provinces until the constitution, which
he considers a nuisance for himself and the peace of
Europe, may have been modified in the way to be
dictated by the French autocrat. The manifesto, the
German papers add, terminates by the positive de
claration that the Emperor nourishes no desire of
conquest for himself, and that the occupation has
no other object but to secure from disorder his own
territory, and that of his royal neighbour, until the
required reform shall have been aeeon►plishetl.
believe the announcement to be utterly false, for the
present at least, though everybody here is cognisant
of the secret wish of Louis Napoleon to reconquer
Belgium, and overthrow the glorious monument at
Waterloo, and of the coolness of the relations between
the two neighbouring Courts. But it shows the
blunder committed by the cowardice of the powers in
allowing the dangerous precedent introduced by
Russia into the international law of Europe to pass
unresented—a mistake of which they will have, now
or later, to bear the consequences. Meantime, these
rumours tend to paralyse the reviving spirit of en-
terprise in great public undertakings. I know, also,
that the Government has been occupied with the
matter, and probably something will be done to re-
assure the public mind.
The Prince of Chimay left yesterday for Lille.,
where, as you were first to announce, he is instructed
to compliment the Emperor. It was stated, to the
very last moment, that the order given to Prince
Chimay had been recalled in a council of Ministers.
The measure, had it been tr►e, would have been yet
more maladroit and impolitic than the nomination of
an envoy to Lille, when the King was left alone at
Arlon and Namur, without the commonplace con►-
pliment of an envoy from► his Imperial brother, and
when the French embassy at Brussels remained
without a chief during the ceremony of the marriage.
I had some years ago the oppertunity of con-
versing with a German military authority on the
military value of Belgium in case of a European war,
and asked his open opinion on the subject. His
answer was in terms this :—l3elgium is wising in
choosing to appears° nosiest. A nation which already
can bring 100,000 men in the field, and may put
1541,000 in a desperate stneggle,—these weeps well
trained, furnished with the best materiel in Europe,
which may- be partly renewed in six weeks, holding a
mighty line of fortresses, fighting pro guilt et faeix,
supported by a sympathetic population, and by a
civic guard, to the younger port►on of which may be
confided the interior defence of the towns in the ale
settee of the military force, and which at all events
could contrilinte to man the fortresses—will in any
occurrence threw a mighty weight into the scale of
either contending party, and perhaps decide the vie-
tory in a defensive warfare. This is the opinion of
one of the best military men of I'russ►a, and I know
this is also the opinion of King Leopold, who ►s con.
todered an authority in military matters, and one of
the few surviving ()Mears who assisted at the great
e,sielis of the first French empire.
Together wits► these rumours, those of tl►e hitch-
non of the King to resign his throne to his elder son