The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

TALLOW MARKET.-(THIS DAY.).

The market is steady, at the following priers •
Town taller', 41s. ad. ; Petersburg Y.O. on tta spot,
435.; September, 435. 91; October to December, tie. 3d. ;
December, 46a.

SMITHFIELD HAY MARICET.—(THIS DAY.)
Messrs. Harvey and Eutou report a large supply. Tad*
dull at last day's priors.

THE WEATHER AND THE ARVEST.—The weather
has been magnificent, aid the alight rain that fell in the
middle of the week was oo drawback ; on the contrary it
was most acceptable. Bright sons and fresh breezes form
the staple of the weather, with enough of lamp and fog a
the evenings and mornings to slightly revive vegetation.
Harvest work has been going on rapidly in every quarter,
and not only has • very large breadth of corn been cut, but
no little has also, within the last few days, been housed—
need we add, in splendid condition. Not an hour has been
lost, in fact, shortness of hands lies been the only thing
that has prevented even more progress being made. We
never remember a finer harvest time, and if the present
weather continue but one week longer, • very large
portion of the grain crops will have been garnered under
the most favourable circumstances possible to coot-sive or
desire. Reports speak well of the probable yield, as wall so
of the quality, of wheat, este, and barley. Of peas and
beaus the account. ore somewhat varied, though on the
whole very satisfactory. Potatoes are almost everywhere
turning out well, and strong hopes are entertained that the
disease will this year prove to he extremely circumscribed
in its effecte. The accounts from the hop districts on the
whole come better. The improvement, like the crop itself.
is partial ; everyone speaks of the growth as uneven and
"patchy," but we are disposed to think that the last week
has seen more than • little progress, and that moderate
crops will be gathered in grounds which • fortnight ago
gave little prospect of anything bat severe failure. The
Worcester accounts are more favourable, and the planter,
write cheerfully—happy in the prospect of making up for
last year's failure.—Sirsar Advertiser.
01, THE ATMOSPHERE.—The question of
the existence or non existence of • vacuum dates from the
earliest ages of civilisation. De cartes endavoured to solve
the difficulty by his vodkas'. a theory according to which
there is no empty space, and the universe is made to spin
rotted tort Lin centres of attraction, forming more or
less complex systems. After him came Newton, who
overthrow his system by the theory of noiversal
attraction, which, of nesasity, admits the existence
of an immense vacuum which natural philosophers
have subsequemly tilled up with an imaginary fluid
they call ether, to which they gratuitously and without
a particle of evidence in their favour, ►ttribute the genera-
tion of light. A third hypothesis has now been started by
M. Hafer. and not, we believe, without some chance of
success. The earth, and all the other h ly bodies,
are each cnvtl ipml in an atmosphere, the limits of which
have not yet leen determined. We live in our eitrao
sphere as fish live in the sea ; we are the austacea of
• vast ocean of air, which we know to be traversed by cur-
rents in different directions. This ocean is denser at the
surface of the earth than it is at the top • and just as we
sea the watery oceans of our globe enveloped in another
ocean of much inferior density, so nothing prevents our
supprisiog the Later ocean also to be enveloped by another
still lighter iine, nod this again by another and so on, uutil
all space is tilled by natter. In this manner all tho planets
and satellites, which are mere elementary particles of
our universe Dtself a mere nebula. perhaps. in a much vaster
world than we have any idea of )are in communication with
each other. It is easy toperceive that this theory bears the
strongest resemblance tothat of the vortices, with Obi .m-
-portaut difference chile Descartes supeoses the maxi-
mum density t., ',lvt at the extreme bruit of each system,
M. Hafer, on the contrary, places it in the centre, a amine
vition more iu accordance with what we know about matter
than the contrary one.
• •

CAPTV Itg OF BUM 'IC ADE RtiNNE1114.••••Fl0111 advises
received in Liverpool by the Persia we learn that the fe-
deral cruisers were making sad work of the steamers and
sailing vessels engaged in running the blockade. Letter
from Nassau state that between the 6th and Sth of July the
following vessels cleared for St. John's, New Brunswick,
but in reality for Wilmington and Charleston --The
Charleston. Ilseono, Antooica, Ella and Annie, Hebs,
Kate. Elizabeth, Pet, Cronstatit (jest arrived from Hull),
and Lizzie. 11,. the 3rd and 4th the steamers Banshee and
' Juno sailed. itf the...steamers four have been aiptuited,
namely, the Ramon, Charleston, Lizzie, and Kate, while
it is reported that the Ella and Annie had been chased
ashore at Chau:taunt, awl destroyed by the Federal gun-
boats. The other steamers captured are the Emma, Rena-
mes, and Kate Dale, together with about a dozes of
schooners and brigs. The Merrimac was captured by the
United States gualkolt Iroquois, on the morning of the 25th
ult., after it chime of seam: hours, baying run the blockade
of Wilmiogton the night previous. She is a aide-wheel iron
steamer, of rkts Loos measurement, 600thome power, and
built in ',motto) in 1542 for the Confederate government.
She bad a cargo of 5:6 balm, and 34 half-bales of cotton,
11 keg@ of obacoo. and • quantity of turpentine, Se.
The Lizzie ma captured on the 15th ult. after a chase of
two hour+ by the Santiago de Cuba, while attempting to ran
into Wilmington. Her cargo consisted of dry goods, bawdy.
soap, provisions. icc. The Emma was captured on the 24th
ult., iu l►t. 33.41 N., and Ism. 76.13 W., by the butted
States transport Arago, Capt. tund-en. The Emma em ob-
served early in the morning of the 21th, and az she looked
somewhat suspicious, clam was et given, and with suc-
cess by t !apt (Lathes, although the Arago was an unarated
vessel. The Emma hail • moat valuable airs° of cotton.rosira.
sod turpentine, and is well known as • laments blockade
ranee[. The arrivals of blockade runoers at Harm:nab arena
follows:—.duly 13. English steamer Alice, three days from
Mobile, with cotton, was chased by Federal cruimrs. and
had to throw overboard 240 bales. 15th. Steamer Alabama,
three days (tom lloisile, with cotton, was cha ed. cad threw
overheard lit) hales. kith. Spanish steamer Isabel, two
j days from St. Mat les, with cotton; and steamer
three days from Mobile, with cotton and turpentint.