The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

WAR MEETING AT SHEFFIELD.

A PUBLIC =Elmer, convened by requisition, and
very numerously attended, was held in Sheffield, on
Monday evening, to consider " whether the present
Government is deserving of the confidence of the
country in the management of the war with Russia."
The speakers at the meeting were all persons of
local standing and influence, and among them were
several apologists for the Ministry, who relied chiefly
upon the expected news from the Crimea to justify
their resistance to the incriminatory resolutions
which were successively proposed. These were, how-
ever, ultimately carried ; the most important being
the first resolution, moved by Alderman Carr, to the
following effect :

" That, since the declaration of war against Russia in
this country, numerous and dangerous diplomatic inter-
ruptions, combined with a laxity at purpose, have been per-
mitted to obstruct alike the tactics of our naval and military
leaders and the general progress of the war, and that; pre-
vented measures of a decisive character, tending to the
humiliation of Russia, from being adopted."
An address to the Crown was subsequently pro-
posed, and, after much opposition, carried by the
voices of a vast majority of the assembly. In this
address the history and position of the war as it then
stood was briefly recapitulated, and the following
opinions expressed :

" That in 1844 a secret, dishonest, and clandestine cow-
munication was received from the Czar, by the then Foreign
Secretary, Lord Aberdeen, obviously contemplating the par-
tition of Turkey, and that this communication was neither
rejected nor returned.
" That in December, 1852, the resignation of the Earl of
Derby's Ministry took place, and on the 27th of that month
Lord Aberdeen announced in Parliament the formation of
his Ministry, to the great suprise of the country, who were
then totally at a loss to discover any sufficient reason for
his appointment. That on the Ath of January following,
being a fortnight after the formation of the Aberdeen
Ministry, the Czar secretly renewed his clandestine and
dishonest proposal, and persisted in forcing its considera-
tion upon Sir IL Seymour, as appears by his remarkable
despatches. That, in the course of the Czar's conversation
with Sir 11. Seymour, the Czar expressed the great pleasure
he felt at the formation of the Aberdeen Ministry, and par-
ticularly desired Lord Aberdeen to be assured of his regard
and esteem.

" That notwithstanding facts, which were officially brought
to the knowlege of your Majesty's Ministers, they repeatedly
assured the country that the designs of the Czar were
honourable, and that there was no reason to doubt his word,
nor that of his representative at the English Court.
" That the Ministry permitted the brutal massacre of
Sinope, withheld the Sultan for a long time from chastising
Russia, when he had shown his superiority by the victory
of Oltenitzn, and, when the just and righteous indignation of
the English nation could no longer be repressed, the
Ministry advised a declaration of war against Russia to he
made, and your Majesty's solemnly-announced purpose was
to repress the aggressive spirit of Russia.
" That, instead of the Ministry having taken steps for
the honest accomplishment of that purpose, they wasted
months in fruitless and tortuous diplomatic negotiations—
bombarded Odessa, not because we were at war with
Russia, but because a flag of truce had been fired upon—
permitted the Sultan, unaided, to accomplish the glorious
events at Silistria and Oinrgevo, and to drive the Russians
out of the principalities—wasted a whole season in the
Baltic by taking Bomaraund, simply to evacuate it, instead
of capturing Riga, and thereby causing the heart of the
Polish nation to beat high with hopes of deliverance—de-
clined the proffered aid of the Poles to assist in the strug-
gle, and finally have used their influence to compel the
Sultan to sign a convention which permits Austria to oc-
cupy the principalities so nobly recovered by him from the
wicked grasp of his enemies.
" That these, with many other facts, have aroused our
grave suspicions that, unless a prompt change be made,
the honour and the integrity of England will be sacrificed,
and her existence perilled.
" That we especially protest against any alliance what-
ever with Austria, and cannot but regard her present occu-
pation of the principalities as in the highest degree
dishonourable to England, and fatal to the peace of
Europe.
" That ander these circumstances we regret to find it
our duty to communicate to your most gracious Majesty
our entire want of confidence in the present Administra-
tion for the conduct of the war, and to entreat your
Majesty to consider whether it is not imperatively neces-
sary to call to your Majesty's councils men who will act
honestly, vigorously, and unanimously, and carry on the
present war in accordance with the wishes of the nation."

HIS EXCELLENCY THE HON. CHARLES MURRAY, C. 8.,
the newly appointed minister to the Shah of Persia,
vice Colonel Sheil, has arrived in London from Berne,
where he lately filled the post of resident minister.
The hon. gentleman, who is on the eve of departure
for Teheran viA overland route, is to have a salary of
5,0001. per annum.
THE NEW DUTIES ON BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND
PROMISSORY NOTES will come into operation in a few
days, when one penny bill stamps will be issued. A
retnrn has just been issued showing the gross produce
of the revenue arising from the sale of stamps for
bills of exchange and promissory notes from 1830 to
1854. In the quarter ending the sth January last the
largest sum arose on 4s. Bd. stamps, producing in
England 17,3071., in Scotland 3,7171., and in Ireland
2,8671.

;.:-

OSi

NORTHAMPTONSHIRA AORICIILTUBAL
ASSOCIATION.

Tim annual meeting of this society was held at
Daventry, on Thursday week, and is stated to have
been the most successful ever known. The atm,-
yard was full of excellent stock and ponitry, the
plongbing-field presinted an animated scene, and
the attendance was unprecedented for numbers.
The offering of prizes for poultry is a novel feature,
but, judging from the amount of competition and
the excellence of the birds shown, the committee
have no cause to regret its introduction. The
dinner was held at the Wheatsheaf Hotel. No mom
in the hotel being large enough for the purpose, a
spacious pavilion was erected in the hotel yard.
Upwards of tlIK) guests assembled at dinner, Mr.
Knightley, M.P., the president of the association,
occupying the chair. Sir C. Knightley, Mr. A.
Stafford, 31.1'., and the great majority of leading
agriculturists in the heighbourhood were present.
Dinner being over, and the numerous prizes
awarded, several speeches were made, those of most
interest by Mr. A. Stafford and Sir C. Knightley.
The former proposed the toast, "The Agricultural
Labourers of England." He said:—

" He remembered the tine when agriculturists were
taunted for drinking this toast, because it was said that
labour was purely a question of supply and demand. So
it was. The labourer asked RS ranch for his labour as he
conk get for it, end the employer engaged that labour for
as small a sum as he could. Yet still the agriculturists
drank the toast, believing that, notwithstanding these
taunts, the mere principle of barter was insufficient to bii.d
heart to heart and man to man in the great social com-
paet. When economists said that labour was simply a
question of trade, they said the truth. But did they say
all the truth? If, in their intercourse with their fellow-
men, they cut off the kindly affections and generons arm•
pathies, ignored the self-denial, the love of country and of
home, however humble, they would do little to maintain
the institutions of the country, and to kindle that kindly
feeling in the poor man's heart which, after all, they must
trust to, and not the lean became they knew how to trust
themselves while they sympathised with others. Was it
not, too. a question of the oldest and the best English feel-
ing—a feeling which had made England what she is, and
what he trusted in God she might ever continue? If they
wanted proof of this, he would remind them that in later
times, after the question of free import of provisions had
been settled, when riots in the towns were rite, there was no
disaffection in the agricultural districts. (Hear, hear.)
The labourers of England stood by the tenant-farmers,
bearing manfully their burden with the rest of the com-
munity. And that was not all. Under what circum-
stances did they at the present time drink the health of
those men ? Was it not tree that the army and navy of
England derived their chief supplies from the labourers of
England ? He did not wish to decry any class, or to refuse
to them that respect from the community to which they
were entitled: but, when search was made for British
muscle and British courage, did they not go to the agrictil-
tura! districts, and draw thence their choicest soldiers ?
( Hear, hear.) Nor would those men fail to carry with
them the sympathy of their fellow-countrymen because
they had changed the plough for the sword, and the pruning-
hook for the spear. In this matter Englishmen were all
of one bean, one said—moved by one feeling."
Sir C. Keightley spoke in acknowledgment of his
own health having been drunk, and made a farmer's
speech, full of advice and information touching
mattets of husbandry, stock-breeding, manures, beg
whereon he related the conclusions formed from his
own extensive experience in such pursuits. Regard-
ing the present condition of the British farmer he
remarked :
" He did not think that corn would role at either a low
or high price ; but he hoped that the price would be such
as to remunerate the producer, while it was not too high
for the consumer. Ile should be glad to see it range
between 7s. and Rs. per bushel. fle never wished to see
it higher, and he hoped It wottld not go lower. (Hear,
hear.) He cautioned them, however, against regarding the
present year as a criterion for another. Next year's
harvest might possibly i.e as plentiful as the present. But
coin would not probably bear the same price. This was
an exceptional year. There was drought in America,
which had mimed the Indian corn crop to fall, and hid
materially affected the wheat crop. The Black Sea ports
were abut up. and we were mainly dependent upon our own
enmities. Sufficient for the day, however, was the evil
thereof. We were well off for this year, and he hoped we
should be more happy and comfortable than we had been
for several years past."

Tea MEET IRO OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION IN
LIVERPOOL, was closed on Saturday evening last with
a grand dinner in the Philharmonic-hall, given by
the Earl of Ilarrowby, the president, to the members
and friends of the association. Sir It. Murchison dis-
charged the duties of chairman, and nearly tillo ladies
and gentlemen were present. The dinner was suc-
ceeded by a brilliant soiree at the Town-hall, given
by J. B. Lloyd, Esq., the mayor, to the members of
the association and the elite of Liverpool and the
neighbourhood.
M. Soma, the American Ambassador, who left
Madrid a few days aro under mysterious circumstances,
and was last heard of at Toulouse, was at Marseilles
on the 21itt, and has since arrived in Paris, acme
panied by Mr. Sickle, the Anierioan Secretary of
Legation in London.

alUcsl

922

THE NEW POTATO MARKET AT KING'S
CROSS.
AMONG the many changes effected by the completion
of the Great Northern Railway, and the consequent
Opening of a direct communication with large districts
of the north of England and Scotland, has been the
creation of an extensive traffic in potatoes, grown in
these districts, and conveyed by this line to the Lon-
don consumers. For this new trade the chief market
is established at the terminus of the railway near
King's-cross. For the following description of the
traffic there conducted we are indebted to a corre-
spondent of the Daily News :
Maiden-lane, not long since a gutter, in which the lightest
carts sank to the axles, and which was flanked on either
rude by the styes of pigs and of human beings little better
housed than the pigs, is now transformed into " York•road,"
which sustains a bustling traffic, besides along cab-rank ffir
local and railway passengers. Going up York-road, face
northward, we meet a succession of waggons, spring carts,
costermongers' barrows, and market vans of all varieties—
the horses at a walk or a trot according to the weight of
loading, but all loaded with one article. This article is the
potato in its several varieties of " regents," " cups,"
" blues," or " reds," from the Listricts in winch it delights
to grow, most of them but newly opened to the London
market by the Great Northern Railway. Bedfordshire has
its light fertile loam, in which the potato grows to perfec-
tion, about Biggleswade, Sandy, and Potion. The car-
riage hither is 7s. and 7s. 6d. per ton. Huntingdon and
Bt. Neots send a contribution from their best soils ; Peter-
borough a few ; Lincoln and district contribute liberally.
But the largest supplies come from Yorkshire through the
Selby Railway, and from the Goole and Howden districts.
Rates of carriage 15s. to Ids. per ton. The next districts
north of York which contribute noticeable quantities are
the Dunbar and North Berwick red sandstone soils in the
county of Haddington, Scotland. The carriage from
thence to London is 30s. per ton ; last year it was Ms.
As many as 300 tons a day arrive and are sold at this
market, though on some days not so many. The season
for a full business in north-country potatoes has hardly yet
set in. The finest qualities from Scotland do not begin
to come up until November, or between that and Christ-
mas.
It is alleged that were the rates of carriage lower, say
20s. per ton from Scotland, and proportionately from the
great potato districts of Yorkshire, this would become the
chief potato market in London. It is the second now.
Tooley.street market, supplied by sea, is first. The freight
by sea from Yorkshire is 95., and from Scotland 13s. and
145., per ton. It is said that owing to the lower prices and
greater abundance of the article this season, as compared
with 1853 and spring of 1354, the buyers in the north
must resort to the cheaper, though slower, transit by sea,
unless the railway companies make some concession. Not
knowing the working costs of the potato trains from the
north, 1 cannot hazard an opinion as to what the rate of
carriage can be reduced to. But the London consumers
of this universally-used article of food have a clear interest
in obtaining potatoes by railway in preference to carriage
by sea.
The railway has opened new districts. High prices have
induced a large cultivation. If low prices and high rates
of carriage prevail, the growers must abandon potatoes and
return to their former crops. Take the Dunbar and North
Berwick districts in Haddingtonshire as instances. The
soil has always been the same there as now ; the facilities
of transit by sea to London the same; yet comparatively
few potatoes were sent to London from Haddingtonshire
until two years after the Great Northern had been opened
to complete the direct communication. That soil, which
is hardly equalled and not surpassed in Britain for potato-
growing, was not planted with this root for distant markets,
because the demand was uncertain. Buyers did not go
there from London, because the supply was uncertain.
Owing to the failure of the Yorkshire supply for a succes-
sion of years from rot, and the comparative absence of the
rot on the dry sandy loams of Dunbar, larger breadths of
land were planted at a venture. In 1853 a London buyer
went down, also at a venture, not knowing what the supply
might be. He cleared the district of its surplus produce ;
pad large prices ; forwarded his ttucks to King's-cross,
whet s Dunbar potatoes, before unknown, soon obtained a
name and the call of the market. Such was the abun-
dance of crop and excellence of quality, and high price, in
1853, that one farmer near Dunbar realised—so it was
alleged and believed—the amazing amount of 1001. per acre
for his potatoes. But I presume this was per Scotch acre,
which is one-fifth more than the " imperial." Other farmers
realised great sums per acre. The natural result was that in
1854 they planted double the breadth of land put posely for
the London markets ; the crop is abundant and good. From
various causes prices will rule far below those of last sea-
son. If the railways do not give every practicable facility
to bring tip those abundant stores it is probable that fewer
will be planted next season, and thus the potato traffic by
rail will decrease, and the Londoner will have to eat an
inferior potato grown nearer home.

THREE OF THE SUFFERERS in the accident in the
Bramhope Tunnel, on the Leeds Northern Railway,
last week, held annual insurance tickets. which will
secure them compensation from the Railway Pas-
sengers' Insurance Company. A second accident
took place on the same line a few days afterwards
from a pilot-engine coming into collision with a
goods train, and two of the railway officials who were
on the engine and es( aped, the one with broken ribs,
the other with a broken leg, were also insured with
the same company. No less than fourteen claims
have been made upon this company during the last
six weeks, some of them for injuries of a very serious
character.

THE PRESS.

Volituai Onterat.

THE REDUCTION OF POSTAGE to New South Wales,
Victoria, and South Australia is officially announced
in a post-office circular Just issued. The new ra•e
will commence to•morrow (lat October), under the

following conditions :—The postage upon letters con-
veyed either by packet or private ship will be reduced
to a combined British and colonial rate of,—For a

letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, Od.; not
exceeding one ounce, is. ; not exceeding two ounces,
25.; and so increasing one shilling for every ounce or
fraction of an ounce. The postage upon these letters
may be paid in advance, or they may be forwarded
unpaid at the option of the sender. To the reduced
rate of Ott. a French transit rate of sd. per quarter
ounce must be added in the case of all letters for the
above-mentioned colonies which may be specially

addressed to be sent via Marseilles. The corre-
spondence for Western Australia is forwarded as a
rule by private ship. Letters for that colony specially
addressed to be transmitted " via Singapore " will
continue liable to the existing rate of I s. the half ounce,
or, if also directed to be sent "via Marseilles," to the
existing rate of Is. 16d. the quarter ounce ; but letters
for Western Australia, addressed to go by the direct
Australian packet, will be sent in the mail for
Melbourne, and will be liable only to the reduced
rate of 6d. In all cases the postage must be pre-
paid. The rates of postage now chargeable upon
packets containing printed votes and proceedings of
Parliament, sent through the post to New South Wales,
will be repealed, and all such packets will be forwarded
only by the direct packets, and will be subject to the
rates of postage which are levied on printed books
sent to that colony, viz. :—For a packet not exceeding
half a pound in weight, Od. ; not exceeding one
pound, Is. ; not exceeding two pounds, 2s. ; and not
exceeding three pounds, 3s. • beyor.d which weight
no packet can be sent at a reduced rate of postage.

THE UPWARD MOVEMENT IN THE PRICES OF WHEAT,
which commenced in the beginning of the month, re-
ceived a further impetus last week, and the total rise
from the lowest point of depression is at least 10s.
per quarter—on some qualities more. This advance
has taken the millers by surprise, for instead of
buying whilst prices were receding they all held off
to get in at the lowest point, and they are as a body
quite as bare of stock at present as they were before
supplies of new wheat began to come forward. In
this position of affairs there does not appear much
probability of any immediate reaction, more espe-
cially if the export demand for wh eat and flour
(which has recently been rather extensive) should
continue. The arrivals from abroad have lately been
very small; indeed for some weeks past supplies
have nearly ceased to come forward, and previous
to that time the importations were on a much less
liberal scale than earlier in the season. The next
return is likely to show a still greater falling off, and,
as stocks in granary have meanwhile been materially
reduced, it will need very liberal deliveries from the
growers to furnish the supplies requisite for actual
consumption. The extraordinarily fine condition in
which a large portion of the wheat has been harvested
induced the belief that it would be possible to convert
it into flour with a much smaller mixture of old than
in ordinary seasons; but this upon trial is found not
to be the case, and we have, consequently, during the
last fortnight heard of numerous complaints in regard
to the mealing properties of the new wheat. There
is, however, we are inclined to think, no reason tor
complaint in this respect ; all that can be said is, that
something like the usual rule will have to be ob-
served; however dry the condition, new wheat cannot
be used alone so soon after harvest. The effect of
this has been to cause an increased demand for old;
and, as very little of home growth now remains on
hand, the ports where stocks of foreign are held are
sure to be visited by the country millers.—Mark-lane
Express.
HOP-PICKING will be finished by the end of the
present week. The South• Eastern Gazette states
that it is universally said among the planters that the
crop will fall far below what was expected a few
weeks ago, though the quality has been improved by
the favourable weather of the last fortnight. In
Maidstone, Boxley, and the immediate vicinity the
average yield is said to be between four cwt. and five
cwt. per acre ; two or three miles distant it is not
likely to exceed 1 # cwt. One grower has obtained about
twenty-five pockets this year, where last year he had
140, or nearly six times as many. On the whole, it
may be fairly concluded that the total yield on the
Canterbury grounds will be quite a third less than
was estimated only a few weeks since. Some 400
pockets have been packed without, however, display-
ing many excellent samples. In Sussex, in a con-
siderable number of the grounds, the picking is al-
ready finished. The average yield is variously esti-
mated at from one and a half to three cwt. per acre,
according to the situation and nature of the grounds ;
but it is universally said that the quantity is short,
and the quality indifferent.

SATURDAY,

COUNT WALEWSKI has returned to the residence of
the French embassy, Albert-gate-house, after an
absence of some weeks.

THE celebrated floating island of Derwentwater
has made its appearance during the last few days.
CAPTAIN PENNY set sail again yesterday week from
Aberdeen, in his little brig, for the Arctic regions, to
prosecute the whale-fishing.
THE Government has conferred a pension of 2001.
from the Literary Fund on Mrs. Fullerton, the widow
of the late Lord Fullerton. _

A GREAT NUMBER OF THE BAKERS Of the metropolis
increased the price of their bread a halfpenny the 41b.
loaf on Wednesday last.
ON Saturday last a range of cottages at Clare, near
Bury, Lancashire, belonging to Mr. Alger, were
destroyed by fire, and some slight damage was sus-
tained by contiguous property.
A FEW days ago, as the wife of a butcher of
Crosley, Wilts, was whitewashing their cottage, she
pulled away an old board from the ceiling, when to
her astonishment and joy a bag containing 3701. in
gold fell to the floor.
THE new plan for assimilating the financial to the
natural year will not, as regards the making up of
the public accounts, be carried into effect immediately.
The revenue returns for the current quarter will, ac-
cordingly, be carried up to the 10th of October, as
heretofore.

THE number of visitors to the Crystal Palace last
week was 32,228, including season.ticket holders.
The receipts for admission during the week 'were
1,3991. 10s.
AN interesting description of the leviathan vessel
now building for the Eastern Steam Navigation Com-
pany, by the firm of which he was a principal, was
given by Mr. Scott Russell, in a paper read before
the Mechanical Section of the British Association at
Liverpool. This gigantic steamer, he said, would
carry her own coal, 0,000 tons of goods, 500 to 600
first-class and 1,000 second class passengers. It was
by her enormous capacity that she would be made to
pay, and they calculated that she would reach Aus-
tralia in 33 days, or go round the world, without in-
cluding her detention in Australia, in 60 days, less
than the time it now takes to go one way. Her
length would be 675 feet, her beam 83 feet, and her
depth about 60 feet. She would have three decks
for passengers, with more than 8 feet between each.
Now, St. George's-hall, in the interior, was 109 feet •
in length only, 77 feet in width, or six feet less than
this new ship, and the height from the floor to the
spring of the arch was about the same as that of this
great leviathan.
THE COMMANDERSHIP OF THE FORCES IN SCOTLAND
is now vacant, General T. E. Napier having attained
the rank :of lieutenant-general, and retiring accord-
ing to the rules of the service. The gallant general
is brother of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, and has
himself gained much distinction in the field, losing
an arm at the passage of the Bidassoa in 1813. His
successor will not improbably be Lord Melville, now
on important service in India, or elsa the Earl of
Rosslyn.
THE REGISTER OF THE MEMBERS OF CONOREGA-
nox in Oxford University, as qualified under the
new act to vote in the election of the Hebdomadal
Council, has now been completed, and the list is
published by authority. It contains 265 names.
The congregation will meet on the 24th of October
to choose such members of the Hebdomadal Council
as are made elective by the act. The meeting will
commence in the House of Convocation at 9 a.m.,
for the election of six heads of colleges and halls to
be members of the said council, the voting for whom
will terminate at 10.30; at 12, for the election of sit
professors, the voting for whom will terminate at
1.30 ; and at 3 p.m. for the election of " six members
of Convocation of not less than five years' standing,'
the voting for whom will terminate at 4.30. In the
university the following list has been proposed as
containing the most probable members of the forth-
coming election :
The Master of University College (Rev. Dr. Pluniptre,
ex-Vice•Chancellor).
The President of Corpus Christi College (Rev. Dr
Norris, next Vice• Chancellor).
The Provost of Oriel College (Rev. Dr. Hawkins).
The Warden of Wadham College (Rev. Dr. Symons).
The Principal of lirasenose College (Rev. Dr. Cradock).
The Master of Ralliol College (Rev. Dr. Scott).
The Regius Professor of Divinty (Rev. Dr. Jacobson,
Christ Church).
The Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History (Be!.
R. Hussey).
Professor of Natural Philosophy (Rev. B. Price, rem
broke College).
Professor of Chemistry (Dr. Daubeny,
College).
Public Re
Orator (v. R. Michell, agdalen Hall).
Lee's Reader in Anatomy (DrM. Adana, All Souls'
College).
Rev. H. H. Cornish, Corpus Christi College.
Rev. 0. Gordon, Christ Church. Magdalen
Mr. M. J. Johnson, Radcliffe Observer.
Mr. C. Neste, Oriel College.
Rev. M. Psttison, Lincoln College.
Professor of Moral Philosophy (Rev. J. M. War)°,
Corpus Christi College).