The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-23 00:00:00

THE POTATO CROP.

A farming correspondent, writing to the Montrose
Standard, in a letter dated from " Braes of Angus, Deo.
13," giving a history of his present year's potato crop, says:
"I planted nothing this year but the round reds, and 1
got them put in the ground on the 21st of April in what I
considered excellent order, having them dunged with farm-
yard manure, properly prepared, and had them hoed about
the middle of June; and a fine, strong, healthy plant they
appeared to be. Nothing occurred with them worth noticing
until they were secured in the pits, for when the cry
about the beginning of August, concerning the ftirre
of the potatoes, I examined mine, and found not the least
appearance of anything wrong. I was just situated like many
more, or I may say like all, this season—that is, afraid to risk
much breadth of land with them; therefore I only planted five
bolls altogether, or about the sixth part of my usual quantity.
I had them all removed from the ground on the 4th of Octo-
ber, in most excellent condition, and had them pat into a
pit, covered with dry turf, both quantity sad quality being
good. I thought froper at tint only to oover them slightly
with earth, and do it by degrees. I opened the pit in dif-
ferent places, and at different times, to see if they were
keeping well, which I found they were to my entire satin
faction. Thinking all usesnow right, I gave myself leas
trouble about them for some time, until about two weeks
since, when I beard it afloat again that the potatoes were all
wrong. I immediately open, dmy pit, and found the dis-
ease had commenced with all its former rigger. I resolved
to have them turned, and the bad ones picked out, but was
prevented from doing so by rainy weather. Last week,
however, I observed about three yards of my pit sink down.
The weather was still rainy ; but I saw that there was not
a single moment to low in trying to preserve a quantity for
wed; and, to my sad mortification, I could not
find more than fourteen bolls anything like good
amongst the whole tasty bolls that I put into the pit. I
do not expect the one-half to remain sound, and perhaps
none at all. I may remark that one of my farm servants,
who has a house on the farm, had about four bolls of pota-
toes, from different seed, put Into a small pit about the same
time` and I Teel° exuaine,them also. and, found them
equally bad ;consequently, the- large qutity'puta together
wee not the cause of their going wrong. Allele farmers that
I have been conversing with about them, for some time
bete, say that their potatoes are all gone, or nearly so. I
was present, on three neighbouring farms, at the examina-
tion of their pita, and found them all as bad as my own."
We regret to learn, says the Rosa-shire Advertiser, that
the pitted potatoes in Stornoway are rapidly decomposing,
which has been the case on the west coast generally. Those
pits in our own locality that have been lately opened, we
are glad to state, have been found free of any further de-
composition.

MADRID, Doc. 16.
The sitting of Congress yesterday was most im-
portant in more than one point of view. It was distinctly
proved that a parliamentary majority may act with as little
regard for the fundamental laws of a constitution, with aa
little conscience, as the most arbitrary despot that ever
breathed.. The case which elicited this featare in the mode-
; nide majority of Congress, and brought out that party in
their true colours, was the question whether Arrazola, mi.,
Mater of grace and justice, was subject to re-election. The
logic and equity of the business lay in a nutshell. The 25th
article of the constitution of '46 was thus : " The deputies
who receive from the government or from the royal house-
. hold, pension, employ, which is not a step of promotion in
; their corresponding career, commission with pay, honours or
decorations, remain subect to reelection."
' The preceding rule does not comprise deputies who ere
appointed ministers of the crown. This clause, introduced at
first with the view of a separate and special arrangement re-
garding ministers, which was never completed, although
quite negative, has been assumed to except ministers from the
necessity of re-election. The motive for adopting so ques-
tionable an maga was to avoid the appearance of disrespect
towards the crown, in case an electoral body shoald think
proper to throw out • ministerial candidate. Now Senor
Arrazola was a member of the council royal, with • salary of
50,000 reels. He was then appointed fiscal of
the supreme tribunal of justice, with an increase
of pay amounting to 10,000 Teals, and ceased
of course to be consciero-real. Now, as the step front the
consciero-real to the fiscalship was not a step of promotion in
Senor Arrasola's career, although his pay was thereby in-
creased, it follows that he fell under the law of the constitu-
tion, which submitted him, as • oortes deputy, to re-election.
The posterior feet of his becoming a minister of the crown
evidently could not, by a retrospective action, exempt him
from the obligation of having recourse once more to the
electoral urns ; for that would be equivalent to the crown
appointing a deputy, • prerogative totally oppued to the
notion of representative government. Well, in the face of
this reasoning, as demonstrative end incontrovertible as the
truth of Euclid's first theorem, the Congress decided yester-
day, by a majority of 113 votes over 43, that Senor Ane-
mia should not be subjected to re-election.
Olosaga made an excellent speech, in which, with the
suave irony that points his massive arguments, he put the
facts and rights of the case with irresistible clearness, It
was more important, he said, to exercise a certain vigilance'
in discussing these cases of re-election, as he found that
through the prodigality of the government towards the de-
puties of the nation, these oases amounted to the insprece.
• dented number of 60. IHe drew • powerfal contrast between
the severe rigour with which some deputies had been sub-
jected to re-election and the exemption of others in defiance
of all rule. Senor Lloreute, because he had had the impru-
dence to accept a high civil office one day, of which he had
been deprived the next (Lloreute was one of Escoeura'e
governadore ssenerales) had been subjected to re-election.
Arrazola was not present. " I regret that that minister is
not present," said Olosaga, with one of his timeliest smiles,
"as I should have liked to hare addremed these arguments
directly to him. We have lung lived together as good col-
leagues, end I have bad many occasions to admire his discern-
ment. Perhaps his absence at this moment is not altogether
casual, as I think, if he were present, so accomplished •
logician would hardly maintain that he was not subject to ,
re-election." It is impossible to render the effect which '
Olozsga's peculiar style of speaking produces upon the
house.
. .

A special commission hag trim appointed by the crown to
draw up a project of law on the trade in corn. A circular
has been despatched by the Minister of the Interior to the
custom-houses, modifying the arrangement made by Sala-
manca, when he abolished the Internal Adusnas (customs
duties). The amount of Senor Orlando's estimates of ex.
penditure for the year 1848 is said to exceed fourteen hundred
millions of reels.

SlAM.—lntelligenoe ban been received from
Bangkok to Sept. 16th, by the King of Siam's trading
barque Lion. His majesty still continued on good terms
with the English merchants, and bad expressed himself
favourably disposed to an extension of trade. The sugar
crop was very abundant, the bulk of which will find its way
to Singapore in the king's vowels. The war with Cochin-
China for possession of Cambodia (the gamboge country),
still continued with the weariness which has marked it for
years put. By the Lion, the King of Siam sent a deptita-
lion, with a letter to the Singapore executive, which wsa
presented in due form on Oct. 19th, to the Hon. Mr. Church,
the resident councillor. The letter, which was written In
English, was enclosed in a decorated box, and presented on
a Siam made wooden platter or tray. From what has
transpired, the contents of the letter were of a friendly na-
ture, and had reference chiefly to the king's wish to main-
tain trade on a footing even more liberal than heretofore.
Before trade can be satisfactorily carried on, a British con-
sul moat be appointed, to afford protection to British sub-
jects ; for at present they hold their heads at the will of the
king, whose power is absolutely despotic. At Bangkok the
market was abundantly supplied with British manufacture.
from Singapore ; sales were effected at rates scarcely remu
Inman.