The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-10 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

THIS DAY, Four o'Clock.

By an extraordinary express from Paris, the fol-
lowing intelligence has been received :
The Queen of Spain, b a royal decree of the 3rd
instant, recals General Eapartero, and names him
Captain-General of the Mmy.
The Duke of Laces has been deposed.
Abdel•Kader is victorioasly advancing on Morocco."

The government has just appointed the special
commissioners for inquiring into the means of im-
proviug the sanitary condition of the metropolis.
The names of the commissioners ere Lord Robert
Grosvenor, E. Chadwick, Esq., Dr. Southwood Smith,
Professor Owen, and R. Lambert Jones, Esq.

Advicrs from Martinique and Guadeloupe to the
12th ult., state that on the let of that month
a shock of an earthquake was felt at Point i Pitre,
but without any serious consequences. Some elections
connected with two vacant seats in the Colonial Coun-
cil of Guadeloupe had been concluded, without inter-
ruption to the public peace.

THE HASTEST.—PCBLIC THANKAGITING.—It has
already been intimated that it is probable an early day will
be set apart for the purpose of returning national thanks for
the bountiful harvest with which it has pleased Provi tern
to favour Ye. One Of the first official intimations that loch
a step was intended by government was elicited by the
Rev. 0. Y. Oilmen, the respected Vicar of Coleshi 1, who,
in a letter to Lord John Russell, expressed a hope that the
sobiert would not escape the attention of government,
and rquested information when it was probable that the
day would be 'fixed. To this communication his lordship
retumod the following answer August 81, 1847. Sir,—
It it necemary, before a day of thanksgiving can be ap-
pointed, that the harvest should be over. It is not nearly
so in the north of England. It will be necessary likewise
that the Queen should held a privy council. You will see,
therefore, that I am unable at present to answer your ques-
tion. Your obedient 'errant, J. Russeti..—Rev. 0. Y.
Osborn."—lfirminplians Advertiaer.
TIIE POTATO DIEKABF.—I inserted a note in your
paper of the 26th Sept., 1848, in which I ventured to sug-
gest that we should endeavour to arrive at sound conclu-
sions about the nature and cause of the potato disease, by
registering and reasoning upon facts alone. I also stated
that for two years I had observed symptoms of the disease for
the first time on the 23rd of August. When I observed, there-
fore, your notice of the 20th ult, that we had nearly escaped
the disease, I could not help thinking that the remark might
still be premature, and the experience of the last ten days
(I write Sept. 1) has unfortunately verified—at least partly
—the truth of my anticipation. Previous to the heavy rain
which Ml throughout this district in the thunder-storm of
the 16th August, I heard no complaint of disease ; I had not
a vestige of it in ray own garden, nor could I hear of it in
those of my neighbours, with one exception, and that of
a limited character. Between the 16th and 20th of August
rumours of disease in this neighbourhood sprung up, and by
the 30th it became general. In some instances the loss is as
great as in 1645. We thus find that in the three years this
penitence has destroyed ear potato crop, it has invariably ex-
hibited itself most severely and extensively between the 15th
and 31st of August. This fact allowed, we make one step
towards a rational description of the disease. Now, with re-
gard to its nature. It appears in different pasta of the plant
at the ume time, in the form of small black patches, result-
ing from the death of a portion of the tissue of the plant.
These blotches in the leaves are generally dry, and crumble
beneath the touch, and in some instances (the great majority)
are covered with a parasitical fungus, the Botrytis infestans.
No person I think who has had the slightest experience in
observing will fall into the great error of attributing the
scullion of the blotches to the injury caused to the leaf by
an aphis, or any other insect. The two phenomena are
widely different. The aphis causes the leaves of plants
which it infests to curl and form hollows, in which it gene-
rally is found to congregate in large numbers long before
the vitality of the leaf is affected. This is not the case with
the potato disease. I have looked carefully through my
rows without finding an aphis of any description; but there
u no mistaking the dark, isolated, gangrenous-looking spots
which are appearing on the leaves, along the stems, and
among the tubers. How is this I take up a root, and
find five tubers perfectly sound and one diseased. I look at
care at the stem and leaves, and I find patches of the
well-known disease isolated, perfectly distinct from each
other. Now I know of no law in vegetable physiology
which enables an insect to cause phenomena Lice these.
The notion is too absurd; it will not beer a moment's
examination. In one of my deductions last year I
turgested the soil might have a greater or less influence in
effecting a change in the vital process ; but I find that the
gardens on our railroad, some of which are many feet below
the usual surface, are all infected. One attribute of the soil
!feel quite convinced has considerable influence over this
disease, viz., its moisture. I have planted some potatoes in a
lane, part of which are among gooseberry bushes, and very
damp; the other portion is very dry. In the former the po-
tatoes are nearly all diseased, in the latter they are nearly
all sound. With regard, thee, to the nature of this disease,
I Oink we may fairly define it gangrene of the plant, oc-
curring in the first instance in isolated patches, either in the
leases and stem alone, or simultaneously in the tuber
which, if left alone, will. ultimately destroy the plant and
tubers entirely." Nearly two hundred years ago Sydenhain
described a speoies of cholera affecting the human subject
in August. Popular error has generally attributed this dis-
use to the plum season ; but this is a great ir,stake. The
disease described by Sydenham may have been studied by
many observers, in 1847, without a variation in the symp-
toms. It occurs in those who do not eat plums, and the
disease caused by plums is not that described by Sydenham.
It is, in fact, one of those periodic phenomena, of
which we know little more than . Its appearance and
and disappearance at certain seasons of the year, and which
are judge by analogical reasoning is caused by some or other
of those little understood, or rather l'ttle studied, laws
arbich belong to the science of meteorology. That the po.
Cato disease belongs to the same class of diseases must. I
finale, be perfectly clear. It has all the chsructers, all the
variations, and all the obscurity of a periodical epidemic.
I,e may describe it as " Morhus niger—a gangrene of the
trues of the potato plant—occun:ng epidemically in
August: the diseased parts generally covered with a fungus,
which appears subsequent to the disease. More extensive in
told and damp situations." More than this. so far as ro-
la& the etiology of the disease, I do not think we shall
ever know.—e. B. /bee, Stwentarket.—Gardeners' Chro-
Rick.

THE POTATO DISEASE.--OHEENOCK, Sept. 6.—We
are sorry to say that the potato disease has manifested itself
in I most indubitable form in this d•strict. There aro but
ke fields where the blighted appearance may not he met
Vitll, end, in many cases, they are entirely blackened. We
observed the other day the country people busily employed
it pulling up the haulms, in the hope that thereby the esti,
kat might he preserved from the taint. Our market was for
considerable time supplied with excellent potatoes from
Cheshire brought rid Liverpool; but latterly the disease sp-
eared in them en unmistakeably, that the dealers were under
the necessity of discontinuing their importations from that
tram The best potatoes that are now brought here are
Belfast. In these there have not appeared, as yet. any
indications of disease. Prices arc gradually rising. Eight
'lets ego they were as low as 7d. per stvne, but are now up
104.—North British Moil.
FOREIGN BEANS.—It is a hurt wet thy of remark,
that the importation of foreign beans is inconsiderable from
tin of the states and metrics from which we are scent-
t°{htd to expect supplies of grain of various kinds, when
"Pitted with the importations of this particular description
from the Egyptian port of Alexandria. One vessel recently
rad Wiwi from that port has brought 2,600 qrs. of the article,
another, which arrived contemporaneously with that
shovebeing named, brought 2,000 iirs. from the same pert, both
entice cargoes of the article. These are individual in-
thanes illustrative of our rtasark ; and although the fact

Gl-2

r may be, to some extent, haws to those immediately and
intimately concerned in Hie importetion of grain, the teethe
has become, on smut t (4* mot le:Altave madman.
it aaterally interesting to the mho tad= public, that
this notion of the matter may be of sear
BIIAIESPEIRE'S Housa.—Ths mirk sad sentiment
of the up are in no can mos Itmonay dustenstrated than
when the humbler of the ale% dellite Mae their 'papa
Was ea Waif of a coos, white b risk awl entirely poetk
obi inegiative, and whisk Iwo ao orarkla with their
MOW err EI or daily witakoristo Irk a maw has
pasted to that oak of ahaialmwo's Omen,
end which has rowilial a haw of amid osablo artily
amnia dm mooki, *INS =di Mos who owe thole sold*
t 0... to that dollyhatior. Amer. the man server dot
Una lave made to Wm a food towards motel to the
parehreisonsy of our bard's dwell's., there may now
mentioned out which took place last evening at the Me-
thanks' Institute, in Southampton-buildings, the mode
of carrying it out being that of offering some re-
citations by the elocution class of that institution.
Criticism upon such matters would be alike idle and cruel,
were it not that some of the young elocutionists made a very
sufficient display of talent, and one of their number, Mr.
H. P Mills, proving himself also to be a poet possesed of
some tact, and considerable feeling, in an address which wee
written by him expressly for the oeossion. The funds
derived from these recitations are destined to swell the
general sum collected for the purposes above mentioned, and
although the amount may not prove large, still the means b
which it was collected will render it as acceptable as they
more ostentatious donations of richer and more elevated
persona. We learn that Sir Matthew White Ridley, But.,
and J. Spears, Esq., of Hyde-park-gardens, have presented
the Royal Stuthspearean Club of Stratford with the hand-
some aeration of 1001. each, for the same object as that for
which the humbler admirers of Shakepeare exhibited their
talents lad evening at the Mechanics' Institution.

MISCHIEVOUS ANsouNciturzirs.—Sir—During the
late crins ix the corn trade a custom has sprung up of the
City writers for the daily papers of reporting the names of
houses in difficulties, end thous that hare suspended pay-
ments ; and in the anxiety to obtain early information wk-
iskee of a painful nature to the parties concerned have been
too frequent. The Tines took the lead, and even went fur-
ther, by reporting the names of the " drawers of bills" that
bad to await " further advice," so the phrase goes, before
they meld be accepted; there ars not two opinions among
nerehants and bankers of the evil of this custom push the
a little further end •win be made of houses
elates report
ocessioaally ask on of or as was drily
observed by a maw on 'Mane, the 7Seeea paper had
West love aaasideri hs the same of die notaries sad give

111%11.8.11114 selmerstrillii ----
, art Mialef le pentrobsted by that paper: a dent
k the men trade wee reported to have stepped yt4terday, and
the mate earrently named ; but whatever irregularity occur-
ssi k the storming wee restated before the close of 'Change:
it some appears in the Times to-day, ►nd the united kin 3.
•m is made acquainted with that wbich was only the gossip
of this City. The grest caution which has characterised your
journal in these matters leads me to hope you will allow this
pretest to appear against the morbid desire to pry into and
publish the private transactions of houses during a period of
no common difficalty.—MllCATOß—City, Sept. 7.

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