Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-25 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

THE LATH SIR HENRY LAWRENCE, K.C.B —Sir Henry
Montgomery Lawrence, whose death in a s.lrtie beneath
the walls of Lucknow, was announced in our telegraphic
intellie.,ence from India on Saturday, was a brother of Sir
John Laird Muir Lawrence, K.C.8., being the eldest son
of the late Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Wm Lawrence,
of the county of Londonderry, sometime Gavener of
Upnor Castle, who distinguished himself by his gallantry
at Seringapatam. His mother was a daughter of the
late Captain Knox, of county Donegal. He was born at
Maßurs, in Ceylon, in 1806, and married in 1837, Honorie,
the youngest daughter of the Rev. George Marshall, of
Caradocagh, Ireland, but was left a widower in the year
1854. Having received his early education at the diocesan
school at Londonderry, and after wards at the College
of Addiscombe, he entered the military service of the East
India C tinpany in the Bengal Artillery in 18.21, and soon
obtained the character of an able energetic officer. He
served in the Cabul campaign under General Sir George
Pollock in 1845, andreceiveeshortly afterwards the brevet
rank of major. In the same year he became British
resident at Nepaul. He afterwards took part in the
campaigns on the Sntlej, after which he was made a
Military Companion of the Bath. and promoted to the
rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 184.6. be was appointed
resident at Lahore, and agent for the Governor-General
on the north western frontier. Oa the annexation of
the Punjaub in 1849, he WAS appointed by Lord Dalhousie
Chief Commissioner for the government of that district ;
and far his able services in this and his prececding em-
ployment was made a civil K.C.B. In 1854 he obtained
'he rank of full C.ilonel, and was also nominated an
honorary Aide deec:reep to Her Majesty. Re was the
author of " Adventures of an Officer in the service of
Rungeiet Singh," and the firmness and ability which he
had shown in checking the progress of the recent mutiny
menthe too fresh in our readers memories. to need repeat-
ing here. We can only add that in Sir Henry Lawrence
the Indian bervioe and the country, have lost an officer
whose head and hand they could ill afford to spare in the
preseat crisis.
We read in the Press The legislature is adjourned
under gloomy circumstances. It is. felt amongst politi-
cians of all parties that since the year 1834 (when such
great domestic changes took place) there never was a r -
n3ss which might be looked forward to with se much
interest, as being likely to bring forth most seriout inci-
dents. There have been great political changes since the
Ist of January last. The whiga had secretly organised an
electioneering system ; Lord Stanley of Alderley had
been made a member of the Cabinet; and the opportu-
nity was taken of a dissolution on the Chinese pretext.
The conservatives stood firm, and gained rather than lost ;
b It the isolated sections were swept away, and an anomalous
mejerity was returned. The minister appeared to have a
triumph, and without foresight' committed himself.
positively to undertake a Reform Bill for the next s ission.
By procrastinating this measure to 1858 the Premier
hoped to get out of the difficulty. Various measures were
laid aside until this Reform Bill should be disposed of
and the public mind relieved. The Divorce Bill was
introduced and carried, after compromises and cuttings
and parings without end. Then came the Indian crisis,
which ministers Loin the first, and even up to the present
week, have so stuliously persisted in underrating; that
they can have no fair exeose for endeavouring to avoid
their promise of a Reform Bill. If -they attempt to
ride
off from their reform pledges, on the ground that they' Lee
dian crisis is of such magnitude, they convict themseLves
of want of foresight, and their speeches,' pooh-poel•Jiag)
the danger, can be quoted agaient them again and, again.
We cannot suppose that they contemplate astep wl*chwonld
ruin their already damaged reputation, and v e take for
granted that they still meditate adhering to t'aeir solemn
pledges on a Reform Bill. To conclude. The second pa 7-,
liamentary session of tin year may now I,e said to be at
an end ; but there is every prospect, acce,rding to present
appearances, and the Premier's hints on Thursday, of
parliament meeting again before Chrlistmas. It would,
therefore, be precipitate to assume that the parliamentary
tear has expired."

Farvest operations have during the past few deyo.been commenced
in this neighbourhood. several small patches having beets cut down
and more being nearly ready ; and with a continuance of the present
weather we may calculatemPon a general harvest next week, as the
crops all round the district seen rapidly app ()aching maturity. Re-
port speaks highly favourably of their appearance and condition ;
and though in some cases where the crop was heavy upon the ground.
it was partially lodged by the late rains, yet not to cause any mate-
rial damage, and tee recent file we:iher we have experienced has, to
a certain extent, effected its restoration, The rains had a most sal,
to.ry influence upon the turnios and grass lands, which were both
suffering severely fro n the lengthened drought, but both are now
looking strong and healthy. The potatoes also are looking bettor, and
have a greater quantity of bloom upon them,, than we have seen for
several years.— xeweastle Chronicle.
Seldom have we enerieneed such foe harvest weather as during
the past eight days. In this ne,ghbourhood harvest was generally
commenced on Monday by those who had not previously begun to
ply the sicktb. A large number of very fine fields of wheat hops
already been cat down, and the crop looks luxurious in the sheaf.
From the beautiful ripening weather the grain will no doubt mr.l
well. A few fields of corn have been cut, and have the appearance cf
an abundant yield. Potatoes are generally doing well, and. turni:-..a
proviso a good supply for winter feeding,—Ayr Alt/eraser.
The wheat crop may be proe.eusced unusually productive. Tile
barley crop is of unusual extset, but will probably lied barely an
average par acre. The oat crop is decidedly below its average pro-
ductiveness. Pulse crops are for the most part inferior. Potatoes
have prom-red better, but are mere diseased than they have been-for
severaliyears. The hay crop is good and unusually well got. Turnips
are generally inferior. Mengel Wurzels generally good.—Gardeners'
Chronicle. _

More maznificent weather we never ha l for harvest, and sallom
we b3lieve, in quantity or (i-ualty, has the produce been excelled- Of
wheat thayield is in soma places such as to surprise the farmer- ; for
years he has known nothing like it: Oats and Barley will also be
good, awl of the po atoe disease we hoar little. Disease there of
coure.c. is, but, Co awandwith the crop, it is incons:derabie, and even
la pllces in which alarm some time ago. exist-!d, we are not told of its
extension. On the whole,. the prospect is one for which, th 3 c =try
shon•ld he thankful. On bonded knee, congregations should pour out

their g: atitu e, and pray th 3 gravioas Giver to incline the, recipients
to make a batter uaa of hi 3 bounty than to spend itja. revelry and
elmr,kenuess,—CJok Constitution.

PECIPB Fni DISSENTED.Y.—AS at this season of year all
classes are liable to be afihieted with this esnplaint, for the
benefit of the public we give the following remedy, which
the Farinz4s Gazettg pranotince3 simple and efacecious :
"Take a tumber of cold water, thicket/At with wheat flour
to about the consistency of cream, and drink it. This is to
be repeated several times in the entree of the day, or as
often as you are thirsty; and it is net very likely that you
will need it on the- second day. We have not only used it
in our own case, but have recomended. it to our friends in
many instances., anti we never knew it to fail of effeeeng a
speedy cure in the worst stagrs of dissentery," Is is a simple
remedy, and costs little.
now. nit re WORKMEN'S IiCUSBS TO BC BUILT IN EDIN-
BURGH I—Under this title, the Rev. Dr. Begg writes a
letter to tha Lord Provost, in which he says :—" To build
workmen's. houses with advantage, they must of course
be built in quantities. Land, plans, contracts, all can be
got cheaper if got wholesale, and if well aired, dry, came
fortable, well situated workmen's houses could thus be
erected aryl sold to each workman at wholesale price, an
.4inoraense 'abject would be gained. The property investment
companies have -been extremely useful, especially to the
class above the working men; but iaismuch as they have
not, like the English and Irish societies, done anything in
the way of buying land or building additional house', they
have, by increasing the number of purchasers, only raised
the value of all. the second-rate property at present in
existence. They have not as yet gone by any means to the
root of the mischief, nor can they ever do so upon the
present plan. They have been most valuable in teaching
and encouraging frugality and forethought in many of our
citizens, and in acting as a kind of banker for managing
the money- of their me/rib:re ; but their full utility and
value Will only be discovered, as well as that of the
savings wanks, when a scheme is set on foot for surround-
ing the w)aole city with new clusters of comfortable and
suitable b ousts, which the people may have it in their
power to buy by means of the existing machinery for
aceumullaing money. Now, what I propose is, to raise a
capital. 'for this express purpose. Two friends of mine have
offered. to advance £lOO each with this view; I shall
advar.ec another; and if forty or fifty men in Edinburgh
will do the same—in other words, it £4,001 or £5,000 can be
reit' ,ed for this express purpose, I think I see how the entire
gr ound floor of our society might in due time be elevated
'Above the present level of degredation. Let this money be
advanced upon the principle of limited liability, and let the
lissue be tested, and each subscriber be allowed to retire if
there is any loss of funds at the end of the first and of every
sueceeding opera'ion—let the funds be handed over to a
committee of first-class men of skill and experience—let
them begin by erecting a number of, houses upon the most
approved plan, say from forty to fifty, in the most dense
neighbourhoods of working tnen—let these houses be soli
to the workmen in retail at cost price, alter calculating all
expenses—let the men, by means of savings' banitksal thus and
investment companies, purchase them—let the cap
extricate .I be again immediately removed to another
locality, and the same operation repeated ; and let this be
done again and again until the whole necessities of the
working classes of Edinburgh are supplied, or until they
have learned the art of combination for the accomplishment
of such an object as to be independent of help. '