The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-06-02 00:00:00

AGRICPATURAL REPORT FOR :ILI r

The crop of grass is great, also of the artificial grasses,.
with the exception, perhaps, of clover in some few parts. All
the spring crops look as well as the moat sanguine rupee-
tants c9uld reasonably desire, since something toilet neves
prily be allowed for the effect of our variable climate. The
*beats have been checked occasionally, by the prevalence of
(sail winds, chiefly in the northern counties; bitt, on the
whole, were never known so forward, or in more fine condi-
tion. It is only in the south-western counties, however, that
they are in the ear. Scarcely an ear has yet been leen iu
Middlesex, Heels, or Essex. Rye is forward in ear. The
fruit-blossums have been noun luxisriatit, and are generally
well set.

PRESENT STATE OF SOCIETY AND
MANNERS IN DUBLIN.

(From Wlntelaw's and Waktes " llaslorq tif Dublin."'

" It is an established maxim in politics, that in
even• clime and country political events suit change*
of government have had, at all.times, a most de-
cidetl influence to forming the character end man-
. tiers of the people. Dublin, besides experielicing
this influence in common with the progress of
.citrilization of the British Empire, has been affected
by causes which were peculiar, and appropriate to
the metropolis of Ireland alone. It partook in far
'tifore *air .a proportional dev,ree of the rapid ad-
vances which Ireland made in population, com-
merce, civilization, and literature, in the latter
part of the eighteenth century, and yet more
particularly at the period . wheu Ireland en-
joyed a flourishing, but too transitory legislative in-
dependenee. Within that half century, all the
public institutions of utility, or elegance,all those
entbellishments or improvements which still exist,
were completed or commenced ; whilst the inhabi-
tants boasted, and nut without just pretensions, of
their superior urbanity, taste, gaiety, hospitality,
and active charitable disposition ; but it is now
very apparent, that in all these qualities there has
been a visible declension, except only in the last.
The reason of the decline is sufficiently obvious.
Prior to the Legislative Union, a splendid Vice,-
regal Court, with fruptent and crowded Levees, a
stationary Parliament, and the occasional residence
of all the Nobility and Gentry of the kingdom,
diffused wealth nod animation over a metropolis of
a size sullicielitly moderate to feel the effects, and
imparted to the inhabitants its general a tincture
and tone of that civility and good-breeding which
are supposed exclusively to belong to the higher
classes of society. Since the period alluded to,
all these advantages and acquisitions have, in
a great degree, been lost to Dublin. Between
.four and live hundred ' families of rank and
opulence, which onee were residents, are nu longer
to be found in it, and those few who might still he
inalined to make it their occasional abode, are pre.
vested by their attendance in London on their par-
Jiashentary avocations. Thus that overgrown and
bloated capital absorbs all the wealth, and engrosses
ell the tah•nta of the sister metropolis, and indeed
of the whole sister kingdom. Although the coin-
asorce of Dublin has not, on the whole, experi-
*need this general depression, yet the diminished
importation, and very limited consumption of wines,
iii a striking proof of it. During it, flourishing
period, claret was universally drunk after dinner in
the opper ranks, nor were the tables of the middle
ranks on drys of entertainment without it ; awl it
was partirularly esteemed for its purity and excel-
lence. Claret, except at the vevy lint bibles, is
becoming almost as rarely to be met with as tokay.
Port wine, which formerly was admitted on the table
only during dinner, almost every where supplies its
place, together with the native beverage—whiskey.
With the pleasures of the convivial board, the relish
for public amusements seems also to have greatly
abated. Formerly two theatres royal and a circus
were supported in Dublin, with a proportional ex-
hibition of other spectacles. Now, one solitary play-
house scarcely finds encouragement, though duly
supplied with first-rate performers from 11..olithiii ;
and Astley's circus, in Peter-aired, is converted
into an asylum and alerting-house. IVitli the too
frequent circulation of the bottle; which fromerty was
the custom, the spirit of gambling has also almost
wholly declined. The once fashionable club-houses
are no longer attended. Gaming of all kinds in-
deed is so much discountenanced, that scarcely a
card-table is to be met with in private partie►."

A most ridiculous paragraph hut appeared iu
some of the Papers, stating die Northern Ex.
. ',edition to have put into Scilly from Sheerness is
jemr days.—The Courier might have displayed their
geographical knowledge equally had they stated.
that any vessel had touched at the Cape of Good
Hope bound from hence to St. Peter burgh : the
fact was, that the brigs Heron and Helicon put into
Scilly (tee Lloyd's letter) from a cruise, which they
took for the Northern Expedition. •

A shoemaker, who resides in Ramsey. Isle of
Man, and has been employed in that trade upwards
of 80 years, walked about a fortnight ago from
Wigton, in Cumberland, to Whitehaven, a dis-
tanced 52 miles, in oue day. He is in the 99th
year of his age.
There are now about 40,000 stand of arms in the
armoury of Chester Castle. An addition of 5,000
stand was lately received from Shrewsbury, the de-
pot in that town being broken up.