The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-16 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF • SCOTLAND.—The re
port of the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland
to the Board of Trade on the agricultural statistics of
Scotland for the year 1854 has been presented to both
houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty. The
report, dated from Edinburgh on the 23d ult., is most
favourable with regard to the general success of the in-
quiry, the Scotch farmers, as a holy, having at once
recognised the importance and utility of the measure,
and afforded every facility in their power. The result of
the inquiry appears in, certain tabular statements, from
which the following general information has been extracted.
The gross total extent of land under cultivation in the vari-
ous oeunti-s of Scotland amounted to 12,616,3461 acres.
Of these 168,216 acres were under cultivation of wheat,
207,507 of barley, 932,994 of oats, 3,809 of rye, 18,118
of here or bigg, 37,702 of beans, 6,1691 of peas, 13,4421
of vetches, 433,9151 of turnips, 143,0321 of potatoes,
1,9461 of marigold, 1,218 of carrots, 1,395 i of cabbage,
6,6701 of flax, 1,4291 of turnip seed, and 26,1281 acres
of bare fallow. The extent of land in grass was as fol-
lows, viz.:-1,427,7901 acres of grass in the rotation of
the farm, 1,207,1011 acres of permanent pasture, 69,2561
acres of irrigated meadows, arid 6,530,8421 acres of
sheep walks. There were ale 130,5831 acres of houses,
roads and fences, 830,7301 acres of waste, and 413,391
acres of woods. The live stock of Scotland included
156,595 horses, 292,365 milk CORP, 438,334 other cattle,
205,172 calves, 3,360,289 ewes, gimmers, and ewe-hogs;
1,426,946 tups, wethers, and wether hogs, and 163,683
swine. The grass produce of t'ie 32 counties was as
follows, viz.:—Of wheat, 4,841,499 bushels; ,barley,
7,639,601 bushels ; eats, 33,854,319 bushels ; bore or
bigg, 537,250 bushels ; beans, 1,080,921 bushels ; tur-
nips, 6,372,189 tons; and potatoes, 523,383 tons. The
average proiuce of wheat is from 22 to 36 bushels per
mperial acre.
PUBLIC PETITIONS.—The list issued on Wednesday
by the Select Committee of the House of Commons
on Publie Petitions includes two against the Epis-
copal Estates sill, from general meetings at New-
castle and Gateshead, and from the Dean and Chapter
of Canterbury ; four petitions against throwing open
the trade in licenses, signed by 380 persons ; 35 peti-
tions for a repeal of the duty on newspaper stamps,
signed by. 12,486 persons; 58 petitions for an altera-
tion of the mileage duty on carriages, signed by 58 per-
sons ; 2 petitions for the adoption of the decimal coin-
age, signed by 290 persons ; a petition from Mr. David
-Urquhart, for inquiry into our foreign policy and our
diplomatic relations with Russia; 6 petitions for pro-
hibiting the use of grain in the manufacturing of intoxi-
' eating drinks, signed by 1,640 persons ; 5 petitions from
public meetings at Lewes, Bury, and Oldham, for pro-
hibiting the sale of such drinks; and 62 petitions in
favour of the Public Libraries and Museums Bill,
signed by 4,768 persons. The Licensed Victuallers of
Lineolo, in petitioning against the carrying out of the
resolutions of the select committee of the House of
Commons for throwing open the trade, state their con-
viction that from the late act for closing public-houses
on Sundays from half-past 2 to 6 p.m., and from 10 p.m.
to 4 a.m. on Monday morning, " great inconvenience
has arisen, not only to numerous excursionists in the
summer season, but to thousands of the middle and
working classes, who cf necessity require refreshment
at a period during which, by, the recent act, they
are prohibited from obtaining it." The inhabitants
of Port Glasgow, on the other hand, in petition-
ing against the distillation of grain, contend that
it is an " enormous waste of the bounties of Provi-
dence," and " a wanton destruction of human food
for the production of materials wholly unnecessary
either as articles of diet or as beverages," in sup-
port of which opinions they cite the testimony of Sir B.
Brodie, Sir J. C!ark, Dr. Neil Arnett, Dr. R. Bright,
Dr. Chambers, Dr. F rbes, Sir W. Burnett, Dr. Hol-
land, and 1,700 medial practitioners, to the effect that
" total end universal abstinebce from alcoholic liquors
and intoxicating beverages of ail sorts would greatly
contribute to the health, the prosperity, the morality,
and the happiness of the human race. The petitioners
also enunciate an opinion that, under the present cir-
cnmstanced of the country, the operations of brewing
and -distilling. ard " wholly unwarrantable, alike injuri-
, OM to the people, and insulting to Providence,':