The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—The remarkable man who now rules in France
follows the good example of his illustrious uncle in the con-
ferring of decorations upon persons who have done good
service to the State, whether their acts be military, social,
or of an artistic character. But in Britain the martialists
certainly have an advantage with respect to pecuniary and
social benefits. A peerage was once talked of for the late
Sir B. Brodie, but I believe that the idea was not favour-
ably received ; at any rate, he did not receive peerage; nor
am I aware of any medical man, however eminent he may
have been, who has been raised to the peerage, although
soldiers, sailors, and lawyers, as well as divines, have been
received favourably in the Upper Chamber. There, also,
we may look in vain for the elevation of our eminent
authors and artists. I observed, recently, in The Sun, a
printed statement respecting large sums of public money
still paid out of the Exchequer to sinecurists, to the extent
of many thousands a year, while eminent literati and artists
can obtain with difficulty a small pension from Government
--the amount of money for this purpose being about £1,200
per annum I A fair sum of money was awarded during
the last session by the House of Commons to some eminent
painter, which act, I hope, augurs well for the future, for
certainly an improvement is desirable. In my opinion, so
far as concerns secular honour, the appointment of a new
decoration for civilians only—the ALBERT CROSS—as sug •
gested in [he Sun a few months since, would be attended
with public advantage, and this new decoration would place
civilians upon a par with military men with respect to pub-
lic position.

I am, Sir, yours obediently,
CHRISEIt, Coox,

Aug. 20.

Reaping Machines.

yet with us, while the reapers are busy, and before Co Saturday an extensive trial of reaping ma-
the harvest is fully gathered, in comes another chines took place under the auspices of the United
mournful story of death from starvation in the Agricultural Society of East Lothian. The com-
midet of our London streets and squares. We may petition took place on the farm of Athelataneford,
well feel surprised that such should be the case, near Drem, where Douglas, the famed breeder of
farm stock, had provided a field of 65 acres of bare
even though the scene of its occurrence should be ley, divided off into lots of about let acres, and
Bethnal-green. The circumstances of the ease were, a field of oats of 40 acres, divided into lots of
too, of a particularly painful nature. The victim nearly an acre each. The weather was extremely
was a child of tender years, who naturally claims favourable for the competition, and the crop was
our pity more then an adult, whose own folly or cut in capital condition, The barley was on a nearly
imprudence may be supposed to have had ssme level field, and was a full avenge Drop; the oats,
which were in a field with a gentle slope, were light
share in his or her destitution. The father was a in the straw, but fully up to the average oat crop
hardworking, labouring man, who had been laid of the season. Upwards of 30 machines were en•
aside from his work by illness, and therefore pre- tered for the competition, but several were with-
vented, by unavoidable causes, from properly sup- drawn: Several more were not brought forward,
porting his family. He and his wife both appeared some of them, owing to the machines having been
raiment or delayed by the railway company. There
in court, where their emaciated and miserable
looks excited deep commiseration. Indeed,
were complaints on the ground as to the con-
duct of the railway in the matter, and the com-
they were still so weak from recent ill- petition was delayed fully an hour later than
ness that the medical man who gave his the time announced for its beginning. Eighteen
evidence, said he thought they could hardly under- machines in all took part in the competition, die-
stand what was going on. The sad story was soon playing fully the different principles of construc-
t
told. The father, a labourer, earned half-a-crown tion and working of those now in the market. Four
a day, but for the last fortnight had been unable to were on the self-delivering principle—namely,
, Samuelson and Co.'s two-horse machine, Brigham
work from illness, typhus fever having attacked
and Bickerton's two-horse and one-horse reapers;
the whole family one by one, and reduced them to a and 111`Cormick's sheaf-delivering machine, the
stete of the greatest weakness. The mother, who latter exhibited by Mr Todd, of Castlemain. The
came into court with an infant in her arms, could manual delivery reapers were—two by Mr Halli-
hardly speak from weakness. The poor child who day, of Haddington ; two by Mr Wallace, Alexan-
dr.ia, Dumbartonshire ; two by P.ixley, Sims, and
died was eight years old, and was like the others
Co.; one Pixley machine exhibited by Mr Hume,
recovering from the fever, when, of course, instead
Coldstream ; a two-horse band-delivery reaper, by
of diminished food, or rather no food at all, he
Mr Grey, of Brownrigg ; a two-horse reaper, by
required all the nourishment he could take. The Brigham and Bickerton; a "Buckeye" combined
doctor who made the post mortem examination reaper and mower, by the same firm ; a Gardner
said the child had died from convalsons brought on and Ainslie machine, shown by Mr Reid ; and a
by want of food, only half an ounce of gruel being now two-horse reaper, by Messrs. G. and W.
teous, Pore
found in his stomach. It will be naturally asked of Haddington. There were also one of the
why application was not made to the parish au-
" Eclipse" one-horse machines of Samuelson, and a
one-horse " Excelsior" of Brigham and Bickerton,
thorities, and the question is answered in the usual Tne extent of the competition brought together a
fashion. Two or three years ago the father, when large number of the leading agriculturists of Scot-
in distress, applied to the workhouse for help, and land, and the beauty of the weather brought out a
was given a shilling a week and a loaf; but after considerable number of ladies and gentlemen to
some time he was told that he and family must witness the interesting sight. Among those on the
ground were the Maruis of Tweedale, e E
come into the house, or they should have nothing
of Wemyss, the Earl of Haddington,d Lordth Chelmars-
-1
more. The man who, as we see, can earn, when in ford, Lord Elcho, M.P. fo: the county, Lord
good health/ half-a-crown a day, and has been Walden, Sir Hew Dalrymple, Sir George
able to maintain his family in the inter Grant Suttie, &c. The judges were the
vening years, very naturally refused, and, therefore Marquis of Tweeddale, Mr Henderson, Byres ;
when this illness came on he would not ask again, Mr Smith, Stevenston Mains; Mr Wyllie, Bolton;
and Mr Russell, Coalstonemains. The reaping be-
expecting to ba refused. Very probably, notwith-
standing their former experience, the father and gars on the firing of a gun shortly alien eleven, and
concluded about five in the afternoon, an interval
mother would have made some effort on behalf of taking place between the cutting of the barley and
their starving cnild had they themselves been in a the oats, during which time a large party of gentle-
condition to understand the state of the case, but men dined in the tent, when the chair was taken by
prostrated by illness of the most terrible character the Marquis of Tweeddale. After the allotted spaces
they were unfit or unable to exert themselves. We
in the two fields had been cut the judges went mi-
have no reason to doubt that had the parish antho- nutely over the work, and also inspected the
mechanism of most of the machines. They then
rides known of this instance they would have
selected a few for a further trial under their own
granted some relief, but the question remains immediate view, and after consideration gave the
whether there is not something very wrong in our following awards—For manual delivery machines
social arrangements. The case before us is just one —Frst prize, Halliday, Haddington ; second ditto,
of those which parochial relief_ should be extended Brigham and Bickerston's " Buckeye ; " third ditto,
to; it is one which has an especial claim on the well-
Halliday, Haddington ; fourth ditto, Wallace, D ana-
to-do-classes of the community. Th© richest and bartonshire ; fifth ditto, Humes, Pixley; sixth ditto,
wisest is liable at any time to be laid aside from his Wallace, Dumbartonshire. For self-delivering ma-
enines—firet prize, Samuelson and Co. ; second ditto
work, his profession, his ordinary pursuits of what- Brigham and Bickerston's two horse, For the
ever kind_ Illness is one of the ordinary visitations best reaper in the field, Mr Halliday, Had-
of humanity, and while it excites our feelings of dington. The machine placed first is the same as
sympathy and pity on behalf of the euffsrer, it that with which Mr Halliday took the first prize at
Yester in the same district in 1861, but with con-
unquestionably exonerates him from any blame for
siderable improvement. It differs from the machine
inaction. The political economist may, indeed, placed third in having a compound acting guiding
contend that those who wholly depend upon their wheel, by which the machine is easily turned, and
health and strength for maintenance should lay by which has the merit of considerable importance on
some provision for a rainy day,but we have yet to a grass bottom—of not cutting up the soil however
find the theory whosepractical applicationwill enab:e sharply it may be turned. Both Halliday's ma-
c
a London labourer with half a erewn a day to keep chines are rrovided with a very simple arrangement
himself, his wife, and six children, to put by enough by which one lever throws the machine out of gear
and at the same time lifts the knives out of the
to maintain eight parsons during a fortnight's corn ground. This is by many deemed an advantage,
pelled inaction. Threepence a day is not so large though it has been objected that, as the knives can
a sum for the support of a human being of whatever not be lifted without stopping the cutting, there is
age at the present rate of prices that the most not the same facility for clearing obstructions, such
rigid of censors need blame, because rent and cloth• as stones, as is given in reapers where the actions
ing is all that can be saved out of it. It is in fami-
are-not conjoined. The beautiful balance arrange-
liesrunt for lifting the knives in Samuelson
living like this that typhus finds so ready a ,
and Co. s one-horse machine was very much
prey. Their customary rate of living is only just admired. There were, however, no prizes given for
enough to keep body and soul together, and then one-horse reapers. Brigham and Bickerton's ma-
when a bad season comes fever sweeps them chines, of which 5 were in the ground, took both
off, or an unusually cold winter mows them the second prizes. The "Buckeye" is a strong and
down by the hundred. Mendicancy is forbidden rapid working machine, and gave great satisfac-
tion. Mr Wallace's reapers, which stood fourth and
by law, small trades that had no capital, such as
sixth, differed from each other in the arrangement
trucks and barrow selling, are discouraged by the of the wheels—one of them having two large wheels,
police, the workhouse saddles their relief with the while the other was constructed with only one. The
condition of going into the house—What are the in- Pixley machine, shown by Mr Home, started very
digent to do ? Our practice has for too long been late, owing to its detention on the railway, but sue-
entirely negative. We tell the people what they ceeded in taking its place in the prize list. The
ought not to do, but no one can find out what course easy draught and excellent working of Samuelson's
self-delivery machine won it the first place in that
they ought to take except putting themselves under
class. Its light draught is materially assisted by
ground with the least possible delay. It is absurd 'he action of the teeth, which pass through two
as well as unjust to suppose that a man possessing fingers at each revolution, thus lessening the num.
all his limbs and faculties will voluntarily abandon ber of revolutions necessary to give speed to the
himself to a pauper's life. Teat life entails total cutters. The same arrangement is used in the
separation from his family, the sacrifice of Eclipsem machine. The
its
hand delivery machine of
Mr Gray excited considerable attention by
all the little comforts of home, the eurren- novelty. In it a girl follows the machine, placing
der of his freedom of action far a very a`` whippie," or binding stray on the tilt board
after each sheaf is delivered. The band is thus
prison-like existence, where every one re-
found
lying
beneath each sheaf on the ground. In
garde him as a burden. The stringency of the every respect the competition went off well, and the
rules for admission is exeueed on the ground that
it is desirable to keep people off the rates and to work done was throughout good. So much was
this the case that the opinion was freely expressed
that with any of the machines on the ground a far-
discourage ploperi,na as much as p saible. How raer would be well served.