The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-04 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

This day at Two o'clock 7l

Barometer-29.39

WIND —S.W. ; moderate breeze and very fine.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
T Ens Ds:'.—Morning, 3h. 15m.—:afternoon, 31a. 32m.
o-bwanow.-Morn;ng, 3h. 4Gm.—Afternoon., 4a. 4m.

o
„4,z1.:11.41 ljt 741. cAVII

LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1864.

It must be a great satisfaction to a Minister to
quit the stormy scene of Parliamentary strife, and
the vexed questions that will admit of no happy
solution, and engage in the more peaceful pursuits
of country life. Lord P ALMERSTON is always ready
for anything, and of late he has certainly shone
more in the secondary than in the primary duties
which he is called upon to discharge ; at meetings
and ceremonies of all kinds he is particularly for-
tunate in winning approval and gaining popularity,
and the effair which took place at Towcester yes-
terday proved no exception to the rule, for universal
satisfaction seamed to be felt at the whole proceed-
ings. The change must have been great to the
Quiet little pldce, which has not hitherto had a
railway, and altogether the scene was a very ex-
citing one. The whole business of the turning of
the sod was got through very successfully, and the
presence of Lady PALIIERSTON, who performed the
ceremony, gave great satisfaction. Her ladyship •
has set a good example in this respect to others of
her class, and the fact of one in her high position
thus coming forward to mix herself up in matters
which relate to the traffic and business of the com-
munity is interesting, and it cannot but be improve
ing to both sides to meet thus in a frank and
friendly spirit with a source of interest common to
all, and in the success of which all are alike so con-
cerned as the construction of railways and their in-
troduction into all parts of the kingdom. The
ceremony over, there was a luncheon, at which
some speeches were made, Sir CUSACK RONEY;pre_
sided, and explained the route of the line, and the
vast advantages it would promote to all parts of
Northamptonshire. It is fortunate that the
dArizaltiee which were in the way of this
line being carried out have been removed,
and there is great credit due to Lady
PALMZe.STON for the part she took in promoting the
interests of the uadertaking. Sir CUSACK RONEY
brought the fact of the great services rendered to
railways clearly before his hearers, when he told
them that they had carried two hundred million
persons (la! log last year. Thus, said he, " every
man, woman, and child in the country may see, at
least, in imagination, that they had travelled by
railways at least six times during the year." It is
well that these matters should be thus set forth ai
times, or persona really may forget to pay heed to
them in the cf passing events, and the direc-
tcrs and managers of railways can certainly prcffe,
this excuse, that if there are more accidents now
• recorded the number of trevellers is far greater.
Lord PALMERSTON'S remarks were appropriate,
and he seemed to take a great interest in the whole

.....
affair. His good-humoured allusion to the Chair.
man's complaints respecting the annual contribution
to the public revenue, afforded great amusement to
th 3 company. His Lordship's observations on the
immense advantages all derived from railways were
very well-timed, and he truly said that, there was
no comparison between the past and present as to
the eL-perienco and knowledge of all classes in the
country. Formerly men lived and died without
knowing whether London streets were paved with
gold, but now they were able to visit the metropo-
lis on any occasion of great public interest. Alto-
gether this i flair at Towcester was most successful,
and Lord and Lady PALMERSTON showed their
usual tact and discernment in thus coming forward
to take a part in an undertaking which so deeply
concerned the welfare of many.

There is some compensation to be found for the
lovers of the picturesque and effective in the novel
and striking scenes which present themselves to
the eye in a land which yet suffers from a lack of
the comforts and inconveniences of civilisation.
The Anglo-Indian, whiie he undoubtedly surrenders
many of the luxuries to which ho has been accus-
tomed, and is indeed compelled to forego some of
those appliances of modern skill and energy which
he has learned to look upon almost as necessaries,
is yet able in some degree to' break the weariness
of a routine existence, and to obtain that fresh
sensation which the ennuyes of the West•
end pine for, among the novel and varied
scenes that present themselves before him. The
durbar held at Simla some six weeks ago was one
of those picturesque spectacles, and for many days
the vicinity had been thronged with the gorgeous
rajahs and their gaily dressed trains, waiting to do
honour to the ruler they had known and honoured
so long. Sir JOHN LAWRENCE bears a name which
commands the respect and affection of these wild
chieftains of the hills, and they come from all sides
to show him due respect at his durbar, It is a rare
event for a Governor-General to be so well known
in the remote districts over which ho rules, but Sir
JOHN is familiar with their language, their customs,
and their ways, and can distinguish each prominent
chief by recollection. One old rajah, who had assisted
in drawing the Ghoorkas from the hills, was well
known to the Viceroy, who kindly greeted him and
laid his hand on his shoulder. The old chief, de-
lighted at the friendly notice of the Governor, threw
himself at his feet. When all the introductions
were concluded, Sir JOHN proceeded to L ddress the
assembly, and accomplished the feat of speaking in
their own language. In brief and forcible terms
he reminded them of what the British Government
had done for them in freeing their coun-
try from the Ghoorkas ; he thanked them
for the loyalty they had always shown,
and assured them that the best means ef proving
their gratitude to their British rulers was by im-
proving the condition of their people. "Do for
them," said Sir Jollx, " what the British Govern-
ment has dune for you. Rule them for their good,
not solely for your own." Further, he charged
them to spread education, to educate their sons, and
they, in their turn, would educate the people.
There is no man, said the wise Viceroy, rich or
poor, rajah or ryot, who is not the better for know-
ledge. This is an important step in the
management of a country like India ;
and we may hope for the rapid advance of
enlightenment and knowledge when it is thus
recommended to the people. The chiefs assembled
at the Darbar were profuse in their protestations of
loyalty and devotion, and manifested unmistakeable
delight at being addressed in their own tongue. It
is only to be lamented that so 'valuable an acquire-
ment should hitherto have been so rare. He who
cannot speak the tongue of the people he governs
cannot understand their wants or their ways. He
is at the mercy of interpreters who, with the best
intentions, may often distort the truth. Let us
hope that a new era has commenced, and that
henceforward such a barrier will be gradually but
sorely destroyed.

The wonderful Correspondence of the First
NAPOLEON has now reached its fifteenth volume,
and as each successive publication makes its ap-
pearance new light is thrown upon the universal
genius and amazing energy of its great author. No
chapter of the most sensational romance, and few
pages of history, can surpass these marvellous
records of comparatively recent events, now issuing
from the press at Paris. If new evidence of the des•
potic character of the great" BONAPARTE" occasion-
ally startles the free-born British reader, that feeling
is almost forgotten in admiring wonder at the versa-
tility and comprehensiveness of the knowledge and
vigilance continually exercised in every department
of State, by one great authority—equally great—
equally well versed in matters of construction or
detail—in the guidance of an army, or the guardian
ship of a school-girl. In proof of which latter
qualification we might cite some admirable letters
in this new volume, on the education of the
daughters of deceased officers, at the Imperial Col•
lege at Ecouen. The present Emperor could not have
erected a grander monument to the memory of his
great predecessor than he has done by the publica-
tion of this most interesting correspondence. The
history of his uncle has been the study and example
of his life—at times an encouragement, and occa-
sionally a warning. He has proved an apt pupil.
It is only once in a cycle of centuries that a great
genius like the First NAPOLEON makes his appear-
anco, and his exceptional history may welt be re.
garded as a beacon for the guidance or admonition
of lesser men.

As we reach this season of the year the prospects
of the harvest begin to be one of the first topics of
the day. Political excitement has temporarily died
out with the close of the session, and has left us to
watch the vagaries of the weather, and to speculate
upon the relative chances of fair or foul. On the
whole the prospects of the harvest appear to be
moderate. There is no anticipation of such a boun-
tiful store as last year filled our garners, but neither
is there reason to fear a thoroughly bad season.
The uninitiated only look at the special times of
haymaking or reaping, but the farmer knows that
the changes of the whole spring and summer must
be taken into account in estimating a season. The
warm, beautiful days in April were thought by
some to foretel a summer as fine as that of 1863,
but such pleasant hopes were not destined to be
realised, and n long continuance of uncertain
weather and cold nights soon gave rise to the fear
of an unfavourable BVaS3O. Of late wo have had
so much dry weather that the drought has in some
places been very severe. In Yorkshire it has been
very severely felt. Ia sorac ef the districts of the
East Riding, where the rainhill has been little or
nothing, the crops of beans and turnips have
come so burnt up that the &Ids are now being
ploughed out for wheat sowing early in the
e.utumn. The heat and dryness have, of course, a
tendency to ripen the crops prematurely, and in the
south-west harvest operations have already begun,
In more northern parts it is expected that they
will be begun next week. In Yorkshire
which we have mentioned as suffering severely
from drought. There is a general complaint made
of black lice which infest the wheat and oats, end
it is supposed have been occasioned by the
lengthened drought. These lice in some parte

appear in myriads and abound most in the neigh-
bourhood of hedges, the centre of a field being com-
paratively free from them. Some farmers do not
attribute much importance to this insect plague,
but think the crops will be good, though they are
estimated as one-fourth lighter, than last year.
Barley is good and promises well, but a serious de-
ficiency is already felt in the supply of provender
for cattle. It is said in some places that the hay
harvest is only half the average, and although this
may probably be an extreme view of the matter,
there seems to be no doubt that great scarcity of
fodder will prevail. Of course if this proves to be
the case it will make meat dear in the coming
winter—a result very much to be deprecated.
Yorkshire and Devonshire are alike complaining
of the scarcity of keep. Ia Devonshire hay has
risen 50 per cent, in price within a month. The
demand is brisk, although per ton is being paid
for it. Devonshire itself is lamenting the want of
rain, which is much needed for the turnips. The
hot weather of the last week or two has,
however, been beneficial in some ways, having
greatly favoured the growth of the crops. This crop
it is known is one of the most precarious, and it is
almost impossible to calculate with any degree of
certainty early in the year as to what the proceeds
will be. The hops are as yet free from disease, and
although the combined influences of the cold nights
and the drought have interfered with the prospects
of some grounds, on the whole the appearances are
satisfactory. Potatoes are promising, and we must
hope they will atone to some extent for the deficiency
which we may fear will exist in turnips. A fine
autumn may, it is thought, do much for the latter
crop, but, according to an experienced agent in the
North, it is supposed that there will be nothing like
an average weight. Fortunately turnips are no
longer so absolutely indispensable to the farmer,
and probably some further suggestions of improv-
ing or enlarging the food of cattle may be made
under the pressure of scarcity. After all our in-
ventions we must come to mother earth for the raw
material, and, in spite of all the appliances of skill
and science, much of our prosperity lies under the
control of sun and rain.