The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-09 00:00:00

Harvest Prospects in Ireland,

A correspondent of the Evening Post, evidently
well informed, describes the appearance of the crops
and promise of the harvest in the following terms :
—" Within the past week I have had an opportu-
nity of hearing and—more important still—seeing
a good deal of the crops of all descriptions in the
counties of Westmeath, Galway, Longford, Leitrim,
Roscommon, and Sligo, and in every instance I have
to report most favourably. I shall not attempt to
give you any close guess to the statistics which
the Registrar-General will furnish to the public in
a few weeks hence, but I can state with the utmost
confidence that if the total area under crops this
year approach the extent of 1803 the produce will
be far in excess of the last return. of Mr. Donnelly.
There are two causes for this—in the first place, in
the counties I have named, the rule has been early
sowing ; secondly, the weather all through has been
more propitious than for many years past. As an
evidence of the probable increase, I may mention
that in previous years the potato crop is seldom
tried,' as they say in the country, before the be-
ginning of August ; this year large quantities of
excellent potatoes had been sent to market in the
last week of June, and throughout the month of
July, up to this first day of August. The harvest
last year was considered a good average
ono ; yet there was a considerable loss of the
potato crop from the blight ; this year there
is no reliable complaint of blight having
visited the tubers to any extent; some six or
seven weeks since there was a report to the effect
that the potato crop was seriously injured in the
county of Leitrim, from the appearance of the
leaves after a heavy storm of thunder and light-
ning; since then genial rains have positively im-
parted a green and healthy hue to what was con-
sidered a fatal decay, and I have learned that in
fields which were supposed to be irretrievably
injured the potatoes, with rare exceptions, are
sound as could be wished for. This report will be
considered the more satisfactory when it is recol-
lected that it is now past the time when the blight
made its appearance in former years; the latest
period was from the 21st to the 24th of July, so
that there is every reason for hope that we have
passed the rubicon, and that, as far as this im-
portant crop is concerned, the present promise will
be fully realised, As to the cereals, I have reason
to think that there is a greater breadth under wheat
than last year, and that crop, and the oats and bar-
ley—the latter is sown to a very limited extent in
the counties named above—are most promising. In
some favourable districts the sickle is at work,
and should no untoward state of the weather
ensue during this month of August the great
bulk of the cereals will have fallen before
the reaper. The important flax crop also
promises well. I need not tell you that the
hay crop forms an important item in the farmers'
asserts;' apart from the home consumption this is
the case. lam awere that hay was exported to a
large extent last year to England and Scotland, and
from the accounts I have seen of the effects of the
want of rain during the summer in the former
country I have no doubt it will afford a ready mar-
ket for a large supply this year ; if so it is gratify-
ing to know that the crop :n Ireland has been saved
under most favourable circumstances, and is prolific
beyond any year since 1859, Although not coming
under the heading of ' crops,' it will not be out of
place to mention that there is at this moment more
turf saved than the entire quantity brought into
use during the years 1862 and 1863.
" If I do not much mistake the experience of the
past five years has materially changed the opinions
of those who imagined that Ireland was only suited
for pasture. The registrar general's returns mark
a great reduction in the number of small holdings,
and also a decrease in the value of live stock, to
the extent of more than five millions sterling,
Whatever others may think of large farme-1
allude to the consolidation of small holdings from
which the tenantry have been evicted—there are
sensible men, thoroughly acquainted with the
country, who regard the great reduction in the
number of holdings as the cause of the diminu-
t;on in the number of live stock. Tb.i3 view is
shared in even by large landed proprietors, and
I rather incline to the opinion that if the issue
were now ' tillage versus pasture,' very many of
the
-landlords who formerly pieced all reliance on
the latter would vote for both."

The O'Connell Monument,

DUBLIN, Monday Evening.

The first stone of the intended O'Connell monu-
ment was laid to-day by the Lord Mayor and the
corporation at the southern extonity of Sackvilic.
street. The demonstration was the greatest that
has ever taken place in Dublin, and the conduct of
the people was most orderly and quiet. The pro-
cession started at 12 o'clooit from Stephen's green,
where the several trades of the city had assembled
from an early hour, with their bands and the
banners of their respective guilds. The persons
who took part in the procession wore green sashes,
rosettes, and ribbons, and many of the people
who thronged the streets were similarly decorated.
Amongst those who took part in the procession were
the Roman Catholic Primate, Dr. Dixon, Arch
bishop Leahy, and several other Roman Catholic
prelates. Starting from Stephen's-green, the pro-
cession passed through the principal streets of Dab-
lin to Sackville-street, where the first stone was
laid at about five o'clock, by the Lord Mayor in the
presence of a vast assemblage. The windows along
the line of the procession were closed. Traffic and
business were completely suspended, and the day
was kept as a holiday by the artizsns and trades-
men. in the evening a banquet took place at the
Rotunda. The Lord Mayor presided, and amongst
the speakers were Archbishop Leahy, Mr. J. F.
Maguire, MT., Sir Colman O'Loghlen, M.P., and
Sir John Gray.

NEW LIFEBOAT STATIONS.--The Royal National
Lifeboat Institution invites the co-operation of
clergymen, officers of the navy and mercantile marine,
and the gentry in general resident on the sea coast, in
assisting to maintain a lifeboat station on every point of
the shores of the United Kingdom where danger exists,
and where shipwrecks sometimes occur. It is requisite that
there should be a sufficient number of men (fishermen or
others accustoraed to the management of boats at sea) to
man the lifeboat, and a committee formed from the re-
sidents in the neighbourhood to superintend the station,
and to obtain such small annual subscriptions as may con
tribute towards a portion of the expense. We may add
that communications on this important subject may be
addressed to Richard Lewis, Esq., secretary to the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution, John-street, Adelphi, Lon-
don.

►SUICIDE OF A GENTLEMAN IN KENSINGTON-
GAADENS.—At half-past 4 o'clock on Sunday
morning the dead body of a young gentleman was found in
one of the enclosures in Kensington-gardens by Park
constable Bunton, No. 30. Deceased held in his right hand
a pistol of an ordinary kind, with which he had shot him-
self through the head. The body was taken to the
Paddington dead house, and examined by Mr Beale,
surgeon, who states that death must have been instants.
neous after the shot was fired. There were no papers or
anything else found on deceased to denote who ho was, but
the following description will no doubt lead to his being
identified :—Age about 20 ; height about 5 feet 4 inches ;
light complexion, brown hair, no whiskers; dress, black
hat, black cloth coat and waistcoat, grey plaid trousers with
cord seams, Balmoral boots, white linen shirt and collar,
and black necktie. Deceased was a cripple, and had in his
possession a pair of brass mounted crutches, white cambric
handkerchief, some silver and copper money, a pistol,; one
ball (lead), two percussion caps, and a paper containing
powder. _

The bulletin of the Paris Observatory of the sth
inst. is as follows :--(g The Mediterranean was yes-
terday traversed by the gale announced from Spain.
There was a storm at Ajaccio about noon, a hurii-
cane at Palermo, and another storm at Madrid
in the evening. On the other hand, storms
continue to day at St. Petersburg, but tend
more to the north-west. Between these two
lines of summer storms, France enjoys calm
and bright weather; more or less of clouds are ob-
served along the sea coasts; but in the inland dis-
tricts, where the air is always drier than on the
seaboard; the sky is cloudless, especially at Paris.
This morning the hygrometer indicated a less de-
cided degree of dryness, and another fall of the
mercury at Cornona presages more storms from the
south-wpt."