The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

IHE MIN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JULY 18, 1804.

ments of skill and discoveries of human intelligence

are useless unless those who design and those who
profit by their labours are alike supplied with
provisions of mother each. Agricultural chemistry
may be less attractive as a study than the deeper
and more imposing sciences of geology and astro•
nomy, or chemistry itself in its more enlarged ap-
plication, but the rapid advance made of late
years in the production of food proves that it is at
least a profitable study. For many a long day it
was the fashion to regard farmers and agricultu-
rists generally as men behind the age, who obsti-
nately refused to move from the beaten track. But
it is not so very long since the application of steam
and other advantages were recommended, and
already they are becoming popular. Agricultu-
rists of this day are no longer a class by them.
selves, shut out from the general progress of en-

lightenment. :As the rest of the world has
advanced in knowledge and intelligence,
they have advanced too, until there is
no reason to fear that any scheme for
the

improvement of farms or farming stock
will not obtain as fair a hearing as in any other
profession. Much of this beneficial change has pro-
bably been due to the influence of agricultural shows
and societies, which have brought men together
from distant parts, to exchange opinions and expe-
rience, and to see with their own eyes practical
proof of the advantages recommended to them.
The meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society,
which has been held during the past week, is one
of these occasions, and it was in this instance peon-

,arly interesting from the fact that it had not been

held in that town for nearly twenty years. The
meetings of the Royall Agricultural Society are held
yearly at different large towns throughout the
country, and it is thus often a good many years be-
t ween the celebrations at any particu:ar spot. In
1846 the first meeting of the society was held in
the very town where they have been now assem-
blin7, and the eighteen years that have elapsed'
since then have witnessed a degree of progress
which would then have been scarcely credible.
Some of the theories then in their infancy have nom
become the recognised practice of the day, such as
the theory of deep drainage then just becoming
known, which is now an established principle.
Since 1846, too, the use of artificial manures has
become general, and this has undoubtedly much
to do with the improvement in our crops. The
effect of steam-ploughing is as yet hardly to be
seen, but there can be no question of its beneficial
result upon heavy clay land, and when it gets into
more general use its influence will soon be apparent.
At the trial last week some of the engines tried
produced an astonishing effect, moving the soil to
a great depth with wonderful rapidity, and leaving
it thoroughly pulverised. No horse-power could
have accomplished the same work. The special
peculiarity of the steam-plough is the great depth
to which it turns up the soil, a result of considerable
importance hardly to be attained by other means.
Altogether the trial, so far as as it went, has tended
to strengthen the favourable estimation in which
these ploughs are already held, and will probably
do much to remove the prejudice yet lingering in
the minds of some against their_use. This is one of
the advantages of such a gathering, and its members
can look back with pride to the work accomplished
since their meeting.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LREIJTEE'S TELEGRAMS.]

AMERICA.

CROOKHAVEN, JULY 18.

The extra steamer Sidon, which left New York
on the afternoon of the 6th inst., was intercepted

here this morniflg.

Her news has been fully auticipted by the

Africa.

CALCUTTA AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS.
SOU niAMPTON, JULY 18.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Poonah, with the above mails, has arrived here.

She brings 75 passengers, £220 in specie, and
precious stones to the value of 3,500r5. ; jewellery,
2,570r5.; musk, 1,800; coral, 1,000. Sho brings
also a general cargo, including 1,204 bales of silk,
which latter are estimated at the value of £115,000.
On the 13th inst. the Poonah spoke the ship
Patrician, of Newcastle ; on the 14th inst. the
schooner Pride of the Isles; and on the 16th
the steamer Peninsular.

Exchange on London, 90 days, 50k; exchange
on Paris, Of 310; Marseilles, Of 32c ; Madrid, at
eight days, par,

FRANCE.

BOURSE, July 16.—The market has been very
inanimate, but prices well supported. Threes, for
the Account, are unvaried at 66f. 45c. Alobilier.
which at first declined, now show a slight improve-
ment, being at 1,027 f. 50c, Railway Market quiet
but firm. The market closed as follows :-
4t per Cents. 94 10 Italian Loan 6B 05
Do. sad month.... Do. end month 6B 30
3 per Cents • 66 35 Ditto Threes ..
Do. end month.... 66 45 New Mexican .... 57 25
Credit M0bi1ier....1032 50 Russian
Do. end m0nth....1030 Austrian
Bank Shares 3400 Spanieh Threes...,
Credit F onoier 1225 home Debt
Roman

atTs.
Cash. Account.
0 rlean.s ~... 877 50 .. 875
Northern .... 977 50 .. 976 25
Lyons and lieditananean 900 .. 897 50
New ditto
Southern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian 355 .. 350
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa 5?O .. 528 75
Ditto to Barcelona - .. 255 —•

RA IL

bag, owing to some rumour on board, he called the
officer who gave it to him to examine it before send-
ing it on shore, when it was ascertained that it had
been opened, the despatches taken out, blank paper
substituted, and the bag resewed. The bsg
originally contained the despatches from Admiral
Pinzon to his Government and the private letters of
the fleet. It has not transpired yet who the per-
petrators of the robbery are, but we presume an
official investigation will:lead to an exposure of the
guilty persons. For so far the purser is the re-
sponsible party, he having been entrusted with tho
bag, but his responsibility is merely to the company,
and ho may be able to show that he is entirely
innocent of blame; but the company being respon-
sidle for the acts of their employs, will be held
answerable by the parties directly interested, and
no doubt the whole effAir will prove a very dia-
-1 agreeable elle to them.

LITERATURE.

In the Silver Age : Essays, that U, Dispersed Me-
ditations. By Holme Lee, author of "Maude
Talbot," &c. Two vols. Smith and Elder.
Novel readers have been indebted to Holme Lee
for many pleasant stories, cleverly told, but the
happiest effort of this charming authoress is the
very delightful collection of essays and meditations
on men and things now issued in two elegant
volumes, entitled " The Silver Age." Often, says
the authoress in her preface, while writing fictitious
tales, she has felt an inward prompting to do some•
thing better t and hero, in the " Silver Age," this
" better" achievement is before us. It contains (adds
the introductory comment) the experiences of a
working woman's life, and let us add, also, the ex.-
periences of a thoughtful mind and tenderly sensi-
tive nature. By the way of example, let us quote
the following very observant remark—
" Bid we profit genuinely by the experience of other per.
eons, or even by our own, thought I, we should very early
in life give up rejoicing or disquieting our hearts about
what is unsure. But, as it is universal, no doubt that it is
best that; like children, we should be driven to our imper-
fectly-conned lesson egain and again ; that we should have
our smiles and our tears continually diverted by sudden
shocks of surprise, and that still, like children, we should
have courage left to make for ever new starts to repair
false starts; while our capacity for hoping and fearing stays
by us to the last throb of the pulse. Half our life is lived
in the vain expectation or dread of what never comes to
pass. Young, we lay out long before us a pleasant story
sunny-bright and flowery-gay with love, sympathy, and
tenderness, which is to be our life-story ; later, we toil and
vaguely trouble in prospect of a dreary volume of labour
and care 'which we believe ourselves doomed to travel
through ; and when we least dream it God writes an inexor-
ablefini.s on the glowing page, and in a moment takes away
the volume that wo thought too hard, and gives us quite
another task and leaves us to it. By this time we might
have learnt that all our planning and all our shying are lees
than nothing to Him who disposes—but have we ? I can-
not remember that I ever yet met man or woman so old,
dull, or world-weary that he or she had not some ray of
forlorn hope still held in front that the fair.t breath of life
kept stirring; and beyond its doubtful attainment a
schema."
One of the most charming chapters in the work is
filled with tender reminiscences of the writer's
mother, of whom the following touching little
glimpse is given—
"' By great sorrows the heart is protected against small
ones, by the waterfall against the rain.' It must have been
in this wise with my mother. She was not a woman of
many words or of any complaints. What came was by
God's permission, what went was by God's will. Ido not
think she ever philosophised over the hardships of her life
save in this simple Christian fashion; and though to the
narrow world outside her home she might seem not to have
so many causes of thankfulness, yet she was always thank-
ful. It is only ourselves that know what we have been
spared. Happiness, she taught us, was not the main pur-
suit of life, but duty ; and her example went even beyond
her precept. To do her best and trust God for the result
was her visible effort no less than it was her constant coun-
sel and consolation; and to the very last God redeemed
the promises made to those who put their confidence in
Him by maintaining in her a quiet heart."
The revelation of the treasured hoards of the poor
mother—little reminiscences of her children's lives,
their early endeavours at letter writing, &c.—is
very naturally and tenderly described. Full of
feeling and full of wisdom, too, are the thoughtful
recollections and fanciful imaginings of Holme Lee,
and the " Silver Age" will give pleasure to many
readers.

Holiday Papers. By Harry Jones, M,A. One Vo'

Pp. 431. Hardwicke.

It was holiday work for the author to pen these
very delightful essays, and it is asauredly holiday
work to the reader to peruse them. They are con-
spicuous especially for the sound common sense by
which every opinion is dictated, and by the quiet
fund of humour by which every chapter is enlivened.
As an example of both qualifications combined let
us select at hazard the following happy descrip-

Lon