The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-07 00:00:00

85

~~

IRELAND. S
INT
HARVEST PROSPECTS.
DUBLIN, FRIDAT.—The following Mica
report is condensed from the Belfast Mer
yesterday :-- ;ct;:e
" Since our last monthly notice the weather has _
peculiarly favourable for the growth and ripening.' •
every species of crop. On all sides and in all localitteaee
we find glorious signs of an abundant harvest. Indeed
the most melancholy of those seers who delight in turn-riVaegAlg
ing up the dark side of human affairs must now admitt-"
that, in point of rich luxuriance, the present appear-
ance of the country has never been exceeded. Lands
which several years ago were bare and barren now ex-
hibit a moderate degree of fertility; and thin soils, on
which in former days crops came forward in all the
sickliness of poverty, show evidences of scientific skill and
enterprise, remarkable even in this age of improvement.
Our Ulster farmers find out that they must exercise
the head as well at the hands, and that in the field of
agriculture there is [ye)* space for the action of
tt:at grasp of thought which te•lls so favourably
on the world of commerce. Flax certainly ex-
hibits a wonderful change in husbandry; the straw
is long, and, where duo care is ;Laken in preparing
and cleaning the soil, the yield is likely to prove very
' remunerative. We would hope, rlow that home-saved
seed has been found to answer all the purposes of im-
ported qualities, that every grower of flax will take some
pains to preserve that valuable portion of the crop, in-
stead of r.llowing it to be flung away, as was the case in
former (LIP?. Taking the value of the :wed of flax grown
in Ircland for the past three years at eealv 41. an acre,
the prcceed, if all had bran carefully save 4 would have
stood thus—

Acres of flax. Value ea' aced.
1843 60,014 £240,050
1850 ,„ 85,935 ... 353,740
1851 138,895 ... 555,580
No official statement of the number of acres under flax
in Ulster this season has yet appeared, bat it must be
large, and there is every reason to expect that the qua-
lity, as well as the bulk, of this crop will fully carry out
the progressive improvement shown in flax culture for
some years past. Taken as a whole, the cereal crops
are by many degrees the finest seen in the north of Ire-
land since the days of famine. Great complaints are
heard about the potato, and, indeed, we have witnessed
the disease in several localities; still there seems more
excitement abroad on this subject than the present
state of the, crop would justify. Soils which have
been long in culture, and to which a great deal of
manure has been applied, are not favourable to the
growth. of potatoes; and in that description of land there
is one-fourth of the crop infected. Other fields exhibit
a smaller proportion, say one-third; but as a sort of set-
off against this loss, we may state that the produce is
unusally abundant. In SODIO of the lands which were
broken up this season the potatoes are, as yet, quite
healthy, and not the least sign of blight appears. Bat,
even where symptoms of that old malady present them-
selves, exertion should
be made, if possible, to prevent
the disease extending itself. We saw, the other even-
ing, a gentleman directing his men to pull up all the
withered stalks in his potato field; and as that was
done, the soil on the top of the drills was pressed down
with their feet, so as to exclude any action of the at-
mosphere affecting the tubers. This plan, in other sea-
sons, has certainly checked the spread of the disease.
On making an examination of the state of the crop in
several parts of this field, it was found that about one-
eighth of the whole was partially gone. It would be
difficult in the present stage of this now periodical dis-
ease to say what might be the ultimate amount of loss;
tok.huttert fuornaoltmietmygponof_r we
ei
contemporaries.
learn, and we have taken a good
notdeal of painsreach
one-half
of accuratethat
b yt the
sometotal
of
f
will
One
potatoes thingbwr brought
palmy days of Ireland's favouritei,r esculent."
contempt with which the Him!
sent is equal to the finest ever
etvt wouldeo table
u remark,tht mostpthreat
for-
mer selection of the priests oofyathcy'e
The Roman Catholic
have again gone through the ; d
ioc es
e dismayedof Armagh, b y the
one of their body to fill the office form of nominating
of Primate and
See treated their
Archbishop, vacated by the trauslteaheteion of Dr. Cullen
brevet rank of
appointment, two
ourt of Rome.
.chosfn
itrtolithe
toA Apostolic
limetropolitan
Delegate
n chair,rel
ea
sn tsdf
hues and dign
There were three candidates
of whom (Drs. Dixon and
on the former occasion as dig
of ciogh:rthe
prelate who until lately had belonged to the no
third being Dr. M'Nally, Bishop"
w lora-
gotten class of " moderates," almost the last of whom
was personified by the lamented Archbishop Murray.
Dr. Cullen presided in his capacity of administrator
at the meeting of the clergy, and having celebrated
the solemn High Mass of the Holy Ghost, " his Grace"
delivered a sermon, after which the election of his
successor to the Primacy of all Ireland was proceeded
with in the cathedral. The ceremonial having been
concluded, a scrutiny of the votes was entered into,
which gave the following results :
Dignissimus—The Very Rev. Dr. Dixon 21
Dignior—The Very Rev. Dr. Kieran l9
Dignus —The Very Rev. Dr.
Bishop of Clogher
Dr. Dixon holds one of the Professorships in the
Royal College of Maynooth.
SALE OF LANDED PROPERTY.
The adjourned sale of the estate of Mr. Powell
Foxall, situate in the county of Armagh, took place
yesterday at the court in Henrietta-street. The
rental of the property was estimated at something
over 600/. per annum, to be sold subject to a con-
tingent jointure of 2001. a year for the life of Mrs.
Foxall, now aged 45, in the event of her surviving
her husband, the inheritor, now about 54 years of
age. The purchase-money amounted to 9,3501.
When this estate was first set up for sale the county
of Armagh was governed by the Riband code, and
the sum then offered (8 0001.) being considerably
under the value, the Commissioners consented to an
adjournment. Order being now restored, the credi-
ditors and other parties interested have been gainers to
the extent of 1,3501.

COLONIAL WOOL SALES.
The series of colonial wool sales, which commenced on
ho 9th July, terminated yesterday. They
Ba comprised—
les.
Australian 16,572
Port Philip and Portland Bay ... 24,069
South Australian ... ... 5,612
Van I)iemen's Land ... 6,042
Swan River_ 949
Cape ••• ... 2,096

Total colonial ..•
East Indian... ... •••
German ... ••• ••
Sundry low foreign

. . 55,340
... 1,826

-. 859
_. 1,714

59,739
The following account of their progress is from the
circular of Messrs. Southey and Son:—
" All apprehension of a short supply of colonial wool
this season having subsided, and an opinion prevailing
that the judicious measures taken to encourage emigra-
tion will avert that evil for seasons to come, our buyers
were regulated in their operations at these sales by the
present state and prospects of their own markets, whic4,
did not allow them to support the speculative prices of
last sales.

" Nevertheless the result of these sales is satisfac-
tory to importers; prices commenced very close aPoorl
last sales, the finer qualities showing a slight erlelduoff
this was known in the north,
lion; after some days the attendance of buyers f
when,
and a further depression became apparent; ti
camet
up,
buyerstinued to
and prices assumed a firmer tone, which con
the end.sales to
allowed many
"Purchasers on foreign
pass without operating, but towards
freely of the middle and better qua.
and assisted much in supporting VI
took about 6,000 bales."
account bi bought
many fresh
tties of combing wool,
ices. We estimate they