The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-10 00:00:00

honest statement of facts in Mr. FREAN'S letter, a
gentleman who, in his own words, is "pretty well
acquainted with Dartmoor, and what has taken place
there for some years past."
Another gentleman, through the columns of a
morning Contemporary, under the assumed signature
" VERITAS," conveys to us the gratifying intelligence
that

"He was considerably amused at Lord Ashley's state-
ment in the House of Commons respecting the conver-
sion of peat into various products, and thought, from its
being so much at variance with facts, that it would carry
its own antidote. I see, however, in the Times of to-
day a letter from a Mr. Oxland, confirming to a consider-
able extent Lord Ashley's sanguine expectations as to the
gross value of products into which peat is capable of conver-
sion, but disagreeing considerably in detail."

This pretty considerably inconsiderate gentleman
then goes on:—
" Allow me, then, with regard to his Lordship's state-
ment to select the article of carbonate of ammonia, of which .1
am a manufacturer, where be states, on the authority
of a Mr. Owen, that 6001b5., or as he says, upwards of
301. worth, can be extracted from 100 tons rf peat. You
will, I am sure, be astonished when I tell you that I
obtain for that quantity (6001b5.) only ab,)ut 91. 10s."
Now Lord ASHLEY'S statement was that 100 tons
of Irish peat produced 2,6021b5. carbonate of am
mania, which at VERITAS'S price of Dl. 103. for
6001b5., would produce about 41/. 3s. 11d., exceed-
ing Lord ASHLEY'S statement of value by 81. 13s. Od.
So much for the statement of " VERITAS," on the
only article selected by him to show the exaggera-
tions of Lord ASHLEY. Why, he clearly proved
that his Lordship understated the market price of
this product.
" Cuiquesua arte credendum est."

The testimony of men of practical science, such as
Mr. OXLAND, should outweigh " a whole theatre "
of those who have raised objections to the project.
The " Dartmoor Tradesman" may be afflicted with
the fears of the burnt child ; the "Ammonia Manu-
facturer" may have before him a wholesome dread of
a reduction in the price of ammonia; but we, who
stand beyond those influences, and merely look to the
public good, feel it our gratifying duty to promote
an object calculated to confer peace and happiness on
Ireland, and prosperity on the empire ; and we trust
we shall ere long hear that the now peat-covered soil
of Ireland will be blessed with as good crops as those
of Prince-hall, Dartmoor; and if The O'GORMAN
Manox did no other service to his country than
aiding this good work, the constituents of Ennis
should rejoice in their selection.

We understand from undoubted authority that
immediately on the marriage of Lieutenant Heald
with the Countess of Landsfeldt (Lola Montes), the
Marquis of Londonderry, Colonel of the 2d Life
Guards, took the most decisive steps to recommend
to her Majesty that this officer's resignation of his
commission should be insisted on and that he should
leave the regiment, which this unfortunate and
extraordinary act might possibly prejudice.—Times.
[lt is earnestly to be hoped that her Majesty will, on
the contrary, insist upon the resignation of every
antiquated imbecile, be he Field-Marshal or Colonel,
or Marquis, who shall evince the incapacity of seni-
lity, or the prudishness of parvenu pedlarism.--
ED. Sun.]

DISTILLATION OF IRISH PEAT
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Being pretty well acquainted with Dartmoor,
and what has taken place there for some years past, my
neighbours have called my attention to a letter from
Mr. Seaman of this town, which appeared in the columns
of one of your contemporaries, and upon which you
commented in The Sun, on the 4th instant.
'The operations of the Naptha Company, as far as they
went, were quite corroborative of the statements made
in the House of Commons by Lord Ashley and The
O'Gorman Mahon; extensive experiments were made by
two practical chemists (besides Mr. Drew), Mr. Oxland
and Mr. Prideaux, who discovered so much of various
kinds of product as to induce a lavish expenditure; with..
out attempting to bring aRy of their products into a mar-
ketable state, they expended their capital in cutting
immense quantities of peat, in laying a railway ;to the
bogs, in large and expensive retorts, and furnaces, &c.,
which were afterwards unfit, the shareholders were dis-
heartened, and the works ceased for want of means before
it was ever properly set to work.
The committee at first was composed of men clever in
their business, no doubt, but as to the management of
this, there need not any more be said than what has
already been stated. The fact of different committees
having been appointed to supersede each other, shows
the opinion of those interested.
My observations and experiments are quite in favour
of the opinion that the peat of Ireland and elsewhere
will soon be an article of vast consumption, not only as
producing much that is useful in commerce, but as decayed
vegetable matter it can be used with advantage in agri-
culture.
If dried and crumbled, or charred, and deposited in
drains and cess-pits, it absorbs the feculent matters, and
is at least equal to guano as a fertilizer; or if even
dried and reduced to something like powder, and drilled
in with the seed, it will be one of the most certain
manures in its effects.
qua
nbatumi tti eass
willingoa fi I different
htoe hcoo
pm epa
there
eets psp raonr dtosu
me
oei
fds t
aapkre eea t
vbea ruryet
available,su rTp hries
ti fh
eonly
pornee
sh f
indeedca n
abebrpigrohdt prospect for Ireland.ucedforthesu A
sum mentioned,
to the fertility of the land, when the peat is removed,
we have here sufficient proof of this. Mr. Fowler, of
Prince-hall, Dartmoor, had last year the finest crop of
turnips in the county, and obtained a prize for them,
and will, in all probability do the same this year; there
is no soil so favourable for vegetables. I fear I have
trespassed on your valuable space, but I very much
dislike any ungenerous attempt to blight a cheerful
prospect.—l ani, Sir, your humble servant,
GEORGE FREAN.

Plymouth, Aug. 7, 1849.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN
CURE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—It has hitherto been gratifying to the inhabit-
ants of some of the more favoured localities of England,
that during the rage of the present epidemic, and even
under the fearful ravages of the malady in the years 1831
and 1832, certain places entirely escaped cholera, and
amongst the more conspicuous ones is that of Chelten
ham, where, in the periods mentioned, and to the present
time, not a single case has occurred. We would desire
to see the same exemption wo enjoy the characteristic of
the whole kingdom, and we trust the day may not be
far distant when the result will be obtained.
The foregoing remarks lead me to the observations
made by Dr. Rowe, of Cavendish-square, London, in
reference to the disease of cholera, as recently pub-
lished, which cannot be too extensively circulated. Dr.
Rowe commences, or states, that " prevention is better
than cure," and also that it has been proved by the most
able and scientific practitioners; that the blood of cholera
patients is defective of those saline " properties which
are furnished by the liver, and that it is but fair pre-
sumption to conclude that that important organ contri-
butes, by its healthy or morbid secretion, either to the
restoration of health or the production of disease—
thus, then, (he proceeds to state) the preventive means
will consist in avoiding all fruits and vegetables, substi-
tuting rice and other farinaceous matter, with moderate
uses of brandy, wine, and beer, and also to take mild and
undebilitating doses of aperient medicines."
Now, the established fact, as admitted by men of
medical science, that the blood of cholera patients is
deficient of those saline properties which are furnished
by the liver, and in which the efficacy of saline aperient
medicines are considered as prevention', I submit it is
not irrational to conclude that the elementary actions of
the seine properties as are to be found in the mineral
waters of Cheltenham, when diffused through the atmo-
sphere, cannot be less efficacious and conducive to health
than their ordinary and accustomed use proves them to
be in all liver complaints or impurities of the blood, and
therefore it is that Cheltenham, with its sanitary ar-
rangements, and diversity of mental attractions, may
attribute its exemption from the epidemic.
Conceiving it 'important, as most places are publishing
the general health of their several communities at the
present
event:ul crisis, and also to prevent any mis-
statements m
e to
request
calculated
theto create
insertionprejudicial
of th eforegoing
confusions,
induces
remarks.—l remain your very obedient servant,
GEORGE SMITH.
Sussex Lodge., Cheltenham, Aug. 9.

IRISH PE vessel arrived in the river from
one of the Irish :ports, has brought 17 casks of peat as a
Portion of b,Qr cal ge.

The manufacturer of ammonia ought to be authority
on the price it brings in the market, and we give him
the full benefit of his experience. We would, how-
ever, caution him before he again rushes into print,
to see that his data are less " at variance with facts.'
It will require stronger proofs and sounder reason-
intz than those advanced by " VERITAS " to shake the
public faith in the practicability of a scheme sustained
by such strong facts and unimpeachable evidence as
the one introduced to the notice of the House of
Commons by such men as Lord ASHLEY and The
O'Gonmkri MAHON. We have bad no communica-
tion with any of the promoters of this project; we
have taken it up as a great and important discovery,
likely to effect a large measure of good ; we have ex-
amined all that has been advanced for and against
it, and have given to the public the calm and un-
biassed result of our judgment. All the
men of science who have-written upon the subject
agree as to the extent and variety of the products
from the distillation of Irish peat. Mr. OXLAND, a
practical chemist at Plymouth, in a letter to a morn.-
ing Contemporary, says—
" I have much pleasure in bearing testimony to the
general correctness of the statement of the value of the
products obtainable from Irish peat, as reported by Lord
Ashley last week to the House of Commons."