The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-04 00:00:00

WEATHER AND CROPS IN AYR.

SHIRE.

It is gratifying to state that the weather has at last
become auspicious for the growing crops. Vegetation,
from the peculiar nature of spring, was considerably re-
tarded ; the later sown seed found cold and ungenial
soils generally throughout the west country, and, conse-
quently, no great hopes were inspired for much progress
of growth. Thursday may be noted the precursor o;
summer. The thermometer stood high in the shade,
and potent heat breathed favourably on every vegetable
thing. Friday was most auspicious ; but Saturday
broke in lowering and gloomy—the atmosphere was
charged with electricity, and thunder was heard at in-
tervals among the hills. Slight showers fell in course of
the afternoon—most welcome on light soils for the young
plants.
The wheat crop on good soils, in this district, presents
a most promising appearance, baying made considerable
progress within the last few days. Genial sunshine by
day, and dew by night, have had a most beneficial effect
on the oat and barley crops, which are very luxuriant on
the lighter soils.
The hay crop promises to be abundant. This, in itself,
' is important, and shows the fruitfulness of the season.
Potatoes, we rejoice to communicate, are everywhere
doing well. The plant is vigorous and healthy ; and
the utmost regularity is perceptible in those fields in the
neighbourhood of Ayr. Our correspondents speak cheer-
fully of the progress of this valuable esculent, and cite no
instances of its deficiency in their respective districts of
the county.—Ayr Observer.

ALLEGED MURDER of a WOMAN
BY HER HUSBAND.
BRISTOL, JUNE 2.—Yesterday evening, at about eight
o'clock, the densely populated neighbourhood of Jacob's
kV ells was thrown into a state of consternation and alarm
by a report that an Irishman, named Skinner, who
worked as a journeyman nailmaker, and who had but re-
isi.o,o,ni fur
Ir.
if
ym 1
re-
cently come to occupy an apartment at No. 4, Limekiln •
lane, bad killed his wife, by throwing her from a second
;tory window into the street, a depth of thirty or forty
feet. It would seem that the parties had not lived very
happily, end that the husband had, a day or two before,
beaten his wife, who was a fine young woman of about
twenty-eight years Old. Last night, at about half-past
seven o'clock, a brother of deceased, named Irwin, called
tt her lodgings to see her and her husband. The sister
nad complained to him of suffering trom wounds and
bruises, and the husband on its being mentioned, said he
had beaten her, which was what sho wanted. The
brother remonstrated with him about beating her, anti
said they had better separate at once rather than do
nothing else than fight and quarrel. Words ensued,
and the husband ordered Irwin instantly to quit the
which he was about to do, when she cau•zht hold
,t h
and said—" You shan't go—'or God's sake don't
do he will murder me at once." The hus
aattd insistt don turning him out, and a scufil• ensued,
in the course of which the husband ran to a dresser in
the room, end got a table knife, which he brandishea in
a very menacing manner. Ira in broke from his sister
and got out of the room, and hail got a few stairs down,
when he halted to listen, and in a moment heard a great
crash as of something falling. He went down stairs into
the street, and the first object that met his sight was
the bony of his sister lying on the ground. She was
quite senseless, and bleeding profusely from her mouth
and ears. Assistance was procured as speedily as pos-
sible, and the was taken up and conveyed into the house,
but she only breathed once or twice and then died. In-
formation of the dreadful occurrence was immediately
forwarded to the Clifton police-station, and the husband
was at once taken into custody upon a charge of killing
his wife.

DEFICIENCY BILLS AND EXCDEQUER-BILLS.—Some
returns moved for by Mr. Hume relative to deficiency and
Exchequer-bills, &c., exhibit the following results :—The
total amount of deficiency bills issued to the Bank of Eng.
land was, in the year 1842, 19,170,266/. ; in 1843, 26,266,9571.;
in 1844,17,857,1071. ; in,1845, 9,816,152/. ; in 1846, 4,762,319/. ;
and in the quarter ending January 5, 1847, 727,483/., at the
rate of 14d. per diem interest. The aggregate amount of
interest paid was—in 1842, 85,406/. ;in 1843, 82,762/. ;in
1844, 26,215/. ; in 1845, 3,952/. ; and, in 1846, 1,407/. The
total amount of Exchequer-bills outstanding and unprovided
for on the sth of January last was 18,310,700/., the premium
being Bs. to 12s.
EAST INDIA STOCK.—Wednesday the Transfer-
(Alice for India Stock, at the Company's house in Leadenhall-
street, closed till the 15th of July. The warrants for the
dividends payable on the above stock, due the 6th of July,
will be delivered on that day, in accordance with the 11th
section of the 3d ancf 4th William IV., c. 85.
A NOVEL GRIDIRON.--A short time since, the
labourers in the district of Ardagh, not being altogether
satisfied with the manner of the authorities in providing
them food, resorted to a most ingenious and prompt method
of securing the attention of the rich to their wants. Having
filled a turf kish with fuel from the nearest bog, they yoked
an ass to it, and having accidentally stumbled across a flock
of fine wedders, about a hundred in number, belonging to
Mr. Kellett, of Barley-hill, they very leisurely commenced
driving them away, at the same time politely informing him
that they would take the liberty of having the loan of one
of his nice iron gates, to serve the purpose of a gridiron.
The bars being crossed in squares, it would have answered
beautifully, and, no doubt, between the gridiron and the
mutton and turf, they would have contrived to serve up2a
dainty dish. As it was, it required a great deal of persua-
sion to dissuade them from their benevolent intentions; but
such was the impression the gridion left behind, that they
have now a capital soup kitchen, where they get boiled, if
not roast, at least once a day.—Armagh Guardian.
A LONG RACE.—A mare of the hackney breed,
belonging to Mr. Baxter, of Dalston, ventured, on Friday
night last, to try her speed against a railway engine on the
Maryport and Carlisle Railway, selecting for that purpose the
" Sir Wihrid," which was laden with a rather heavy coal
train Haying scaled the fence which separates the paddock
in which she had been grazing from the railway, as soon as
the engine came in view she started, and dashed forward in
the true Yankee "go a-head " style, occasionally exhibiting
a lit. le playfulness,
as if in contempt for her rival's power of
loco:notion. :She made no attempt to leave the line at the
Curthwaite cr the Wigton station, or even at Aspatria,
where the" Sir Wilfrid " required the refresnment of a little
water, and where she had a good opportunity of leaving the
line by turning into the station-yard; but, as if determined
to prove to the most incredulous the superiority of a
Dalston mare to a locomotive of the Maryport and Car-
lisle Company,rived at Maryport very little the worse by her exertions,
and beating the
Wilfridsh,,essitrarted again i n gallant style and ar-
rived
~
many lengths."—Car-
lisle Patriot.
A COMMERCIAL NOVELTY It is said that the
celebrate d 3auker, Rothschild, has two cargoes of American
flour on their way to this country, which are to be unloaded in
the Birkenhead Dock, and forwarded by rail to London.
These will be the first cargoes of the kind for the Chester
and Birkenhead R 1 .o convey. It is also the first case
al way i
of the kind either in Birkenhead or Liverpool.—Liverpool
Mercury.