The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-08 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.

The past week, says the Mark Lane Express, gave us a
good respite from rainy weather, which for a time came
almost in excess for superficial work, though the springs
have scarcely felt its influence, and the subsoil is yet dry.
Wheat-sowing has been making rapid progress, and as the
long drought helked greatly to clean the land, the seed
will germinate in a good bed, and have a very fair
first chance to get strong before hard winter stops it.
Barley is an excessive crop in quality and
quantity, and the yield of hay these, as well as in
Ireland, is much above that of England, where it is
generally reckoned the worst crop of the present
century. The only root crop which is universally well
reported is potatoes, and though some of these appear
diseased, let us hope enough will keep to serve us
through the season. The heavy rains and damp at-
mosphere which have lately prevailed have so much
affected the condition of the newly-thrashed wheat,
that its inferior condition has acted as a cheek
upon the upward movement lately noted, and some
markets, including London, have reported a slight de-
cline. As, however, foreign in good condition has been
selling, both for consumption and export, at unaltered
values, it proves the fall to be more a matter of appearance
than reality.

Advices from Valparaiso announce the failure of
Messrs. J. Perez and Rudolfo, in the dry goods trade.
Their liabilities amounted to about £140,000, almost
entirely due to native houses. An unfavourable liquida-
tion was expected. The books of Messrs. Sewell and
Metcalfe, provision merchants, of Ipswich, have been
placed in the hands of Messrs. Cook and Smith, the
accountants. The habilities are about 220,000.

THIERS AND BISMARCIC.—There can scarcely be
any two men snore unlike in physique than the two
diplomatists who met there to treat of high affairs—the
Frenchman small in stature, with a low voice, modulated
accent?, and a very gentle manner ; the Prussian huge in
bulk, pronounced in speech, and al•parently as much of a
soldier as a statesman ; most winning when he likes, but
not slow to anger, it is said, and rivalling the greatest
" glutton " of hard work in his extraordinary powers of
application. If M. niers rises at 4 p.m. to his desk, the
Great Chancellor sits at his till long past midnight. If
M. Thiers has read much of the glorious days of France,
M. Bismarck knows most things worth knowing of France,
of Germany, and of every country in the world, and his
wonderful memory enables him to lay his intellectual
finger on any article in that storehouse and bring it out
for immediate use.—Times' Correspondent.
Complaints multiply against the Post-office in relation
to the mode in which its new regulations are being carried
out. Nine-tenths of the postal annoyances experienced
from time to time might be obviated if an amount of dis-
cretion were exercised such as would be used by any or-
dinary business firm. For, instance, the new or newly-
enforced rule exacting a fine of threepence on all cir-
culars " closed against inspection,'• by the stamp
having been affixed partly on the wrapper, and partly
on its contents, might, it is suggested, have been
waived at first by stamping on the outside a notice
that all documents with postage labels thus affixed are
.liable to be charged as letters, and that on and after such
a date the fine would be strictly levied. An example of a
much more serious form of annoyance, and one that fre-
quently leads to commercial loss and inconvenience
through a similar want of consideration, has for a long
time past been cited with regard to the communication
with the River Plate and other countries with which
we have no postal treaties. In many of these cases
the rates are of a varied and complex character, and
if the writer happens not to have placed the proper
number of stamps upon his letter it is returned to
him a day or two afterward, and he then has to wait
a fortnight or a month for another mail. In this
way important despatches, bearing a heavy amount
of postage stamps upon them, are not infrequently in-
terrupted through a deficiency of a few pence, and, as
there are no telegraphic means of intercourse with the
countries in question, the mischief cannot be remedied.
If, as has been recommended, the Post-office were in all
such case where the writers are persons with an address
in the London Directory to forward the letters to their
destination, and to apply afterwards for the unpaid
balance, together with a small fine for the trouble oc-
casioned, they would avoid creating irritation and gain
that popularity which always results from acts of simple
courtesy.

BREAKFAST.-EPPS'S COCOA.--GRATEFUL AND COM-
FORTING.—The very agreeable character of this preparation has
rendered it ageneral favourite. The Civil Service Gazette re-
marks:—" Ey a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which
govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a
careful application of the line properties of well-selected cocoa.
Mr. Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately
flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors'
bills." Made simply with boiling water or milk. Sold only in
tin-lined packets labelled—JAMES EPPS (54-, Co., Ilonnoopathic
Chenibts, London.—Advt.