The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-24 00:00:00

MORNING •Eit I ft.. .' N.

THE REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES
ABROAD.
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A writer in the Times finds an argument in what hap-
pened in Ghent in favour of the representation of mino-
rities. He says that of the twelve seats lost to the Minis-
try six were taken away through the votes of less than
100 electors of Ghent. Ghent is represented by seven
members, all elected by the same constituency by majority
voting, and previous to the late election they were all
Liberals. At the late election the seven clerical candi-
dates obtained from 3,025 to 2,941 votes apiece, and the
seven Liberals from 2,919 to 2,856, and therefore the
clericals gained six seats, and would have gained seven,
but for the circumstance that one of their candidates had
only obtained a relative and not an absolute majority,
and had to be balloted for again against the highest of
the Liberal candidates, when the Liberal was
elected by 2,446 votes to 1,784. If 100 voters out of
6,000 had voted with the Liberals instead or with the
Clericals, the seven Liberal candidates would all have
been ahead of the Clericals, and the Ministry would have
had a sufficient majority to justify them in retaining
office. Thus (the writer continues) a representative
system, which in theory denies any representation to
minorities, practically places the decision between the
Ministry and the Opposition in the hands of one
hundred electors, forming only one-sixtieth part of one
constituency.

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.
--Mr: J. J. Mechi, of Tiptree Hall, near Kelvedon
Essex, gave his opinion of the harvest prospects.
"Wheat," he says, "will no doubt be our best
crop, fine in quality, but somewhat deficient,
perhaps, in yield, and certainly in acreage, a
considerable breadth of wheat land having been ploughed
up owing to a misplant, and re-sown with barley or oats.
Although the wheat plant is rather thin on the ground,
the heads, which are now visible, are large and well
formed, so that probably the yield will be very good in
proportion to the straw, which is much shorter
than that of last year, and less fiaggy. In
fact, the long drought, which has been so injurious
to the shallow-rooted grasses, has greatly favoured
the deep-rooted wheat plant, especially the fine white
wheat, by elaborating the grain. This is a more unfa-
vourable season for light-land farmers than even 1868,
and must cause serious losses, unless we should be
favoured with heavy rain shortly. These, falling on the
dry and heated soil, would promote a rapid vegetation,
and probably give large second crops of hay and abun-
dance of late green and root crops. The first hay crop
may be considered the worst we have had for many years-
Barley willbe good in places on cool bottom land, though very
short in the straw, but it is very deficient on all hot thin
soils. Potatoes are generally very healthy, and promise
to be a good crop. Oats on well-farmed clays look pro-
mising. Beans are very , short in the straw, but well
bloomed. Peas a poor crop on light soils. Mangolds
plant well where the land has been manured and deeply
cultivated before winter, which is best for all root crops.
The fly has destroyedthe early sowings of swedes in many
places.
The Scotsman says •. Several refreshing showers of rain
fell on Sunday, but since then the weather has been warm
and bry. The Coleraine Chronicle says : Another week
of magnificent summer sunshine, with occasional heavy
showers, after the rains of the previous few days,had a
wonderfully beneficial effect upon crops of all kinds.
Hay has made most marked progress, and
will be ready for cuttinc, in many places before
the end of the month. 'it is everywhere spoken
of as a large and heavy crop. Potatoes are most
luxuriant, and may be expected in general use fully ten
days before the usual period. Flax is also in a very for-
ward state, and of superior quality.. Turnip sowing has
been completed, and the young brairds promise vigorous
growth, In fact, the fields in every part of the country
present a most cheering aspect, and, if blessed with a
continuance of equally favourable 'weather for their
maturity, a year of greater plenty never crowned an Irish
harvest than that of 1870.
The probable yield of the wheat crop in France is thee
e
subject of contradictory statements in the correspond
last received, and, owing to the recent operations in
the grain trade, the Financier thinks this will probably
continue to be the case until threshing is commenced.
The greater part of the French provincial markets on
Monday shewed signs of reaction from the advance
of last week. French buying has now ceased,
both in England and America. With regard to the
French crops and the statement that the yield is likely
to be only one-third below an average, other-correspon-
dents take a more unfavourable view and consider
ro-
that
one-half is lost. In the central departments, which p
duce most wheat, the result threateds, to be very bad,
while in the North and South it will be, better.