The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-06 00:00:00

THE EXCESSIVE HEAT.

Sixty persons died in one day in this city from the
effects of the heat—a fact which indicates what might
come to pass if there should be any permanent consider-
able elevation of the temperature of the atmosphere; for
these sixty were generally the feebler, the old or the very
young, or persons weakened by excesses, and these, of
course, succumb first ; but after a few days of such heat
as we had on one two days recently all persons are num-
bered among the weak. In fact, our temperature
already goes to the verge of human endurance, and in
the facts about us we see that an apparently inconsider
able modification would depopulate the whole district in
which it operated ; and thus we might glimpse at the be-
ginning of the end and speculate upon the time when the
earth, if it should not absolutely perish by fire, would at
least become uninhabitable by reason of the heat, and at
least perish as the dwelling place of man. It will be re-
membered that the past winter was anomalous. It was
very mild in all the earlier months, and the Hudson was
open to an unusual period ; but late in the season cold
weather came on with some severity and pushed the spring
from its place, All this modification is so much evidence
of the verity of the remarkable observations recently made
of changes in the sun ; and they tell us very
clearly how intimate is our dependence upon the sta-
bility of existing conditions in that luminary. To
the speculative view the appearances described in
the sun are such as might be occasioned by great
suddenly up-bursting conflagrations of gases or other
highly inflammable matter ; and it seems possible that
these fires, if they really are such, exhaust themselves
after a time. Do they not, then, meanwhile exhaust in
enormous degree the heat-producing power of the sun,
and shall we not pay for all this by loss of proper heat at
another time, by a winter perhaps as excessively cold a►s
the summer is hot 7

P.S.—No argument is Intended in favour of high cog
-Nc'e York Herald.

THE FARMERS AND IHE WAR.

Our moral feelings rise up against the unhallowed ambi-
tion that, for as flimsy a pretext as was ever made,
plunges half Europe into smoke and blood. In some
respects the war will benefit us, but probably not in an
important and lasting sense. It has already raised the
price of wheat, and may carry it up to a dollar and a-half.
Corn also, of which we are growing an immense crop this
year, will be quoted at a dollar and over. Gold, how-
ever, may go up at about the same pace, so that im-
ported goods may cost the farmer nearly as much as
now ; but the ultimate effect will be to make
the rich in Europe feel that no investment is -do safe for
them as Amj,rican bonds. Much depends on the duration
of this war. If it is to be short it will made a sudden
and sharp demand for flour, oats, leather, iron, and woo/.
Hence it is risking too much frr the farmer to hold his
grain, expecting a long contest and two dollars for wheat.
As the cultivation of countries increases, as loads be-
come wide and hard, as railroads cover the
face of a country, and the rivers are spanned
by bridges, wars will become brief and bloody
the question of strength and spirit can be tested
at once. But in a wild, undeveloped country
of bad roads and poor bridges, it is more a question of
horse-flesh and sheer endurance. This transatlantic war
is waged in a country that was prosperous and cultivated
in the days of Charlemagne. Much of the land is
held at from two hundred to five hundred dollars an
acre. The strife now raging' there resembles
a war between Illinois and Indiana for that
part of Indiana west of the Wabash, or be-
tween Virginia and Pennsylvania for the She-
nandoah Valley. The territorial question is
simple, and the war is a struggle between two strong men
to see which has the tighter grip. All the probabilities
now look towards a contest short, sharp, and decisive,
and our advice to the farmers of this country is to thresh
out their grain and push it forward as fast as the cities
and the railroads can handle it. Three weeks ago, when
Mr. Dodge made his report, there was some prospect of a
scant crop. Many parts of the West had suffered for want
of rain ; but the hot, moist weather since the 20th of
June has pushed forward the crops everywhere, and
Chicago and Milwaukee are preparing for a full crop of
wheat and a large crop of corn. In fact, nothing but
this European war could ha e arrested the downward
tendency of breadstuffs, and it is not safe to calculate on
the duration of a struggle in which every precedent points
towards a contest, hot bloody, and brief.—New York

THE ELCHO CHALLENGE SHIELD.—The Lord
Mayor has consented to be the custodian of the Elcho
Challenge Trophy, won by the English Eight at the last
Wimbledon meeting, until the next competition. The
ceremony of presentation to the victorious eight will take
place shortly in the Guildhall.

ALLEGED FRENCH PURCHASE OF FORAGE IN AYR'
SHIRE. —Large quantities of hay have been purchased in
Ayrshire by an agent (it is said) of the French Government.
It is affirmed that he has already paid away forty thou-
sand pounds and contracted for more hay near Prestwick.
Numerous stacks await transit. It is believed that Go-
vernment will take cognisance of the latter. As this
country imports hay the sending of so large a quantity
abroad may seriously affect the price of this kind of
forage.

NAPOLEON AND THE UNITED STATES.-Re-
membering his ill-advised Mexican venture Louis
Napoleon in appointing the late M. Pr evost-Paradol,
Union man during 'our civil war, his Minister to the
United States, has shewn his desire and purpose to give
henceforth no cause of offence to our government. We
may, therefore, safely assume that we have nothing to
apprehend from France in reference to Cuba, whatever
the complications of this war with Prussia.—New York
Herald.

POPULATION OF CHlCAGO.—Chicago continues to
give hints to the United States Deputy Marshal to be sure
and make out a population there ,of at least 400,000, or
perish in the attempt. Thus does a Chicago newspaper
figure. In our new directory we have 100,555 names.
Multiply this by 4 to find the total number of inhabitants,
including women and children and we have 402,220.
" Bah !" cries the Cincinnati Gazette, " why not make it
500,000 while you are about it ? It's just as easy, and
looks a good deal better in print." We suppose that the
census-taker and his assistants in Chicago are honest
men and good arithmeticians ; but if their total comes
out by so much as one less than 400,000, our warm advice
to them is to leave the city at once. They might not be
assassinated, but somebody would be sure to have theta
indicted for perjury.—New York Tribune.