The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-14 00:00:00

HOP INTELLIGENCE.

--
MAIDSTONE.—The weather on the whole these last 1
few days has not been kindly for the hops; they do not
want any more rain at present, and the wind is too much
for them. The greater part, of the College ground is
very short of bine, and the ground anything but kindly
—whilst at one little spot the bine is strong and they
have put up helpers and poled with 12 feet poles. The
duty stands at 195,000/. to 200,0001., but we must have
better weather than the present or they will not do it.
A correspondent says:—" The want of manure on the
hop ground begins to be felt, as no one thinks hops
worth it. Your remedy, the mattock, is the only wise
one. Planters have themselves to blame. They have
planted too many hops. In 1839 corn fetched a fair
price, which induced planters to grub. Now the pros-
pect is bad, still let them recollect that on a low price of
corn not a tenth part of the loss occurs which occurs in
hops."
OTHAM, LEEDS, AND HommicnounNE.—The bine is
platty, and takes too short turns round the poles to pro-
duce much fruit. From all appearance the duty must
be overset.

ROLVENDEN.—Bine very growing, and every appear-
ance of a full crop.
YALDING, FARLEIGH, AND CHART.—The bine has
grown since the still warm weather, but is not so good
or so strong as it was in these parishes last year, nor
do we think so many hops will be grown. Should the
weather prove unkind, we shall not grow anything like
the crop. . _

STAPLEHTJRST.—Growing fast.
WROTHAM, IGTHAM, AND SHIPBORNE.—Rine healthy
and vigorous. The winds and the rain of the last few
days have done some injury, but the general appearance
is very good in some, platty and uneven in most.
TUDELEY.—Going on well; the bine stronger than
last year.
SEVENOAKS (and adjoining Parishes).—The hop bine
has made more progress this last week, and there is
scarcely any fly.
GOUDUURST.—Growing fast, and the bine looking
healthy; we hear of no increase of vermin.
TICEHIIRST.—Not going on so well the last fortnight,
the wind having bruised the heads in exposed situa-

tions.
EDENBRIDGE.—Not looking so well as they did a week
ago; the high winds these last few days have whipped
them severely in many places.
CANTERBURY.—The hops continue to improve; and
though the earlier shoots were devastated by vermin,
their present state promises a fair crop. Many growers
grubbed up their old plantations last year, which will
cause a falling off in the usual growth in this district.
The duty ranges from 190,0001. to 200,0001.
SUSSEX.—The accounts from this district are generally
favourable, though in some places there is slackness of
bine arising from neglected cultivation.—Maidstone
Journal.

THE SLAVE TRADE.
Her Majesty's ship Kingfisher, 12 guns, Commander
F. W. Horton, arrived off the Isle of Wight on Wednes-
day, from the coast of Africa. She left Ascension on
the 21st of May, calling at Cape Coast, where freight
was expected. A considerable quantity of gold dust
had, however, been previously shipped in the Governor
M'Lean, brig, to sail in a day or two after the above date.
Captain and Mrs. Bingham, with Dr. Dolce, of the
West India Regiment serving on the Gold Coast, and
some others, came passengers in the M'Lean. She was
spoken by the Kingfisher on the 3d of June, and kept
company until the sth. Her Majesty's ships Penelope,
Tortoise, and Adelaide, were the only men-of-war
at Ascension. The Adelaide, a slaver lately purchased
into the service, is fitting as a tender to be stationed be-
tween Sierra Leone and the Galinas. Lieut. Joliffe was
appointed to command her.
A number of invalids and supernumeraries have come
home in the Kingfishers—Lieutenant E. Glynn, late
commander of the Dart; Dr. O'Hagan, late surgeon of
the Britomart, &c.
We are indebted for the following interesting particu-
lars to a correspondent:—" The slave trade goes en '
briskly, and very little affected by our cruisers. The new
slave treaties and palavers seem to afford a complete
protection to ships of varied flags, which approach
the coast without the slightest fear or molestation,
and watch a❑ opportunity to ship their slaves,
haul down their assumed flags, and be off. Even the
very negro declares that we are worse than useless,
and through us come all the torments and sufferings
of the middle passage, which horrors are even
increased after we capture them, as the returns
of the deaths occurring between the capture and de-
livery into court will fearfully show. We are even
accused of mercenary motives, and dealing in human
traffic by expatriating our liberated captives' to our
West India islands. The only effectual way to put an
end to the trade is to withdraw our squadron; large and
commodious vessels would then be employed, when the
human cargo would enjoy comparative comfort in room
and air, instead of being as now packed like herrings in
a barrel in old, ricketty, and impure vessels. The sudden
opening of the trade would throw a sudden inundation
into the Brazilian markets and other slaving countries.
and these being overstocked, the demand must cease, and
thus render the trade profitless.
ss Now, the question is—is it worth expending a mil-
lion a year on this signal failure?—or how long will our
Government remain obstinately deaf to the real facts
which every day's experience on the coast of Africa
elicits? As to the distribution of prize-money, it is a
flagrant injustice to the officers of the service, more
especially to surgeons and pursers, whose shares have
been cut down to five, whilst the warrant officers are,
just by way of distinction, within a half share of them;
the commander, however, getting nearly one -third of
the whole prize.
" The check money formerly paid to officers and men
doing extra duty at Ascension has been stopped. This
is a very severe loss and privation to men whose only
inducement to volunteer for service in such an unpro-
ductive island was the contemplation of being enabled
to save from their hard earnings wherewithal to recom-
pense them on returning to a land where comfort could
be procured for money.
" It is rumoured that Ascension is to be made a penal
settlement, and that convicts are about to be employed
where the marines and sailors of the Tortoise formerly
were. Guns have been placed on eminences and com-
manding positions around the buildings, and large par-
ties are daily employed in putting this huge cinder into
a state of defence."

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, JULY 13.
Srocx EXCHANGIL—It will be seen from the following
list of business transacted, that rates are improved, and the
extent of business done greater than yesterday. The sales
are—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fifths, 1 dis.—London and
North-Western, 126—Ditto, New Quarters, 1% c. p.—Ditto,
paid up, 224—London, Brighton, and South Coast, New
51. Shares, p.—Midland Stock, 106—North Staffordshire,
dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, 25—York, Newcastle,
and Berwick (G. N. E. Purchase), 1% p. ax int.
cent.,MANCHESTER, JULY 13.
m Bro ExcHANGE.—The sales are—East Lancashire,
Preference Quarters, 3-16 p.—Lancashire and Yorkshire
(West Riding Union), 3 13-16 dis.—Ditto, Preference, 6 per
% p.—Leeds and Thirsk, Preferential, 2% dis.—
London and North-Western, Quarters (C), 234 p.—Ditto
(Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal), 23
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, Preference, 101—
Ditto (Grimsby), 201. Shares, 8 13-16 dis.—Ditto ditto,
12/. 10s. Shares, 514 dis. —North Staffordshire, 2% dis.—
Northern Counties Union, 3 9-16 dis.—SouthEastern and
Dover, 25—Ditto, No. 4, 23% Llis•
BIRMINGHAM, JULY 13.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The market to-day was rather dull,
and the business limited to few sales, of which the following
are quotations :—North Staffordshire. 48s. 9d. dis.—Shrews-
bury and Birmingham (A), s—Ditto (B), 31. 3s. 9d.—
Stour, 31A.

MARKED SALMON.—On Wednesday morning, sth
July, a salmon was brought up at Orchardnook ice-
house, near Perth, in one of the gathering boats, a fine
well-grown fish of 121bs. 20a. weight, with a bit of
small copper wire attached to the root of the tail, on the
back of the fish, below the dead fin, where the skin had
been bored through with an awl, the wire, about two
inches in length, inserted, then twisted double, and, thus
marked, the fish bad been turned adrift to seek its way
to the sea, from which it has now returned. We hope
every publicity will be given to this, so that the river,
time, and place where the fish was marked may be as-
curately ascertained, and another fact added to the in-
vestigation into the natural history of the salmon.--
Dundee Courier.
ST. SWITEIN'S DAY.—Saturday next will be St.
Swithin's Day, remarkable on account of a well-known
popular notion, that if it rain on this day there will be
rain for forty days to come. St. Swithin was an emi-
nent and learned Bishop of Winchester, and priest to
King Egbert. The story runs, that being buried at his
own request in the churchyard of the Cathedral, the
priests, a hundred years after, felt desirous of doing him
greater honour, and commenced the work of traslating
his remains into the interior. This was on then 15th of
July. They were stopped in their work by a heavy fall
of rain ; neither could they resume their duty next day,
for the heavy rain still continued. In short, this rain
lasted forty days, by which time the priests became
convinced that it was to stop them in a work which,
though well meant on their part, was ill taken on that of
the saint, and they gave up the point. Ever since then
it has been held as a maxim that if there be rain on St.
Swithin's Day, there will be rain forty days ensuing.