The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-29 00:00:00

very well here, but it is very thin and patchy when '
you examine the fields. Spring wheat is not looking
at all well, and has quite a yellow appearance in
many places. Barley looks best'of all. Oats also
look well, but will not be a heavy crop from
appearances at present ; but there is one of the
finest crops of grass I ever saw, and with warm
weather there will be a very heavy crop of hay."
From Norfolk, near the coast : "The weather is so
cold and ungenial that vegetation is quite in the
check. The barley has suffered in this district, and
does not promise so well as a month since ; genial
rains would help it, but the plant is lost in places.
Wheat is well spoken of, and, the weather being
dry, the plant has not suffered, but it progresses
Islowly." Thursday morning was cold, after a
sharp frost reported at Birmingham to have
registered seven degrees, the only instance
of such severity in this century recorded in the
fourth week in M ►y. Our ailvices came as under
—From Suffolk, ne kr the coast :—We are getting
unusually sharp, cold, backward weather again,
with continued storms of hail and rain,-which will
not help on nor improve vegetation. We greatly
need a nice genial atmosphere, or our harvest pro-
spects, which on the whole were not unpromising,
will quickly and permanently recede." From an-
other part of the county it was stated : " The
weather during the week has been unsettled ; yes-
terday we had frequent snow and hail storms, and
the temperature has been very low, with frosts at
night. The effect has been to check vegetation,
and instances to injure the potato plant." From
Warwickshire :—Weather has been very change-
able during the week, chiefly cold, with
N.E. winds ; and yesterday we had alter-
nately rain, sunshine, and snow—most unusual
for the end of May, and very trying to vegetation
generally." From Buckinghamshire : " Cold nights
have prevailed of late. Warmer weather, we
fancy, is wanted. Lent corn in the ground is look-
ing tolerably well." Friday morning was cold, and
slight frost registered injuring the early potatoes.
From the West Riding of Yorkshire : " Since Tues-
day the weather has continued cold—even winterly,
with rain, hail, and snow at times--espe,Hally on
Wednesday, when we bad succession of lamb
storms.' " Saturday was cold, dry., and breezy, and
spring-tillage must be about finished, except in the
very latest districts. Warm genial weather is now
greatly needed. If wheat-ears are formed before
the month closes, such information would be useful,
as by these some opinion may be formed as to the
probable time of harvest commencing, that is with
favourable weather.—Mark Lane Express.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, May 28
The public excitement yesterday was intense,
news arrived that the Queen had remitted the sen
tence of death on Burke. The most earnest exer.
tions to save his life were made in all directions. The
Dublin University has honourably clistinguished
itself in this movement, in which the cause of
humanity was not more concerned than the peace
of the country; and the interest of the Government.
About 4 o'clock the Rev. Thomas Stack, F.T.C.D.,
the Rev. J. Galbraith, F.T.C.D., and the Rev. John
R. Leslie, F.T.C.D., drove to the Vice-regal-lodge,
and placed in the hands of the llon. Mr. Dillon,
Private Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant, the me-
morial drawn up in Trinity College, bearing about
320 signatures, including those of 18 Fellows, 8
Professors, 13 Queen's Counsel, 67 members of the
Outer Bar, and a number of clergymen, praying for
a commutation of- the sentences of death pro-
nounced upon the Fenian convicts. Mr. Dillon said
he would at once bring the memorial before his
Excellency.
A number of the leading commercial men of the
city assembled at the Chamber of Commerce, and
signed a memorial to the Lord-Lieutenant praying
for mercy. Mr. Pim, M.P., Ar. John Bagot, sec-
retary to the Chamber of Commerce, Alderman
Gregg, Mr. Wallis, Mr. Wighatn, and other gentle-
men attended. A deputation was appointed to wait
upon the Lord-Lieutenant for presentation of the
mernori..l. In the meantime the general ar.-xiety
became intensified from the want of reliable infor-
mation as to the result of the final deliberations of
the Cabinet. This state of public feeling existed
until half-past 4 o'clock, when a brief telegram was
received, stating that the sentence on Burke was
commuted. This was posted in the public rooms of
the city, and the several newspaper offices were soon
besieged by crowds anxious to learn the latest in-
telligence. About the same hour a special telegram
to the same effect reached the Lord-Lieutenant,
who forwarded immediately an intimation of the
reprieve to the Lord Mayor, Cardinal Cullen, and
i
the Governor of Kilmainham Gaol. The
f'olr. le'
llow'iriiiegis his Excellency's official communication
to the Lord Mayor :

" Viceregal Lodge, May 27.
4" My Lord,—When I received your deputation
on Friday, the 24th inst., it was my painful duty
to announce that the decision which had been ar-
rived at in Burke's case compelled me to refrain
from holding out any hopes of a commutation of
his sentence. I have now, however, the satisfac-
tion of informing you that the Cabinet, having re-
ceived numerous important communications on the
subject, have anxiously reviewed again all the cir-
cumstances of the case, and, after maturely weigh-
ing the various points, have been led, not without
doubt, to entertain a hope that a lenient course
being taken towards this unhappy man may have
the effect of showing to his misguided companions
and followers that, when the public. safety admitted
of it, the Government was disposed, as far as pos-
-1 Bible, to teniFer justice with mercy. I have,
therefore, the gratification of announcing
that her Majesty the Queen has been gra-
ciously pleased to direct that Burke's sentence shall
be commuted to penal servitude for life, in the hope
that by this gracious exercise of the prerogative of
mercy such a feeling will be created among the
misguided persons who sympathised in this wicked
conspiracy as will induce them to renounce their
mischievous and insane designs, and that in grati-
tude to their gracious Sovereign, by whose clemency
the life of this unhappy man is now spared, they
may come to the determination to live for the future
i in loyalty to the Queen and in peace with her Ma-
i jesty's faithful subjects.
" I have the honour to be your lordship's obedient
servant, '6 ABERCORN."

A 4 o'clock three mounted orderlies were de-
spatched from the Viceregal-lodge to bear official
announcements to the Governor of Kilmaiuham
Gaol, to the Lord Mayor, and to Cardinal Cullen.
The Rev. Mr. Kennedy, the Roman Catholic
chaplain of the gaol, was deputed to convey the
intelligence to the convict. lie received it with
apparent indifference ; and in a subsequent inter-
view with Mr. Price remarked that " it made little
1 difference to him" whether he was hanged or not.
But as the evening advanced he was observed to
exhibit more cheerfulness than he had shown since
his conviction, and a desire to enter into conversa-
tion with the prison officials. It is expected that an
order will be immediately received for his removal
to Mountjoy convict prison.
No intimation of a reprieve has been received at
the prison with respect to M'Afferty, but it is ex-
pected that a commutation of his sentence will be
officially notified in a few days to the governor. In
the meantime, a memorial to his Excellency the
Lord-Lieutenant has been lodged• by Mr. John
Lawless, solicitor, praying for the official fiat to a
1 writ of error in the case.

Similar excitement prevailed during the day in
most of the other cities, especially in Cork, Lime-
rick, and Kilkenny.
At the opening of the Commission Courtin Cork
yesterday morning, O'Brien was asked
.whether he
had anything to say why sentence of death should
not be pronounced on him. In reply, he reviewed
the evidence at considerable length. He complained
strongly of the mode of identification adopted in
Limerick Gaol, and at the conclusion of his review
of the evidence said he would now address himself
to the inquiry if he had anything to say why sen-
tence of death should not be passed on him, and
asked if ho bad the permission Of the Court to
proceed.
k By the adyiee of the Cot he held ii oal e coauxm-