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

AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.

Last week opened with a fair and favourable day,
although there was not much sun. On Monday
morning some slight rain fell, but the weather was
afterwards fair up to 1 p.itt.,When rain again set in,
and continued up to 11 p.i'n.; but being gentle, with
a :rather higher temperature, this was considered
favourable for the crops. Wind N.W. to S.W. ;
thermometer averaging 60 deg., with the barometer
down to 29.55 in. Tuesday was a very wet and cold
day throughout, and no field work could be pro-
ceeded with. Wind N. ; thermometer down to 50
deg. Our advices were as under :—From Lanca-
shire--" The weather of the past week was very
cold and checking to vegetation, and in some
parts of the country storms and heavy rain were
experienced ; but on the whole considerable advance
towards the completion of spring-Corn sowing is
reported, though without forcing weather hencefor-
ward the maturity of the crops will necessarily be
somewhat late." From the West Riding of York-
shire—" Since Friday we had a change of wind and
two fine days ; but on Sunday evening it went
round, and has since been very cold indeed for the
time. This will check the growing crops, especially
spring corn, and tend to retard the progress of all
cereals ; and the state of the stocks here would be
rather alarming if we had not been in a similar
position before—that is, to do almost without
English wheat for several mouths of the year,
and the local millers in the agricultural districts
will now want all the good they have about
them." From Suffolk " Since our last the
weather has been very variable. The week began
with a brilliant sun by day and a chilling frost
by night, which, following the tropical heat of the
past ten days, has turned the flag of the wheat and
barley crops to a yelloW hue, and destroyed the
potatoes where exposed ; since which we have had
another change to rain and a cold wind, with a low
temperature." Wednesday morning was cold, after
a slight frost ; snow and hail showers fell during
the day. Our advices were as under. From the
east of Scotland : " The weather since our last has
been cold and ungenial, far from favourable for
any growing crops." From the west coast : " The
weather continues unusually cold for the season,
with a north-east wind." From Devonshire, in the
neighbourhood of Exmouth ; " Wiuter wheat looks

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.
W heat is well spoken of, and, the weather being
dry, the plant has not suffered, but it progresses
slowly." 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 ty. Oar advices came as under
—From Suffolk, near the coast :—We are getting
unusually sharp, cold, backward weather ag tin,
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 IVest Riding of Yorkshire : " Since Tues-
day the weather has continued cold—even wintcrly,
with rain, hail, and snow at times—espe.;ially on
Wednesday, when we had 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.

lii,EL AND.

DUBLIN, May 28.

The public excitement yesterday was intense, till
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 distinguished
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 Hon. 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., Mr. John Bagot, sec-
retary to the Chamber of Commerce, Alderman
Gregg, Mr. Wallis, Mr. Wigharn, and other gentle-
' men attended. A deputation was appointed to wait
upon the Lord-Lieutenant for presentation of the
mernori,d. 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
the Governor of Kilmainham Gaol. The
following
lloPiewirngeis his Excellency's official communication
to the Lord Mayor :

" Viceregal Lodge, May 27.
" My Lord,-IVhen 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-
sible, to temper 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
in loyalty to the Queen and in peace with her Ma-
jesty's faithful subjects.
" I have the honour to be your lordship's obedient
servant, " ABERCORN."
A 4 o'clock three mounted orderlies were de-
qatched 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. He received it with
apparent indifference ; and in a subsequent inter-
view with Mr. Price remarked that " it made little
difference to him" whether he was hanged or not.
But as the evening advanced he was observed to
II
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
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 court in 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. lle 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 net be passed on him, and
asked if he had the permission of the Court to
proceed.
By the adyiee of the Court he held wale =luau-

nication with Mr. Collins, the result of which VS
that he forbore to make any further remarks.
Mr. Justice Keogh then proceeded to pass sen-
tence. He said :—" James O'Brien, you have been
called upon to say why sentence of death should not
be passed upon you. You have been heard at great
length, and you have addressed the Court in
manner so becoming and so clear, evidencing so
much self-possession and such remarkable ability,
that if anything were wanting to aggravate the
distress that every being in this court to-day must
feel, the remarks you have made would contri-
bute to do so. You labour under a very
natural
error in thinking that observations upon questions
of facts and inferences to be taken from the evi-
dence can have weight in preventing us iu now
passing sentence. We have no such power. The
duty—the imperative duty—of the Court is to Pass
the sentence which the law awards, ttnlc.s 3
matter of law shall be pointed out in the procced"
ings upon record before us which will justify us
In
staying the pronouncing of judgment ; but labour-
ing under that error—one, as I said before, most
natural—you have made no observations vinie"
either in this matter or manner misbecome the posi-
tion in which you stand." After reviewing the
evidence, his lordship said :—" It was proved in
evidence that you did all in your power to save the
lives of the men who were at one time at your
mercy. It was proved by two witnesses, by Brown°
and by another, that in that trying moment rill
heartily expressed a wish to save human life ; 0.13``
whatever may happen to you—that effort to save
will be recognised by a merciful tribunal. The PI
have taken the whole of your case into their con'
sideration, and they have addressed to the court a
recommendation of mercy. That recommendation
shall be sent forward without loss of time, but it IS
not for us to give effect to that recommendation.
We have no power to hold out any hope to you. 00
the other hand, I have no wish to withhold We
from you. You know your position. You require
no teaching or instruction from me. You are 3
man of intellect, of self-possession, and, except from
what I have seen in the evidence of this case, of
well-regulated mind. You have borne yourself wit"
dignity, and it now becomes my most painful duty
to pronounce the sentence of the law—the law
which lam the mere mouthpiece." His lordshiP
here assumed the black cap, and pronounced sentence
of death in the usual form, and fixed the 1901 of
June for the execution.