The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-10 00:00:00

ihare

THE COLOUR OF GRAPES.

In respect to the relation subsisting between
colour and flavour, this point must always he borne
in mind—that black grapes in perfect condition, as
to colour and bloom, but deficient of flavour, will,
if allowed to hang on the vines, continue for a long
time to improve. In these cases colour and bloom
are attained before the flesh is fully ripe, and when
the eye has pronounced them perfect the palate
presently declares them imperfect, and therefore
flavour as well as appearance should be included in
the category of qualities to which we apply the
term '' finish." On the other hand, black grapes
that arc not black, that perhaps are red, but poss s-
sing a good flavour, will, if allowed to hang on the
vines, continually deteriorate. In other words,
they will not hang ; they contain more water
than black samples, and have already stored up as
much sugar in their cells as they are capable of
secreting, and the next, and a not far off, stage of
their career is decomposition. The same red grapes
are deficient of bloom, which is a natural accom-
paniment of a healthy skin and a firm pedicel, and
therefore while their interior pulp is in a condition
to undergo speedily a destructive change, so the
skin of the berries, having none of the protection
which a bloom affords—for that is the use of the
bloom—is in a condition to become speedily mil-
dewed, and the pedicels being loosely attached soon
allow the berries to fall. As a matter of fact, red
grapes soon become watery if kept on the vines,
and on the slightest touch the berries fall to the
ground in showers. As a matter of fact, black
grapes—grapes of good size, deep colour, and
with a plentiful bloom—will hang on the
vines for a considerable time without becom-
ing mildewed, without becoming loosened from
their pedicels, without changing their contents from
sweet mucilage to water, but indeed with a change
always augmenting up to a certain point of their
keeping, from a less rich to a more rich condition,
and to a condition at last far surpassing the condi-
tion of highest perfection ever attained by the red
grapes. As a rule, grapes that are perfect in colour,
but imperfect in flavour, are simple not yet ripe ;
but grapes from very young vines, produced by
rapid systems of cultivation, never have so good a
flavour as grapes from old vines, that are neither
highly fed nor forced in haste. There is but one
way to sum up these considerations with a view to
judging, and it is this: that although colour may
not indicate what a grape is, it is usually indicative
of what it will be, and in the end we shall find,
malgre occasional exceptions, that colour is of much
more importance than it has been commonly re-
garded in the judging of grapes.—From Ilibberd's
Gardener's Magazine.

The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough are en-
tertaining a distinguished party of friends at Blenheim.

Lord Lyons, it is expected, will leave for Paris
in the course of the ensuing week, to enter upon his duties
as Ambassador to the Court of the Tuileries.

Viscount and Viscountess Holmesdale are shortly
expected to arrive at Linton, near Maidstone, from his
lordship's shooting quarters in the north of Scotland.

TIIE END OF THE LONG VACATION.—On the 24th
inst., at common law, and the 28th at Chancery, the long
vacation will terminate. Some new rules are expected to
be made.

GAROTTING IN PARIS.—The creation of a corps
of mounted police is spoken of for the protection of Paris
from the gangs of garotters by which it is at present
infested.

GREAT FIRE.—A fire resulting in very consider-
able damage occurred at Dundee on Tuesday night. The
fire started in the shipbuilding yard of Messrs. Stephens
and Sons. Two ships, one almost ready for launching, also
caught fire, and both they and other combustible materials
in the yard were destroyed. The llamas likewise spread
eastward to the yard of Brown and Simpson, the sheds of
which were burned to the ground, and a large iron ship on
the stocks had the deck and all the woodwork burned.
Tho damage is estimated at about £60,000. Nearly 200
operatives will be thrown idle, besides having their tools
destroyed.
THE FATAL ILLNESS OF M. FOULD.—The IX;bats
publishes some details of the attack which proved fatal to
M. Fould. It appeals that in the course of Saturday he
wrote to several people inviting them to his estate, and
giving some account of his late hunting experiences. The
table was set at 6 o'clock, but the dinner had scarcely be-
gun when M. Fould was seized with a lit of shivering, and
complained of sudden pains in the arms and hands. At
the entreaty of Madame Funk' he left the room and went
to bed, asking to be left alone, saying that it was but a slight
indisposition, and he wanted to sleep. At half-past 7
Madame Fould went up to the room to see how he was,
and receiving no reply to her question, thought he was iu
a deep sleep and withdrew. At 9 o'clock she went again,
and receiving no answer from him, hastened to his bed,
took his hand and found he was dead. It is believed that
he died immediately:after he got into bed. . .

FLOGGING GAHorrEns.—Yesterday the punish-
ment of the lash was inflicted at Armley Gaol, neaa
Leeds, on those garotters who had been sentenced at the
West Riding Assizes, held in August last. The criminals,
were William Casey, a stiffly-built and determined-looking
young fellow ; Heniy Campbell, a hawker, 31 years of ago;
and Samuel Hirst, 26 years old, and a mechanic. All the
offences had been committed within the borough of Leeds.
Casey's case was a very bad one. Along with a companion
(not in custody) ho assaulted and robbed Wm. Pearson
Kirby, kicked him on the mouth and on the left side, and
in thus kicking over the chin had cut off a portion of pro-
secutor's tongue. When taken into custody Casey re-
marked, "I do not care for the affair if they don't warm my
back for it ;" and the judge, after observing that this was
one of the worst cases of garotting that had come before
him, sentenced the prisoner to five years' penal servitude,
and ordered him to receive two dozen lashes with the cat-
o'-nine-tails. Campbell, tho second convict, in the course
of a street robbery, struck his victim over the eye with a
half brick, and nearly blinded that organ for life; and he
was also ordered to undergo a similar punishment. The
third prisoner, Hirst, was concerned with a woman in an-
other street robbery, in which the prosecutor was garotted
with great violence, his mouth torn severely, and a severe
kick on the side administered, -which loft •him insensible,
and his lordship passed sentence exactly to the same effect
as he had done in the two previous cases. The punish-
ment inflicted yesterday seemed to be fully appreciated by
each of the prisoners.
MR. 'BRIGHT.—The Lord Provost of Edinburgh,
at a meeting of the Town Council on Tuesday, read the
following letter received from Mr. Bright in acknowledg-
ment of the proposal to confer upon him the freedom of
that city :" My dear Lord Provost,—l have to thank you
for the kind letter in which you inform me of the wish of
your magistrates and council to confer upon me the free-
dom of your city. lam not insensible to the value of the
honour which is thus offered to me, and if I were in
Edinburgh, or were likely soon to be there, it would be
impossible for me to refuse their kind proposal. Ido not
expect to be in Edinburgh at an early period, and, unfor-
tunately, I cannot now easily arrange to be there ; and I
am compelled, therefore, to ask that the honour intended
for me may be deferred for the present. You will oblige
me by conveying my warm thanks to the magistrates and
council of Edinburgh for their most kind disposition
towards me, and the assurance that it is from no want of
courtesy on my part that I am unable now to come to
your city to receive thS distinction which they have pro-
posed through you to confer upon me."
EAST INDIA POLICE FORCE.--A general statement
as to this force was published as a Parliamentary
paper last session, on the motion of Lord William Hay.
From this it appears that the towns and rivers of Cal-
cutta, with a population of 377,924 persons, and an area of
more than seven miles, have for their protection a total
strength of 1,643 police, or one policeman to 230 persons.
The suburbs of Calcutta, which contain an approximate
population of 238,325 indiViduals, and an area of 29 1-5
square miles, are supplied with 1,026 police, or one to
every 232} of the population. The town of Madras has a
population of 460,000 persons, an area of 27 square miles,
and a total of 834 police, including foot, mounted, and
marine divisions. The town of Bombay has 1,500 police,
which allows one to 544 inhabitants, inasmuch as there
is a population of 816,562 persons, and an area of 21
square miles. Each force has among its members many
varieties as to sect and creed, including Europeans,
Eurasians, Ilindoos, Mahommedans, native Christians,
and others.
HONOUR TO THE BRAVE.—On Saturday James
Harrington, of Flamborougb, who nobly rescued four poor
fellows, one a Swedish sailor, from certain death on the
rocks near a cave known as " Robin Lythe's Hole," received
at the hands of the Swedish Vice-Consul for Hull the silver
medal of the King of Sweden and Nurway for "meritorious
services," and at the same time a purse containing £2B was
presented.. Lord Londesborough had intended to take the
chair on the occasion, but was unavoidably absent. Har-
rington had previously received the silver medal of the
Royal National Life Boat Institution, and a testimonial on
vellum from the Board of Trade, accompanied by £5. Two
men who pointed out to Harrington whore the shipwrecked
men wore each received 30s.
THE REINDEER.—About 40 years ago efforts were
made to domesticate the European variety both in Scot-
land and Ireland. Largo herds were turned out. on some
of the Duke of Athole's Highland estates, and on the
Pentland hills near Edinburgh ; for others home was
found in a park near Dublin ; but from some cause or
other these exgeritnents were not crowned with much
fittooeo.