The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-25 00:00:00

MANSION-HOUSE RELIEF FUND.

Up to last evening the fund now being raised by
the Lord Mayor and a committee of bankers, mer-
chants, and other persons of consideration in the
City towards the relief of the widows and orphans
of the men who lost their lives in the colliery explo-
sions in Barnsley and in North Staffordshire
amounted to upwards of £lo,ono, of which about
£l,lOO was received at the Mansion-house in the
course of yesterday alone. The principal donation
yesterday was the munificent sum of £763 odd
which had been subscribed on the Stock Exchange.
Messrs. J. and R. Morley, of Wood-street, Cheap-
side, sent £lO5 to the Lord Mayor, and Mr. Samuel
Morley £52 10s. Voluntary collections are now
being made in churches and chapels, and among the
clerks and other persons connected with various
business establishments, and these go materially to
supplement the subscriptions. The clerks in the
savings' bank department, General Post-office, sent
yesterday £B, collected among themselves ; those of
Messrs. Brettle and Co., £2l; those of Messrs. Kemp,
Cannan, and Co., £l6 155.; and the firm of Kemp,
Cannan, and Co., £lolos. ; Mr. Dart, of Lincoln's-
inn, £lO 10s.; the congregation of Marlborough
Chapel, Old Kent-road, £l3 3s. 6d. ; and that of
Whitton Church, Twickenham, £6 15s. 4d. ;
M. L. contributed £25 as " A Thanksgiving from
Tom in India," and £1 in addition to herself ; and
the Misses Dermold, of Arlington House, Tun-
bridge Wells, £23 11s. 10d., which they had col-
lected among neighbours and friends. There were
other donations of smaller amount, all of which will
be acknowledged by the authorities at the Mansion
House.
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.

Last week opened with a moderately dry day, but
foggy and thick at times, and wind mostly blowing
from the south-west. Monday morning was damp
and thick, with slight rain, and a moist atmosphere
throughout the day ; wind S.S.W. ; thermometer,
42 degrees; barometer, 30.20 inches. This is not
suitable weather for wheat-thrashing, and the far-
mers are sending in but small supplies to market in
consequence ; scarcely sufficient, indeed, for the im-
mediate wants of the millers, who are anxious buyers
of any parcels in fair condition, and have generally
had to pay more money, notwithstanding this is the
week when usually large amounts are forced to mar-
ket, and prices, nineyears out of ten,recede from the
middle of December up to Christmas. This year is
a❑ exception from the peculiarity of last harvest,
and until searching winds have blown through the
stacks, there is not much probability of drysamples
appearing. The millers, therefore, are compelled
to resort to foreign qualities to enable them to fur-
nish their customers with the manufactured article.
Tuesday was a thick, muggy day, but the evening
was bright and fine, with a high barometer, up to
30.25 inches. Our advices on. that day from the
West Riding of Yorkshire stated : " The mild,
open weather enables farmers to sow close up, as
the turnips are eaten off, and the land becomes
moderately dry, but there must be a great
breadth of land that cannot be worked until
spring." From the East Riding it was remarked :
•' The weather still continues very mild for this
period of the year, and communication with the nor-
thern ports, Russia excepted, is still uninterrupted,
and steamers are enabled to run as usual." This
affacts the farmers more as regards supplies than
field-work of any description, but is still of interest
to them at the moment. From Northumberland
our advices run : " The weather has been damp
during the past week, with westerly winds." Wed-
nesday was a fine dry day, with some appearance of
frost at night, being so very clear ; while such a
day would give some farmers an opportunity of
commencing to thrash, and a little of this work
might be accomplished. From the west coast of
Scotland the weather was reported to be " wet and
boisterous." Throughout Thursday a dense fog
prevailed, after a slight frost ; wind, N.N.W. ; ther-
mometer in the morning 33, and at noon 38 degrees ;
barometer, 30.45 to 30.40 inches. Our advices from
Warwickshire remark :—.." Weather during the
week has been unusually mild for the season, mostly
fine, but foggy, dull, and dreary ; wind chiefly W.
and S.W." On Friday the atmosphere was thick,
but not so foggy as the previous day ; wind W.N.W ;
barometer still high, up to 38.40 inches, but slightly
inclined to fall. On Saturday the fog returned,
and was thick all the day, with scarcely any wind ;
thermometer 38 deg. at mid-day ; barometer 30.25
inches, and falling. At night a change of weather
appeared very probable, slight drizzling rain haying
set in.—Mark-lane Express.