The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-08 00:00:00

THE HARVEST 1N FRANCE.

The Gazette de Lyon publishes a letter from a
lauded proprietor of the neighbourhood of that city
giving some interesting details relative to the pre-•
sent harvest. It says As my corn has now
t;een thrashed, I am able to say something ab nit
this yew's produce. My crop, which consists prin-
c pally of wheat, gives me an augmentation over
1856 of 75 per cent. The intelligence which Ire
receive from different quarters leaves no doubt in
my mini that, in many-placee, the yield is double
what it was last year ; Litt in order to be fee from
a 1 exaggeration, I will e3titnate the harvest of
1857, as only 50 per cent. above that of 1856.
According to pot goal economi.ts, France nerds
every Year for the bread of all her inhabitants 110
millions of hectolitres of corn of all kinds, or about
3 hectolitres per head. In the year 1856 there
wal a deficiency of 7 millions of hectolitre.., which
was made up by the introduction of foreign corn.-
France consequently produced 104 millions of bee-
t litres of brealstuffs, and by the aid of private en-
terpr:se, and of railway commun.cation, what for-
merly would have amounted almost to a famine
was no•hing move than a very marked scarciiy. In
order to be more safe in my calculations, I will
esteem only at. 100 millions the yield f 1856; and
as th a of 1857 gives 50 per cent. of au,lmentation,
its produce will tie 150 millions of hec olitre4, or
40 millions more than France require., that excess
will without,doubt find ifs way to Switza,land and
England, and part will be used up for distilla-
tion. But 40 millions of hectolitres is a vcry con-
siderable surplus and will leave a, large margin
to prepare for any future deficiency. The wheat
of 1857 is much finer and heavier than that of the
preceding year ; and my own gives to the hec-
tolitre 700 grammes (near 41120.) more than in
1856. • But that aid tion mnftiplie f by 150 mil-
lions furnishes a quantity which, when considered
closely, is really immense. And I look on the in-
crease which I mention as below the average, for
this reason, that my land being of the first quality
yields comparatively less this year than second and
third rate farms, where the Feld is uncommonly
fine ' • so much so, indeed, th4t the argAo-3ilicious
land of the Bresse has produc d. as flue corn this
year as the argelo-calcareous distriA; ou the tanks
of the Saone. Taking all these circumstances into
consideration, I do not fear to announce that the
harvest will turn out oven better than was at fir:A
hoped for.

POOR-RATES ,AND PAUPERISM —A comparison be-
tween the years 1857 and 1356 of the number of paupers
relieved in Eegland and Wales in each week exhibits
decrease in favour of this year in every instance, vary-
ing from 2.4 to 3.1 per cent The decrease is equally
applicable 'et in and out-door relief.
The NEW WESTMINSTER-BRIDGE.—The committee
upon this matter, after beariug the evidence of Mr.
Stephenson, M.P., and Mr. Page, the Government
engineer, agreed to report as folio:vs Having been
informed by the First Commissioner of Works that,
after considering the report of the judges appointed
to report on the designs for the new public offices on
the block plan, and taking into account the great ex-
pense that would be incurred if the sits of Wes! minstsr-
br:dge wart changed, it is not his intention to recom 'tend
that the site of the bridge be altered. The committee
proceeded to consider the present site of tbeiexieting
bridge, and the alterations proposed to ba made in the
new bridge to meet the objections which have been
taken to the mode of construction s originay pro-
pesed. The committee learn Oat the precautions
taken for securing the old bridge have been complete ;
they recommercl that the new bridge be proceeded
wAh in conformity with the alterations in the mode
of construction as set forth in Mr. Page's let-
ter addressed to the Chief Commissioner, July 23,
1857. The committee have also carefully considered
the important question of the headway of the
bridge, and in connexion therewith the subject of the
gradient of the roadway as nos proposed, and the
gradient which would be consequent upon raising tt e
bridge. • The committee find that, eerier ling to the plan
n,w proposed, the roadway on the Surrey side would
be 1 in 45, and if the bridge was raised from 20 to 22
feet the,gradient would be 1 in 27 ; that on the Midrl:-
a,x side the gralient, as at present designed, would be
1 in 57, and, if raised, 1 in 45. The ceinmitt,e ale
therefore of opinien that it would not be expedient t
increase the height of the bri,lge."
EAST INDIA (:AREA, POPULATION, &c.).—Yesterday
morning a return, from the stati-tlcal office of the East
India Howse, of the area and population of each divi,ion
Of each presidency of India, comprising, the area and
estimated population of native states, was publi,he,l.
It appears there is in theßritish states, under the govern
meet of the Governor-General of India in c until, a
population of 23,255,972 within an area of 246,050
square miles ; under the lieutenant governor of Bengal,
40,852,327, within an area of 221,969 miles ; under the
lieutenant governor cf the north- western provinces,
33,655,123, within an area of 107.759 miles ; under the
Madras government, 22,437,227, within an area of
'132.090 miles ; and wider the Bombay government,
11,790,042, within an area of 131,544 miles—making a
a population of 38 702,206,
in the presidency of
area, ;
total population in the British states of 131.990,901 with
an area of 837,412 miles. In the native states the re is
in the presidency of Bengal,
Madras, 5,213,671,
27n
573,06f7,
milesslls,33an
51,802 miles
; of
an
nnd
areain tohfe
60,575pre miles ; makirgidency 'of Bombay, 4,460,370, in
a total moo, t
of population in those states in the t'tree pre-i-
-dencies of 48,376,247 within an area of 627 910
miles. In the foreien states there is
a French popnla-
en within an area- of 188 tulles ; and a
population of 313,262 in an area of 1,066
tom
Portuguese
of 20 3 ,
miles ; making a total population in tbose states of
517,149 in an area of 1,254 miles. The grand total popu-
lation in all the states is 180,834,297 within an area of
1,466,576 square miles.
•

THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH AT
OSBO.RN E.

(FROM THE TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.)

PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.
In sp:to of the greedy anxiety which is mani-
fested on all sides to ascertain the least clue to the
movements of the Court and their Imperial guests,
nothing is allowed to transpire. The secret is kept,
like, the secret of Freemasonry, because there is
really nothing to tell, for, as we statel yesterday,
the visit is most strictly private, and, with the
exception of short trips in the royal yacht,
neither the Emperor nor Empress is likely to
quie, the island at all. The wea her, unfortu-
nately, has turned we', cold, and unfavourable,
SO that the Llatund inducemen-s to remain quietly
at Osborne are materially augmented. We have
already informed our readers that it was just pro-
bable that the Emperor would run out in the royal
yacht to Spithead acrd inspect the James Baines,
with all her troop on boa+ d, before that vessel
started for India. This prohab Ity receives con-
firmation from the fact of Sir James Scar-

Itt hewing received instruetioni to telegraph this
afternoon to the Emperor at Osborne when the
James Baines ani Champion of the Seas, with the
troops on board, were at Spithead and ready for
sailing. Should the weather, therefore, become
more favourable and the Imperial visit take place
at all, it will either be this evening or early to-mor-
row (Sa'urday) morning. As it is genet ally anti-
ciirated that her Majes.y will take a trip in the royal
yacht to witue,s the sttrt of the yachts fcr the
Queen'br Cup this afternoon, the inspection may
take place this evening, in order that the ships
may sail at daybreak, but the weather now seems
much against a visit. •
One of our cont.-mporarie3, which professes to
give an account of the incidents connected with the
arrival of the Emperor and Empress, states that—
"As the Prince Consort approached the Imperial
yscht, the Emperor, in his anxiety to greet his Rdyal
Highness, ascended the paddle-box, ard on stepping
down hastily to meet the Prince, the Emperor rnisserl
his footing and fell violently on the deck. His Majesty
was much shaken, and gravid his face sightly, but, in-
stantly recovering himself, warmly embraced the Prince
Consort."

There is not the least foundation for this state-
ment, and our fashionable contemporary, we fear,
has fallen a victim to some heartless joker. No
matter what the anxiety cf his Imperial Majesty to
welcome Prince Alliert, he would have found a
difficulty in manifesting it by " ascending the
paddle-box" of the Reine Hortense, since that ves-
sel happens to be a.screw. When the Prince Con-
sort came alongside the Emperor 'waited at the
gangway and sh. ok hands with him most cordially,
while little Pi ince Alfred was embraced and affec-
tionately kissed by the Empress. A few moments
were occupiA in presenting the various members
•of his Majesty's suite t-) the Prince Consort, dur-
ing which (probably owing to the fatigue of the
voyage) none of the illustrious personages indulged
in " graz:ng their faces" or " violent falls on the
deck." The same authority, among numerous other
misstatements, adds that " a guard of honour, com-
posed of 50 picked men of the Coldstream Guards,
everymari's breast glistening with Crimean medals,
received the Emperor and Empress on landing at
the pier-head.': The reception at the pier-head was
of such a strictly private nature that even ,he
guard of honour was dispensed. with, and none but
her Majesty, the Royal Princesses, Countess Per-
signy, and the lady in waiting were on the pier.
These statements would be unworthy of notice but
that they may naturally create doubts as to the a -
curacy of our reporter, whose account of the very
few incidents connected with the reception of their
Imperial Majesties, as coming from the only repre-
sentative of the press who had an opportunity of
witnessing them, can be implicitly dependel on.

FRIDAY EVENING.

The Emperor and Empress, with her Majesty,
the Prince Consort, and other members of the
Royal family, emlarked on board the Royal yacht
at 6 o'clock, to proceed to Cowes, to witness the
return of the yachts from the Regatta, and the ter-
mination of the race fur the Cup. The Royal party
returned shortly before 8 o'clo,:k to Osborne. The
weather was cold and squally, with heavy .rain,
and the sea at Spithead ran too high to permit 3
visit to the Liverpool clippers. Should the wind
go down there is no doub. now that the vessels Ina
ba inspected before sailing to-morrow.