The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-31 00:00:00

TEE CROPS IN THE NORTH OP IRELAND.

(From the Northern. Whig.)

The weather of the past week has been highly

favourable for harvest operations, and a large por-
tion of the whe it crop has already been cut down.
Our accounts from various parts of the country speak
favourably of the general results of the harvest, if
we except the potato crop, with respect to the safety
of which considerable fears are entertained. With
respect to the county Antrim, in the neighbourhood
of Crumlin, the sickle has been used so vigorously
during the past week that the whole of the winter-
sown wheat bas been cut, and a great portion of it
placed in stack. Indeed, Mr. M'Cunnell, of Sea-
view, one of the most extensive and intelligent
farmers in Kilhead, had his crop of wheat secured
in the early part of the week. The wheat crop has
everywhere in this locality turned out extremely
well, and farmers who have entered upon threshing
state that it gives evidence of yielding satisfactorily
in thebarn. Even spring wheat promises better things
than were anticipated some weeks ago. The pro-
spects of the oat crop have also been greatly im-
proved, and the present delightful weather isbring-
ing it rapidly to maturity. There will be no diffi-
culty in getting the grain cut down as it ripens, in
consequence of the wheat crop being generally se
cured befere the oats are ready. The farmers in the
neighbourhood of Crumlin complain of the progress
the blight is making in the early kind of potatoes ;
but the general crop, consisting mostly of " white
rocks" and " M'Mullans," can scarcely be said to
be affected yet. Meadow hay has, also, all been
`saved ; and on the whole, the past week has been
everything which the agriculturists in this neigh-
-1)ourhood could wish—even the potato-blight, al-
though it has made its appearance, is neither so ex-
tensive nor so violent as in former years. In the
vicinity of Randals town, the early-sown wheat will
be all cut down during the ensuing week. A large
portion has already been placed in stack, and pro-
mises an abundant yield : but spring-sown will scar-
cely be an average crop, and is not expected to be
ripe for another fortnight. The reaping of oats has
partially commenced in this neighourhood, and
will be general next week ; but the yield will not
be so large as that of last year. The blight h
very generally appeared on potato leaves, but as
yet the tubers are comparatively sound. Our cocci
munications from various pacts of the county of
Antrim agree in stating that, should the present
weather continue for three or four weeks, the great
bulk of this crop will be saved from the ravages of
the disease.

The harvest in many parts of the County of
Down is now fairly siit in, and in general, there are
complaint's of the lightness of the corn. The whole
way from Banbridge to Lurgan there is a regular
harvest. In the townland of Lennaderg, a carres-
pondent particularly remarked one large and very
fine-looking field of corn, in which fifteen reapers
were employed. There are few districts in which
so much wheat is sown as between Banbridge
and Lurgan, and the farmers speak very highly
of the crop. Anagha.noon, a townland near War
riugstown, :earns to have almost half its cultivated
land in wheat, and the appearance is excellent.
One fact, well worthy the attention cf the farmers
in many parts of the country, is mentioned by a
eorresp.ndent, who states that in no instance did
he see the scythe used in cutting corn. He asked
several intelligent men the reason of their not using
the scythe ; and some pronounced it as " unagn-
cultural," some as "destructive," and one rosy old
farmer said that the man that had the hardihood to
mow his corn " gullantined his best friend." In
all directions in this neighbourhood the potatoes
are infected, particularly the " Scotch whites " and
" we avers ;" but indeed all bear evident marks of

the cli;ease, yet it is making but slow progress to
the roots.

The continuation of drought has effected disAs-

trolls changes on the late potatoes in the neigh-
bourhood of Saintfield. Two evils are at present
at work here destroying the prospects of this un-
fortunate r ot. What was looked upon as
mercy towar.ls the eArly kinds, with the blight
cn the haulm—the absence of rain, is death to
the growth of those late planted, as they want
moisture to carry them on. All kinds have now the
plague-spot on their leaves, while the roots are
only hein!; found on thos3 planted towards the
middle of May ; so that the hopes of these latter
arc blast,d The grain crops are fast ripening, not,
as in some late years, simultaneously, but afford-
ing some leisure to be cut down gradually, which is
more convenient for the employer, in the present
scarcity of hands. Turnips aro sail to be suffering
from want of rain in this neighbourhood.
The grain crop around Dromore is fast approach-
ing to maturity, and reaping of wheat and oats has
been pretty general, and both promises an abun-
dant harvest. The potato "blight" has greatly in-
creased here during the past week. The stalks of
the "white rocks" are greatly blackened, but the
tubers are very little affected as yet ; and it is the
opinion of fanners that, so long as th,l dry weather
continues, the tubers will not be much affected.
Our accounts from the counties of Derry and
Tyrone state, that that part of the country has had
a week of intense heat, which has brought on the
crops more rapidly than reapers can be had to cut
it down. The oat crop is muchligh7er than was an-

ticipated, and the straw will be deficient in quan-
tity, but the g' ain promises an average yield. The
wheat crop will be better than any they have had
in these counties for some years past. The blight
in the potatoes appears to have been checked by
the fine weather, and the only difficulty now felt is
to get men to secure the harvest.

TIM LATE C,,LONEL J. FINNIS.—It is with great satis-
faction we announce that the Chairman of the East
India C.nnpany has, unsolicited, forwarded to the Lcrd
Mayor, in the name of the Court of Directors, a cadet-
ship for his nephew, John Finnis, son of the late Colonel
Finnis, who was murdered at Meerut at the commence-
ment of the present outbreak in India.

YET ANOTHER COMET.—A new comet has just been
discovered, being the filth of this year. In order to find
it in the heavens, a stra ght line should be drawn from Beta
and Alpha of Ursa Major to the polar star. At about
ten p.m., the cornet is situated a little above this line,
at about five degrees from the pole. The appearance of
this new heavenly body is not unlike that of the beauti-
ful nebula of the Serpent. The last three comets die-
covered were all found in the same region of the sky.
THE NEW CREATION OF PEERS.—It is confidently
reported that the new title taken by the Marquis of
Lansdowne w;11 be Duke of Kerry. The designation
now chosen will be most appropriate, inasmuch as the
Marquis is already Earl of Kerry, having succeeded as
fourtu Earl aid 24th Baron of Kerry in the peerage
of Ireland on the death of his cousin, Francis Thomas,his
the third Earl, without issue, July 4, 1818,1(,rr and
Kerry as his
eldest son actually bore the Earldom
clostsirot.esywteitlneiadyo wben
ptaordloiins afiltit
oifnu
r_A readersughust,
edlamfoernrteemdnindde:
of Inverness, bestowed some years st
here that, with the exception of thnenetintae
LoadyDcucecielsias
Underwood, this will be the first dukedom conferred
ielsltynnstinhciaeyhe efroragcoctetsesn thationto
Lord Lansdowne, as Lord Henry Petty, actually suc-
ceeded 'G on
a throne. subject O u rby
readersher Majesty
f
the late Right Hon. William Pitt as Chancellor
of the Exchequer and as M.P. for the University of Cam-
bridge upwards of 50 years since, and that he has held
a seat in the Upper douse for nearly half a century,
having succeeded to the peerage Nov. 15, 1308. Lord
Robert Grosvenor, it is said, will choose the title of
Lord Ebury. W 0 may as well mention tbat the large
property in Middlesex, now known as Belgravia, came
into the Grosvenor family through the marriage of
their ancestor Sir Thomas Grosvenor, third baronet,
about the middle of the seventeenth century, with
Mary, oily daughter and heiress of Alexander
Davis, E q , who owned the ancient manor of Ebury, in
that county. The Earldom of Middlesex was formerly
the second and courtesy title belonging to the Sackvillee,
Dukes of Dorset, but became exitict together with that
dukedom on the death of Charles, fifth and last duke,
without issue male, in 1843. Mr. Macaulay is to be
raised to the peerage as Baron Macaulay ; and we be-
lieve that the English barony borne by his late uncle
will be renewed to the present Earl of Fife, who recently
accept, d the Chiltern Hundreds for the county of Banff,
after having tepresented that constituency for 20 years,