The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-22 00:00:00

HOP INTELLIGENCE.

EAST GRINSTEAD.—The hops in this neighbour-
hood and throughout the -Weald, including the dis-
trict between this and Lamberhurst, remain in as
bad a condition as can well be imagined. In most
places, what little bine there may have been is fast
disappearing, and by the time it is usual to commence
picking it will be black and dried up. The best gar-
den in this part of the country is supposed to be the
one on the Brighton and Tunbridge-wells road, about
a mile from the latter ; in most other situations their
appearance is desolate in the extreme.
BOUGHTON.—This district is doing remarkably
well. We are clear of mould and vermin, and expect
a good crop.
EAST SUTTON.—The hops here are going on re-
markably well, the fine weather of the 16th and 17th
having improved them wonderfully.
HORSEMONDEN.—This parish is looking uncom-
monly well, having quite got over the high winds of
the week before last. A good crop is anticipated.
IGllTHAM.—Excepting some little mould, that is,
however, fast disappearing, there is not the least com-
plaint to make of the hops in this district, except of
not getting on so fast as could be wished. There will
be a fair average crop, fully equal to that of last year,
and of good quality.
MAIDSTONE.—The low temperature at night ap-
pears to have kept back the plants in bur, but, the last
day or two, the weather has improved, and the mould,
which had been increasing in some parts, seems to
have got a check. The duty is set so variously that
it is almost impossible to give a fair quotation, the
lowest being 120,0001.
ASHFORD.—There is no expectation here of an ave•
rage crop, the hops having been so effectually blighted
as to render recovery impossible.
FARNHAM AND ITS ENVIRONS.—The state of the
hop plantations in this favoured part of Surrey and
Hants is very encouraging to the growers, although
they have been sadly knocked about by the storms
and tempests of the past ten days ; scarcely a leading
head to the bine has been left uninjured, and the
lateral shoots have suffered nearly in a similar
manner, particularly on the S.W. side of the grounds,
or where they are not protected from the autumnal
equinoctial gales. The cold east winds of April and
May had checked the rapid growth of the bine,
therefore there is not to be seen those luxuriant
lateral shoots which often occur in the best grounds
of Farnham—there is not so much " shaking hands,"
or prevention to walking between the hills, as might
be expected if an overwhelming crop was to occur—
yet there will be more than an average crop ; they
are coming into hop very fast, and are very forward
in those grounds where there is a fair proportion of
male bines ; indeed, under such circumstances, it is
expected that such gardens will be ready for the pick-
ers a week earlier than others differently circum-
stanced. Picking will commence at Bonham's Farm,
near Alton, before August has expired. The ave-
rage old duty of Farnham district has been, for seven
years in succession, nearly 7,5001., and certainly this
year it will pay a full average, unless we have some
more extensive gales, such as occurred a few years
ago in the first week of September, when more than a
thousand pounds of duty were scattered to the winds.
The last year's old duty on the Farnham district was
4,7oBl.—Sussex Advertiser.

SAVING BY THE USE OF RAILWAYS.—The saving
between driving a sheep to the London market from Lin-
colnshire and conveying it by steam-boat or railway, is
proved to be no less than ten per cent. in favour of the
latter mode.—lpswich Express.
AN EXECUTION IN SAVOY.—An execution took
place recently at Thonon, a small town of Savoy, situate
on the banks of the River Rhone. No such fearful a
scene as a public execution had ever been witnessed in
this calm and quiet little town within the memory
of man, and consequently it would be difficult to
describe the horror which the fatal preparations for
punishment excited amongst the inhabitants at
large. Nobody would supply the executioner with the
necessary articles. The various marchands positively
refused to furnish this unfortunate Jack Ketch with the
wood, the iron, and the cords which he wanted, in order
to erect the gibbet. They only yielded at length to the
stern demands of the law ; and even then they refused
to take the price of blood, as it were, by making
the authorities a present of the necessary instruments
and apparatus, for which no money whatever was
allowed to be accepted. A woman, who kept a grocer's
shop, being required to supply a certain length of
rope, shut her eyes, and cried out—" Take what you
want, but do not bring anything back, or pay any
money." All the journeymen carpenters had refused to
labour in the erection of the fatal gibbet, and when com-
pelled to lend their tools by the legal authorities, they
gave up all their hatchets and saws, in order that they
might not in future be able to distinguish those which had
been soiled by the hand of the executioner. The
ladder and the gibbet were constructed by the execu-
tioner himself and his assistant. The condemned cri-
minal luckily desired to walk to the scene of his punish-
ment, as the owner of the cart, which would have other-
wise been enlisted in the service, would assuredly
have killed his horse and burnt the vehicle after
the execution had taken place. The culprit was con-
demned to death for the murder of a child nine
years of age, after having mutilated it in a grievous man-
ner. A report even went abroad, that being a pro-
fessor of the " black art," he was in want of a child's
heart for his magical purposes, and that he had conse-
quently committed the murder in order to tear the
heart out of the infant's body. The details of the exe-
cution are not given. The criminal was put to death
by suspension.
DETERMINED SUICIDE FROM FALSE PRIDE.--Mr.
Wakley, M.P., held on inquest yesterday, at the Crown,
Aberdeen-place, Maida-hill, on the late Mr. Charles
Edwards, aged 53, of 7, Clarendon-place, Maida-vale, a
wealthy retired carcass butcher, formerly of Newgate-
market. From the evidence, it appeared that he and
another had been executors to some property, and that a
quarrel having taken place between him and his co-
executor, the latter filed a bill and obtainiedhasnoinilluurntct his
against his receiving the property, which
pride and pressed upon his mind that ho became ex-
tremely melancholy. Last Saturday,ss two days after the
obtaining the injunction, he dressed himself and went
out shortly after breakfast, as to take a walk, but he
was found two hours afterwards, with his throat cut, in
the water-closet of his house, and the razor with which
he committed the deed lying close upon the seat. He
was not dead, but insensible, and lived twenty-four hours
During the latter interval he articulated
afterwards.
" No," when asked if he desired to see Mrs. Edwards.
All the witnesses were of opinion that he committed the
rash deed in consequence of the Chancery suit having
been decided against him. Verdict—" Insanity at the
time he committed the suicide."
One evening last week a fine little boy about six
years old, of the name of Tobin, whilst playing on
George's quay, ventured to the river side and unfortu-
nately- fell in. A commotion amongst the lookers-on
was the immediate consequence, screams and vocifcra-
tions were heard, but still the poor little fellow was fast
drowning. The schooner Golden Eagle was at the op-
posite side, Charlotte-quay, and her captain, Andrew
Shewan, who was at the time changing his dress in the
cabin, upon hearing the tumult from the opposite side,
sprang upon the deck and over the vessel's side into the
small boat, and being ably assisted by his mate, they
were close to the drowning child in less time than could
be thought possible, when the captain plunged into the
water with the daring intrepidity characteristic of a
British seaman, and caught the little fellow, who was
quite insensible ; but has since recovered. We know
not whether Captain Shewan be a man of family, but it
must be matter of great gratulation to him thus to have
saved the life of an interesting little fellow.—Cork Ex-
aminer.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITU-

TIO.N.
Yesterday Professor Bachhoffner delivered a very
interesting lecture on Pneurnatida, in the theatre of
this Institution. As much of the -attractiveness anti
instruction of the lecture depended upon the beau-
tiful experiments with which it was illustrated, we
shall not attempt the extremely difficult task of giving
a written detail in a popular form. The attendance
was more numerous than might be expected at this
season, and the lecturer was (as indeed he always is)
very warmly applauded.
The Profs ssor has just concluded a valuable course
of lectures on Galvanism and Electricity, at the close
of which he expressed his great doubts of the efficacy
of this power as a remedial agent. "He did not think
that electricity ever cured disease ; but at the same
time he related that a friend of his, who was afflicted
with rheumatism, took it into his head that
galvanism would relieve him. Accordingly, he
provided himself with a portable battery, consisting
of a piece of zinc and a piece of copper tied together.
This miniature pile of volta he carried about with
him in his pocket, and (as we understood) whenever
he felt the monitory symptoms of an approaching
paroxysm, he discharged his battery, and rheumatism
was dispowered by the shock. The gentleman believed
that galvanism cured him, and of course it dd.—
(Laughter.) lie was cured, however.—(Hear.)"
In the laharatory of Dr. Ryan, a very curious
experiment was shown, as to the influence of wood
upon certain solutions, and, again, the peculiar actiots
of the same fluids upon wood. In a basin, containing
the chromate of potass and a small portion of sulphuric
acid—being the preparation from which chrome-alum
is deposited—several bits of stick were placed. These
became almost instantly covered with the desired
deposit, and a quantity of the substance was precipi-
tated to the bottom of the vessel. This property of
wood is a recent observation, not yet fully investi-
gated. The ordinary process (without the bits of
wood) requires several weeks to produce the chrome-
alum, which by the simple addition of the wood is
rapidly obtained. The bits of wood themselves were
at the same time thoroughly electrified, exhibiting its
a remarkable manner the phenomena of polarity,
attraction, and repulsion.
Of the other departments of the institution ; it is
' unnecessary here to say more than that the establish-
ment is altogether so grand, its entertainments so
varied and instructive, and its collections so rich, that
any person who has been twenty-four hours in
London without seeing the " Polytechnic" may say,
with less affectation than the sentimental Emperor,
"My friends, I have lost a day."