The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-28 00:00:00

moray to the services rendered by the recipient
himself. The Duke of ABERCORN has had other
and more onerous duties to perform than to wel-
come Royalty and preside over friendly hospitalities.
He has been under the painful necessity of meeting
and checking the spirit of insubordination which
broke out and tended greatly to disturb the confi-
dence of the public, and even to inspire fear for the
future welfare of the country and the prosperity of
the Empire in general. It is well known how
fortunate were his Excellency's well-timed efforts
in this serious and eventful undertaking, and how
fully his labours have been crowned with success.
With firmness and yet with moderation disaffection
was put down, and gradually a better spirit has
prevailed, and in some respects things are better•
than they were before. It would, indeed, be a most
happy conjunction of affairs if the prognostications
of the Mayor were realised, and if " Ireland's sons"
would unite with one common object, the welfare
of their country, unmindful of the machinations of
evil-disposed persons, who are always anxious to
tamper with the loyalty and good-will of others.
Great advantages are offered to the community at
large by the instrumentality of a society like
the Royal Agricultural, and the development of
national resources is a matter of too much moment
to be disregarded and treated with indifference.
The conviction that industry may attain important
ends mite irrespective of rank, position, or riches,
must tend to stimulate the energy and revive the
confidence of many, and another advantage is that
these projects may be pursued quite irrespective of
party bitterness of feeling.
In reply, his Excellency made a suitable acknow-
ledgment to the felicitations addressed to him, and
declared that he fully appreciated the spirit of
loyalty which prevailed. The commercial enter-
prise of the city of Londonderry offered a theme
for counter congratulations, which was well taken
advantage of, and the Lord-Lieutenant, in eloquent
words, expressed his thankfulness that Providence
bad preserved his family in the late fearful cala-
mity. In the evening a banquet was given,
which was well attendel, and the Lord-Lieute-
nant's speech was a great success throughout.
The state and condition of Ireland at all times
are subjects of importance, but just now addi-
tional interest is imparted to them by recent
events, and the efforts of some politicians to de-
preciate all that relates to the prosperity of that
country. It is then, without doubt, a source of
satisfaction that one so well versed in the details
as his Excellency should speak confidently on
the improvement which has taken place, and bear
witness to the decadence of those efforts which
have too long triumphed at the expense of social
and national welfare. The province in which
they found themselves was, he maintained, an en-
couraging one in which to meet, since it afforded
them an example or lesson in studying the problem
of Irish difficulties, Irish prosperity, and Irish in-
dustry. At the same time there are no peculiari-
ties in existence that prevent the happy condition
of affairs from prevailing in other parts of the coun-
try. It might well have been supposed that the
unfortunate influences that have prevailed for some
time past in Ireland would have interfered with
the agricultural interests as they had with
the commercial ones, but no deficiency in this
respect is to be observed, and there exists, on the
contrary, ample evidence of a " sound and con-
firmed condition of prosperity." The Irish manu-
facturers have likewise competed not discreditably
with those of Scotland and England.

The returns which have been made show an
increase of cereal crops over last year, and an in-
crease of acres of potatoes and meadow land. 'l'h,
more scientific culture of flax would be a source of
much profit, notwithstanding that the population in
scme provinces are already great adepts in it. The
increase in the number of those receiving poor-law
relief is to be attributed in a great measure t..) the
local distress caused in some districts by the depres-
sion of the linen trade from the high rate to which it
had risen in the late American war. Connected with
the Emigration question, his Excellency very
truly mentioned the dwellings of the labourers, and
the necessity for their improvement. It is satis-
factory to know that the returns show a decrease
in the number of emigrants. In the year ending
June, 1868, there are eleven thousand less than the
previous year, and, strictly, three thousand less
than the year before. Increased wages is also a
desideratum, and will be found advantageous in the
long run, despite any temporary pressure they may
entail. The LORD-LIEUTENANT declared that ho
was ashamed of the dwellings of many of those on
his own estate, and yet difficulties were in the way of
a general improvement. After the summary he had
given he was enabled to dwell with satisfaction
upon future prospects, for the country is quieter
than it has been for some years respecting seditious
feelings. "We have no cause for desponding, but
every just and reasonable hope that the day may
come when the storms and clouds which hover round
the destinies of Ireland may be dispelled, and the
generous and cordial nature of her people may show
itself in increased sympathy and union between
all classes, and when all those benefits may attend
her that a prosperous and contented people, an in-
creased capital, and, above all, internal peace can
confer upon a great and united people.

The interesting meeting at Norwich was on 'Wed-
nesday last brought to an appropriate conclusion
by a grand banquet given by the Mayor of Norwich
to the President, officers, and members of the Asso-
ciation. The members have had no reason to com-
plain of the hospitality of the good citizens of Nor-
wich, and have repeatedly expressed their sense of
the cordiality of their welcome, and the banquet of
Wednesday, numbering 700 guests, gave addi-
tional evidence of the eagerness of their hosts to do
them honour. An interesting feature in the assem-
bly was the presence of the ministers
of several forms of religion, a happy proof
that the antagonism which formerly existed,
or was supposed to exist, between the students of
Nature and the worshippers of Nature's GOD is
dying out with the advance and increase of know-
ledge. The Bishop of Norwich, in returning
thanks for a toast, observed that he welcomed
men of science as fellow workmen and fellow stu-
dents in different volumes of the works of the same
Divine Author ; and the great gathering which
had just closed had tended to show that men of
faith should inquire more, and men of science
believe more. The Reverend Canon DALTON,
speaking on behalf of his Roman Catholic
brethren, read a letter from Father SECCHI,
acknowledging in warm terms the hospitality
shown him at Norwich, and the Rev. G.
GouLD, Nonconformist minister, responded in the
same catholic and enlightened spirit. Happily this
was one of the rare occasions on which politics
could be allowed to slumber, all the guests being
more interested in less agitating and irritating
questions, and nothing occurred to mar the pro-
ceedings of the evening.

Yesterday the excursions began, and though
many members necessarily left the town a large
proportion have prolonged their stay in order to
examine the curiosities of the neighbourhood.
Four excursions were arranged to come to Lynn

and li.unstanton, to Walsingham and Holkham,
awl to Great Yarmouth. Cromer possesses great
attr actions for the geologist. Hunstanton cliffs,
too, though not boasting of a forest bed, or a
man tmaliferou.s crag, has an object worth notice
in its section of red chalk and green sand. The
etc ursion to Walsingham was of a more picturesque
and archeological character, the visitors inspecting
tb e ruins of an ancient monastery, the interesting
records of Holkham Hall, With all the tradi-
tional relics of the great Lord COKE, from whom
Earl of Leicester is descended. The Great
Yarmouth had plenty of wonders, new and
old, to see, beginning with the Roman camp,
at Burgh, and ending with the Sailors' Home and
the rocket apparatus of the present day.
In alluding to the close of the labours of the
Association we must not omit to mention the very
able and interesting address delivered by Professor
HUXLEY to the working men of Norwich on Wed-
nesday evening. He especially referred to the
discoveries recently made in the course of marine
surveying, which afford most valuable additions to
our stock of geological facts. It is a striking fact,
ascertained by an American microscopist, that the
deep-sea soundings, brought up from a depth of
10,000 and 11,000 feet from the bottom of the
North Atlantic Ocean, are chiefly made up
of minute shells, as minute as those found
in the chalk, and identical in their structure and
character. The Admiralty subsequently despatched
Captain DAYMAN on a task which, as Professor
HUXLEY observed, reminds us of the obligations
laid upon the young princes of the fairy tales.
They bade him take a ship and bring up the bot-
tom of the Atlantic for 1,700 miles at regular in-
tervals. Captain DAYMAN fulfilled his commission
as promptly and as efficiently as though he had a
fairy godmother to aid him, and the examination of
his specimens was entrusted to Professor HUXLEY.
That gentleman showed his audience a lump
of grey chalk which, he said, exactly corre-
sponded in appearance with the covering of
the vast plain which lies below the Atlantic. Fully
95 per cent. of this substance, which covers a plain
1,000 miles wide, is made up of little shells, the
largest of which is not more than oue-fiftieth of an
inch in diameter, while the smallest may sink to
one-thousandth of an inch. This is a most remark-
able fact, and the more so as the identity of the
globigerina of the Atlantic mud and the globigerina
of the English chalk is clearly established. "We
Englishmen," said the Professor, in alluding to
the antiquity of the chalk, " are very proud if
we can trace our ancestry back to the battle of
Hastings ; but we have here a little shell whose
ancestors might have witnessed a battle of ichthy-
osauri in the sea over the country where Hastings
now stands, and that puts all our escutcheons to
shame." Professor HUXLEY'S lecture was listened
to with deep interest and attention, and the work-
ing men of Norwich may think themselves fortunate
in thus having so good a share of the intellectual
feast which the rest of the citizens have been en-
joying.

The half-yearly meetings of our southern railway
companies have brought about, as might have been
expected, some discussion respecting the recent
raising of the fares. Both directors and share-
holders are very well aware by this time that the
movement i 3 highly unpopular ; but we are sorry
to find that they are not yet amenable to reason.
However the state of their dividends at the close
of the year will probably supply unanswerable
arguments, since already the traffic on the
southern lines has considerably diminished. People
will not pay what they deem exorbitant prices
for pleasure trips if they are compelled to do so for
business journeys, and the Brighton and Dover
lines have been in the habit of reaping a large
harvest from the general preference for the southern
coast. We apprehend that at the end of the season
the railways will find they have made a mistake.
The chairman of the London, Chatham, and Dover
line took a very haughty view of the matter, and
said the tone which the public had adopted was
most unreasonable. The fares hitherto charged
had been found to be unremunerative, and
the directors were bound to consult the
interest of the shareholders. He did not say
why moderate fares had proved insufficient, nor
allude to the extravagance which the public are
called upon to pay for. A shareholder present said
he did not see why the railway company should be
treated worse than the butcher or baker, whose in-
creased prices were paid without grumbling I How-
ever the Chairman admitted that it was quite a
commercial question, and if the present fares did
not answer they must alter them, which is some-
thing gained.

BANK OF FRANCE.

PARIS, Aug. 27.

The following is the return of the Bank of France
for the week ending to-day, together with the cor-
responding figures of the previous account :

DEBTOR.

Aug. 27. Aug. 20.
fr. c. fr. c.
Capital of tho Bank.... 182,500,000 182,500,000
Profits in addition to

capital (Art. 8, Law,
June 9, 1857) 7,044,776 02 7,044,776 02
Reserve of the Bank

and its branches 22,105,750 14 22,105,750 14
Reserve of landed pro-

_
perty 4,000,000 4,000,000
Notes in circulation
Banknotes to order and

receipts payable at
sight 35,871,967 62 38,364,082 43
Treasury account cur-
rent creditor 191,601,715 51 176,618,090 73
Current accounts, Paris 472,340,213 43 49,;,115,076 40
Do. branch banks 56,972,310 48,286,62
Dividends payable 1,603,708 1,726,663
Discounts and sundry
interests
Rediscounted the last

- -
six mouths 703,152 42 703,152 42
Surplus of receipts not
distributed -

Sundries

Total
CREDITOR.
Aug. 27. Aug. 20.
Cash in hand and in fr. c. fr. 0
Branch banks
Commercial bills over-
due
Commercial bills dis-
counted, not yet due 293,241,620 87 314,405,229 51
Do. branch banks 226,584,842 '239,563,875
Advances on deposit of
bullion 84,892,000 35,922,800
Do. branch banks 8,423,200 7,938,900
Do. on French Public)

Securities 11,930,900 12,987,700
Do. by branch banks 8,535,500 8,544,900
Do. on railway shares
and debentures
Do. branch banks
Do. on Credit Foncier
Bonds
Do. branches
Do. to the State (Con-
vention, June 10,
1857) 60,000,000 60,000,000
G overnment Stock re-

serve 12,980,750 14 12,980,750 14
Do. disposable
Rentes Immobalisdes
(Law, Juno 2, 1857) 160,000,000 100,000,000
Hotel and furniture of
the Bank and landed
property branches
Expenses of manage-
ment 911,916 61 931,550 28
Sundries

Total
Certified by the Senator-Governor of the Bank
of France.

(Signed) ROULAND.

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