The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-04 00:00:00

THE LIND COMMISSION.

The following brief report of the progress of the Land
Tenure Commission appears in an Evening Paper:—
" The Commission, consisting of Sir R. Ferguson, Mr.
G. Hamilton, Mr. Redington, and Mr. Wynne, were
actively engaged at Belfast on Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday last, in making inquiry respecting the occu-
pation of land in the counties of Down and Antrim.
They examined at great length the agents of the exten-
sive properties of the Marquis of Hertford, the Marquis
of Londonderry, Mr. D. Ker, and other proprietors, to-
gether with a number of occupying tenants and farmers,
as well as the persons selected for examination by the
several boards of guardians in the neighbourhood of Bel-
fast. On Thursday they proceeded to inspect the exten-
sive and interesting improvements now in progress on
Lord Dufferin's estate, near Donaghadee, and on Lord
Londonderry's, near Newtownards, and the draining,
sic., on the property of Messrs. Andrews, at Cumber.
On Friday they held their inquiry at Antrim. On Sa-
turday they were joined by the Earl of Devon, at Ban-
bridge, and examined a number of witnesses respecting
the occupation and management of land on the large
estates in that neighbourhood of the Marquis of Down-
shire, as well as those of Lord Roden, Mr. Whyte, of
Lougbriclland, and others. During the present week
they are to visit Larne, Coleraine, and Moneymore."

MECHANICS' INSTITUTION, SOUTHAMPTON BUILD-
' rms.—Tuesday Mr. Wilson gave one of his higlily popular
entertainments on the Songs of Scotland, in the theatre of
the Institution, the proceeds of which were generously de-
voted by him to its funds, this being the place where Mr.
Wilson first was called on to display his talents as an illustra-
tor of national song. The evening passed off with great
• enthusiasm, Mr. Wilson being in excellent voice and spirits.
At the end of the entertainment, the President rose to thank
Mr. Wilson, in the name of the Society, for his services on
the occasion, and presented him with a paper on which was
beautifully, written the resolution of the Committee, making
him an honorary member of the Institution. Mr. Wilson,
m returning thanks for the honour conferred on him, said that
six years ago, when he first gave his Lectures there, he little
expected that they would have met with such abundant sue•
cess everywhere, and that the circumstance should open up
- him a new line of life, which he found both pleasant and pro-
fitable. The profitable part, he said, had roused the envy of
several of his professional brethren, and all over the country
he hid hosts of imitators, who did not scruple Ts his
titles and copy his bills almost literally in word
He read a bill which had been sent to hint from Portsmouth.
an
form
announcing that some person, styling himself from the Nob-
ility's Concerts in London, would give " A Nicht wi' Burns"
there to-morrow evening, and next Monday would give his
"popular" entertainment of "The Adventures of Prince
Charles," &c., a literal copy of Mr. Wilson's bill. He
• amused the audience by recounting several of the tricks of
• his imitators, some of whom had even taken his name. One
• who had been purloining Mr. Wilson's titles, " A Night wi'
Burns," and The Adventures of Prince Charles," in the
North of England, had gone away without " remembering" to
pay some of his accounts, when Mr. Wilson was waited upon,
On his arrival in the town, and asked if he had' any objection
to pay them, as the person had been giving the same enter-
. tainments • and Mr. Wilson had, no doubt, something to do in
the business. Mr. Wilson finished the evening's entertain-
ment by singing Burns's glorious song of "A man's a man
for a' that," and was loudly cheered on his retiring.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.-011 Tues-
day the members held their third spring meeting, at the ex-
hibition rooms in Regent-street ; Mr. Solly, F.R.S., in the
chair. Present the Countess of Buckingham, Countess De
Sells, Hon. Emily King, Hon. Miss Eden, Lady Mary Stan-
ley, Lady Foster, Lady Banbury, Lord Auckland, Mr.
Sturges Bourne, Sir Augustus Yoster, Sir R. Joddrell,
Captain Davis, R.N., Professor Lindley, Dr. • Henderson,
and others. The Duke of Devonshire, President of
the Society, exhibited some specimens of Dendra-
bium, with clusters of orange-coloured aromatic flowers,
cultivated at Chatsworth, but originally brought
over from the Indies. Mr. Pole presented a cucum-
ber of 24 inches in length. Sir, Edward Antrobus'
. some Calceolaria, and Mrs. Lawrence Orchidaceous plants.
Among the novelties was a plant called Phycella Cloacra,
_ brought over to this country originally by Humboldt, and a
curious. plant called Pilate's Nightcap, a large concave-.
shaped flower, identical with that described by Humboldt in
His travels as being gathered by children in Peru, and used'
-in summer as decorative caps or head-dresses. A new spe-
cies of garden-wall of slate waS' exhibited, and gold medals
- were awarded to Mrs. Lawrence and the Duke of Devon-
' shire's gardener. The total amount of rain, as observed in
. the Society's Gardens at Chiswick from March 19 to April.2,l
is estimated at 0.19 inches.