The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-17 00:00:00

THE CRIMINAL LAW.

Lastly. That where the defendant's innocence is
clearly established at the trial, the judge shall be em-
powered to award him his costs.

POTATO DISEASE in AMERICA.
Throughout the northern States of America the po-
tatoes were last year affected by the same disease which
has proved so destructive in this country. The Ame-
ricans denominate the disease potato cholera," or
potato plague. It appears that in New Hampshire three
men died from eating the diseased potatoes, and a great
number of cattle lost their lives from a similar cause.
The disease affected the plant in situations wii;tre there
has been an intense drought, so that the wetness t►f the
season is not the cause of it. There are two kinds orrot,
the dry and the wet. The disease is attributed to the'
constant replanting the same seed, and as a proof that
this is the cause the New Haren Herald says—" A
friend has a crop raised from a hamper of Irish potatoes
which had no rot affection among them ; but a row of
mercers contiguous were every one of them wholly rot-
ten." It is also stated that " the rot is the most destructive
among those varieties which have been the longest pro-
pogated, while it is less so among those more recently
introduced from the balls."
In Novia Scotia, the progress of this distemper among
the potatoes seems to have been somewhat singular. It
has for a series of years been found to pervade particu-
lar farms—sometimes appearing in the stalk, like rust,
long before the potatoe has arrived at maturity ; and, on
cutting open the young root, the disease is found to ex-
hibit itself in black spots throughout the inside of it..
At other times, the distemper has appeared after the po-
tato has been harvested and put into the cellar—the first
intimation which the farmer receives being an offensive
smell arising from their decomposition ; and experience
has taught them, in this contingency, immediately to
cull over the whole mass, and remove every defective
potato, as it has been found rapidly to spread over the
whole if this is not done. It has sometimes broken out

suddenly and spread from farm to farm, and cellar to
cellar, lingering a few years, ;and then entirely disap-
pearing for a time. After trying many remedies, the
farmers in that region adopted the plan of planting the
balls, and thus procuring new seed, which, in two or
three years, arrived at maturity and full size.
The following letter, which appeared in the Boston.
Cultivator last year, may furnish our readers with some
useful hints :—" Last year (1843) I found, when I
began to dig and get in my potatoes, there was a con-
siderable number rotten, and a great many tainted,
which I took great care to have picked out, as all my
neighbours were complaining of their potatoes being in
the same situation, and I had them put in the cellar_
But, about the middle of Dec., my family complained of
the bad smell in the cellar ; upon which I examined,
and found the potatoes in a bad condition ; and I took
them out of the bin, and picked them over again ; and,
when returning them into the bin, in every layer I put
about half a peck of slacked lime, and mixed it well
through them ; and so on till all was in ; which I do
believe stopped the rot and bad smell, as there were but
very few found affected afterwards. This spring, when
I began to plant my potatoes, I took about a table spoon-
ful of slacked lime and put it into each hill ; and when
they were up, and before they were hoed, I made a mix-
ture of eight bushels of leached ashes, two bushels o
lime, and three bushels of ground plaster, and stirre
them well together. I made a scoop that held about one
gill, and I put this full of the mixture on each hill, close
to the stalks ; and I found, when I began to use them
in the summer, that they were all sound, and continued
so ; and I had not one rotten potato when I took them
up in October, although my neighbours on both sides of
the farm had scarcely any sound ones to get in. So I
must think that what I did to my potatoes was the cause
of my being so successful."—John Ketterville, in the
Boston Cultivator.

The New Genesee Farmer, for Oct. 1844, states :
" Some things, however appear to be certain, and may
be of immediate advantage to our readers :—lst. The
disease is not confined to any particular soil or locality.
Some have informed us that it appeared only in dry soil,
and others in moist. 2d. It is not confined to any par-
ticular kind of potatoes, though in this region the mercer
and long pink-eye are the most affected. 3d. The po-
tatoes, when affected with the rot, are poisonous to ani-
mals, and, consequently, should not be used for feeding.
4th. The disease spreads more rapidly among the pota-
toes after being dug and placed in a heap, than while in
the ground; consequently, if it is thought they are affected
it is better to delay digging till late in the fall."
writer in the Cultivator says :—" For some years
past I have used slacked lime, which I sprinkle on the
potatoes as soon as they are cut for seed, and shovel them
over it, and plant them immediately. Since I have
adopted this plan I have not lost a potato, either in the
ground or after they were put in the ftellar ; and such
of my neighbours as follow my example arc .like fortu-
nate, and in no way troubled with the rot."

PROGRESS OF THE HARVEST, &c.—With favourable
Weather, and the crop in excellent condition, the reaping of barley
is now general. In the neighbourhood of this town a large portion
is cut. At Castle Stuart the barley shearing is over, and a large
field of oats cut down. At Petty, Mr. Strothers had on Monday
four scythes and eighteen sickles at work, and shearing has been
general over the district since Monday. Cutting is also in progress
at Dores ; Wl{ higher up the country, in Stratherrick, the crops
are more backward, and a few days must elapse ere harvest wilt
be general in that quarter. The same remark applies to the vale
of Strathnairn, as far down as Cawdor. About Cantray the crops
are not yet sufficiently matured for cutting. Between Cawdor
and Nairn both oats and barley are falling fast before the stroke
of the reaper. About' Nairn and Auldearn a good deal of corn
was carried to the stack yard last week. Mr. Brodie, of Lethen, had
a strong body of reapers at work. Mr. Shirreff, Barnyards, is
cutting wheat ; &Ad all over the Aird district the fields, both of

barleyand °MC, we diminishing in size daily. As far back as Mon-.
day week tlasee W 1.0600 fewer than one hundred and eighty-eight
shearers engaged ausaagg down barley at Coul. There was a sale
of barley aad nails et Raigmore on Monday. The former
sold at an avorage of nearly 101. an acre, and
the oats averaged 111. per acre. There were several
lots of new oats in our market yesterday, principally of the
sandy kind. A good deal was sold at 2Gs. to 28s. per quarter.
From Strathspey we learn that barley-harvest is in progress. Oa
Saturday and Sunday mornings there were slight touches of frost,. .
which blighted a few potatoe fields, but did no further injury.
Although cattle fell its price at the last Grantown tryst, lamb&
sold high, and there has but seldom been such a number exhi-
bited. A lot of three-score wedder lambs from Glenbcg were ors
the ground, and 7s. gd. a head was refused for two-thirds of the
same. They were of the common black-faced breed.--Invcrucss
Courier.

A MIN DROWNED TO SAVE A PENNY.—.An in-
quest was held at the Ferry Boat, Mexborough, on view of the
body of Henry Graham, an Irish labourer from Armagh. It
appeared in evidence that the deceased, along with four other
Irishmen had been shearing several days for Mr. Dickenson,
of Mexborough,
and on the previous day (Sunday) were pro.
ceeding in the afternoon to Laughton.en.le.Merthen to har.
vest for Mr. Pigot ; four of the men crossed the river Dun
by the ferry-boat, and paid the usual charge of one penny,
but it appears that Graham (who was of a close and saving
disposition), rather than pay the penny, went some distance beloW
the ferry and was attempting to cross the River Dun on some
stones,when he slipped oft' and fell into deep water, and was
n.
fortunatelyti drowned in the presence of his companions, the ferry-
man, and others, without their being able to render him any as.
sistance. The body was got out in about twenty minutes, and
every means used by Dr. Woolain to restore animation, but without
effect. It may be remarked that the deceased had lived for three
weeks on Gs. Sd., that he had 31. Ps. 6d. in money, in his pockets,.
and had left 11)1, In the hands of a person at Marsden, near Hud.
derstield, for whom lie had been working. A verdict of aecidentallx
drowned was recorded.—Doncaster Gazdte.
TII E PLYMOUTH FISHERY.—Great quantities of
fish have been caught during the past week, by the trawlers and
hooking boats, and a large quantity of pilchards has been brought
into the town from the Cornish coast. On Friday last so numerous
were the hakes, that cart-loads of that fish lay on the quay for
want of mawns to put them in. We hear that arrangements have
already been made, when the railway to this town is completed, to
forward this valuable article of food to the manufacturing districts
in the course of sixteen or eighteen hours. Fish being so abundant in
this town, the hake is compartively neglected, except by the poorer
classes. There is no doubt that the speculators will meet with a
good profit in the transport of the hake and other fish into the did-
tricts of the north.—Plymouth Journal.
SERIOUS CART ACCIDENT.—On Thursday niarßing,
between ten and eleven o'clock, a serious accident occurred to .
James Carr, a labourer, living in Edward-street, Walworth. It
appears that the poor fellow was engaged in his usual occupation,
collecting manure in the road, when a carrier's cart heavily laden
passed over !inn, and Carr being very deaf, it is supposed that ho
did not hear its:approaoh. He was instantly picked up in ass in.
sensible state, and carried into the house of Mr. Davies, a surgeon;
when it was ascertained that the unfortunate man hail ruptured
a bloodvessel, in addition to having broken three of his ribs, and
now lies without the slightest hope of recovery.

BUST or ADAM SMITIL—The exquisite bust of
Dr. Adam Smith, executed in marble by the ingenious artist,
Mr. Patrick Park, was yesterday placed in an appropriate
niche of the Council Hall in Wilson-street, and aq,xactect
considerable atteationfroul the members.—Glasgow Ch Ode.,

(.1

In the eighth report of th© Commissioners 011
Criminal Law, just presented to Parliament, the:follow-
ing suggestions are made for the amelioration of the ex-
isting criminal law :-
1. That grand juries be abolished.
2. That police-courts be established in each county or
Parliamentary division of a county, and in each town
containing 40,000 inhabitants.
3. That stipendiary chairmen be appointed for the
sessions.

4. That the Crown prosecutors be attacked to each
police-court, and be authorised to conduct the entire
criminal business of their respective districts ; that one
chief Crown prosecutor be appointed to manage all
criminal informations in the Court of Queen's Bench,
and all State prosecutions ; and that the Attorney-
General be considered the supreme head of this de-
partment.
5. That the defendant shall, in all cases, be entitled
to fifteen days from the date of the commencement of
proceedings to the day of trial, having the power to
wave such privileges, in cate he shall deem it his inte-
rest to do so.

6. That five days before the trial the defendant shall,
on request, be tnrnished with a copy of the indictment
or information, a copy of the depositions, a list of the
witnesses, and a list of thejury panel, gratis ; and that
two days before the trial the defendant shall, on request,
furnish the Crown attorney with a list of such witnesses
as he intends to call to facts.
7. That both the Crown prosecutor and the detpdant
shall be entitled to challenge peremptorily one Nil jury
each, but no more, and that no challenge for cause be
allowed.
8. That at the Central Criminal Court, and at the
assizes, special juries may be allowed on important
trials ; that the application for their appointmeßt may
be made by either party to the police magistrate, a.-2d in
case of his refusal to grant an order, to one of the supe-
rior judges ; and those jurors shall discharge their
duties without remuneration.

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