The Sun.
London, England, 1828-08-29 00:00:00

ENGLISH OPERA-HOUSE.

A new farce, from the pen, as we were given to
understand, of Mr. MONCRIEFF, entitled Miss
Wright, or Courting by -Proxy, was produced last
night at this theatre, and with very equivocal symp-
toms of success. The plot is feeble, though not
without a considerable admixture of the extravagant.
As usual, there are two lovers, each gifted with the
due proportion of impudence and stupidity, a testy
old man, a sentimental footman,- and ti dandy. Of
these the dandy (personated by WRENCH) was the
most characteristic; the vivacity of the animal found
in him an adequate representative ; he was listened
to accordingly with satisfaction. KEELY, the lack-
a-daisical valet, did more for his part than it de-
served ; but even his best exertions, combined with
those of his brother performers, could not prevent,
when the curtain fell, the expression of considerable
dissatisfaction on the part of the audience. The
house, thanks to the spirited management of its prO-
prietors and the general talent of its actors, was
fully and fashionably attended.

STATE OF THE HARVEST.

(From the Morning Herald.)
LINCOLN, Auo. 26.—0 n leaving London
I expected to find all the neighbourhood of this
city under water, to see men reaping in boats, the
wheat growing in the sheaf, the hay rotten, and
to hear nothing but tales of disappointment and
despair. I could hardly believe my eyes when I
found that the very reverse of this was the fact.
This venerable city is about 133 miles from
London ; and as the greater part of the country
through which the road passes is agricultural,
and a great deal of it flat and exposed to floods,
perhaps one could not have a fairer specimen of
the state of the crops in general, for such a dis-
tance; and certainly, if one may judge of the rest
of the country from this, there is but little
ground for that alarm which has been raised in
I certain quarters. The whole of the wheat is
carried home, and, from all accounts that can be
depended on, it has not suffered any great in-
jury. The general opinion seemed to be, that
some of it had grown a little, and that the da-
mage from the rain was but trifling ; but those
in general who spoke on the subject seldom
failed to conclude their statement by saying the
accounts from other places were worse. The fact
is, there are so many interested in giving a dis'
mal colouring to the state of the crops, that
the accounts, as they expressed it, from other
places, should be received with great caution.—
There is no doubt that the crops in the fens of
Lincolnshire have suffered considerably, and it
is extremely probable that in the west of Eng-
land, where the rain appears to have been most
general, there has also been damage done ; but,
taking the country on the whole, it would be too
much to believe the one-half of what is said on
the subject. All the farmers agree in grumbling,
and saying that they have suffered irreparable
loss. The innkeepers sing the same song, in
order to have a good reason for keeping up the
price of posting : and there are corn-factors in-
numerable, who are moving Heaven and earth
to raise the price of grain. My opinion is, that
they have dispersed agents over the country to
raise evil reports, for the purpose of serving
their own ends. On entering the public parlour
at —, we found a respectable-looking, well-
dressed man at breakfast. One of the party
asked him about the state of the crops. "Oh
very bad indeed. The wheat is nothing ; it is
killed with the mildew ; net one-half of the ears
are full : it is light." In short, it appeared to
have every defect under the sun. I put him
down for a farmer. The next question was,
what may be the price of old wheat ? "Oh
very high, and it is rising ; seventy shil-
lings a quarter are already given, and I sold
some,of my own for four guineas the other day."
After that, who would believe another word he
said on the subject ? And there are thousands
who are playing the
,same game. I may say that
I have seldom enjoyed a more cheering prospect
than that to be seen from London to .Lincoln.
The country is extremely beautiful, and at this
season peculiarly so, from the variegated views
presented by the yellow corn-fields, the verdant
and luxurious plantations, and the freshness of ,
the pasture land. In many spots the labourers
were busily employed in carrying home the corn ;
others they were cutting it or securing it from
the weather, and not unfrequently, in fields which
had been cleared, I counted more than a hun-
dred women and children spread up and down
gleaning their portion, which the husbandmen
had left them. The persons employed in this
way appeared to be in general old women, with
their grandchildren, each with a little sack hang-
ing from their middle, into which they put the
ears. All seemed so delighted with the scene,
so intent in getting a little pittance to carry home,
that any man must have envied the farmer who,
by such a trifling favour, could make so many of
his fellow creatures happy.
It is hardly possible for a native of Great
Britain to go through this, or indeed any part
of England, without feeling a secret pride and
satisfaction that it is his native land. Those who
have visited the Continent can best tell how far
the people, by their labour, industry, and enter-
prise, have raised themselves above other nations,
and made their country. the garden of Europe,
Take France, the most civilized of the European
nations, and see what a difference. France owes
almost every thing to her soil and climate ; Eng-
land owes her superiority chiefly to the spirit of
the inhabitants. In the former country you have
here and there rich plains and reclining banks
The
military roads
roads,are
covered with vines, you have majestic rivers and
splendid palaces for royalty, but all else is two
centuriesv,,retaled England.inbetihiienedxtreme,ln the
the best by far, there is a rough causeway in the
middle--the only part passable ; the agricul-
tural part of the country presents only im-
mense fields, nearly as dismal as the drear ocean,
without.:: cottage, or indeed any sign of human
life, for many miles ; and their country seats
are more like haunted castles than habita-
tions for human beings. Only contrast this with
England. The roads in general are as smooth
as a bowling-green ; the country is intersected
with hedges, or rows of trees, from which ap-
pear, at every interval, smiling cottages, ova-
mented with flowers and shrubs, and cleaner
than many Continental Palaces ; you see sheep
and cattle grazing in the fields, and
oenre.
i
signs of life and human industry. nter-
Canals a
thir ve
sect the country in almost
every
to w
thehich
seats ofh the
arles
and
Coaches are constantly passing and repassing,
many, of them drawn by horses eviteriyrecthi
X. could not find equal
country gentlemen, 1
with their extensive lawns
wide-spreading -trees,
roue inp
s, resemblle emor t enati he
grandeur in detached g
abodes of Kings than of subjects. This is no
surcharged picture,
as those who have attended
to the state of the two countries can well attest.
I have seldom been so much impressed with the
almost' perfect improvement of the country as in
passing through the district between London and
this city; and the fine weather,.
together with the
favourable appearance of the crops, has given an