The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-13 00:00:00

MERCHANTMEN.

French, freighted by merchants, 3, measuring 667 tons,
with crews of 42 men ; value of the cargoes, 360,000 f.
Vessels, freighted by the State, 3, measuring 1,220
tons, and with 55 men.
American, 3, measuring 840 tons, and with 39 men ;
value of the cargoes, 293,000 piastres.
English,
,8, measuring 975 tons, and with 80 men ;
value of the cargoes, 176,000 dollars.
Danish, 1, measuring 77 tons, and with 9 men ; value
of the cargo, 16,000 dollars.
Hamburgh, 1, measuring 127 tons, and with 9 men ;
value of the cargo, 18,000 dollars.
Total, 19, measuring 3,906 tons, and with 234 men.

COASTERS.
12 vessels, measuring 302 tons, and with 61 mon.

IRISH WASTE LAND IMPROVE-
MENT SOCIETY.
(From the Mining Journal.)
This society, whose successful progress we have
watched and recorded with so much pleasure, as one
among the various practical measures for the ame-
lioration of the peasantry of Ireland, was established
in 1836, under the auspices of the Earl of Devon, as
Chairman, for the reclamation of the waste lands of
that country ; great caution has been exercised in all
the progressive steps ; the estates are held on leases
of ninety-nine years, at a low rent, averaging less
than 2s. per acre, and the plan adopted was not to
speculate in farming, as at Pobble O'Keefe or King
William Town a costly experiment, which has
acted as a salutary check—but to relet the whole on
allotments of from ten to twenty-five acres, on leases
generally of thirty-one years, at rents rising gra-
dually from 4s. to 10s. per acre; main drains and
roads being made by the society, who also assist the
tenants with timber, when needed, to build their
houses. A small mountain tract was first taken from
Sir Johnjßurke, of Marble Hill, in Galway; another
in Limerick followed ; a third of considerable extent
in Sligo, highly favourable for reclamation ; and in
1841 a wild district in Connemara, along the shores
of Kilkerrin Bay, comprising 9,500 acres, was added
to their estates, making together upwards of 16,000
acres, which have become the property of, and placed
in productive culture by, the society, whilst the calls
have amounted to only 8/. per share upon 501. shares,
BALLINAKIL.—On the 12th ult , the Earl of Devon,
Sir R. Ferguson, and Mr. Wynne, accompanied by
Captain Kennedy, proceeded to Marble Hill, the de-
lightful residence of Sir John Burke, Bart., when
several leading gentlemen of the county connected
with agriculture were invited to meet them, for the
purpose of inspecting the estate of Ballinakil, on
which a very successful system of reclamation and
improvement is now carried on, and thereby afford-
ing constant employment to numbers of the peasan-
try. On the 13th the Earl of Devon, with the other
Commissioners (attached to the Landlord and Tenants'
Commission), and numerous visitors, minutely in-
spected the society's estate, and expressed themselves
highly gratified with the whole of the arrangements,
and the improvement in the condition and habits
of the tenantry the extraordinary cleanliness
of many of their cottages and homesteads, and par-
ticularly with the quantity of land reclaimed and
broughtinto cultivation, exceeding one acre and a
half each resident tenant since August, 1843. Having
addressed the tenantry and many of the neighbour-
ing farmers in the most encouraging manner, his'
given by the society
and Sir
ozgress in reclamation and
improvement Lordsrds h j
i p John distributed
Burke,
n agriculture,
fo
p e
rries
accompanying each with
a few words of valuable advice on the advantages to
themselves and their country of perseverance in habits
of industry, when three hearty cheers were given for
the Earl of Devon (chairman of the society) and Col.
Robinson. (managing director).
GLENEASKL—The estate of Gleneaske, comprising
upwards of 6,500 acres, is beautifully situated on the
south-east slope of the Slievh Gauff Mountains, which
are here about 1,000 feet above the level of the sea ;
the whole valley, which is watered by numerous
rills, as well as the lower slopes of the mountain, is
pure unmitigated peat bog, to the extent of 3,500
acres, and the remainder is well adapted to the breed-
ing of the Kyloe, or Highland cattle, of which the
society have a thriving herd. A model farm of six-
teen acres has been erected, where, upon a piece of
pure bog only two years reclaimed, may be seen as
fine Swedish turnips as can be found in. Ireland;
mangles, rape, vetches, &c., are all flourishing in the
same kind of land, while the potatoes cannot be sur-
passed either in quality or quantity. The houses of
the tenants are 30 feet long, 13 feet broad, and 8 feet
high ; the allotments surrounded with trimmed furze
hedges, and the drains marked out. The difficulties
of a new settler, during the first year, are here admi-
rably met—he works for the society on roads and
drains while his first crops are coming up, for which
he is paid Bd. per day, and 10d. per perch for furze
hedges, thus rendering him ;
al some measure inde-
pendent of the land, until it is made, by his own
Atnons,- the whole of the
smalllabou r,hotoldperrsodouccceupa roycingp.l
1,400 statute acres, not one
was without turnips or clover, or both, and some rape
and vetches in addition ; and there are generally five
or six head of cattle on each farm, and evidences
of recent draining and reclamation on the part of the
tenants were likewise apparent. The society offer a
strong stimulant for the latter, giving, a prize of 21.
for every acre reclaimed, equal to four years' rent at
the highest rate. After draining, the surface is
burned and lined, then two successive crops of pota-
toes taken, then a crop of Aberdeen turnips, and,
lastly, oats laid down with clover ; lime is too far
distant to be generally available, but limestone can be
procured, and the lowering of Lough Taalt, executed
at a trifling cost to the society, laid bare a rich bed
of marl, which is little inferior in fertilising power to
lime.' At this estate prizes were given similar to
those at Ballinakil.
KILICERRIN.—This estate is in an equally pros-
perous condition, the result of the same fostering
management as at Ballinakil and Gleneaske ; and,
upon a recent distribution of prizes there for good
farming, &c.,
before Lord Devon, Captain Kennedy,
and the principal gentry of that part of the country,
the people generally poured in as to a national festival
or great fair, arrayed in all the colours of the rainbow
—so popular is the society becoming where its ope-
rations are known, that popularity being the natural
result of a just appreciation of its increasing endea-
vours, through the able management of Colonel Ro-
binson,
to improve the condition of the people.

PERILOUS ADVENTURE. —On Saturday morning
last, a party of twelve individals, two of whom were
women with children, set out from this harbour in a
small boat, for the Lady Isle, where they intended to
wind up the festivities of the race-week with a pic-nic
on that fine little island. Here, according to their own
account, they spent the day so pleasantly, that the shades
of evening were within an hour or so of closing around
them before they thought of steering their course home-
wards. Having ultimately left the island, the fog be-
came so dense before they had proceeded any distance,
that they lost all knowledge of their track ; and, after
trying in vain to make the shore, they eventually gave
themselves up to the mercy of the wind and waves. After
beating about for several hours, in a state almost bor-
dering on distraction, they caught a
glimpse of Pladda
Lighthouse, which they succeeded in making after a
good deal of exertion. They were most hospitably en •
tertained by the keepers ; and as the wind was unfa-
vourable during the whole of Sunday, they were obliged
to remain there till Monday morning, when they set sail,
and reached this about mid-day. Their non-arrival on
Saturday night created great sensation ; and a boat was
dispatched to the Lady Isle on Sunday in search of
them ; but as it returned without having learned any-
thing whatever about them, the anxiety of their friends
and relations became most intense. Indeed, before their
arrival Testerday, all hope of seeing them alive was en-
tirely given up ; and when it at lengsh became known
that a boat like that in which they set out was observed
in the bay, the crowd that collected along the quay to
witnea their arrival waa immense,—Ayr Observer,