Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-07-02

III,
tency to the COLONY, and his loss was their ruin
and destruction. rnry confess that there were
many captains in that age ta> theie are indeed
in ali apes) who were no soldiers: but ha, Cap
.,;n Smith was soldier, Of The rue English
stamp. who fought, not for gain or empty
prajse. but for hi country's honor and the pup
lie good: that his wit, courage. ana Success
here. WE re worthy Of eternal memory; that, ny
the mere force of his virtue aud coutage, ne
awed the Indian kings, and made Them submit,
and bring presents; thai, no'withstahdihs sucn
a stern and invincibe resolution, there was sell
dom seen miIder and more tender heart than
his was: lha, he had nothing in him counterfeit
or sIy, bur was open, honest and sincere; ana
tina, they never kuew soldier, before him, SO
free from those military vices Divine, tobacco,
dice, and oaths.
On The Culture and uses Of Potatoes. BY the Right
Hon John Sinclair, Bart. Svo. PIP. 49, 1873, BLACK
wood =.
cipaled the right honorable Barone', whose
ingenious work on what has been called IRE
lands lazy root" lies before us, Sir John SIN
clair could not have found more appropriate
motto for his pamphlet, Than, snow let II rain
potatoes" Sir John is lac advocate, not
merely of potatoes as served at the wedding oil
Ballypooreen, famed in song, where, as our
readers will probably recollect, the guests were
treated. among other deIicacies, with
"Potatoes dressed both ways-both roast ard both
boiled"
But Sir john would give us potato bread
potato meal-potato soups-?otato Puddings
potato coffee potato syrup-potato physlc
and hear it, o ye Irishmen! potato whis-
key!-ln fact, Pat, if he has but the industry 10
follow I'D half the hints afforded by Sir John
Sinclair, may soon say, like Bonitace vi his ale,
81 eat my potatoes, drink my potatoes, and
sleep on my potatoes
We shall extract the following history Of
this loot. which is given by Sir John, from
DR. William Wright Of Edinburgh In prefe.
renee to any OF the various and valuable re-
marks that occur respecting its culture, and
for which we must refer the agriculturist 10
the work itself
"The potato is native Of America, and well
known TO the Indians long before the conquest
OF Mexico and Peru. Gomaia, in his general
history Of The Indies, and Josephus Acosta, are
amongst tile early Spanish writer's who have
mentioned the potato by the Indian names
opennck, pape, and popas. CIusius, and after
him, Gerard, gave figures OF the potato plant
Gerard was the first author who gave the name
IL
followers have adopted. In 1884, Sir Waler
Raleigh, so celebrated for his worth his ,alour,
< his misfortune s,discovered tina, part Of Amer
lea called Norrmbega, & by him named VIr.
GINA. Whether the admiral was acquainted
with the potato in his voyage, or whether il
was sent to him by Sir Thomas Grenvillr, or
by MIR. Lane, the first governors of Virginia,
is uncertain. 1t is probable he was possessed
OF this root abou, the year 1886. He is said to
have given ii to his gardner 10 Ireland as
hue fruit from America, and which he desired
him to plant. in his ktchen.garden in the
spring. In August this plant howered. and in
September produced fruit; bu, so different to
the gardeners expectation, that, in an i'll
humou:, he carried the pola,o-apple to his
master. Us this (said he) the 6ne fruit from
america you priced SO highly" Sir Walter
either was, or Pretended 10 be, ignorant Of the |
matter; and told the gardener, since tina, was |
The Gaze, 10 dig up The weed, and throw il |
away. The gardner soon returned with a |
good parcel oil potatoes. Gerard, All old !
English botanis,, received seedlings Of the po-
tato abou. The year 1890, and tells Us, that il
grew as kindly in his garden as in It's native
SOIL, Virginia. The plant was cultivated in the
gardens OF The nobility and gentry early about
me year 1920, as curious exotic; and towards
The year 1854 was planted out IN the ields, in
small patches, in Lancashire. From tn. nee it
was gradually propagated all over the king,
ION, as well as in France In 1888, Suther-
and his inserted the soianum uberosun in his
fortus Medicus Edinburgensis; and il is pro.
Fable that many others in Scotland Cultivated
he potatoe in their gardens about that iimr.-I
. was not, however, grown in the open fields
n SCOTLAND TIL the year 1928, when Thomas
Prentice. day.labourer, frs, cultivated pota,
oes at hilsyii. The success was such, that (
very farmer and coltager followed his exams Ii
ne; and Tor many years past it has become "a ]
tape article Thomas Prentice, by his indus 5
ry, had saved 2ooi sterling, which he sunk for
ouoie interest. Upon this he subsisted for a
many years, AID di d at Edinburgh in 1899, $
ged sc years. This plan, thrives as we'll in
Europe as it does in Amerca. In this Island t
articularly II is quite az home; and there is @
ardly soil, but, with a little pains, may be b
'ade to produce the potato. The potato may +
cultivated in every ha5i,able part OF the
k,t.