New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-08-01
FROM SYRACUSE.
Of The y. Tribune.

lLgly CHprclOus since MAY catlc ih-Ia'n ouu
sunshine alternately during the twenty four
hours. FIVE days cut Of siS for three months past.
This DAY at early opening the sun was cut and
sty clear; soon after a smart shower set in,
which gave WAY in the forenoon to bright sun
shine, and this again was followed At u,co by very
severe rain with wisd. At ten O'clock the sun
was out, and during the afternoon 1t was
showery.
The changes indicated upon the thermometer
have been equally variable; thyoughout July
fully up to Summer heat, with an otherwise OPP
pres.ive atmosphere. These have been the
prevailing features of the weather this season in
Northern Central New-York. record kept by
gentleman Of this City for eighteen years past
shows that double the quantity OF ram has fallen
here since the first of May than at any time during
the same season for the abOye-nsmed period OF
wears. Much damage has been caused in the
country from the humid and sultry atmosphere
The interval Of sunshine has proved too short to
cure bay; some thousands Of tuns have been lost
or materially hurt A little wheat has been got
in. but A large portion of the standing crop has
sprouted also in the sheaf The prospect now is
that the wheat crop Will be pretty mucn lost in
this vicinity. But this after all is only matter OF
local interest If the entire crop of Central New
York should fail il would not affect the price OF
Flour sixpence barrel inasmuch as the aggregate
WELD is immense everywhere else. At the South
il is already harvested, and at the West 1t Is out oil
danger. Around Hamilton, including the vast
wheat district of Canada West, the crop is highly
promising Rye ana barley are thus far safe; oats
and corn are doing well. The crop Of potatoes
raised will be excessive unless the wet weather
holds on too long The statement has been made
that no first class -four will be made from the Lake
Counties wheat this year.
Tie Hon Gerrit smith lectured in City Hall
last evening to a crowded house; hts subject was
Temperance and the Educating Power OF the Gov
eminent He announced his intention OF speaking
through the States on this theme. In his address,
the speaker did not appeal to the feelings OF his
audience, but rather TO their reason and Judgment
He thought that Government, in its thousand laws,
urst keen I'D with the advance OF the people, IN
order TO make such reforms successful. Mr.. Smith
touched lightly upon some of his peculiar views OF
the powers and purposes of civil Government. i
will au0e to one of his peculiar theories, In It's con-
nection with purpose OF this noble and generous
hearted man which has rot been publicly declared
nor known beyond the circle of his intimate trends
Mr. Smith has long entertained the opinion th!t
Government should have nothing TO do with schools
or the direction Of the education of youth; he
thinks that the subject should be left to the people
then selves as their religious concerns are to De
carried out In their own way without influence or
control from any governmental authority. In his
own practice, this most munlhcent individual mas
always acted upon his convictions In this regard,
and in a similar benehcent spirit, and with the
same unbounded liberality which has uniformly
marked bis course thus far in life. In the dsposl-
ton of bis immense fortune he intends to devote
the bulk of bis property in the founding OF an In
stiiutop in his patVe State, but extending tar and
wide in its benefits, for the education OF youth.
Probably no citizen of the United States, save
perhaps the late Amos Lawrence OF Massachusetts,,
has shared more literally with his fef1ow-men the
advantages of pIincely fortune than Gerrit Smith;
and by far his greatest benefaction exceeding the
aggregate of all bis Others ia yet to be bestowed
Within few years past he has given S2o,OOO to
tie Library of the City of Oswego 500 apiece 20
500 poor women; $4,000 acres Of land In lots OF
80 acres each to cOlOred people; 80 acres each,
with $40 apiece, to 500 poor men 10000 acres In
Madison, the County where he lives 10 an Asso-
citation of young men, and upward OF SoO,OOO to
the Ant-Savery cause. OF course IN the above
named gifts numbers were interested, and they
were known to an extended circle at the time, but
his private beneactions have been on the same
scale of lberality He has given farms of good
tillage land to many poor men, and the needful
requisites to promote their cultivation. An lnnu-
neTable variety Of other calls upon him have been
generously responded 10, and he has witnessed
with infinite satisfaction the permanent benefit
conferred BY his landed gifts upon the recipients
who have settled on his acres. Although In
some cases the parties TO whom land has been
giyen-to some hundreds Of persons at time
have not always been able TO raise their homestead
upon il. OF retain its use for their own agrcul-
ttira purposes, still the aggregate DEMENT'S from
his donations of land have been very great TAR ex
ceeding the actual value at the moment OF the
lots of land respectively distributed. These noble
acts of considerate generosity are practical Illus
trations of Gerrit Smiths long cherished views OF
tie use OF property by the rich, and OF the rela-
tons Of this class to the poor, as well as evidences
of his own consistency in the opinions he has 30
frequently expressed of the accumulation OF prop
erty in tie hands of the few.
Mr. Smiths father was once an associate IN
business with the late John Jacob Astor. Ihey
dealt together largely with the Indians Of this
State early in their career, and subsequently ex-
tended their operations very far beyond It's Dor
ders Nj Smith, the father, was popular among
the Indians of the Six Nations, and before the right
of those people to sell their lands was taken
from them made extensive purchases of the tribes
in this State. On his death he left TO his son
(the present Gerrit Smith over million acres Of
land mostly situated in Northern and Central
New-York. A moiety of these acres he has dis
posed Of Among the lands which he still retains
are extensive tracts in Madison County and large
tTects in OswegO, which in view OF the prospective
growth of the City of Oswego-a place which is
receiving new start from keeiproeity-nast be-
come OF immense value. y. I. led.
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