The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-06-22

h
ssco,.G1ia1-Proceed of the Hastings
| =! Court Court Iaoice Insulted by Conducted
! TNetroes- Destructionof F0aols by Fores-
8 sElectio,s.of Librarian. 81 ssa2i sE.3
I a1sg taas PETERSBURG, June 20, 1868.
1.-The farmers are rejoicing zat the change
from showery tosdry weather. Not as tits,
not only as being favorable to the operations
of harvesting; but as promoting the more
healthy maturity 9of the grain, If the old
rule should hold true-in which the great
majority Of farmers have implicit faith, and
which will continue to be accredited to the
end Of time-we mayl lock for aspell Of set
tied weather following the change of the
moon to-day. An octogenarian expressed
such q belief in my presence this morning.
OF course there mo use in arguing against
the absurdity Of lunar influences on the
weather. GsEfi, e ea&aa'524 ss.at TailG-1f :
The reports regarding the wheat crop are
so conflicting as to preclude any safe esti-
mate. being formed Of its value. Altogether
the accounts are much more favorable than
they were. % week ago. 1.-The hot sun has
FASTENED the harvest and diminished the
tendency to rust. accordingly the, harvest
is commencing several days earlier than
was at one time anticipated ;and by the
end Of next week there will probably not
be q field Of unripened grain in all this re-
gion, and little, ifany, left uncut. On some
farms in the Iieighborhood, and down the
river, the harvest has been going on for
several days:: % iz.t2'sl ..55,....2 =.
81 AS bearing on the trade of the city, bust
ness men have been looking forward with
much anxiety to the delivery Of the wheat
crop. It constitutes the chief dependence
for relief between now and the cotton sea-
son !; for though the land seeded bears but
small comparison with that of former years,
yet it is sufficient to afford important help
+ to farmers in settling their bills and giving
increased activity to trade. aN&i'8 SIS p.
The Hastings Court, which began its
quarterly term on Thursday, has been dill
gently engaged in disposing of the criminal
docket. The first day nine cases were tried,
eight of whom were sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary for terms varying from three to five
years, and the ninth to imprisonment in the
City jail. Yesterday twelve cases, all misde-
meanors, were passed upon, the parties being
sentenced to confinement in. the city Jail for
from two to six months. This is doing work
under high pressure, and as the offenders
are all. negroes, the result is considerably to.
diminish the negro majority in this city OF
the approaching election. And the bust
ness has been done by the court on its re-
constructed basis. To-day there were only
two or three convictions for misdemeanor,
the progress in the court being somewhat
retarded by one: or two tedious cases. A
soldier had been indicted for felony in
shooting a fellow soldier, but instead of the
usual punishment, he was sentenced to
twenty -four hours confinement In the Jail
and to pay fine of $50. with costs Of pro-
secution, :H.1..'.,.. -, s .s..s.Z.'s
1t Is worthy of remark that during the
sessions Of the court its dignity was twice
grossly insulted by the insolent conduct and
language of negroes, found guilty and SEN
fenced after an impartial trial.
We learn that Mr.. W. P. Davis, living
two OF three miles south Of the city, had an
incursion made. on his fowls day or two
ago by q band Of foxes. They destroyed
ninety-three turkeys, most of them young,
and nearly; half grown, Previously, MIR.
Davis had suffered depredatio ns of the same
sort from rats; and being unable to take
revenge. on the foxes, he determined to make
an onslaught on these vermin. With the
aid Of. his laborers on the, farm he succeeded
in killing 224. - *s.-s..,.
The Library Association, having lately
been thoroughly ,re0rganized, and ingene-
raj meeting elected q new board of mana
gers, the Board will this evening appoint
librarian It is understood that there are
Q great number Of applicants for the place,
which, taking into consideration the small
ness Of the salary, is painfully significant
Of the fact that many Of our young men
must beQnt Of emplpymel t, s.. = s.