The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-08-29
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LOHu0n entertainments.
LONDON, Eng, Aug. 7, 1879.
The outlook for all persons connected
twith agricultural operations In this
Ebpuntry lis most dislnarteninE,s and
mere is. little prospect qf improyewent
! Tor If tie rest Of what is stIppoeed 10 he
summer were 90 te 4ins laiid b6f. The
change will almost Gomez TOO )Iate 10 bo
of use to the fruit or the crops.s .June
was bad, and 1t was hoped that july
would set matters right, but it is worse
than its predecessor. The long days
have been shortened by the cloudy
skies, and the warm evenings, SO en-
Ijoyable when they do come, must be
put OF until next year. People looked
to st. Swithin--or, as some pedants
call him, st. Swithun-aBd they were
disappointed. II is true that it did not
RAIN on his own day, but it has rained
nearly every day since. The old adaoe
still counts many believers but n me-
neurological observer tells usfhaf we
mnst read the proverb bsckwartlsf and
calculate upen rain II st. Swithin be
iinc, and ctse cerSd. Thus far, the new
theory appears to be justified. :, During
the long, dreary winter hopes were en-,
tertained for a fine and hot summer:
but 1t has, thus far, been wet and cold
the temperature much below the ay-
erage, and IL is not at, all unlikely that
next winter will be worse than the one
from which we have hardly ESCAPED
even in July. In London we can bear
good deal of rain, for it keeps the
grass and the foliage green; but for the
country 1t means loss of crops and
bankruptcy. In the journals specially
devoted to farming matters, hear Of
hay rotting in the meadows. or 'swent
away by the floods; potatoes decaying.
hops failing, corn sickening for want OF
sunshine and dry weather. All home
grown vegetables and fruit are late.
and produce is sent prematurely to
market because the gardener wants TO
utilize his ground and prepare for 9TH
er crops. July II" never the driest
month in the year, but the rain USUALLY
falls'n great plumps and then is over
for while, and bright sunshine soon
compensates for the heavy shower.
helping to fill out and ripen the frpit
This year it has assumed ssthe fiIidyke.u
character of February. The waters arc
"out' IN all the river valleys. biph
roads and railways are impossible, i'm
places there is no locomotion possible
except III boats or in carts. Barns and
haystacks drift away across the sunken
fields, sheep are drowned as if they
were supernumerary kittens, every-
thing assumes mud and watery a.
pect. The tired Londoner takes his
holiday sadly. For him there are no
walks down green lanes; his only ex-
citement is to watch the drops as they
course down the window pane. II is
not surprising that traders of all sorts
are heard to grumble. Storekeepers
had no spring trade, and now thew
complain of the slackness of the snm-
mer business. Ladies cannot 90 abont
in muslins and other thin attire when
the thermometer is nearer freezing
point than summer heat. 1t is n poor
consolation that the umbrella trade is
brisk, and that there is a great demand
for waterproofs.
1t is evident that both the govern
ment and the people of England are
getting very sick of the war in Africa.
which is generally regarded as an aO.
gressive war on the part of the Colonial
authorities, and one that could. and
should, have been avoided. Tins far
the British troops have won no yicto-
ries TO compensate for their defeats.
and they have already sacrificed twelve
hundred European lives, and added
toOo,000 month, for the last six
months, to the national budget. Cete-
wayo is a shrewd warrior, brave and
cunning as well as patriotic, and resorts
to all sorts of stratagems in defence of
his country and his people. And who
can blame him? He is engaged in a
life-and-death struggle in a war of self.
defence. lie proposes peace only tn
obtain truce for harvesting his crons
and is drawing the British army of nine
thousand men into the interior. burnin~
the grass before them to starye their
oxen, while his unknown hordes liz in
ambush to receive them as at Isandnla
1t Is not surprising, therefore, that the
people at home, as well as the army in
thes field, are becoming heartily dis
gusted with this miserable war of ao-
gression and of vengeance in South
Africa. General Discomfort is inicom-
mand OF the British troops in the field.
and General Dissatisfaction reivns
among the people. Should Lord Bea-
consfeid decide to dissolve Parliament
and appeal to the people, eas / Untold
ne now coniemplatss doing, revolu-
ton in the Ministry is inevitable.
The death of Lady Waldegrave has
thrown gloom over London society.
She was one of the most popular wo-
men of her time, and since the death of
Lady Palinerston, no lady exercised SO
much influence in the salon. The hos
pitaiities of Strawberry Hill were
known to all fashionable and political
London, especially among the leaders
1f the great Liberal party. Lady,Wal-
iegravc was married four times, and
achieved an access of fortune by the
lcath of each husband. She used her
wealth wisely, and never PLAYED the
part of affected fine lady. As Won
doubtless know, she was the daughter
# John Braham, the famous tenor
singer, who occupied the same position
iffy years ago that Sims Reeves does
o-day. -e~ .-.e.. ,,,,s 81
The engagement of Madame Nilsson
having terminated, the role of Mienon at
1er Majesty's Theatre has now been AS
umed by Madame Marie Roze. nm
Informed that this lady has playe,I the
-, ~<S'~fy sStSht1 dmtS Ill france,
Brussels, and America, SO that her per,
ormance is one of ripe experience. 1t
lifiers in many important respects from
hat of the Swedish artistic, and, as
comparisons are odious, shall not at
empt to say which is The correct read
ng. Suffice II that the acting and
inging of Madame Marie Roze in the
haracter are worthy of high commend
'tion at the hands of so Intelligent an
Irtist. The general performance on
was one of great excellence.
idlle. kellogg was in much better
'oice and sang very artistically as Fill
Ia, though she wisely declined an en-
'ore tor the trying polacca. The per-
ormances at cheap prices are SO sue
,essfll that it has been decided TO keep
he theatre open for another. week. A
,rief series of promenade concerts will
ollow, and at the end of September tlie
'egular autumn season OF italian t,nera