The Press. — 1856-08-16 (London, England)

CARDWELL, M.P., at the dinner of the Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Exhibition last week, alluded to the subject of agricultural statistics :  Its simple meaning was the wide diffusion of knowledge, as to which the tenant farmer was the person particularly and specially concerned. It was his interest to know at the close of the harvest what was its true state, in order that he might consider whether he ought to carry his newlygarneree. crop to the first market, or whether, from a right appreciation of the circumstances of the time, he should reserve its sale for a more favorable period. The merchants could obtain that knowledge. For that  SATURDAY:  purpose the corn merchants of Liverpool had almost elaborate arrangements, always making journeys through the country for the purpose of ascertaiuing first the prospects and then the state of the harvest. The tenant farmer had no such agency. He must be dependent upon some knowledge to be otherwise acquired. He told them emphatically that it was the interest of the tenant farmer, far more than of any other person, to have such knowledge diffused.  There were two opinions as to the way in which these agricultural statistics should be obtained—whether by a compulsory enactment, or by the voluntary aid of the tenant farmer. It was his privilege during the short time he held office to co-operate with the tenant farmers in a voluntary arrangement for the purpose of obtaining statistical information ; and the result of that experiment, with regard to the shrewd, intelligent, and far•aeeing tenant farmers of Scotland, was that almost without exception there was, from one end of Scotland to the other, universal and unmixed success. By a voluntary co-operation of the tenant farmers, they knew the whole acreage of ground under every kind of crop, and the state of the crops prior to harvest; and at an early period after the harvest had been gathered in, an estimate was formed and published by the authority of Government, which by experience had been found to be reliable in regard to the quality and value of the crops.  FLOODS IN LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE have lately been very severe. The lowlands in the vicinity of the Irwell were completely flooded on Saturday night, and all traffic stopped on the turnpike roads. The Manchester and Sheffield Railway, in the neighbourhood of Woodhead, was also flooded, the rails carried aw ay, and the trains compelled to return to Sheffield or stop at Hadfield; one or two lives have been lost. The Yorkshire reservoir on Holme Stynes was the subject of greal anxiety, for fear of its disruption from these floods.  THE MASTER CUTLER AND COMPANY OF SHEFFIELD were on Friday week presented with the gold medal of honour awarded to the town for the excellence of its manufactures by the Paris Exhibiticn Commissioners. The presentation took place through the mayor, at the Cutlers' -hall. The Master Cutler, in reply to the congratulatory address of the mayor, said :  There had no doubt been great improvements within the past few years in the manufactures of France and other countries, but they had been unable to cope with Sheffield, and if he knew his fellow•townsmen aright, they would continue to improve as heretofore, and, with the inherent industry proverbial to English manufacturers, maintain the rank and position they had achieved. He was satisfied that the material of the articles manufactured in Sheffield was now as good as that employed thirty years ago, while the workmanship was better.  The gold medal, which was exhibited to the meeting, is very handsome and massive. It has been mounted in the centre of a plate of silver, and inclosed in an ebony frame. It is profusely ornamented, and bears an inscription stating that it was awarded to the town of Sheffield for the excellence of its manufactures displayed at the Exhibition of All Nations, at Paris, and that it was received from the hands of the Emperor of the French by Mr. Fawcett, the Mayor, and presented by the exhibitors to the Cutlers' Company. SEVERAL CASES OF DROWNING have occurred lately. Mr. J. W. Winslow, of Trinity College, Dublin, was drowned at Dover last week. It appeared that he went out in a machine, undressed, jumped into the water, and nothing more was seen of him. When the machine was pulled up it was only then discovered that he had not returned. Several hours afterwards the body was found on the beach, but life was quite extinct. Mr. Winslow was only twentyone years of age, and had given early promise of great distinction. An inquest was held on the body on the 7th inst., and a verdict of "Accidentally drowned " returned. A correspondent writing to Cue Times on the subject says the bathing ground at Dover is so abruptly deep and dangerous that every non-swimming bather runs the greatest risk, and in case of accident could obtain no immediate help from a man in the machine, as the machines are let down the incline by ropes—the ground being too dangerous for horses. At Southport, Bristol, last week, two young men, Mr. Hutstein and Mr. Jackson, were drowned while bathing. Mr. Robert Stavert, the head of a Manchester German house, was drowned on Tuesday morning, off Scarborough, while bathing. He was drowned within sight of many persons on the beach, but no assistance could be rendered him from want of boats; and at Brodrick, near Glasgow, two gentlemen, Mr. Burrell and Mr. M'Dermod, were capsized while sailing in a small boat, and drowned. A YOUNG WOMAN who contemplated suicide and yet had not the courage to commit it was saved from death in a peculiar manner last week. She designed to throw herself over Shakespeare's Cliff, but preferred walking down the cliff so far as she could, taking a dose of laudanum, and lying partly on the edge of the cliff to go to sleep and trust to falling over before she awoke. In this position she was seen by some Coast Guardmen, who immediately got ropes, went down, and rescued her. She struggled hard when roused, but was ultimately brought up in safety. She has since been restored to her friends.