Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
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LEAVES FEOI THE DIARY OF A…
LEAVES FEOI THE DIARY OF A WORKING MAN. CHAPTER I,—BOYHOOD. My father was a small farmer, renting about seventy acres of land, which his own careful management rendered excellent and productive, and which is, situated in what I, at least, have always considered as one of the pleasantest spots of that pleasant county, Devon. I am the youngest of four sons, the eldest of whom took an unconquerable fancy for a military life, and who, if the fortune of war and the fatality of a tropical climate have spared him thus long, is at the present moment doing duty as a soldier in India. The other two have followed, like their father, the trade of a farmer, and are managing to make a living of it, and a pretty good living too, owing to steady industry, perseverance, and sobriety. We all received what, thirty or forty years ago, was considered a decent education. I went to school with my brothers at a little village not a dozen miles from Exeter. There I learned to write, read, and. cast accounts, and to find the latitude and longitude of a place on a map or a globe. I read in class the history of my own country and that of Greece and Rome, as then taught. Igot some small smattering of Latin from the Eton Grammar and the Delectus," and might have got more, but just as I was going into Selectee Profanis," I completed my thirteenth year, and had to go into the fields instead, to pull turnips for the cattle on a frosty morning, to go with my father to plough, to drive the cows to pasture and home again, and fifty things beside, all of which are described in Bloomfield's Farmer's Boy." But a farmer's boy I was determined not to be, it it was to be helped. Not that I disliked farming; every- thing connected with agriculture islinkedin my memory with so many endearing and loving associations, that I could never confess to that. The green lanes, the sunny fields, the bubbling, leaping brooks of my early childhood's home are daguerreotyped upon my heart, and there their pleasant images must remain so long as it shall continue to beat. Perhaps I love them more in remembrance than I ever did in reality. The very slope on the uplands, where the turnips grew on the first and only winter of my farming experience, has a cheerful aspect in my memory, connected though it be with recollections of frost-bitten fingers and shivering walks over the icebound clods in the dreary winter mornings, hours before the sun had risen. No! it was not because I disliked farming that I determined not to be a farmer, but simply because I liked some- thing else better. There was. a bookcase in my father s little parlour, with a secretary attached, in which were two or three score of volumes of various dates, well thumbed, but well taken care of too. Among these was the "Pilgrim's Progress," which I read as a real history, and which set ine a longing to make a progress of my own, which I calculated upon doing easier than Christian did, inasmuch as I had no burden upon my back, as I thought. Then there was the Spectator," which gave me an idea of life under circumstances which a farmer could never contemplate, but which I secretly hoped to witness.. Another volume was the History of Henry, Earl of Moreland," whom I loved with my whole soul, and whoae actuality it never occurred to me for a moment to question. But the book that was fatal to my notion of farming, if I ever had any, was the "Book of Trades. This volume, a small duodecimo, I surreptitiously filched from the shelf, and concealed beneath the lining of my jacket, and conned it well at my leisure. It was full of pictures, showing the different craftsmen at 11 their work, and the one that laid the strongest hold upon my fancy was a view of the inside of a carpenter a shop, in which were three figures; one was sawing away at a plank, another was planing a board, while the third was driving nails. As I had always a great inclination (and have to this hour) to be making some- thing, the sight of this picture, and the description of a carpenter's shop accompanying it, set me a longing for tools, and I began to collect carefully all that the establishment could boast in that line. Two old saws, an old jack plane, a smaller one, that had lost its edge and acquired a set of teeth, a hammer head without a handle, a few chisels in nearly as bad a condition, and a rusty leaky glue-pot, were all that rewarded my rummaging, and I looked upon them with unspeakable satisfaction. My first job was to fashion a handle for the hammer, and this was speedily accomplished, by the aid of my pocket-knife, from some old boards, which had lain for years in the hay-loft. I next managed to make a snug box for the I tools, whieh I now took under my own special protection; and, as far as oiling, polishing from rust, and sharpening on a piece of paving st@ne would do it. restored to working condition. They were my first thought of a morning and my last care at night, nor could I rest in my bed if one of them was absent from the box. My mother, who was a model for mothers and wives, encouraged me in this carefulness, and took a pleasure in directing my mechanical tendencies to purposes of usefulness. At her sugges- tion I made sundry milking-stools, hen-coops, and a water-trough, and repaired the manger, which old Double had a knack of biting to shreds for his arlmse- inent. My father, who was a man of very few words, made but little remarks upon my carpentering. He showed, however, that he was not averse from my pursuits by purchasing & paper of brads, together with gimlets and bradawls, and consigning them to my custody, just as I happened to want them. The result was a new salt-box the very next day, which I sat up late and rose early to finish, and hung on a nail by his elbow when he came into the kitchen to dinner. He de- clared it well made, as well as need be, and that 1. had made good use of the brads; said I was a good boy, and that I should drive my mother to market next Saturday. This requited me more than if he had Promised me a guinea, and there was not a happier lad in Devon than I was that day. My elder brother who had hitherto been my mother's companion on these occasions, said he could trust me with Double, and gave me full directions what to do in Exeter, and how to pass my time during the day when mother could la the early spring morning, while the stars were yet glimmering, we were all up and doing, loading the market cart and preparing for .tbe journey. Eggs butter, clotted cream, bacon, and poultry, witn certain garden seeds which my father was famous for raising, constituted our loading; and having first tekffii hearty breakfast by candlelight, we set off full two hours before sunrise for the county town. Though old Double, wbo would be put put of his pace for nobody, responded very ill to my impatience, ambling alonff at four miles an hour, we were yet beyond that part of the neighbourhood with which I was familiar before it was light, and when the sun rose, it was upon objects that I bad never seen before, and which filled me with inexpressible delight. i « Far in the distance I could see the good city of Exeter perched upon its noble site, the grey towers of the cathedral rising like transparent pillars towards hfiavpn We got into market m good time; and, after giving the horse a feed of corn, and helping my Sfr toStaplW her m«ch»di»e, I master, till fo.ur o'clock, to see the town- My savings amounted to something more than half-a-crown, and these I laid out at a. second-hand tool shop, which tempted me, in a bye street, into the purohase of near a dozen useful articles, whose use I comprehended at first sieht I got a piece of good whetstone into the Sain and fancied myself well stocked with imple- ments, 'and ready to make anything that might be WTn0thetco°u?see ef my rambles through the town, I came at length upon what was the object of my search, a SrpenS? shop, with the^carpenter and his son at work. I stood and watched them for a full hour; and, attracting the notice of the man, who asked me if I should like to be a carpenter, was invited to walk in and see as much I chose! The opportunity was not lost upon me, inasmuch as I learned to dovetan the sides of a box together, and resolved to try it the first thing when I got back. The father went home to dinner at one o'clock but the lad remain^ behind and ate his dinner m the workshop, and I running back to my mother and fetching mine, did the same. Mv new companion answered all my questions readily, and told me I might bring my tools and grind them there • he would turn for me. Before left, Mr. C— the father, said he should be pleased,to see me at any time when I came to town, an lllvltahønofwhich I did not fai to avail myself weekly for some months. ^returned home in the evening with my mother m high spirits, proud of my new tools and new friends. Mv father seeing by this time the bent of my mclma- ti4 tked me oneway if I should like to go appren- Mr C Now, there was something m this ■AZ findly.. **4 unwilling to be entirely subjected to mat, and that, too, at a distance from home; so I told my father I would consider of it. The secret cause of my hesitation, no doubt, was, that an old schoolfellow of mine, the son of Stevie Dixon, whose farm was next to ours, and with whom I had held frequent conferences of late, was, like myself, determined against farming, and was going apprentice to his uncle Whiting, a cabinet maker, of Tiverton, a pretty market town, six or seven miles oft. JNow Davio Dixon and I had been friends before we could talk; all we had and all we knew were in common, and neither of us at all relished the idea of parting for seven long years. From him I had learned that a cabinet maker ranked higher than a carpenter, and earned more money. Though this was not, quite 110 true as we thought it, it had a great effect upon me, and the sight of an elegant teacaddy, made by old Whiting, and sent as a present to Davie's mother, completed my dissatisfaction with the notion of being a mere carpenter. So I told father one night that I did not want to go to Exeter, but that I did wish very much to be apprenticed along with Davie to his uncle at Tiverton. But suppose he should refuse to take you; perhaps he does not want two apprentices," said my father. I don't know," I said, but Davie don't want to go without me, and next Sunday, when his uncle comes over, he is to bring him here and then, if you please, I'll ask him myself. When the Sunday came, Davie brought his uncle over the fields to take a cup of tea with my parents. I was too mil of my purpose to let him rest long before I put the question, whether he would take me appren- tice along with his nephew. The old gentleman laughed at my eagerness, talked about the delights of farming, and the miseries of a tradesman s life, but aonsented after all, that if I liked the business after a month's trial, I should be bound to him for seven years, if my parents had no objection. I could see that they were fully pleased, my mother especially, that I should follow my own inclination in the choice of a trade; but as they did not consider Sunday a proper time for business engagements, the preliminaries were post- poned till next morning, and we all went to church together that evening, Davie and I as merry as grigs, and leaping the stiles in our way as if there had been no such thing as care in the world. Before the next Saturday came, everything was arranged and settled for my month's trial. I packed my. clothes and tools, and early on a June morning set out with my mother, brother, and Davie, in the cart that was to take her to Exeter. When we arrived at the main road, we alighted at a little inn near C-, where we boys and our boxes were to wait for the carrier's cart to take us to Tiverton. Ours was a merry parting; we threw up our hats and hallowed after the cart so long as it was in sight, and then sat down on our boxes to await the coming of the carrier. He made his appearance in due time, and half an hour before eleven o'clock set us down at old Whiting s door, in -—street, Tiverton. The old gentleman's orphan niece, Sally Whiting, was on the look out for us at the door, and clapped her hands, and called out to the old man directly the cart stopped. The child, who was about eleven years old, was delighted beyond measure, and our new master, too, was kindandhospi- table. We had an early dinner, and then, with Sally for our guide, set out to see the town and environs. A long and pleasant walk we took on the banks of the Exe as far as the weirs, and came back home over the bridge, and up Angel-hill. (To be continued.)
v-'AUSTBIA.
v AUSTBIA. Rescript of the Emperor. VIENNA, THURSDAY. The following is a translation of an Imperial rescript which has this day been issued:— To my People,—To maintain the power of the monarchy, by a participation of all in the manage- ment of the highest questions of the State; to ensure the unity of the realm, by respecting the manifoldness of its component parts and the historical development of their several laws and rights, this was the leading idea expressed in my diploma of October 20, 1860, and which, in the welfare of my faithful subjects will still continue to be my guide. In that diploma, the right of the different people to have a share and vote in the legislature and in the administration of the finances, sure pledges for furthering the in- terests both of the subject and of the different lands, was solemnly guaranteed and established irrevo- cably. The fundamental law for the legal representa- tion of the Empire, which was promulgated in my patent of February 26,1861, laid down the form ac- cording to which this right was to be exercised, and in the 6th article of the said patent I announced that the pre-existing fundamental laws, as well those then re- vised and those which I now publish, were, all taken together and in their embodiment, to be considered as forming the constitution of my empire. To vivify this dead form, to shape harmoniously the constitu- tional structure in all its parts, was the task com- mitted to the combined free action of all my people. I cannot but remember with warm acknowledgment the readiness with which, duringa series of years, a large por- tion of the realm, following my behest, sent its deputed representatives to the capital of the empire, there to debate on and solve some important questions about the laws, the state, and its economy. Yet my inten- tion, to which I still unchangeably keep, the intention of offering to the interests of the age the sure guaran- tee afforded by a constitutional form of Government, whose strength and whose signification should lie in the free participation of all the different people in the work, has remained till now unfulfilled. A large portion of the empire, warm and patriotic as were the hearts that beat there, persisted in holding aloof from the common legislative action, endeavouring to confirm scruples about legality by acting separately, and thus finding differences of meaning in those fundamental laws which were intended in their collective form only to make up the sum of the constitution of the realm. "My duty as regent forbids me any longer to ignore a fact which hinders the realisation of my intention, that of aiming to develop a free constitutional life, and which menaces also the rights of all the nations in their very foundations; but also for those lands which do not belong to the Hungarian crown it is in the ground which at article 6 of the patent of February is designated as the constitution of the realm, that the legislative rights common to all are vested, and there only. As long as the firist condition for a vital em- bodiment of the fundamental laws, as well a clearly discernible harmony of its parts is wanting, the great work contemplated, which would assuredly bring so many blessings, cannot become reality, the task, namely, of giving to the empire a durable constitu- tional form. In order now to redeem my imperial word, in order not to sacrifice the essence to the mere form, I have resolved to aim at coming to an understanding with the lawful representatives of my people in the eastern part of my empire, and to lay before the Hungarian and the Croatian Diet, for their acceptance, the di- ploma of October 20, 1860, and the fundamental laws relating to the representation of the empire, which were made known when the patent of February^ 26, 1861, was published. Considering, however, that it is judicially impossible to have one and the same defi- nition a subject of debate in one part of the empire, while in other parts it is treated as an imperial law, binding for all, I find myself obliged to set aside the opinion of the law relating to the representation of the empire—at the same time positively declaring that, should the decision of the representatives of these eastern kingdoms contain a modification of the aforesaid laws compatible with the continuance of the empire in its integrity and power, I reserve to myself the right, before pronouncing a resolution myself, to lay it before the legal representatives of the other kingdoms and countries, in order to learn and to ap. preciate their equally important decision. I can only regret that this unavoidable step brings with it a ces- sation of the constitutional labours of the lesser Beioharath. However, the organic connection of all the principles of the law determining the united action of the Roichsrath, and the necessity for its being ob. served similarly by all, makes a disjointing of the law, and anything like a mere partial maintenance of its efficiency quite impossible. As long as the representative assembly or the empire has not met, it will be the business of my Government to take measures for those matters which cannot be deferred, and among those especially such, are to be counted those which regard the financial and economic interests of the realm. Frae and open, the path will, with a due observance of legitimate right, lead to mutual understanding, and what I confidently hope to find, a conciliatory spirit, too; one ready to make sacrifices, as soon as mature comprehension suides the judgment of my faithful people, to whom these imperial words are confidingly addressed. FRANCIS JOSEPH. Vienna, September 20, 1865."
OUR "CITY" ARTICLE. .
OUR "CITY" ARTICLE. THE London and Australian Agency Company (Limited) have issued a prospectus, with a respec- table direction. The object of the company is "to facilitate the investment of English capital in Australia, and to assist generally in developing its resources." The basis upon which the company relies for its profits may be summarised as fol- lows:—1. Interest on the money advanced. 2. Com- mission on wool sold by weekly auction. 4. Charge for storing wool. 5. Difference between the cost of borrowing money here and lending it at the colo- nial rate. The nucleus of the project is the acquisition of the business of Messrs. J. H. Clough and Co., of Melbourne, which has been established upwards of ten years, and is stated to show an average net profit for that period of no less than £33,288 per annum, derived principally from com- missions on advances and sales of wool, stock, and stations. With regard to this point, we would suggest to the promoters that they would find it to their interest to have those profits formally certified by qualified accountants, this being a course which all new companies in future will be required to adopt. The capital is £1,000,000, in 50,000 shares of Y,20 each; but the first issue is to be limited to 30,000 shares, of which 6,000 have been appor- tioned to the vendors, leaving 24,000 for allotment to the public. The report of the Bank of British Columbia to the proprietors has been published previously to the general meeting, to be held on the 3rd October. It states that the directors have satis- faction in intimating that, after paying all charges, deducting rebate of interest on bills not due, and making ample provision for bad and doubtful debts, the undivided profits amount to £ 20,078, which the directors propose to appropriate as follows, viz.:—, £ 9,375 in payment of a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per annum; £ 7,000 to reserve fund, which will then amount to £20,000, leaving £ 3,703 to be carried forward to the current half-year. Messrs. J. S. Morgan and Co. have proposed an issue of =8800 000 in sterling bonds of the Erie Railway Company, bearing 6 per cent. interest from the 1st instant. The price of issue is £ 75, repayable at £100 at the end of ten years. The bonds are to be convertible at any time within that period, at the option of the holder, into ordinary stock of the company, at the rfite of five shares of 100 dollars for every £ 100 bond. The price of X-75 is payable by instalments, as follow: £ 5 on application, X5 on allotment, X15 on the 28th of October, £ 15 on the 20th of November, £ 15 on the 12th of December, and X20 on the 15th of January, 1866. Considering that these bonds are redeemable in ten years-in 1875— at £100, the issue price of £ 75, after deducting the allowance of discount on prepayments, and the interest on the bonds from the 1st instant, is clearly reduced to < £ 60, which will therefore pay the immediate investor 10 per cent. per annum. These terms are exceedingly liberal, and bor- rowers in our markets will do well to imitate them, for money-lenders on a large scale will not, in these days, allow themselves to be confined to a mere 5 per cent. margin, while the demand for capital is being so widely and so largely extended. The Brazilian Loan is an apt illustration of the truth of these remarks. The Erie Railway is one of the most important undertakings in the United States of America, and has hitherto proved itself a very profitable one likewise. A dividend of 8 per cent. on the ordinary share capital was paid last year; and, as the traffic has largely increased since the cessation of the war, and is likely to in- crease still further, there is every probability that the dividend will exceed the per centage in the forthcoming year. This railway runs through the leading States of the Union, and joins New York, Philadelphia, and the chief towns of Pennsylvania, with Detroit, the intersecting point between the Lake-waters and the St. Lawrence on the one hand, and Chicago and St. Louis on the Mississippi, on the other. The Erie Railway is, therefore, one of the mediums by which the rich corn-produce of the Western States is transported to New York on its way to European markets; and for carrying the oil produce of the recently discovered wells of Pennsylvania, which have added so largely to the riches of that State. The total length of the railway and its branches is up- wards of 700 miles. Theshare capitalof the ErieRailway is tabulated as follows in the American share-lists:— Dols. Erie (4s. 6d. per dollar) 16,400,000 Do. 7 per cent., preferred 8,535,700 Do. 1st Mortgage, 7 per cent., re- .1 deemable 1867 3,000,000 Do. 2nd do. do. 1879 4,000,000 Do. 3rd do. do. 1883 6,000,000 Do. 4th do. do. 1880 3,634,000 Do. 5th do. do. 1888 1,002,500 That is, the share capital, m round numbers, is £ 5,000,000, and the mortgage debt is £ 3,560,000. The applications for the bonds have been very large, and they already rule on the Stock Exchange at prices from 2 to 3 premium. The payments upon the Brazilian Loan have been very heavy, and it is well maintained at 2f to f premium. A call of < £ 4 per share upon Gurney, Overend, and Co., represents a considerable sum, and had a sensible effect upon the market. The shares are at 4|, f premium. The general tone of the Money mai^~ n and prices in some instances haveslighdy g L-, en way. The funds continue to be' deprcr-ed, and Consols persist in hovering about 89 or 90, as the case may be. In foreign descriptions a. c im- provement has manifested itself here and i-tiere, but it is by no means general. The news fiom New York has infused some animation into Ame- rican securities, which are gradually improving. There is, evidently, a growing disposition, on the part of the British public, to invest in American securities. The resumption of peace, and the tolerant disposition of the leading men in America, are doing much to create confidence and stimulate enterprises of every kind. It is only reasonable, therefore, that with abund ance of money unemploy ed in this country we should be eager to participate in the profitable operations which are now springing up in the United States. Consols for money were 89'2 to ana lor ac- count, 89| to -J.
Money Market
Money Market CITY, SEPT. 26.-Thestoekma.Mets continue to ezaibit a drooping tendency, the amount of business being extremely limited. There is a good demand for discounts to-day, and no transactions are reported below 4 per cent., the Bant mini- mum. The supply of money is still limited. Consols aa-e now quoted 89t to t for money, and 89; to f for the account (Oct. 10). The official business report is as follows :-T,.iree per Cent. Consols, for money, 891'. I., f; ditto, for account, S9t. f; Three per Cents. Reduced, 87f, f. 1; New Three per Cents., 87f¡, i, 1; New Three-and-a-Half per Ceds., 94f; Annuities," 1885, 13 11-16; Bank Stock, shut; Inaia. Stock. 217, 216, 218; ditto Five per Cent. Stock, 105-1>, t; ditto Bonds, 25s prem. and Exchequer Bills, 3s dis., Is prem.— The transactions in British railway securities continue upon a. limited scale, and the tendency of the market is downwards. London and North Western stock is now quoted 124-f to ex div.; Great Western, 651;; to f, ex div.; Midland, 127 to 1, ex div. and ex new Lancashire and Yorkshire, 121 to ex div.; South. Eastern, 81 to ? ex div.; Metropolitan, 139t to i, ex div.; Great Northern, 132% to 13%, ex div.; ditto A, 151 to 152, ex div; London and South Western, 96 to 97, ex div.; Great Eastern, 48J to f; and Caledonian, 129t to 130|.
The Corn Trade
The Corn Trade MASK LANE, SEPT. 25.—A plentiful supply of English Wheat at this daj's market, but the millers being ready •purchasers, firm rates were realised for all dry sorts-; damp,' however, sold at irregular prices, and of such the market was not cleared. The currency ranged for new white at 36s to 47s; red, 35s to 443; Talavera, 46s to 54s; old white and red, 40s to 53s per quarter. Foreign arrives freely, still sales are not pressed, and for better qualities there was a good demand, but inferior met a dull sale prices ranged at 40s to 49s, and prime 50s to 54s. A fair trade in American, white realising 46s to 49s, and red 43s to 4ôs.-Transllctions in Flour were to a larger extent, and the currency ranged for best town-made at 40s to 428 seconds, 36s to 38s; country-made,30s to 35s; French and Spanish, 32s to 35s per sack; American, 23s to 29s per bar.- The firmness in the market for Barley continues, supply being moderate, with ready purchasers: malting brings 31s to 37s; distilling and grinding, 26s to 30s; and foreign, as to quality, 213 to 32s per quarter.-A fair sale for Malt: pale at 60s to 63s, and brown 50s to 55s.—There is scarcely any change in the value of Oats, although a plentiful supply, and purchases were freely made, the rates realised being for English and Irish potato, 23s 6d to 26s 6d feed and black, 19s 6d to 23s 6d Scotch, as to quality, 22s to 28s; and foreign, 20s to 26s.—The value of new English. Eye is 28s to 32s.—Beans dull of sale pigeons at 42a to 44s Mazagan, 36s to 40s; and foreign, 34,s to 38s.—Feas dealt in with caution, and more desire to sell: white and maple, 379 to 43s, and grey, 34,s to 368.-Maize is cheaper, and 29s to 33s per quarter accepted. LIVEEPOOL, SEPT. 26.—The market fairly attended. Wheat in brisk demand at 2d per cental dearer. French flour steady. Indian Corn firm: mixed, 29s 6d. Beans, on:8, and oatmeal unchanged. TALLOW, SEPT. 26.—The market is steady. Petersburg Y.C. on the spot, is quoted 46s 3d; December, 47s January to March, 47s 6d; March, 48s. HAY, SSIITHFIELD, SEPT. 26.—Mr. Charles James Easton reports trade at the following prices:—Prime clover, 126s to 135s; inferior ditto, 100s to 115s; second cut clover, 60s to 120s prime meadow hay, 100s to 110s inferior ditto, 80s to 90s; row en, 60s to 80s; straw, 30s to 38s. COTTON, LIVERPOOL, SEPT. 26.—The market strong at a Jd advance. Sales probably 15,000 or 20,000 bales. 4- HOPS, BOROUGH, SEPT. 25.-Messrs. Pattenden and Smith report the hop market very firm and a large trade doing, the colour and quantity of the later pickings being very in- different. Worcester market on Saturday was 5s to 8s dearer than on the fair day, and the hops offering low in quality. POULTRY, SEPT. 25.—For Poultry there is a brisk de- mand, with a continuance of high prices, although large quantities have again been received. Rates rule for Geese at 5s to 7s each; very inferior, 3s 6d to 4s 6d; Fowls, 2s 9d to 3s; Chickens, 2s 6d to 3s Ducklings, 2s 4d to 3s; tame Babbits, Is 5cl to Is 7d; and Pigeons, 5d to 9d; live Fowls and Ducks, 23s to 24s per dozen. Game bring stiff prices, although in plentiful supply: Hares realise 3s to 4s each prime Grouse, 3s; and Partridges, Is 6d to 2s each. EGGS, SEPT. 25.—Supply of eggs continue to fall off, and consumption to remain large. The terms realised for Eng- lish and Irish are 6s to 7s per 120; French, 4s 6d to 7s; and Spanish, 4s to 5s. The tendency of prices is upwards. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, COVENT GARBEK.— Outdoor produce continues abundant; importations of French goods are on the decrease. Apples and pears are now plentiful; among the latter are fine samples of Marie Louise, Gansel's Bergamot, and Duchesse d'Angouleme. The supply of pine-upples has considerably improved. Grapes and plums are abundant. Of Kent filberts there is a short crop, they therefore sell freely at from 80s to 100s per lOOlbs. Of good potatoes there is no scarcity, but many are diseased. Flowers chiefly consist of orchids, heaths, carnations, picotees, asters, mignonette, and roses.
A RAMBLER'S JOTTINGS. --
A RAMBLER'S JOTTINGS. PERHAPS no county in England looks more beautiful than Kent at this season of the year. The harvest elsewhere is for the most part over, but here the magnificent hop gardens, with the autumnal tint on the bine, and the golden crop on the top, which gilds it with a grandeur of nature that few other plants exhibit, were last week in their prime. Here and there also are orchards with plenteous crops of apples and pears, and nut plantations, with the yet ungathered filberts hang- ing heavily from the trees. These again are inter- mixed with green fields, on which the late summer has produced an extra crop of grass, and cattle browse with a sort of delighted appetite. The rivers Medway and Thames add much to the scenery, and the whole county, as the smoke-be- grimed Londoner passes along, looks like a Para- dise in his eyes. Men, women, and children travel on foot from London to the hop gardens in Kent, and are employed in vast numbers during the season. It is a pretty sight to see the hop-pickers at work. The pole, with hop-bine adhering to it, is felled to the ground. Each party has a separate basket into which the seed is picked. Perhaps there may be a husband, wife, and three or four children at one bine, and when they have picked that, are away to the next, &c., or it may be two or three women club together to fill their basket. It is a busy scene; almost any one can get employed, and thus it becomes an annual country trip for poor persons in London who earn a precarious existence throughout the year. They think the air does them good, and, indeed, their countenances exhibit a pleasure in the occupation. A continual chatter is going on all over the field, and the various dialects that are spoken give you an idea of the confusion of tongues-there arelrishand Scotch, North-cotintry people and cockneys, all jabbering away as if the work increased with the number of words they uttered. The pallid faces of half-fed individuals, hungry-looking children, and women in rags seem to grow cheerful under such ianuence, and is if nature had implanted new and better ideas, you do not hear so much of the vulgar, coarse conversation as is wont to offend our ears in London. I remember, however, an old anecdote, of an English traveller in France who, because at three different hotels he went to in that country he was attended upon by red-haired women, he put down in his diary that all landladies in France had red hair." Thus I may have been fortunate, and seen only the best side of the hop-pickers there may be scenes of disorder in other places, but if such is the case I believe it is the exception rather than the rule. I was told that the farmer whose hop-yard I visited was considered a good, master, and thus had the pick of the labourers. He told me that, as far as possible, morality was enforced. Lodgin gs could not be found for all, and he had two drying sheds set apart for their use; the men were lodged in one, the women and children in the other. The amount the hop-pickers gain is about 2s. per day on an average; some are so expert at it that they can make 2s. 9d. or 3s., but it is hard to make children work constantly, and parents seem to feel it so; and now and then you see the little urchins quietly slipping away from their parents' side, and join in a romp with others of their own age. Infants that can just toddle, and others unable to stand on their feet, tumble on the dry ground within sight of their mothers, who now and then go to see all is right, but, for the most part, they seem to amuse themselves, and need little care. The numbers who have gone hop-picking this year are far less than usual, and farmers have found considerable inconvenience from the cir- cumstance. This is accounted for by the extra demand for labour in London. They tell me," said the old yeoman I spoke to, that no one needs a crust in London who seeks it now, and is willing to work. I used to have good stout men who could not get employment, but now, you see, the most of them are cripples, worn-out folks, or women; and, for my part, I think they do the work better than stronger people. They can sit to it, you see, and its only like working the needle, the oftener you strike out your hand the more work you do." I was told that in some parts of the county hop-pickers were so scarce that they were employing soldiers. The crop of hops is, I believe, rather under than over the average; the bines are rather thin," as they are termed, but the seed is very fine. Now, however, that the hop duty has been taken off, it will be very difficult to get at the exact quantity grows. The price for new hops- which under the new system of drying are imme- diately in the market-is £6, .£7, X7 10s. per cwt., according to quality; so that the consumer does not appear to have benefited much by the remission of the tax. I was sorry to see so many diseased potatoes in Kent. My friend the farmer told me that one- fourth of his crop was gone, and if he had not been quick in getting them up, he should have lost one-half. "My advice to every one," he said, is, don't leave your potatoes a minute longer in the ground than you can help, and separate the diseased from the healthy ones at once." No one should visit the Kentish coast without going to see Walmer Castle. There are so many historic associations connected with that place that it cannot be viewed without interest. My readers will know that it is the seat of the Governor of the Cinque Ports, who has generally been a Prime Minister, for it has been etiquette when the post became vacant, for whoever was at the head of the Government to present himself to the governor- ship. The last Prime Minister who did so was the Duke of Wellington, and he retained it to his death. The castle itself is one of the finest feudal remains in the kingdom. It has a deep moat, now dry, in which fig-trees grow; but to reach the castle-yard, where the troops of the feudal lords used to assemble, you still have to cross a drawbridge, and then a space of 100 yards has to be traversed before the castle is reached. This is now covered with glass-and the attendant told me how this occurred. Her Most Gracious Majesty resided there for a few months in the Duke of Wellington's period, and finding it inconvenient to pass from her carriage to the castle on a wet day, ordered the present covering. When the noble duke heard of it he was displeased, only remarking, however, "spoiled the place." The next year her Majesty again intimated a desire to take up her residence at Walmer Castle for, a few days. "As your Majesty pleases," was the Duke of Wellington's reply; "but I have duties to perform there, and shall have to take lodgings in the neighbourhood." It is said that her Majesty was displeased, but took the hint, and ai did not again visit Walmer. The interior of the castle |brmgs to your mind scenes of the olden time. The Duke of Wellington's little bedroom is still shown, where he reposed on a camp bedstead with only a mattress, and without sheets. But the garden is full of historical interest. This tree was planted by Queen Eliza- beth, that by George I., and so on to every sovereign to George IV. Then one was planted by Pitt, another by Fox, and another by the great Duke of Marlborough, &c., till the tablets xecord what the Duke of Wellington planted, viz., a willow reared from a cutting from that tree that hung over Napoleon's grave in St. Helena. It does not flourish, however, like those planted by others. I heard many anecdotes connected with the Duke of Wellington's residence there, but perhaps the most characteristic of the great general was the appointment of the gardener. An old soldier, who had followed him through the Peninsular campaign, was discharged without a pension, as 1 he had not served a sufficient number of years when peace was proclaimed. He wrote to his late general and informed him of the circumstance, and the man received the following reply-" Field- Marshal the Duke of Wellington will be at Apsley-house at ten o'clock on Monday, and will see John At the ap- pointed hour the old soldier arrived, and the duke, equally punctual, met him in the hall. How d'ye do; how d'ye do," said the duke, when he recognised him. "Do you know any, thing about gardening?" "No, your grace." "Then go and learn; go and learn. Come here this day fortnight. Good day." The man hardly knew what to be about, but he went to one friend and another who told him that to learn gardening in a fortnight was impossible. The soldier, however, kept his appointment, and so did the duke, who, without preface, said, Here, go down to Walmer Castle, and take the gardener's place, 28s. a week, house to live in, and so on." "I beg your grace's pardon," said the man, "but I do not know a flower from a weed." Nor do I; nor do I," was the laconic reply. Go at once." When the old soldier arrived at Walmer Castle he found every thing prepared for him, and for some weeks he paid a man to teach him the art of gardening. At len gth itwas announced thatthedukewouldvisitthe castle, and the newly appointed gardener was all day long, for at least a week, hard at work inr reparing a speech of thankfulness. At six o'clock on a certain morning the duke took his accustomed walk through the garden to the sea-shore. As he passed, the old soldier saluted, which was acknow- ledged. He now "hem hemmed," and the duke said, "How d'ye do, how d'ye do," and walked quickly on. I'll catch him as he comes back," thought the gardener, and accordingly on his return he went boldly up, saying, I cannot express to your grace my-" "There, that'll do," in- terrupted the duke, and this was all the conversa- tion they ever had upon this or any other, subject, though his grace repeatedly visited the place. Walmer Castle and grounds are always open to the public, being Government property, and a traveller would be well repaid for going a few miles out of his way to visit it.
Cattle Market.':
Cattle Market. METROPOLITAN, SEPT. 25,-The number of Beasts is smaller than on Monday last, but the demand is very limited. Prices generally are about the same as on that day. In some instances choicest descriptions have made rather more. Sheep are more plentiful and conseauently trade is scarcely as brisk as of late, but prices are well maintained. Good Calves are scarce and dear. From Ger- many and Holland there are 3,260 Beasts, 18,230 Sheep, 305 Calves, and 30 Pigs; Spain, 50 Beasts; Ireland, 180; and 1,950 from the northern and midland counties. Per stone of SIbs. s. d. s. d. Per stone of SIbs. s. d. g. d" Best Scots, Hfd3. 5 2 5 4 Best Long-wools 6 4 S S Best Short-horns 5 0 5 2 Do. do. shorn 0 0 0 0 2nd. qual. beasts 2 8 3 8 Ewes & 2d. {jtial, 5 2 5 8 Calves 4 0 6 0 Do. do. shorn. 0 0 0 0 Pigs 3 8 5 4 Lambs 0 0 0 0 BestDns&bdss. 6 6 6 16 Beasts atmarket, 5,720; Sheep and Lambs, 32,470: Calves, 324; Pigs, 420.
The Produce Market.
The Produce Market. MINCING-LANE, SEPT. 25. Sugar: Extensive trans- actions, deliveries large, arrivals light, and prices advanc- ing ruling to-day for Barbadoes at 323 to 39s; Mauritius, brown, 28s 6d to 33s 6d; yellow, 34s to 37s; grainy, 37s to to 42s; Brazil, white and grey, 31s to 39s; yellow, 31s 6d to 33s; brown, 30s to 31s; Porto Bice, yellow, 34s to 40s; brown, 31s to 33s 6d; Cuba. Muscovadoe, according to quality, 30s to 34s; Havannah, brown, 31s to 33s 6d; yellow, 34s to 393 Florett's, 39s 6d to 40s 6d; white, 41s to 43s; native -Alet-, dras, 28s to 31s; and Jaggery, 27s 6d to 29s 6d per cwt. Re. fined Sugar actively purchase d, and 43s 6d the lowest cl-aota- tations for grocery lumps.—Purchases in Coffee readily made and rising, whilst supplies are falling off. — There is no change in the value of Cocoa since Friday, still several trans- actions in Trinidad and Grenada.— A good demand for Te? and prices firm: ruling for low to good common Cono-ou at 8|d to Is OJd; other sorts, Is Id to Is 6d; Copack and Moninf ,,no Is 7d to 2s 6d; and extra fine, 2s 8d t03s; ditto in boxes' 3s Id to 3s 3d.—Prices for Spices are fully as hi-h, and many parcels selling, consisting principally of black Pepper and of Cassia Lignea.—For Rice demand increases, and prices stiff: low to fine white Bengal brings 12s to 16s; and soft grain, 9s 6d to 12s 6d.—A more ready sale for new Dried Fruit: the terms obtained for Currants are 26s to 40s; Va- lencia Raisins, 33s to 38s; ditto selected, 398 to 48s; Musca- tels, in layers, 45s to 115s in bunch, 33s to 3S8 and Turkey- pulled Figs, 50s to 72s.'—The demand is large for Provisions, and high prices paid, ranging for Irish Butter at 106s to 122s, according to quality; fine Friezland, 124s to 126s; common to fine French, 90s to 115s; Irish Bacon, 70s to 82s American, 64s to 68s; Irish Lard, 85s to 100s; and Hams, 68s to 110s.—A fair business in Saltpetre: common to iine Calcutta brings 228 6d to 23s 6d. ♦ .■
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Ancient Trees-—The celebrated chestnut on Etna must be a thousand years old at least.. The Baobab trees of the Green Cape demand of us, accordin» *o their thickness and the number of zones in some of their branches, an age of 4,000 years or thereabouts. The gigantic cypress at Santa Maria del Tnle, six miles east of Oaxaca, in Mexico, has a circumfenmee of 124 Spanish feet. The tree must be nea-i-S C00 years old. It is historically certain that it is than the conquest of Mexico by the Soaniaids The age of the great dragon-tree at Orota^a mTmmSe, is supposed'to be 5,000 years old. These examoles are quite sufficient to prove the possibility of a compouhd plant living on without end.