North Wales Gazette

TO THE EDITOR. Q-in- A ceorditil- to my promise, I gi ve you a description of Mr. Gregg's system of farm- ing-hut al!ow me first to notice an omission in my last letter, of the words or such as can be watered," which should have conle between rich feeding pastures and good meadow,"— Z, the fault was with me. All improvement is progressive; and irrigation is here and there making its appearance in Wales. Few coun- tries are better adapted to it from the natural formation of the ground, and the number of small rapid streams—the benefit ot it, on sound land is beyond all expectation and the expense, excepting where levels are to be made, is comparatively trifling. If we are to give Mr. Gregg full credit for his assertion in his letter to the Board oi Agri- culture, this nation would afford its own supply, if cultivated upon his plan. A conii- deration (as it appears that forty-two millions of money have been genl abroad within these last ten years to purchase corn) of immense importance. That Mr. Grcg-g should be zeal- ous in the cause, cannot be wondered at-not only from the opportunity he has had of Ilrov. ing by what he himself has done, tvhal others might do hut from the very Haltering appro- bation he has been honoured with, by the Board of Agriculture, as well as by the first practical agriculturists of the day. Like all others who have ventured out of thecommon track,his proceedings have been watched with a jealous eye but his practice has proved his theory to be good-as his annual debtor's and creditor's accounts which have been inspected by the Board, have shewn his profits to be great. His farm is situate at Coles, Hertfordibire, 26 miles from London consequently out of the reach of London manure—the land a very strong clay—naturally infested with surface water, but sound at bottom (which of course he has taken care it should be.) Some of it is kelil open by small flinty pebbles but great pari much given to run together, or bind,— of all others the most difficult to manage. There are three points on which Mr Gregg appears to claim exclusive merit, viz. his pre- paration for wheat—his being able to work his clav in untoward seasons—and his very sparing use of the plough. The sparing use of the plough on a tillage-farm, appears a solecism, and must be explained. That a certain knowledge of chemistry is essential to a complete knowledge of agricul- Z, ture, no one will, I believe deiiy-btit were you to tell a farmer, although he may not he a bad one, that air is the food of plants and that every time he ploughs his ground, cer- tain nutritive gases escape, and are in a great measure lost he would think yolt were talk ing in your -sleep-iiay were Professor Davy himself to tell him so, he would not believe him—but did he know as much about the matter as he does, he w-ould find it to be the case. Admitting this principle, all summer- fallowing is banished from Mr. Gregg's sys- tem. and a substitute found in his preparation for his wheat, whirh is invariably a drilled crop ofbeans-atid which 13 years experience has proved, (although it has been strongly contended that no land can be kept clean without occasional su nmer-fallowing) suffi- cient to answer the purpose.* On the same principle then, his land is never-ploughed but once in the year, and that always before Christmas—and for his wheal crop it is not ploughed at all Here again the farmer may be at fault but if he will give himself time to consider how the nature of clay is altered by compression, he will aflew Mr. Gregg merit if he can put his crops into the grouud with- out treading his clay mere than lie can avoid. In a wet-seed time do we not always iind peo- ple shake their heads and say, I, ivitat will the farmers do upon the clays ?" To Mr. Gregg I this is of little consequence. I must now state how this is accomplisned as soon as his crops are off (with the exception of the bean crop, which I said before, is always his preparation for wheat) the land is ploughed by curricle ploughs, with two horses at)rcas,tl,.c ri(ires narrow and of exact breadth, being; previously I marked out by a very simple instrument: thus it lies exposed alii winter to the frost, which gives it what Arthur Young calls that fine friable or crumbling surface, which all land ought to havt and which Mr. Gregg's possesses to such a degree as at first sight to impose upon the eye which takes it for a loamy soil. But now for the beauty of the system, which is, that when once ploughed, which from its being done as soon as possible afterharvest there is every probability of its being done when the ground is in a ood slate, the horses treadUpon it no morc-oat when spring seed-time arrives, a heavy scufher, em bracing the whole width of the ridge is drawn thro' it, (o a proper depth, by 6 horses abreast. three uoy-king in each furrow. Should any weeds appear, a drag follows, tied to the scufiler, which will draw them all to the top. The ground being now fit to receive the seed, the drill machine follows, (atso embracing the whole ridge) drawn by one horse in the near furrow—the line of traction being regulated by a draft-chain from the off-side of the ma- chine When the crop is up, and wants hoeing, the pipes by which the seed was delivered, are drawn out of the drill, and all equal number of scuffling or hoeing teeth put into their places, and in the same manner applied to the ridges and by changing the man once, an active horse will hoe ten acres in a day. Now then for the beans and wheat. The beans are drilled in rows two fcet asunder- not more than three rows on a ridge (which for this crop should be a little convex or rais- ed) and when up and of a proper height, the intervals between are ploughed, and the earth moulded up (by the plough) to the plants, its high as it will lie. Thus they receive a most effectual horseshoeing—and thus the land lies high. light, andc)ean; and as soon as the t- bean crop is off. the heavy sentner passes thro' the ridges (drawn in the same manner) loosen- ing to the depth of the formerploughing, and sufficiently leveling or slitting down the earlhed-up soil; which falls in beautiful tilth. The wheat is drilled in—the furrows opened out—and the work is done nothing more being necessary till hoeing is wanted. Thus then, from the soundness of the autum- nal ploughing—Ihe narrowness and conse- quently tliedryness of the ridges-lhe powerful action of the setifiler-I lie regular depositing oft.be seed by the drill delivery-iitid above all from the fine tilth of the land, has Mr. Gregg been able to produce a succession of ctilivilfei-ous and leguminous crops which have been the admiration of the kingdom, upon land only worth 30s. per acre, and which but for him would have still been doomed, like two thirds of the clay land in the country, to the wretched and ignominious course of two crops and a fallow 1 Of his rotations, smple menls, &c. with your permission in mv next. AGRICOLA. Cflrnarvon, June 5. Mr. Gregg's farm was uncommonly foul when he entered upon U.

To the Editor of the North Wales Gazette. r. UMBER Vf. WHEN the Britons had obtained some tem- porary relief from Rome, anti put a stop to the inroads of the Picts, it docs not appear that they applied themselves to the security of their country, by preventing any future encroach- I ments. Gildas accuses them of relapsing to their private feuds and contentions. Re- CKiserunt hostes a civibns, wee cives a suis see- leribus." There is a degree of despondency in the language of this venerable writer, as if he was distracted at the miseries of his coun- trymen, and irritated at their inattention and supiness. He characterizes them in a manner, which shows the faithful and accurate Histo- rian, rather than the plots of an Impostor. Moris nctmque continui erat genti, sicut el nunc est, ut injirma esset ad retundenda hosti- um tela, etfortis et invicla ad civilia bella, et ad onera peccatorunt sltstendenda." Such is the character given to the Britons, ] when they agree tg call to their aid au army of Saxons, at which he expresses the keenest resentment in the language of despair. The succeeding events, the dispersion of his coun- trymen, the devastations coisimitted in differ en' parts of the Island, and above all the im morality of the British Princes, and the dege- nerate state of the Church, seem to have pro- duced in his mind the most agonising feel- ings of distress—not the feelings of a person labouring to advance Popery, but chilled with horror at the unhappy state ot his own coun- try. He notices among the Britons a trait in their character, which is applicable to the oldest inhabitants of Europe. Their only re- source in case of an invasion, was, not to unite themselves together in arms, but to agree only in sending for the aid of some other nation. This w.!s the case among the Gaulish Tribes in sending for assistance to Germany against the Romans, and the same principle seems to have actuated the Britons in inviting over an army of Saxons, of whom they knew nothing more than their reputed bravery. Could any act have been more injudicially done, or could it be censured in terms suffici eritly severe ? Gildas had good reason, there- I fore, for exclaiming against such an art of imprudence 0 altissimam sensus caHginem I 0 desperabilem crudamque mentis hebetudi nem I" Instead of uniting with each other cordially and unanimously in repelling the incursions of the Picts, they called to their aid an army <of barbarians, who became more formidable limn their former enemies, and had no sooner entered than they began to plot the subjection of the whole Island. In such cir- cumstances, Gildas who had himself experi- enced alllhc horrors of the Saxon invasion, had too much reason to vent his rage and in- dmialion. With a view of awakening his countrymen to a sense of their duty and cor reeling the vices of the British Princes and Clergy, he addresses to 'them an Epistle in which he aitributes thesecalamiiies to a divine visitation for their SloIS, and endeavours to make a religious impression upon them He tirst attacks IlIe BritisÏl Princes and exposes their crimes, and applies to them a muitipti city of Texts from Scripture, toe tenor of which is invariably the same, viz. to convii.ce them thallhe neglect of religioundutiesamong Princes is the cause of national calamities, and that this was particularly (he case among the Princes of his time. How far Gildas was justified in his animadversions, will be consi- dered hereafter. Nothing could be more effectual in exciting aspiritof Patriotism, and animating ttlC Clergy to set a good example than the zeal and religious enthusiasm which pervade the whole of this Epistle. At that lime it must have been highly valuable, as containing a very considerable portion of Scripture, ably adapted to the state of (he times 111 which it was written. If we compare the description given by Gildas willi that of ftalvianus, Bisbop of Marseilles, who lived a few years before him, we shall find a very tiT -ti them France was then in a similar siluallon to Britain, and SaJvianuswasaneye-wilnessto a scene of horror, such as Gildas wit this country. They both attack their countrymen for then immo rality, and inattention lo ilieli- own security, and the former is equally, if not more severe in his animadversions than tlife latter. The Huns and other Gothic Tribes were however not so uncivilized as the Saxoiis, Niit) invaded Britain. Thej are represented as having been converted to Christianity, but differing very materially, in point of doctrine, from the tenets of the Gallicaa Church, and rather in feeled with Arianisni. Salvianus commends iheir morality, while he (hals out the most bitter inveciive against Col)ilry,tnell, and even considers the irrnp!.ion of these bar, harians as of essential service to the cause of Chrislianiiy. He wrote several Books, enli. tied, JXe gubernationc Dei, io convince his country men I hat I heir calamities were instances of divine vengeance for their Sins. lIe like- ,;ell wise wrote four Hooks,addressed to the Catho- lie Church, Ecc/est'cs cathoiica: lolo orbe diffusa' fi-oll), which many extracts might he made, in which he represents the state of the Church in the very same light in which Gildas does, but in a style still more vibient and de- clamatory. He was however called, Epis r.oporum SJII iemporis ma^ister. Like Gildas, he considers avarice a the great cause of cor- ruption, and, as far as his testimony goes, most completely exculpates this venerable British writer from the charge of calumny. Bangor. J. J.

CONFESSION OF NlCHOLSON. We learn, that on Monday, in consequence of the numerous visitors (among whom were Lord Casliercagh, Lord Camden, and Lord Robert Seymour) who welit to colifel- plate the supposed murderer, he showed re- peated symptoms of annoyance and agitation this circ-nmslauce, logether wilh the allempt to make him look more cleanly, caused his wound suddenly to bleed afresh. This hap- pened about seven o'clock in ihe evening. The hemorrhage being of an alarming nature, an express was immediately dispatched for Mr Cooper. He arrived at about eleven o'clock, and the wound was dressed. Nicholson states, that on Sunday nighl, after ihe groom lelt him, he fell asleep upon a form in the servants' hall, the room where he was accustomsd to lie: thal he awoke at three o'clock by dropping from ihe form lie jumped up, and was instantly seized with an idea, which he could not resist, that, he would murder his master and mistress: he was at this time half undressed; he threw off his waistcoat, and pulled a sheet from his bed. with which he wrapped himself up, he then snatched a poker from the grate of the ser- vants' hall, and rushed up stairs to his master's room he made directly to his mistress's bed, and struck her two blows. upon the licad she neither spoke nor moved he then went rOllnd to his master's bed, and struck him once across the face: Nlr. Bonar was roused, and from the C()I)ft[9ioll produced by the stunning vio- lence of the bow. imagined that Mrs. Bonar was then coming to bed, and spoke to that effect: that when he immediately repeated the blow, Mr. Bonar sprang out of bed, and grappled with him tor 15 minutes, and at one time was nearly getting the better of him but being exhausted by loss of blood, he was at length overpowered Nicholson then left left him groaning on the floor. He went down stairs, stript himself naked, and washed him- self over with a sponge at the sink in the but- ler's pantry. He next went and opened the window of the drawing room, that it might be supposed some persons had entered the house that way he then took his shirt and stock ings, which were covered with blood (the sheet he had left in his master's room,) went out at the front door, and concealed the same in a bush, covering it with leaves the bush was opposite the door, and not many yards from it: he then returned witnout shutting the outer door, and went to the servants-hall he opened his window-shutters and went to bed (it was not 4 o clock :) he did not sleep, though he appeared to be asleep when King came for the purpose of waking him at half past six o'clock. He stated, in the most so leron manner, that no person whatever was concerned with him in this horrid deed; and to a question put to him, whether he had any associate, answered, ( How could he, when he never in his life, before the moment of his jumping up from the form, entertained the thought of murder He can assign no motive for what he did he had ho enmity or ill-will of any kind again*' Mr. or Mrs. Bonar. » It appears that Nicholson had been drinking î a great quantity of the beer of the house dur- ? ing the Sunday and though it is not stated that he was intoxicated, yet the quantity | might have had some effect on his senses. In consequence ot Nicholson's information, « search was made for the linen, and it was found in a laurel bush close to the house, co- | vered with leaves, except two inches; the j stockings were very bloody, and Ihe shirt vvas j also rent almost to rags about the neck and j front. Nicholson, who before the confession took- I ed gloomy and fierce, and malicious, has t since that period been perfectly calm, and has I even an air of satisfaction in his countenance- He appears to repent his attempt at Istiicide, and it is not apprehended that he would repeat I it, though the watchfulness of his attendants is not on that account al all remitted. He is j al present in a tolerably fair way, but his re- 1 covery is somewhat doubtful, because it is j feared that it may be necessary to re open the wound, an operation which may be followed j by dangerous consequences Kvery thing j wlrch may tend to agitate him is studiously avoided, and as few persons as possible are admitted to see him.

AGRICULTURE. BETTWS. The soil though ill most places thin and shallow, is naturally fertile, otherwise consi- t dering the clumsy auk ward way in which it is cultivated, it would produce 110 sort of crop j whatever. Unacquainted with the mode of j farming in a more favored climate, the farm I ers are at no pains to mak« the direction of I the ridges answer to the nature of the soil, and situation of the land they never straight or raise them, nor water-furrow their ground, nor do they ever think of ploughing it till within two or three weeks of seed time.— The whole winter's industry in thus in a great measure lost the land loses iiiebenelit which it might receive from the frost and snow; and as the labour is not properly divided, but comes almost all on at one season, this circum- stance obliges them to purchase more cattle, and maintain more servants than otherwise would he necessary. The plough, which is in general used, is hut ill calculated to obviate the disadvantages that arise from unseason- able labouring. To every intelligent farmer it is an object of much importance to cletir his land of those weeds with which it is most infested, and the methods he makes use of for this purpose, are either to apply proper manure, to raise pota toes, turnip and-other green crops, or to ex eit himself in summer fallowing. Though our lands be over run with almost every spe cies of plants that tend to obstruct the growth of corn, our ordinary little farmers are either ignorant of, or despise every one of these me- thods. They plough their little fields in spring, sow them immediately, and as soon as the seed is committed to mother earth, they carelessly fold their arms, satisfied they have done their duty, and leave the event to divine providence Neither are they more enlight- ened, or more industrious in regard to the use or the application of manures. As they have been accustomed, time out of mind, to sow the grain they have raised on their own farms, no arguments can prevail with them to change their seed; and whitt is far worse, they have conceived an opinion that seed however ill- ripened and ill-dressed, however light and bad it may be, will produce a crop in every respect as good as what would have been produced by the very best seed of the country. Woods in general, and oak woods in parti- cular, are now become valuable every where. Whatever therefore relates to their improve ment must be well worthy the attention of every proprietor. A11 acre of oak wood will produce a much grealar return than would be had from as much ground of equal quality in any other way whatever. The first great ob jectto be attended to is the inclosing the great body of the wood with a sufficient fence.—~ The wood thus inclosed should, as soon as circumstances will permit, be taken entirely into the proprietor's hands, whose interest it will be to encourage the natural growth of oak, ash, holly,, and oilier valuable timber, and to plant all the vacant spaces with trees suited to the soil. Oak woods are never en- tirely out of the reach of cattle, and they ought never therefore to be permitted to enter them. As to Ihe arable and best grass grounds, the inclosing them as well as tiie woods with a sufficient fence, is Ihe first great improvement b of which they are capabie. Of what kind the fence should be, nature if attended to, -will seldom fail to direct. In high and exposed situations, hedges will not -succeed but there stones commonly abound. In the lower grounds, where stones arc not plentiful, haw- thorn hedges may he raised with advantage. But of all plants for this purpose holly pro- mises to answer best. Holly thrives every where in Wales, as in its native soil; and it makes not only the most ornamental. but likewise the ctosest and the best of hedges.— The time which it takes to raise the plants from the seed, and the expence of getting them from the nursery, is the great bar to (he general use of them. The bar might here be easily removed; the hollies which grow wild in the woods, naturally lay their own branches, which as soon as they touch the ground, freely take root. With a Utile as- sistance from art, a sufficient number of well rooted plants would soon be got, which might safely be transplanted at such an age as to. make them almost an immediate fence. Every man who depends entirely upon the produce of his fields, ought to have a( least as much land as is sufficient for affording him- self and family a comfortable subsistence, and constant employment; and if he possesses any waste land, he ought to have sufficient encou- ragement from the proprietor, for taking it into tillage and improving it. When the case is otherwise, he is under a temptation of ruin- ing his ground by over-cropping it, one of the most prevailing errors in the present Welsht system of farming. The present breed of sheep in this district may be changed with advantage. in every aitempt of this kind, however, great cauhoit is necessary. The trial should first be made with small parcels, and rather by t',e proprie- tors than by the tenants. Though the tenants are now more com- fortably lodged than they once were, there t9 still in that respect room lor improvement.—. In a country which abounds so much with slates, it may appear surprising that so few of the houses and banss should he covered with them, though there can be,nodolibt Inn in the issue they would bo found less expensive than any thatch which could be used. obstacle to the use of them for tir • j'oso at present is, theexpeuce of the timbcrVeqiiir- red. That obstacle, it will be removed. When lhe extensile and t !¡ V iug plantations ill dllferent pHis of the principa- Ii!y have grown tip, timber will he more easi- ly got. Our bad roads are a great inconveni- ence, and a great loss; and very bad they are in general, except where it is almost impossi- hie to make them so. They are much neg- lected, and never will be tolerable, it is to be feared, till either the statute labour he com- muted, or turnpikes established The people turn out to their work will) reiuctfi.ue, be- cause they do not experience the benefit of it, for by an unskilful management, the roads are worse, ralher than bet er for all they do. And the overseer,unwilling to impose a hardship on those who are generally his neighbours, or to offend them. is too easy in his duty and 011 the whole, their work is a mere fane AN OBSERVER.

His Majesty has been tranquil and comforts able in general since the last monthly report. Hair ,\oup. — Agentleinan going into a cof- fee house, east of Temple-bar, a few days since cali d for a basin of His demand was complied with, and a basin of as it was called, was placed before him. Hav- ing nearly h ushed Ins quantum, in dipping his spoon to the bottom of the basin, he lifted up something ot such a quessionable shape, that his stomach, which was of the delicate order, was a little deranged The waiter was- instantly called. the gentleman stormed, and tiie whole room was in an uproar. The cause was soon ascertained, and all investigation of the soup took place, hen to the astonishment, of all, forth from the basin was brought the- artificial curls of the cook, which had acci- dentally fallen into the pot in which the soup had b. "ii boiled Tne gentleman, of course refused to pay his reckoning,as he had asked for gravy and no. hair soup.

COPPER ORE So Id at CAMBORNE, on Thursday, June, 3. Mines. Tons. Purchasers, At pa Ton. Wli. Abraham 115 Cornish Co. £ 7 8 6 ditto 114 Daniell Co. 4 0 6 ditto 102 Brass Wire Co. TOO ditto 93 Cornish and Union 8 0 6 ditto 92 Birmingham Co. 6 13 0 ditto 97 ditto 7 8 6 ditto 89 Rose ard Daniell 12 4 0 Oatfield 84 lirifish Co. 7 7 0 ditto 74 English Co. 23 1 6 ditto 71 ditto 9 12 0 ditto 56 Cheadle W. and G. 25 17 6 Crcnver 56 Daniell Co 113 0 Dolcoath 121 Freeman Co 5 13 0 ditto 113 Rose Co. )4 6 0 ditto 105 Birming-ham Co. 4 0 6 ditto 88 Brass Wire Co. 10 17 R ditto 79 British Co. 8 2 0 ditto 76 Birmingham Co. 8 5 0 Wheal Fanny 175 English Co. 8 9 6 Tin Croft 71 Cornish Co. 6 6 5 ditto 22 Cheadle W and G. 560 Cook's Kitchen 92 English & Freeman 7 7 6 Wheal Bnssett 42 Daniell Co. 0 12 6 Wheal Music 13 Cheadle W. and G. 5 4 0 Total 2044 tons. TIDE TAnLE FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. h t J I «-/■ » 3 § s' I § h a K h S S s» ° May be crossed 3 I58? 3*5 *5 f- hours after high S?feE « S|^2 & g water, and conti- « p o u a » o nue safe. A hours. -U 0- U n /or/i iUSh HiS/l niSh ~/liS/l HiSk Holidavs Da'Js- Water Water Water Water Water Water nonaays, JuNeI T. *>. H- M. H. M. j H. M. H. M. H. M. Tk'irsday 10 49 n 42 12 24 1 12 1 32 2 12 Friday, 18 II 39 18 SO 1 10 2 0 2 20 8 0 Saturday 19 112 18 I IS I 58 2 48 3 8 3 48 Sundav .20 I 6 j 2 6 2 46 3 36 3 56 4 36 Sun. af. Trinity Monday.21 1 54 | 2 54 3 34 4 24 4 44 5 24 Tuesday 22 2 42 j 3 42 4 24 5 12 5 32 6 12 Wednesday.23 1 3 30 j 4 30 5 10 6 0 6 20 7 0 I I BANGOR: printed and Published by J. Brosler, Orders, for this paper, are received in London, Orders, for this paper, are received in London, b» Tayler and Newton, War^ick-s^uare—aM j j' White, 33, Fleet-street.