THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.
M met anxieta' prevails respecting, the state of the crops and the prospects Of the next harvest. It t Ireland, the Doh,71.: Evening Post assures us, " the variations; of the barometer for two months to come, must excite a much deeper interest than thcakeenest struggles of party." Another deficient crop of' wheat we'll indeed create the extremest distress in that country; where already the peasantry are compelled by hunger to plunder warehouses and corn-laden vessels. Not so intenae, but still exceedingly severe, would he the suffering of the workieg, population in Englaud and Scotland. Ascending in the scale of society, we encounter a diminution of business amd profits et' retailers, and of the great manufacturers and importers, whose cm-Joiners they are ; embarrassment of bankers and eapitaliats; end (Mr it is possible) that universal derangement of affidra coeacquent upon a suspension of specie payments by the Bank a England.
But why talk of this now ? what danger of such calamity ?— There are circumstances in the actual condition of the country which render it above all things impertant to keep this dismal prospect in view. The accounts from the provinces are daily more unfavourable. They who were most sanguine a fortnight ago, rejoicing in the hope of an abundant harvest, now reluctantly admit that in some districts the crops have been injured by excessive drought, and in others by too 11111(41 rain and cold.
" (Sur agricultural readers," says the ,lforniay Post, " are aware that of late years the wcttlier has in singularly unequal in ditrerent parts of Great Bri- tain. tIl MI former year has this heel' so remarhalde :16 in the present year. Of course the inequality of agricultural crops is properiimiate. We Iearn from the Solidi a Eng1anti, tint the pnerp,cts of kit, hoth in wheat Mid potatoes, were never latter. In Wiltshire, again, and %that seems more strange, in the Isle of V. iht, the complaint is great of the injury I•aused by evcessive drought. Twenty miles down the Thames from Lotoloth they have had no min for a Pig time. liLeil, towards the N.ortli, the kind weather we have had in seeden aaea.!aiaaa ,aaeola, alai cum eietas. The weather in Ilelmal has of late eeoe 6111111y than we have found it here."
From the fact that of late years the weather in England has be- come more uncertain than formerly, we draw another argument for repealing these laws which prevent resort to other countries for wheat ; and miother demenatration of' the ffilly of that system which professes to make England independent of tbreigners. Our immediate object, however, in quoting the paragraph from the .3forniag Post, is to show by the testimony of an unwilling witness, that there is no prospect of' an average crop—that, from different causes, the wheat has suffered in the North and in the South-cast of England. We believe it is worse mill in the West. The price per quarter in Mark Lane is from (5,a. to Sr. higher than a fort- night, ago.
Much has been said of the abundant harvest last year in Ame- rica, and the expectation of another large crop would acent to be entertained. Neverthuleas, according to the last accounts, the groin-market \t ea very then, and the price equal to about 5(18. per quarter.
In the North of Europe there are fears of scarcity ; and the Emperor of Russia has opened his ports to time reception of corn from all quarters free of duty. Will the British Goverument show like wisdom ? Will they take a leaf' out of the Autocrat's book? Sure we arc that Parliament ought not to separate without taking some precautionary measure.
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