IRELAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 551, 22 January 1851, Page 4

IRELAND.

(From the Times,) THE POTATO CROP. Dublin, July 30.—Some natural alarm yvas created yesterday by tho receipt in town of private advices giving a most deplorable account of the ro-appearauce of the fatal distemper throughout an immense breadth of laud iv the couuty of Galway. Up to Thursday last, one letter says, nothing can be more cheering than the prospect of abundance —crops of all kinds looked well and flourishing—but before the week closed the blight set in extensively in the potato fields, and since then it has been rapidly extending itself iv every direction. The reports this morning are conflicting. From Clare, I regret to say, they are by no means favourable, the disease having shown itself iv various districts of that county, but more especially along the western coast. " Every field of potatoes," says tho Clare Journal —" Is noyv almost totally withered and shrivelled up, presenting a most deplorable view to the spectator; but though the stalks have been thus consumed, we believe the esculent itself has as yet escaped injury, and the greater poition of the crop is in a very forward state, in consequence of having been planted unusually early this year. The bean crop is also partially affected by the blight." Further south, happily, tho prospect is still cheering, and it may be hoped that after nil the failure yvill bo but partial, and that sufficient of the crop will be spared in some quarters to cover the deficiencies elsewhere. Mr. Justice Jackson, iv opening the commission for the city of Cork, took occasion to congratulate the Grand Jury on the appearance ofthe crops, his Lordship having minutely examined their condition in the progress of his circuit:—" He thought they had a very fine prospect before them ; he thought they had great cause of gratitude to the Giver of all good, and, with regard to the potato, which was so important an article of consumption amongst tho people, the prospect yvas very fine, and, for tho harvest generally, he himself never saw it looking so promising and abun dant. The business had been so light in tho other counties that they were only five days in Limerick, instead of the usual period of 10 or 12 days; and in the county of Kerry they had scarcely two days' yvork, instead of ayveek. With regard to those districts, he certainly never saw the harvest look so well, both as regarded the potato, and grain crops. Thero was not a symptom of disease iv the potato crop, except in one small region in the neighbourhood of-Kenmare, aud it yvas a source of thankfulness—ou «he part of all persons, that, yvith the absence of the potato disease, they had tho prospect of being blessed by an abundant harvest. If it should be so, ho trusted they had seen the worst of the severe times they had been passing through." A meeting was held in Cork on the night of the 10th, when the temperance pledge was administered to vast numbers. Lord Chief Justice Dohortv (Common Pleas, Ireland) died at Baeumaris, on Sunday, the Bth September. The Lord Chief Justice (Blackburn), in addressing the county Grand Jury! bore similar testimony.;. He said, " He should hope that the prospect ofplenty which was noyv exhibited, and yvhich ho had witnessed during his progress through the South, yvould _ lessen the cause and pretext for the invasion of < properly; which, he regretted to s&, *had become so habitual in this and other parts of Ireland." From tho North, too, the reports continue satisfactory, and as yet there is no positive instance of the appearance of the blight throughout the yvhole of Ulster. The Armagh Guardian says—" The urea* ther continues fine, the tern-! perature being still unusually high, thlis forcing on the crops, and promising to bring harvest upon us almostierewe are aware. ; The oat crop looks', splendid on all good soils,: and wheat-yvill, in tnobt cases, be- a full average. -There ia, as yet, no appearance of blight in the potato crop, although. > some persons pertinaciously, assert that thoy have seen it. We ourselves; havp been 'unable to detect a single instance, although wo tavo -visited

most of the localities in this neighbourhood very recently. On Saturday, tte had a refreshing shower of rain, and some quantity has fallen since; but the atmospheric temperature remains high. Everything, of course, appears much renovated, The fields have put on airaddi* tional greenness, and the different crops appear as if determined on still Author improvement."