FOREIGN AND MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



the principal reason for the inactivity of 

 Congress and the state legislature. 



19th. That on the 22d ult. Hon. Dr. Peter 

 Crispell, Jr., of Ulster county, who was 

 chairman of New-York Assembly Commit- 

 tee on Agriculture, in 1849, stated to the 

 discoverer, and Mr. Rutzer of the Pough- 

 keepsie Hotel, and others, that this year, an 

 unfavorable year for Maize, for the first 

 time, he had grown more than 100 bushels 

 of shelled Indian corn to the acre. When 

 the discoverer explained the principle of his 

 botanical discovery to the chairman, in Jan. 

 1849, Mr. Crispell told the discoverer that 

 he thought the information worth dol- 

 lars to him, although he had no right to use 

 it. And on the 22d ult. he pronounced the 

 preceding description of the discoveries 

 "very good." 



Hon. Judge 0. Titus, of Dutchess county, 

 used the same expression after perusing it 

 a day or two before, confirming with pleasure 

 the letters that he had written on this sub- 

 ject, to members of Congress and the state 

 legislature. 



That during the present year the discove- 

 rer has applied his system of cultivation to 

 the growing of the sweet potato in Dutchess 

 county, N. Y., and, as in all other cases, 

 where he has applied it to any species of plant 

 for the first time, his success has far exceed- 

 ed his expectations, growing them in good 

 garden soil, — without artificial heat, manure 

 or sand — in 95 days after the 21st of June, 

 more than eight inches in circumference. 



The discoverer will add, that each and 

 every individual to whom he has ever ex- 

 plained a confidential knowledge of this law 

 in nature, has admitted that to the extent 

 of their ability to judge, the undersigned is 

 the orignal discoverer. 



Said bill No. 395, for testing the practica- 

 bility, utility and value of the improvements 

 and discoveries, passed the Assembly only 

 two days previous to the adjournment of the 

 last legislature, the Senate laying it on their 

 table ; a portion of that honorable body as- 

 signing as a reason, that as the bill antici- 

 pated a conditional appropriation for defray- 

 ing the discoverer's travelling expenses, no 

 member of the legislature could be consti- 

 tutionally one of the testing committee; a 

 member of the Assembl}^ being on the com- 

 mittee as the bill passed the Assembly. 



Hon. A. J. Downing was in Europe dur- 

 ing the past season of vegetation, and Hon. 



E. P. Prentice of Albany county, President 

 of the State Agricultural Society, and one 

 of its principal founders was substituted. 

 And after the adjournment of the legislature 

 the committee agreed to examine the sub- 

 ject; for which purpose the discoverer call- 

 ed on the committee in April, May and June, 

 and again, to learn their conclusion, on the 

 8th and 9th inst., when the committee stat- 

 ed that they considered the existence of this 

 newl}'' discovered law in the vegetable king- 

 dom, "self-evident," when exhibited and 

 understood; and that as far as either of 

 them could judge, the undersigned was the 

 first discoverer of it; and that neither of 

 them had been able to detect the discoverer 

 in error in any of his various positions rela- 

 tive to his discoveries and system, nor in 

 anything that he had said on the subject. 



The committee, on the 8th inst., agreed to 

 present the subject to the New- York State 

 Agricultural Society on the 15th of Janua- 

 ry, (its annual meeting,) and solicit the so- 

 ciety to apply to the legislature to cause the 

 discovery, or discoveries and system to be- 

 come public propert)^ 



Yesterday Judge of Dutchess coun- 

 ty, said, " that there was one thing about 

 this subject that he could not understand, 

 and that was, that the discoverer apparent- 

 ly could get the recommendation of every 

 person to whom he imparted a confidential 

 knowledge of his discovery and system, 

 commending to the public, either the princi- 

 ple or the practice, or both; and as j'et, no 

 efficient legislative action on the subject; to 

 him, he said, it was incomprehensible; that 

 he could not comprehend it." 



But the people must now " come to his 

 rescue," or the discoverer must abandon it 

 again, as he did ten years ago. 



As civilised society has no law to protect 

 such discoveries, the discoverer asks of each 

 citizen who is not incredulous, some direct 

 or indirect aid, for the benefit of the human 

 race, and for the honor of the age in which 

 we live. Russell Comstock. 3Iabbctts- 

 ville, Dutchess Co., N. Y., Bee. 12, 1850. 



P. S. The reader who takes an interest in 

 this subject, (and who does not?) will please 

 attract the attention, (per mail or otherwise) 

 of some member of the legislature to it, and 

 also show it to members of the State Agri- 

 cultural Societj'. R. C." Poughkcepsie 

 American, Jan. 11, 1851. 



