' Been expected; in 
1608. 
tember. The increased number Of claimants 
for the various pfizes, and the imptoved ap- 
pearance ofthe stock shewn, afforded the most 
ample testimony of the beneficial effects which 
may be expected to arise from this institution - 
The company assembled at the fatm about 
twelve o’clock, and proceeded to view the dif- 
ferent animals, when their attention ‘vas par- 
_ ticularly attracted by two heifers, of the He- 
“sefordshire breed, which had been /atted by 
Mr. Croxon, of Oswestry, to a size unparal- 
leled in this part of the kingdom, and by a 
Devonshire bull, the property of Sir S. 
Glynne,bart. The sale of the Southdown sheep 
then commenced, which in general produced 
very good prices. Lot 17,consisting of six3-years 
old ewes, bred at Wynnstay, which were par- 
ticularly admired, was knocked down to Ed- 
ward Lloyd, esq. of Rhagat, at four guineas 
per head; of the 150 ewes which were sold, 
the average price was 2l- 15s. Some fat 
wethers from the Wyunstay flock were then 
inspected, and much admired’; they were 
slaughtered while thecompany wereat dinner, 
and their weight proved to be, 
Carcase, |b. Fat, lb. 
Two years oldSouthdown — 96—Do. 15 
One year old Ditto - 85—Do, 13 
One year old Merino _ 68—Do. 104 
_ After dinner, the prizes were adjudged as 
follow; to Mr. Rowland, of Pentre Clawdd, 
parish of Ruabon, a silver cup, for having 
ploughed the greatest number of acres with 
two horses abreast without a driver, in pro- 
portion to the quantity of acres in the occu- 
pation, in the best and neatest manner.—A 
smaller cup to Mr. Mereton, of Llywy- 
diarth, Montgomeryshire, being the secondbest, 
A silver cup for the best 3 year uld heifer 
which shall have. produced a calf this year 
and is in milk at the time of shew, due atten- 
tion being paid to the quality of flesh and 
milking, wes adjudged to Mr. Phillips, of 
Penrhos, Montgomeryshire.—A smaller cup 
for the second best to John Wynn, esq. of 
Ryton —A silver cup to the best pair of 
four one-year old shurt wool sheep, two ewes 
and two wethers, was acjudged to Mr. John 
Ellis, of Tanyclawdd, parish of Ruabon — 
A smaller cup to the second best to Mr. 
‘Denstone, of Stanwardine.—A silver cup to 
the best 1*year old sow pi, to the Rev. Ran- 
d@ai Crewe, of Hawarden.—after dinner, 
Southdown tups were Jet by auction, but 
from the lateness of the Hour did not in ge= 
neral produce as good prices as might have 
proportion to those at 
which the ewes had been sold. 
: NORTH BRITALN. 
A singular natural phenomenon recently 
took place in the vicinity of Edinburgh.— 
The fine wooded bank immediately opposite 
to’ Springfield paper-mill slipped, with a 
dreadful crash, m’o the river Esk, which 
funs at the bottom, and which it so” com- 
4 
North, Britatn: 
‘of one. 
«395 
pletely choaked up, that’ not adrop' of wa- 
ter passed for several hours.—The bank, 
which is about 200 eet in height, had dise 
covered symptoms of agitation on the pre- 
ceding day ; and for about an hour before it 
gave way, the agitation was.extremely vio- 
Jent, and the trees were seen falling in all 
directions, but when it began to move ina 
body, it was awfully grand and terrific, and 
the noise was equal to the loudest thunder. 
Vhe slip is supposed to have been gccasioned 
by water lodged in the bank, which had 
loosened it from its bed 
Married.| At Barskimming house, Ayr- 
shire, William Macdonald, -¢sq younger, 
of St. Martin’s, advocate, to Miss'Miller, 
eldest daughter of the Hon. Sir William 
Milier, of Glenlee, Bart. one of the sena- 
tors of the College of Justice 
Died.| At Merchieston, John Home, esq. 
of Keldulf, author of the tragedy of Douglas, 
84. This gentleman ip early life was a mi- 
nister of the church of Scotland, and. was in- 
ducted into a living in the Lothians, the duties 
of which he discharged with the greatest pro= 
priety. As soon, however, asit was known 
that he was the author of Douglas, he became 
very unpopular, from the puritanical spirit 
of the times, which rendered it criminal in 
the eyes of the multitude, that a clergyman 
should even read a play, far less be the author 
On this Mr. Home gave in his re- 
signation, and contented himself with the 
income of a small paternal estate. He was 
always, as fat as his means would-admit, the 
iriend ard liberal patron of meric ; and, under 
his fostering hand, many sparks of literary 
genius, that would have otherwise lain dor- 
mant, were brought to light. . One instance 
of this kind may be, mentioned. The libe- 
rated poems of Ossian would never have been 
heard of, had not Mr. Home stretched forth 
his protecting hand to Macpherson, the trans- 
lator. - Whilst Mr. Macpherson was school- 
master of Ruthven in Badenoch, he occupied 
his leicure hours in collecting from the native, 
but illiterate bards of the mountains of Scot- 
land, fragments of these inimitable psems; a 
few of them he trans'ated, and inserted ina 
weekly Miscellany, then conducted at Edin- 
burgh by the learned Walter Ruddiman.. The 
beauty of these specimens soon attracted the 
notice of Mr Home, of Drs. Robertson and 
Blair; and it was resolved by these geatle~ 
men to send for Mr. Macpherson fram his 
humble retreat. He accordingly came to 
Edinburgh, and had an interview with these 
literary characters, the result of which was, 
that he resigned his situation as schoolmaster, 
and travelled at their expence all over the 
Highlands. and collected the originals of those 
poems, which have’since been’ the subject of > 
so much controversy. - Macpherson, at his 
death, left Mr. Home 20001, as a mark of 
grateful recollection of the acts of kindness 
he 
