48 



THE far]vij:r'S mQxNthly visitor. 



fore us] in which he is noticed as the " Caith- 

 ness Veteran," a "remnant of that army of the 

 American revolution now passing away," and a 

 " etriljing specimen of the motley materials and 

 hardy frames it was composed of" From this 

 Journal we extract the following notice of 

 M'Guinn and of the place of his nativity :— 



"This account of our veteran townsman, as 

 our readers may suppose, set our ingenuity to 

 work. In order, if possible, to trace him, we in- 

 quired of the ancient inhabitants of this most 

 venerable burgh, and were informed by Mr. Har- 

 ry Bain, one of the oldest of those resident in it, 

 that this same Samuel M'Guinn is in reality Sam- 

 uel Gowan, the son of a Mr. R. Gowan, once a 

 weaver in VVick. Mr. Bain also informed us that 

 Samuel was impressed at Leith from on board 

 the sloop Esther of Wick, Capt. Mowat, which 

 vessel belonged to his (Mr. Bain's) lather, the late 

 Mr. Alexander Bain. Sir William Dunbar, Bart, 

 father of the present Lord Duffus, interested 

 hiiTiself in order to get Samuel Gowan off, but 

 did not succeed. The Gowans were Wick folks, 

 and a brother of Satnuel's, by name John, a coo- 

 per, died in this place a good many years since. 

 This John was married to a woman of the name 

 of Sutherland, from the parish of Latheron, the 

 latter of whom, tliough now dead, has a daughter 

 by her first, and a son by her second marriage, 

 both living here. We doubt not but tliat these 

 few particulars will prove interesting to that fine 

 old stager, Samuel Gowan, or if he chooses, M'- 

 Guinn. We intend to forward a paper, contain- 

 ing this notice, to the old pensioner, to whom, as 

 well as to his young wife, we wish a long life, and 

 a happy one. It would give us pleasure to hear 

 from the old veteran, with some of his reminis- 

 cences. 



"A word or two with the American paper — the 

 Monthly Visitor. Its notice of this town, tlie cap- 

 ital of the "Far North," is most humiliating to 

 our pride. "A place called Wick, in Scotland." 

 Why, we thought that every body knew that 

 Wick was a very important place, at which one 

 of the most extensive herring fisheries in the 

 kingdom is carried on, as also that it is a Iloyal 

 Burgh, having a munioipal body consisting of a 

 Provost, two Bailies, a Treasurer, Dean of Guild, 

 and twelve Counsellors; and that it retiu-ns 

 a Member to Parliament, conjunctly with 

 Kirkvi'all, Dornoch, T;iin, Dingwall, and Cromar- 

 ty. Moreover, that it glories in a River, such as 

 it is, several Churches, a Bank, a Town and 

 County Hall, a Jail, a subscription Library, a La- 

 dies' Parochial InduHtrious Society, a Destitute 

 sick Society, a Chamber of Commerce, a total Ab- 

 stinence Society, a Press and a public Journal. All 

 these, be it reinembered, nearly exclusive of Pul- 

 teneytown. We inay add, too, that there are a 

 number of Ministers in it, two Medical Gentle- 

 men, six Lawyers, three Hotels, and twenty -one 

 Public Houses ; one professional Fiddler, and 

 neither gas light, a regular police, nor a proper 

 supply of water. To mark it more particularly, 

 however, we beg to add that it is about two miles 

 to the west of Staxigoe." 



We ought to be ashamed, indeed, that at the 

 time of our first writing, we knew so little of 

 Wick, " the capital of the Far North" of Scot- 

 land ; and we can only make amends by giving 

 the account of the Editor of the John O'Qroat 

 Journal himself 



The civilized. world is, indeed, miserably defi- 

 cient in the knowledge of other countries stand- 

 ing out of the wake of direct commercial inter- 

 course. The sight of this single number of 

 " John O'Groat Journal and Weekly Advertiser 

 for Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland," 

 near the extreme point of Scotland and its most 

 northerly islands, awakened all the fancies which 

 have been generated in perusing the poetry and 

 the prose of Walter Scott, the bewitching songs 

 of Allan Ramsey and Robert Burns. We have 

 heretofore given some account of the agriculture 

 of the county of Sutherland, of this north coun- 

 try ; and now have evidence in the appearance of 

 the respectable newspajier before us. in its well 

 written original articles and its advertisements, 

 and from the variety of local information contain- 

 ed in its columns, that the Burgh or Parish of 

 Wick is a place of sufficient importance to be 

 worthy of a more respectful notice than we had 

 given it. 



It is not however to be wondered that we, a 



fresh-water countryman of the interior of North 

 America, should have known little of Wick, when 

 the London editors of newspapers have so little 

 knowledge of our first conmnercial places as to 

 be unable to distinguish a city froin a state, and 

 should give such a designation as the "State of 

 Philadelphia." The example of the literary and 

 scientific men of Germany in procuring correct 

 local information of other nations speaking other 

 languages, is worthy of imitation by the literati 

 of England and Scotland as Well as the United 

 States of America. The Germans can present 

 more and better statistics of our country than we 

 can of ourselves— they put themselves to the 

 work of procuring accurate information. What 

 early work presents evidence of greater research 

 and precision than the Italian Botta's History of 

 the American Revolution ? 



Poudrette. 



The Editor of the Farmer's Monthly Visitor 

 acknowledges the receipt from D. K. Minor, Esq. 

 of New York,of two barrels of his celebrated Pou- 

 drette, a manure manufactured extensively in the 

 city of New York by chemical process. "This it 

 is our present intention to use in such a manner 

 as to be able to ascertain beyond doubt its value. 



The following testimonial, among numerous 

 others, would seem to be sufficient to establish the 

 character of this new manure. 

 Extract frmn a letter written by Jf'm. F. Blyden- 



burgh, Esq., dated Sinithloim, Long Island, 



Jan. 29, 1839. 



To D. K. Minor— Sir:— I have used poudrette 

 in the hill of Indian corn, sny a gill or handful to 

 each hill, with very decided benefit. The corn 

 in the same field, manured in the hill with first 

 quality hogpen manure, for the first 60 or 90 days 

 appeared to be inferior to that treated with pou- 

 drette, at least 30 per cent., but at gathering time, 

 little or no difference in the produce was percep- 

 tible. The quantity of hogpen manure, put in 

 each hill, must have exceeded the quantity of 

 poudrette GOO [MJr cent, or more. I should pre- 

 fer, for the purpose of manuring corn in the hill, 

 one bushel of poudrette to six of the best hogpen 

 manure. 



During the Unt thirty days, aflor the corn above 

 named was planted, I would remark, that the part 

 of the field treated with poudrette, appeared at 

 least 50 per cent, letter than that treated witli 

 hogpen manure. The beneficial effects of pou- 

 drette upon all spring crops are immediate, so 

 far as I have observed. On grass lands, in the 

 month of .May, it has a decidedly beneficial effect, 

 as a lop dressing. I should think 20 bushels to 

 the acre on grass would double the crop for one 

 year ; but the eflects on that crop for the second 

 year, I should deem very slight. 



W.F. BLYDENBURGH. 



From the same, dated Smilhtown, March 20, 1840. 



Dear Sir: — Agreeably to request, I send Ihe, 

 result of my use of Poudrette during the last sum- 

 mer, which confirms the opinion expressed in a 

 former communication, of its value as a fertilizer; 

 to which reference is hereby invited. (See letter 

 above dated, January 29, 1839.) 



I applied the article last summer to Indian corn, 

 melons and other vines, and ruta baga. To the 

 corn, a gill was put in the hill, against eight 

 times that quantity of hogpen manure, and against 

 five times that quantity offish manure, the latter 

 a compost of "Sting Rales" and earth, prepared 

 the previous autumn, with results much in fa- 

 vor of the poudrette, for the first six weeks; af- 

 ter which, its manifest superiority gradually les- 

 sened, until the general appearance and produce 

 of the crop, became ao nearly equal, as to discov- 

 no difference. 



To the melons and other vines, a half pint was 

 put in the hill, with as good effects as I ever de- 

 rived from any other application. 



To the ruta baga it was applied at the rate of 

 about forty bushels to the acre, by spreading in 

 the drills, with as good results as I ever obtained 

 from any other manure, in any quantity ; the tur- 

 nips being superior in quality, and yielding 400 

 bushels and rising to the acre, though they were 

 not planted until the last week in July ; which is 

 at least thirty days too late when a large crop is 

 the principal object. 



In conclusion, I would remark, that, for the 

 hills of corn, poudrette has no rival, so far as la- 

 bor and expense on the one hand, and produce 



on the other, are to enter into the estimate of its 

 value. A gill in each hill is better than a larger 

 quantity, unless the first four weeks after plan- 

 ting should prove very wet; or unless the ground 

 planted should be of a low, moist character. A 

 I>int to the hill effects the germination of the seed 

 unfavorably, owing, I suppose, to the ammonia 

 which the article contains ; anion dry, light soils 

 it is questionable whether a half pint to the hill 

 is not attended with like consequences, especially 

 in late planting. 



1 have seen a striking instance cf the goodly 

 effects of poudrette on a field of oats, applied by 

 one of my neighbors, at the rate of 15 to 20 bush- 

 els to the acre, on land of middling quality. The 

 yield was increased at least 70 per cent. 

 Respectfully, 



W. F. BLYDENBURGH. 



Wheat crop of Ohio.— By an article in a 

 late Cincinnati Chronicle, as made up from re- 

 turns from the ports of Cleaveland, Cincinnati, 

 Portsmouth, and Huion, it appears that the wheat 

 and flour exported from Ohio, during the past 

 year, has been equal to eight millions of bushels. 

 This is of course exclusive of the vast amount of 

 home consumption. The same article estimates 

 the last year's product of Indian corn in Ohio at 

 thirty millions of bushels. What n State is Ohio, 

 as shown from these items alone, when we reflect 

 that fifly years ago her territory was one vast 

 wilderness! 



Anthracite Coal Ashes. This article, which 

 in the cities has been treated as utterly worthless, 

 is lately ascertained to be an excellent preserva- 

 tive of fruit trees. It should be laid directly a- 

 round the body of the tree, after the ground has 

 been loosened and p.-iriially taken away. Coal 

 ashes, we are informed, will not only destroy and 

 drive away calterpillars, canker worms and mis- 

 chievous insects, but give to the tree new life and 

 vigor. 



THE MARKETS. 



BRIGHTON MARKET— Monday, March 23, 1841. 

 (Reported for the Daily Advertiser and Patriot.) 



At market, S6* Be«f Cattle, 15 pair Working Oien, 12 

 Cows and Calves, and 525 Slieep, and 920 Swine. About 

 400 Hogs unsold. 



Prices— Bff/ Cattle.— We quote to correspond with 

 last week, viz :— Eitra .JG 75 a g7; first quality, g6 25 a 

 S6 50 ; second quality 5 75 a gB ; third quality S5 a 5 50. 



Working Oicn— Sales S70, .<85, and 5100. 



Cows and Calves— g^i, §27 and 30. 



liheep— Lou g3, S3 75, §4 25 and g4 75. 



Sv'ine—Lots to peddle 4J for Sows and 5$ for Barrows, 

 —at retail 5 a 6. About 200 fat Hogs were at market, 

 three-fourths of which remained unsold at the close of 

 the market. 



NEW YORK CATTLE~MARKET, March 2i, 1841. 



(Reported for the Journal of Commerce.) 



At market, 674 he.ad of Beef Cattle, including 73 left 



over last week, 300 from the South, balance from this 



State— and 350 Sheep. 



The demand for Beef w.is about the same as List week, 

 at 27 cents the cwt less ; 600 taken at ,?7 a 9, averaging 

 g8 the cwt. 



Sheep were all taken at $2^ a 5| each. 



MERCHANDISE. 



From the Boston Courier of March 24. 



Southern corn, white, 47 cents bushel— yellow flat, 50. 

 Southern oats, 31. Flour, Ohio, ^4 75; Genesee, com- 

 mon brands, 494; do fancy brands, g5. Sugar, Musco- 

 vado, g6 25 a 6 40 per 100 lbs. Havana, brown, 7J a 74 

 per lb. 



Evenins Jovrnal. Coffee, Porto Cabello, at 10 a 11 ; 

 Porto Rico, 12; St Domingo, 9 a 10; Rio, 10 a 11. Cot- 

 ton, more firm and rising since the arrival of the Caledo- 

 nia. Smyrna Raisins, 4^ cents ; Lemons, gl 75 per box. 

 Filberts, 4 cents. Hides, Calcutta, drv, 85 cents each; 

 Monte Video, 14 ets lb.; Chili, hunp dried, 13^. Msdraa 

 goat skins, 24 cents each. Hops. 38 a 40 cents per lb. 

 Lead, pig, 4^. Oil, olive, gl 20 a 1 2.7 ; crude whale, 32 

 cents ; Sperm, gl per pal. Leather, N. Y. sole, lb. 20 

 cents ; u;jper in rough, 14 cents. Molasses, Havana and 

 Matanzas, 20 a 21 cts. jrall.; Surinam, 20; Trinidad, 25. 

 Rice, 3i cts per lb. Saltpetre 5^ a 6 cts per lb. Clover 

 seed, northern, scarce, 12iJ cts per lb. Herdsgrass ^3 26 

 a 3 50 per bushel. Teas in Boston market, nothing done, 

 and prices nominal, the large holders wailing for news 

 from China. Teas are quoted in New York, Young Hy- 

 son, 50 a 80; Hyson, 73 a 96; Souchong, 55 cts. 



STOCKS are becoming more and more reduced. U. S. 

 Bank at New York 16 a 17 dollars the share of SIOO.— 

 State Stocks— N. York 5 per cents, 80; Ohio sixes, 90: 

 Illinois sixes. 50 ; Indiana fives, 54 dollars for ,gl0O. 



Exchange between Boston and Philadelphia, 5 per 

 cent. dis. New Orleans, 8 per cent. Specie is worth in 

 Philadelphia, 3^ percent, more than paper. 



