The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-01-16 00:00:00

SHARPERS AT A HORSE FAIR.

On Teenlay evening, at the Preston Horse Fair. a
new trick WM, tried upon a Eyble farmer by three or
four horsey.l.nking swindlers. The farmer, after the
usual haggling, !sought from into of them a fine
agricultural colt, not yet shod, for .C.9' t Highly
pleased with his bargain, as the animal is well worth
C4O, he was leading his purcha, towards the railway
station, when he wan accosted by three fellows,
confederate.: .sf the seller, who were skulking behind.
These men, after pretending to criticise the colt, began
to depreciate it, and one if them offered the farmer
1:20 for it, which, f course, was refused. While this
man was engaging the attention of the fanner another
sd the gang drugged the colt, and by the time it was
got down to the railway station it was coughing and
roaring, and soon afterwards began G. roll its eyes and
stagger. Matters now looked serums, and the assertion
of one of the fellows, " that it wasn't worth a bad
sovereign," seemed Gs have some truth in it. " it's
going to"nail another. "Well, it's in a had way
for certain," said the third, "lint I'll risk it, anyhow,
and give you en if you like." I ,it while all this was
going on, the animal WM recoveriug from the effects
.4 the drug, and now seemed so mush better that the
farmer resolved to stick to his bargain ; and he wan
fortified in his resolution by a ;sib...man. who had
joined the crowd that had gathered nmtel the parties..
Eventually, however, he was indueed 4. let the
scoundrels have the colt back f..r £3O, just the amount
he had given for it, the policeman taking care to see
that he was paid in good money.

TIIE POSITION OF AMERICAN STRANGERS.
(Extract from the Spiriletalart.)

Prof etwor Lankester, the eon of the late coroner, after
two brief sittings with Dr. Slade, of it •-tew minutes'
duration e:wh, and at one of which he violently snatched
a slate out of his hands, hue taken pridintinary
atepit to prosecute this welbknown medium for obtaining
money under false Pretences, and the case—or, at least,
the Past hearing of the ease—will conic off next Monday
morning at llow.street. For fifteen year Dr. Slade luta
been before the public in America as ono of its newt
noted mediums, :mil hitter as has been the prejudice
against Spiritualism &Mond is large sect of the mildie
in that rountry, the phenomena occurring in his presence
have there been so unanswerable, and ISO well attested,
that nobody has ever been bold eneugli to call for the
intervention of the law. Mr. Simmons, his managing
partner, who has won for I self emelt restart by all who
know him in this country, ts also included in the
summons. At the present time these two Anieriean
gentlemen ere in England en node for St. Petersburg, Dr.
Slade haVine feline time sines made an engagement with
the lion Alexandre Akmkof and Prince Wittgenstein, as
tie p•presentatives in the matter of II conAi.lerahlu si.etion
f ti.. Musdan nobility, to visit that capital for the
port ,t! i,14 his lowers to the critical examine- •
thin ,4 a stitle lbw apparently by the St.
PeterOatra University. Carpenter rec, nlly wished
for a sittieg with Dr. Slade. and wan immediately invited
to attend ow. without charge; he afterwards remark,' to
Dr. sia. .1 1.1 much like to Nest the same
results in his .m.ll house, with his iften Slated and
furniture. to Wide], proposition Dr. Stele immediately
agreed. Although lb.. Stile, with his svonderfill rowers,
is mit in the habit of losing tinge by going alsmt giving
rbliffer ill din orent private bonder:, 110 fiefnpiowilly
in It friendly way, end we hope that „on, of those ad,.
' are able to speak in this matter will Voloideer to collie
forward friun the retirement of private life to give'
eviden.w. Ito gave One s,rnee. for itisti nee, free of
ch.irge, at the house Mrs. Makdetigall Cmgory, 21, Green-
xtrwt, I lrosvenor.square, at which lie had 11111 l id his own
slates or if Orllit 11,, and 100 oldalteril
manifestations there in the predence of all inflairifte
'li,.-
Is-lit-nor, a wi.lbkiiiiwu and intellectual member of the
Hoes, of Idedd. During Ids brief htuy in Leaden, he had
giVen a large her of professional seiguiys, anal in live
eases out of did to total ilisbelteliers, Vino in Very nearly
: eVery•rase Niel, lawn :ettistied that tm etilitl have nothing
to ilo with their mishit:Don. Shortly after he arrived in
I England. written invitations were sent to The Tinielo,
Shohlu,d. Dhilii :I,aes, to eacls seed a repre-
sentative free of eliarge tot, daylight eon, ; WOW Of them
accepted the otticial invitation, yet some of thew; journals
have since printed unlimited abuse of him, awl in mie or
two eta,,, Some literary men his.l s nee,
I Privately.
Professor Lankester has intimated in a lengthy letter in
the Thneo that Dr. Stud., does the writing liy sticking a
erutub oh pencil under one of his linger-nail i aiel writing
with it, also that in Mane thO writing in upon the
slate before the time that it is SUppOited VI lie produced
there. . . . . . . . .

As to what Professor Laultester witnes.vil we here
expre,s ie opiniont that iLocation will'he well Waal in
courts of law. Lot hit Lea not lean the experience of
many who may be dwicrlbed us at least his social an intel-
lectual equals, whose testiumuY be will, no doubt, have
the ',lmmure of listening to 'Tighe witneawbos. In the first
place, lir. Pilede'e tfictermails are not long enough to hold
a fragtuent 4 'viva, and if they were, the teat is not
possible tinder the cmulitionif which ordinarily I,litain at
his isUitaw. A few days ago a barrister, a trivial of Mr.
C. C. Massey, of the Temple, went to Dr. Slaile with a
folding slate which he hat just purchased at Parkins and
Gottws. Messrs. Khole awl binunous tout biro tie miture
of Professor Lankester's cbarges: thus, at it Professor
Lankaster's theory trash in 111,1 miud, lie %cot jot,/ toe
A.:once-room. anti in two minutes c.teue [nick with the slate
covered with writing filitfluifd under
showed that Professor hank...teed o:placation was ill mi
degree acidic-dile to that rase.
Mr. Lankester alter prejudicing the case by attacking
Dr. Stasi° in a daily lieWspaller. has elitere.l 40 the
611111illogle as defraude:l by Or. Slade, the liaison oi Or.
Carpenter, Notes:wt. Sitlewich, awl ~therm, in Bones
instances without their perm lab in, consaiueutly, although
he has thus associated with them hzj,ttelt it remains to
Iv seen whether thole eminent Ukelele:l.s el the Itoyal
Sou ietY accept the position. If the ;pia.* attciatt.l by
Mr. Lankester was of the 'lathe nature a, thoso at which
tuany other witnesses have liven present, Ito-toy will be
repeating itself in the spectacle of the retardation of the
progress of scientific truth by calling down tic: interval,
tion of the law.

We have been informed that Mr. lankester knows
nothing about Spiritualism, and bus had no experience as
to the nature of the phenomena.

ARICULTURAL Ruputtr FOR HAMPSHIRE
is
The year PCS having paswil :sway amid storms and
flooding rains, which up b: the present time have con-
tinued. it is important to consider the olfeet id such it
heavy rainfall :Ton the young wheat plant. We do not
recollect a Hiner season for sowing upon all sulk Hum
wits experinced in the month of Octob, 311.1 4: irly ;lan
in! November. ond no 41441114, 11341 1.11.1 dry vreathor
tinned a fortnight longer, a very lame breadth of wheat
wonld have been Sown, and the probaliility is that now
rather over till, .1131 acreage has been jolt in, notwith-
standing considerable bre:l4lllS of land niter root.. (odd,
&c., are still 1111211/WII, 31141 will 11144:1t likely be sown with
Lent corn in the spring. r,scept in moue caw, where 11.,
hillet WM badly plum:lied and furrowed upon strong soil,'
the plant of wheat is gnoel, and uninjured at present. ft
!Limit be remembered, however, that a contilll111111:4 of rainy
weather nosy lei attended with seri.Uel coniequence,i, par-
ticularly in those C 3.41.41 where the floods haven covered the
arable land for days tosicther.

Since our last report the thrtatniaa shown of fat cattle
have been held, and have been well supplied with excel-
lent ',Waco( the usual quality produced at the period-
At the great show* of the inetroptilis and Birmingham the
anick has been no better than tits average of the past
twenty years, for the aimple resent that it is it va,ssible
to produce better annuals, and it may lie .lillicith in the
future to prolivee them in the ,Vilo perfection :is at pre-
sent, whether as relates to tile our,, brood', 'Jr -reigns
either of cattle, cheep, or pigs ; hut it must not be.
suppenedthat the public interest or benefit will subsi.ls.
because we know that a large number of farmers era con-
tinually mitering into the occupation of kiwi to whom
these exhibitions teach valuable ideas uoh to be learnt-
elsewhere or in any other way. Tt intsct he obaerved the
excessive rainfall will not be ntthaut advantages, for we
have every ressou to ezlon that the water meadows will
be greatly benefittsai by the Weals, arid are likely to pro.
duce wail; and abundant crow of graze, and, this will lilt
tiosdrable and enable many of the hill fanners to
iaiku nip for OM deficient root crop. in referring tin the
ellseep Atork f this county we tied that the early lambitil
her,,,al ewes kept on the vale furtive have prial,wel
early and vs !!!!!! mous fall of healthy lambs, not it lacy
said that this anal: ham not been more ad nantageouslY
kept n. to the present for many yeti, rho .inic may la.
end of the early Doraet I ',ma,. which have one half
fobbed lambing, except thal, We find them are it larger.
her of 'wren thrall usual in flocks of this laved.
Let us hots, 1,144 a equally good results will be realised in
the lluctn; or Illanuabire !Wand on. the hill fame, now
;shout tn begin lambing. We limn, however, lately himrd.
many aerions complaints from the hill farmers, who nay
that this breed of sheep are not the rent-paying and the
',rentable breeding flocks which they require ;moue-
queue,, scene are giving up a breeding flock, staiang that
PO per cent, of lambs cannot pay:tuore lairticularly when
this stock is subject to such aericw; and nevere looms in
the spring months. Others are beginning to see the
necessity of change, ani: are crossing the Ilampshiree with
Cotnwolfis or Oxfard Downs: and if the prejudices and
fashionz in iarming were not to strongly rootod, the crone.
n, would extend rapidly, WO it is quite impossilde tat
deny that much greater numhenv of healthier lambs would
be reared, and the old idea of Out being able to sell creel-
bred lambs has entirely panned away, as they we now
much sought for at all the fairs in our county. We are
glad to report that horned cattle are healthy throughout
the county ; sheep are, however, vary mach affected with
foot rot and lameness, brbught on by continued wet
weather, and in meat MOM the fatting ^heel, have made
but little the past two months.
Jfkol,2•ll BLUNDSLL, Laud agent
datitiary 10th. Southampton.

Vitl. full military and civic ceremony the Puke el
sl,,yiberough Wolusielity entered Dublin, to, &atom
foreivlly the Viceroy:tett, iif Ireland. Thi V/4.1, &net!
A fog iii,troy the picturesque elect of the us vs]
reception off Kingston.
CURES OF ASITHIII Ti 4 AND elniel lii Dic.
Li/Cfelee l'l'LMONAtWuryi..,._Mr.!tfrilirine
Warehouse emit, writes " Instanms are (pan
time to time occurring, which prove the value if these
Wafers above all other medicines for nnt,”"n,d7
ixtkaoe, coMe, kr.- They Instantly relieve
asthma, consumption, c, iughs, colds, wont, rheurnittisin,
and all 11,11.11 US pains. They taste pleasantly. Sold by
all Druggists at I.s. lad., 2s. 6d., 4A. CaL, and lls. per
box.

lIIRTIV4.

_ .
Jammu I, 4 liwerusoi;;ne, the wife Mr. Now,
of a Fon.

- .
January h. at IL Wellingtnn-terrace, AVvyni..oth,
wife nf the Itcr. I. Bailey, 11. A.. Baptist nunkter.
daughter
JanuarY 14. at Illaudford, the wife 14 Alr. A red hat
of won

January I, rit 1.11115p.11 Fort, I'ortu,,, I. ihe
Serigesnt Mae Veigh, of a .huighter.
January 9, at Durngate.strvet, Durchm. ter, the wife 01
Mr. E. Mreoillairy. of a claughter.
January H, at Charleastreet, Dorchester, the wife 0'
Mr. F. Balhara of twin daughters.

MARRIAGES.
January le, at Great Toiler, Bonet, by the Her. F. W
Janvrin, Frank E. Pope, son of the late Froneim Pope, of
Chrtfrorne, to Fanny, younger daughter of the late
&heard Pope, of Great Toiler.
December IS, at Wyke C'hurch, by the Rev. 11.
14.'"u' Mr. ehlrk* iittway, yeoman, ihrnalrnab of
H.M.S. &m to
erman, to Flora Carter, .lest daughter
of Mr. Robert Carter, eymouth.

- - -
DEATHS.
.laneary I, at St hiary.stresit,
IoW of the Lite Mr. fi. If. ltassell, aged .7.
Jeer try I, sit „ti, St. Thomum-street, Weymouth,M.
the ...wood dati,Jiter 4 Mr. T. Ifaw tiohol„urer,
„January 7, at S 'lath Thonia.„ .1 do.
..ged
Jamiary C, at 1,...u5t StA•kot. Shrali id,onZe. A 4,1
January 9, at Kit/gland-0m,., I,ringtleet,
Mabel. daughter of Mr. M. StetiMridge, aged six
January le, et lnec ood's Faros.
Harnhull.ol bronchitis.
Jaue. Wife of Mr. Ambrose Andrews, aged 67.
To (A3attraeOnDiists.--Each announcement un.h7 th:
headings must he authentimted by the name andddrrM
the sender.

L.II,

Printed And Published at S, High.odreet West, Dorchester
in the pariah of Holy Trinity. by Gee. Itaseeux, of the
pariah of All Saints. Dorchester. for the Proprietor.

Tuesday, January 16, VAT.