The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-07 00:00:00

PORTLAND.

SFPPER OF MR. I..OVLER'S FRIENIYL —The ximper
at the Royal Portland Arms on Wedneaday la.t, was
attended by 34. Mr. Itiabe7 was in the chair. an.l
Mr. S. Smith in the vice-chair.
_

ST. JOHN'i etivitcu.—Special services will be held
during Lent in St. .John's Church, of which notices
have been published by the Rev. T. A. Ottley.
WE4LETAN Hoge MissioNs.—A meeting was held
on Thursday last at the Wesleyan Chapel, Fortune's
Well, in aid of the above missions, when the Rev.
Frederick Ewer, from Frome, was the deputation,
awl other addresses were given.
THE LOCAL Bomin.—A severe contest is expected
for the seats about to be vacated by Messrs. It. Lano,
A. W. otter, It. Flew, R. Pearce, W. White, and C.
NlitchelL Four of these gentlemen are stqlposed to
belong to the Church party, and the other two to be
neutrals, so the New School party hope to gain a seat
or two. To what end it would be hard to say, except
as a trial of strength. The members as a Board seem
to be interesting themselves specially in the matter,
for a meeting with called for Thursday evening last,
under the presidency of Mr. J. C. Lino, chairman.
The notice given was to make enquiries respecting the
mode of proceeding at the election. Printed instruc-
tions have been issued, and directions respecting
owners' claims have been fully advertised in our
columns.

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CHIEF OFFICIR Nose, of the Seatnew, had not left
Portland on Monday night.
DEATH OF THE OLDEST INHABITANT—OD Saturday
morning last died Mr. John Stone, of Staidenwell, aged
All. He was buried on Wednesday afternoon last at the
parish burial ground, Reforne.
GRATIFYING Passe:craw:go—On the 28th ult. the anni-
versary of Miss Cozens's birthday, the teachers and pupils
of the school again testified their affection and esteem by
presenting her with • claret jug and a handsome epergne
filled with choice heaths and camellias.
Wititeit.—A large quantity of wreck was washed ashore
on wodnesday last, including bottles of pickles, pork,
and beef, also part of • boat; but the stern of the latter
had been beaten out, and there was no name to show to
whom it had belonged.

TUE De.ND MIMI.; ENT. - Sixty-si:g of this fine regiment,
including 7 sergeants, corporals, and 5l privates, are
not to proceed to Gibraltar, on account of medical unfit-
ness or of their time being nearly up. They will canoe.
amently return
_pro teas. to the depot at Naas.
WARRIOR'S MOORINGS LOST. —On Friday last, 11.111.5.
Warrior went out for shot anal shell practice in the
Channel, but returned in the afternoon. When she went
to take up her masarings, which were Mowed, a Man
lattetllpte,l MI usual to fasten on the cable by the shackle;
but in tas was pelting the bolt into the shackle, the
nhip went astern, 1111.1 lulled the cable out of the niatie
hand. The mooring sank, anal a diver WU down search.
lug for it a long t tttt a, but found it on Saturday. Mean-
t' the Warrior haal to anchor off, but she is now at her
proper mooring,.
SAVING LirK.—At a meeting of the Royal Humane
Society hell at the office., Trafalgar„spaare, London, on
Tue,alay week, the bronze medallion was given to Henry
Torr, a youth of ' for saving William Curry, a private
in the Royal :11311110 Light Infantry, who attempted
suicide lay lumping into the sea at Portland Harbour on
the 17th of January. The youth saw Curry plunge into
the sea, and at onee jumped in after ham, and suceeeled
in holding I up, in spite ot his determined efforts
to drown him-elf, until they were both picked up lay •
boat.

LENT AT THE PARISH CIITIWIL—The iteCtOT, Rev. J. A.
Bezzor, an tttttt ores a special series of seriu,ol onSunday,'
in Lent oil" how t: Live a Godly anil Christian Life."
The Rev. J. M. Stack, curate, will give addresses on Suns
day afternoon.: on " Our Lord's last Sayings," and the
SUIRIAT Si bool children will be catechised. On Sunday
and Weinesday evenings special preaehers will give
sermons. MOOTS:: thOill being the Revs. R. 11. Boyer, of
Portiebead ; W. Darden, of 11.11.5. Boscawen ; J.
vaudrey, St. John's Weymouth : J. Miller, Middle School;
V. Rtnsome, Holy Trinity; S. Tidswell, The Grove ; J. A.
Beazor T. A. ottley, St. John's, Portland ; Chancellor
Dautiony, Salisbury; G. Rideotat, Fleet; F. Berry Rely
Trinity. Weymouth ; and!. M. Stack. On Good *Friday
there will be three iirwial services. These arrangements
Biwa have cost the Iritor much trouble, and we hope the
object as named in his circular will be attained—to en-
deavour to live more out of and above the world, and
nearer and more entirely to Christ."
Rowswa Bora --CACTION TO SHOPIUL/LPERS. —On
Thursday last, being the day for the half holiday. of the
Bascawen boys, four of thein went to Mr. Majors shop,
Fortundewell, and while some were purchasing two were
observed irregularly putting metallic pocket-hooks too
quickly to their destination—namely, pocketing them,
but without payment Mr. Major lo:ked the door, sent
j for the police, and gave them into custody; but we believe
I that in the evening the two thieves were restored to the
! ship to be_ punished on hoard. On the same day others
went to Blr. Latty's shop, and as he was serving some
with tobacco he had occamon to go into the hair-cuttina
room. On his return he missed a tablet of soap, and
afterwards another. One of the party offered 6d. to be
changes' in payment for two ounces of tobacco, and Mr.
Latty kept this, and threatened he would give up neither
the tobacco or the money. After long argument he
succeeded in getting them to restore one and finally the
other tablet. It b, a pity that such thieves should be
allowed to stay on board such an interesting ship as the
Soscawen, and by their disgraceful behaviour to keep
tradesmen always in jeopardy, and bring uninerite4 sus-
picion on honest sailor boys. Perhaps a very prominent
badge for meritorious lads who have not
offended would stimulate them to honesty and general
good behaviour.

-
SPELLING BEE.
The popularity of thit curious entertainment " was
Droved *t Portland on Monday evenin& when, in spite of
Du you& being shonkintir thrb, the actiostrootoetfit.

George's Retorno, was crammed to the ceiliu literally so
In one part, for the gallery at the end was crowded with
those who could scarce find standing room, and, in the
attempt to hang on anywhere, a cross girder of the ro,f
was Pull.' torn, and two forms succumbed to the weight,
fortunately without accident to limb. The audience was
much larger than the Weymouth one,,, and the front seats
were filled with the higher officials, professional gentle-
men, ali.l their families. The competitors were obliged to
be on the platform, for there was no room, elsewhere, and
this causes] some of them to shrink from fear of exposure.
The Rev. J. A. iloaror was the chairman awl interrogator;
the referees were Dr. Allan McLean and the Rev. J. M.
Stack, the chairman announced that no competitor would
be ruled out if he spelt as in Ogilvie's, Walker's, or
Webster's dictionaries. The conditions were in other
respects a. at Weymouth. About 3u competitors of both
sexes, gathered for the "open " trisl ; but the pleasure of
tim evening was commence.' hi Miss NeWIIIILII playing a
pianoforte solo in a tasteful manner.
The competitors being made to stand up, the spelling
comtnenred with eao.ty. words ; but as it roceeded,
"gneiss" " invertible, ' 'cognac," " subpsensi, (spelt by
• young person "Sabana.") " rased," "peony,' " newt"'
"pilot," retina," and others, brought competitors off
theplatforiu, "sphinx," was the subject of debate, but •
"y ii not allowable, bee, as a sheep, caused roars of
laughter when the competitor guessed it " bass" " Frieze"
caused the speller to come down from her high plaee, and
a young lady spelt "sybil" without " i." Then came some
of the wonls in more frequent use at these " bees," but
the spelling was very smoothy done till a competitor got
"lath. Supposing that he could not have been put so
easy a word, he questioned the interrogator two or three
times, and was about to give it up as an unknown word
till he asked if it were used in plastering or building, and
the puzzle became plain Other failures of the usual
kinds were made till the competitors were reduced to two,
when one of the them became either nervous or confused, .
and repeated two of the letters in "ninetieth," the last
then spelt another word correctly and the contest was
over. First, Li Is. Mr. W. T. Roberts; 2nd, 155., Mr. E.
Gibbs ; 3rd, 10s. tid. Mr. T. Woollage
The Rev J. A. Beazer then offered 7s 6d., se. and 2s. esL,
for those who worked in the quarries, but meantime Mr.
Newman sang • capital song, and Dr. Parsons a good
comic one "Oh, whore is my little wee dog i" and was
encored.

The quarrymen would not come forward, and Mr. W.
T. Roberts offered 10s. 6d., half of his prize, far a ladies'
comnetition, Mr. Beazor gave 7s. 6d., and Dr. McLean 51.
About a dozen and • half tried butt "lath," which had
posed a previous prize-winner, luccsnac "Lilt," and the
young Lily was laughed away, "skirret" was allowed to
be pauccol, and "cygnet" caused another to dive ; a young
lady could nut meet at the "tryst," and "gnu" frightened
a lady long, but she guessed it, and was right. "tiebisni,"
"paschal," and into others, lessencol the Plumber to
three; the first found her " wincey" too strong, and
indeed it is unusual, the second fancied there might
be a diphthong in "hemorrhage," and ,he put it In
"-rhurge." The prize, were :—lrinut, 10s. Tilt-
well; second, is. 61., Mi.. Keir ; third, 55., Miss
Newman,

..ilollowed sonic singing, in which Mr. Hogger was
foremost, with his " lieu Convention," which wag
vociferously encored.
•*— • -

The quarrymen still not coming forward, the rev. Chair-
man announced another series of prizes of the same value
as the but for beaten competitors ; be himself gave 75.0.1.,
the rest were from the proceeds of the evening. Here
" stationery" and "stationary," both carefully explained,
were each spelt wrong, so were " lachrymary," " typify,"
" inseparable, " bombadier (attempted as " bumbeddierl,
"sycophancy," and "phlox ;" but an elderly prison officer
was allowed to pass " picotee," as an outlandish word,
by the referees. Probably this was wrong on their part,
am the old gentleman eventually gained first prize, thus:
—First, 10a. 6d., Mr. Hookins ; 2nd, 7s GI, Robert John-
son: 3rd, be., Elizabeth A.
_Stone.

—Music followed, Mrs. McLean and Mrs. Z. Milledge
singing • pleasing duct, and Mr. flogger eliciting roars of
laughter with his "Spelling Fever." Ile was doubly
encored, and gave "Tra la la : or the Frenchman's
Wooing," and so the audience were again thrown into
ecstasies. "God Save the Queen" prevented votes of
thanks, which were justly due to the musicians, the chair-
man, &c., and then all sallied forth, convinced of the
success a the first Spelling Bee in the Island.

If we may venture a suggestion, the platform should he
half-way down the room, with the seats facing towards it
from three ways, and thus the youngsters who uere
noisy at the end would have been more satisfied and more
quiet, for it must have been quite impossible to hear the
most interesting competition—that of the ladieN at the
end of this long room.