The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-04-25 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

DORCHESTER, TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1865.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

QUEEN after saying farewell to her
illustrious visitor, the King of the Belgians, at
Windsor station, set out, attended by the junior
branches of the Royal family, fot Osbotne, on
the following day. Her Majesty, it is under-
stood, leaves for Scotland at a much earlier
period than usual, having to pay a visit to
Germany in August, one object of which, besides
the inauguration of the late Prince Consort's
monument, is said to refer to the contraction of
another Royal marriage for the next in succes-
sion of Her Majesty's daughters, to her second
cousin the Prince Royal, of Hanover. The
King of the Belgians, notwithstanding his ad-
vanoed age and occasional indisposition, would
appear to have suffered none in health by his
residence amongst us; he crossed the Windsof
railway platform as sprightly as a youth,
returning the bows and salutations that greeted
him; and he stood out the three howls railway
run to Ifolkestone and Bovet sO well, that at
the hitter place he walked front the static% to
the Pier Hotel, where hi slept or the night,
embarlring .for Antwerp on the following morn-
ing. Yet it is since reported from Brussels that
the Xing is again unwell, and suffering from an
attack of bronchitis, with great prostration.
—The Czarewitch, the heir to the Russian
Crown, is lying dangerously ill at Nice, attended
by the Empress, and even by the Emperor, who
passed through Paris last Wednesday, and
reached Nice by rail the next day. This sick-
bed scene of family &Motion, levelling the
autocrats of the earth to the common lbt of
humanity, excites the universal pity and Coin-
miseration in proptirtion as the sufferers occupy
a conapicionsfiosition in life. The illness of this
yOung imperial prince—cerebral inflammation—
being like all that affects the brain, one of the
most dangerous and serious character. It is
now in fact alleged that the disease from which
the prince is skittering is the epidemic now
creating such consternation on the continent,
called meningitis spindlis. The French
Emperor is off to Algeria, some say for
several weeks residence. No doubt this step,
which causes considerable speculation, is dictated
by medical advice in order to test the benefits
of climate, as it is said the waters of Vichy have
been debarred His Majesty in future, owing
to their tendency to impoverish the blood.—The
Prince of Wales again leaves his Norfolk home,
Sandringham, in a few days, His Royal High-
ness has been enjoying the Indian sport of
hawking, with some trained hawks brought from
the Narbudds.

ll.—Pluttenarrr re-assembles this week, and
the Chancellor of the Exchequer produees his
Budget. Rumour, and the Globe, ensign him a
surplus of £3,802,000 for disposal; so that if he
liked he could take off the Malt Tax—but he
does not like—" that," as our Yankee friends
would say, "is a fact." Still, it is impossible to
imagine that with such a sum in hand some
°once/aim to the British farther must not, in
common juiltice and honesty, be made. Of
tourse there is the Fire Insurance duty already
doomed, and Mr. Gladstone being bound, in a
measure, to obey the dictate of the House that
holds the purse strings, may make the most of
that, to the defeat of other expectations. But
we almost think he has once or twice hinted at
some agricultttral Concession, which it might be
as well for the hon. gentleman, and those of his
friends who will shortly tand in *ant of "a
good cry, with which to go down to the country,"
to make in time, and with a good grace, and
not, as the Fire Insurance duty has been
repealed, upon compulsion. We see, however,
from arguments put forth in the newspapers, that
French wine tariff interests are again moving to
demand concessions equivalent to any reduction
of British malt duty. They urge that, because
a bottle of Baas or ALlsop is charged only the
the third of a penny of duty in Paris, French
wines, at leant of the lighter skirt, ought only to
be charged a penny of duty with us, siipence a
gallon. We all kdow how open Mr. Dladatone is
to this kind of argument; but really he ought
to abandon his favouritism for this sour French
potion, on finding it admitted that it is worth
no more than four pence a bottle! Its being so
very worthless is surely no reason why English-
men should be asked to drink it in preference to
excellent beer at half the price produced
by the repeal of the Malt Tax.—The note
of election preparation everywhere resounds,
and little elections and re-elections to
temporary vacancies are going On )33, way of
interlude before the tun-train rises on the general
scene of content. The last of these is the re-
election of Mr. Adam, the new Lord of the
Treasury for Clackmannan ; and the next will be
in the City of Glasgow in room of Mr. Walter
Buchanan, in consequence of the failure of the
great house of Buchanan, Hamilton, and Co.,
through the depreciation of India produce.
Great sympathy is felt for Mr. Buchanan, who
has represented Glasgow in Parliament for the
last seven or eight years. The failure of this
house is for a million sterling. There are
1E600,000 of assets, and the dividend will range
from 10s. or 12s. to 14s. or lbs. in the £.—
Viscount Bury has been requested to stand for
' Dover in the Liberal interest; Sir Thomas
Powell Buxton has, however, retired from the
contest of King's Lynn, leaving only the Con-
servatives--the Hon. F. Walpole and Lord
Stanley in the field. Capt. Engeldue is likely
to appear as Conservative candidate for South-
ampton. A severe contest is promised in West
Kent, where Messrs. Angerstein and Lubbock
are the Liberal candidates.

111.
—IN CHURCH warrens, the question of
free and open pews became the point at issue in
a polling for Churchwardens at Liverpool. At
the close of the first day the open Church party
found themselves in rear of their opponents;
and we suppose they may reckon on being
defeated. Selfishness and pride of place, how-
ever unseemly, will obtrude themselves in com-
pany with the passion for ostentation and
display, in Church-going as in all things human.
The best thing for the National Association for
Freedom of Worship therefore to do is to see
the law of the Church carried out in its integrity.
Accommodate parochial ratepayers first by all
means in Parish Churches • but never so as to
strip the Church of England of its glorious
boast and designation of being the poor man's
Church. The hierarchy of England do now and
will henceforth decline to consecrate any new
accommodation Churches that do not provide a
sufficient proportion of free sittings to stamp
them with this distinctive character. As regards
the commingling of olasses--there are faults on
both aides. The very poor make an excuse of
their rags for not presenting themselves at
public worship, and the rich instinctively regard-
ing their precious silks and satins recoil from the
contamination of the pauper's touch; yet there
never was perhaps recorded a more beautiful
anecdote of a Christian man than that which is
related of the great Duke of Wellington, who
finding a poor man dismayed at having knelt
down beside him at the Altar, quietly pressed
his hand and said. "Don't go away; we are all
equal here."
IV. —Domnsric arraras have been this week
slightly deversified by the oonclusion of criminal
proceedings and the resumption of civil, in the
Law Courts at Easter Term. It was remarked
that the Lord Chancellor did not entertain the
J as usual at the opening of term. Mr.
an, the late Official Assignee in Bankruptcy,
come out with a crashing epistle directed nt
Lord Westbury' who really aze9
ke the butt of friend and
men to whom he has given :t,c
of searching into their
and of those whom he has deprived or
more obvious reasons. But the
Woolsack very coolly holds his