The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-05-25 00:00:00

BURGLARS FOILED.—A burglary was oommitted at
the residence of Mr. Woolnough, of Halsted, on Satur-
day. The burglars obtained entrance by the back door,
which was opened by "starring" an adjacent window,
and then proceeded to ransack the lower part of the
house, collecting an old watch, silver spoons, a teapot,
and soma other articles. After devouring some bread
and meat, they then ascended, armed with • bludgeon,
to the bed-room occupied by the Misses Woolnough.
They awoke and raised the alarm, which the ruffians
attempted to suppress, by throwing popper in the ladies'
eyes, and seising them by the throat. An endeavour
was also made to force a handkerchief in Miss Wool-
nough's mouth, but she still continued to resist, which
elicited from one of the men the only remark that "ohs
was • devil." The scuffles awoke Mr. and Mrs. Wool-
nough, who were sleeping in an adjoining apartment;
on which the burglars took the alarm, and retreated by
the back door, shattering the bannister which guarded
the staircase, in their haste.
A mos POINT.—At the Southwark Police Court
on Tuesday Mr. Potier, • gentleman we.l known in
the district or the court, applied for a recommendation
to the Foreign-office for • passport, to enable a young
woman to proceed to Paris. Applicant stated that,
being himself well known to the clerks of the court, he
attended before his worship to ask for a recommendation
to the Foreign-oftioe for • passport, to enable the young
woman who was with him to proceed to Paris. She
was • relative of his, and having been educated and
brought up in a convent at Norwood she was shout to
be sent to Paris by that institution for the purpose of
undertaking a situation there. She was • native of
this country, and her parents had all her lifetime
resided in Soutliwork.—Mr Nukes, the second clerk,
here intimated that he understood the young girl was a
French subject.—Mr. Potier did not *insider that she
was. She was born in that parish; her father was I
certainly • Frenchman, but her mother was an English-
woman.—Mr. Burchain baked whether her father had
ever heen naturalised as a British subject ?—Mr. Potier
replied that lie believed not, but the girl being born in
England lie considered her to be an English subject and
entitled to a recommendation for a passport. The
mother of the girl here stated that she had domiciled at
Paris with her husband, but that was before the child
was born. Since then she had been occasionally to and
fro to see her husband. She, however, was an Englieh-
woulan.—Mr. Burchain considered that the young girl
was a French subject, and he could not assist her with
• recommendation to the Foreign.office. He should
advise Mr. Potier to proceed to the office of the French
Consul, and no doubt that gentleman would assist him.
CHRISTIAN VERNACULAR EDUCATION SOCIETY FOR
INDIA.—On Thursday a meeting was held at St. James's
Hall, Piccadilly, for the purpose of announcing the ex-
istent* said alms of this society to the public. Lord
Shaftesbury took the chair, and explained the circum-
stomas under which the society had been formed. He
referred to the feeling that had been awakened on be-
half of the cause of Christianity in India by recent
events, and dwelt on the necessity of Christian educa-
tion. He said it had been computed that to give a
Christi= teacher to every sixty boys or girls half •
million agents would be required. Of course the in-
struction must be imparted in the mother tongue of the
learners, and for that purpose native agency most be
employed. It was imposssible that Englishmen could
impart the instruction the numbers required—the time
consumed in learning the language which, after all,
would be learned imperfectly, and the enormous ex-
penses, all forbidding the employment of Europeans for
that purpose. It had, therefore, been agreed to form
" The Christian Vernacular Education Society for
India." The primary objects of the society would be to
establish, in the Frost towns of India, Christi= ver-
nacular training institutions, male and female, and to
supply, as far as possible, in each of the native lan-
guages of India, school books and other educational
works, prepared on Christian principles, each training
institution to comprise a vernacular model school. The
principals and assistants of such institution would be
Christians of established character, competently in-
structed in the best systems of modern primary educa-
tion. The general funds will be applicable to assist in
the establishment of vernacular schools in India, sup-
ported by fees, local, or other resources. The Rev. W.
Knight, Secretary of the Church Missionary Society,
read letters from the Bishops of London, Carlisle, and
Ripon, expressing regret at their compelled =lance.
The Rev. Dr. Miller, of Birminghain ; Mr. J. C.
Marshinan, the Rev. 11. Venn, the Rev. J. Mullens,
and other gentlemen, afterwards addressed the meeting,
and resolutions were carried, of which the following
were the most important —That while this meeting is
convinced that direct missionary labours must con-
tinue to be sustained by the various existing societies,
it considers that an almost boundless field is opened for
Christian co-operation in promoting vernacular educa-
tion throughout India—an object quite unattainable by
existing agency, but which would prove, if vigorously
prosecuted, an important auxiliary to all missionary
labours. That • society be now formed, with the design
of establishing in India Christian Vernacular Training
Institutions for Schoolmasters and Schoolmistresses,
and of supplying school books and other educational works
prepared on Christian principles; and for promoting
native education by such other means as may, from time
to time, appear to the committee desirable. The secre-
taries of the society are the secretaries of the Church,
London, Baptist, and Wesleyan Missionary Societies.