The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-01-03 00:00:00

FOREIGN ITEMS.

THII LAST PI PH.—One skirmisher, who was lying
down in the extreme front, rose up to light his pipe.
The latter was in his mouth, while he held • match in his
right hand, and the match box in the other. A bullet,
piercing his forehead, killed hiin instantly, and his body
Jay there for some time, the pipe still in his mouth, and
the fingers clutching the match and box.—New York
Paper.
Tue PINALTY OP BOROPRY.—In the Wairoa district
several recent deaths have been attributed to the spells
of en old Maori, named Pore Iwi, who has for some
I years been notorious among the natives as a powerful
sorcerer. Relatives and friends cried out for " utu,"
and in September, after • form of trial, it was resolved
that he must be removed, and two young men of his
own tribe undertook the work. They proceeded to the
old man's " where," and whi:e one held him in conver.
Nation the other, standing about six ya,ds off, shot him
through the head. He fell dead immediately, and the
assassins withdrew, making no attempt at concealment.
A coroner's jury of Europeans sat not half a mile from
the place where the murderers and their people were
under arms, and the verdict was "Wilful murder;"
but on the coroner demanding the men he was in effect
told to take them if be could. They will probably seek
refuge with the Bing party inland.
THRASHING A “USBAND.—A 0341113 of separation is to
occupy the forensic talent of Lyons, arising from a most
original cause. A husband of colossal strength oom-
plains of having been beaten by his wife. It appears
that for several months the neighbours of this
assorted pair have been disturbed by the cries said moans
of the wife, caused by the blows inflicted from the
Herculean arm of her lord and master. The lady vowed
vengeance in words not loud but strong; and thus she
fulfilled her purpose. The husband returned one
evening unusually weary from limiting, dined and drank
copiously, retiring to his bed, when he was soon in the
arms of Morpheus—dreaming, perhaps, but not of the
long packing needle and strong twine which, by the fair
hands of his wife, was fast enclosing him, a helple-s
mass, in his sheets. This preliminary measure taken,
the lady, armed with • powerful stick, returned with
Interest the accumulated blows of pa,t years, till, ex-
hausted by the exertion, she WAS compelled to pause.
After an instant's rest she made a deep curtsey to her
belaboured husband, and announced to him her inten-
tim of eloping to her parent's resitence. The trial
which will be the result excites immense outio.ity.—
Paris letter.

_
A HEROIC POINTSHAN. —The Berlin journals relate
the following incident which has just taken place in
Proud& —"A: pointsman was at the junction of two
lines of railway, his lever in hand, for a train was '
signalled. The engine was within a few seconds of reach-
in the embankment, when the man, on turning his
hadtivrotived his little boy playing oh the rails et the
line the train was to pass over. With an heroic de.
votsdness to his duty the unfortunate man adopted a
sublime resolution. 'Lie down!' he shouted out to
the Mid, but at to himself he remained at his poet.
'rho train peeled along on its way, and the lives of a
hun ired pa-seniors were perhaps saved. But the poor
child ! The father rushed forward expecting to take up
only • corpse, but what his joy on finding that the boy
had at onoe obeyed his order—he had lain down, and
t e whole train had passed over him without injury.
The next day the King sent for the man, and attached
to his breast the medal for civil courage."
SOUTHERN SYMPATHIES OP Man. LINCOLN.—It in
now an established fact, it seems, that at one time Mrs.
Lincoln was known to be in collusion with Southern
leaders. The wife of the Pre iident comes of &Southern
family, and two of her brothers (by name Todd) are
officers in the Confederate service. Her own sympa-
thies are with the Southern people j and it appears that
the military information She derived from her husband
was regularly communicated to the Richmond govern-
ment, For this offence Mrs. Lincoln was at one time
banished New York. The matter *as bruited abroad
at the time, and was denied; but the revelation of
Andrews with regard to Weed leave no doubt of the
truth of the report. When the inside history of this
war comes to be written, it will be found that Mrs.
Linooln held no uncoospicuons position among the
actors in the great drama.
A STRANGE EVENTFUL HIRTORT.—In the year 1836
the city of Buffalo, N.Y., coutained among its popula-
tion a citizen of indefatigable industry and untiring
enterprise. Whole blocks of capacious warehouses
were erected by him, new streets were laid out, graded,
paved, fad lighted upon his recommendatione, and with
his atliistanoe ; and no public undertaking was con-
sidered sure of success with Out the sanction and aid of
this public-spirited citizen. The crash of 183/ came,
and it caused him to totter. To sustain his credit for
a few days, in an evil hour he committed a deed which
consigned hiin to the State Prison. Pardoned out, and
no ineradicable stigma save that inseparable from mis-
fortune attaching to his name, he came to New York
city, and started the hotel business at the corner of
Broadway and Cortland-street. Failing in this, he went
to "Long Island's seagirt shore," and took the Bath
House, a summer establishment. Soon disgusted with
his ill luck there, he left this region of civilisation alto-
gether, and sought the solitudes q West Virginia as a
place of quiet and rest for the reMainder of his days.
He settled in what has proved to be the heart of the
West Virginia oil region; and now this unfortunate yet
lucky, this untiring and irrepressible man, concludes
his strange, eventful history, by leaving to his heirs a
fortune valued at three millions of dollars. He bore
the well-known name of Rathbun.
_ _

THE KING OF THE BELCHANS.—His Majesty the King
of the Belgians and the Count of Flanders have
returned to Brussels from the Royal chateau in the
Forest of Ardennes. During the time the King passed
there he was most arduous in pursuit of sport, and
besides four wild boars, brought down a great number
of roebucks, foxes, hares, and other denizens of the
forest.
DEATH Or THZ ARCHDUKE LOUD; JOSETIL—The
Archduke Louis Joseph, younger brother of the late
Emperor Francis I. of Austria, and who was attacked
not long mince with an indispo-ition apparently of little
oe gravity,nce hasi
n 17;4, died,
aged
years.
gBot_erei,„nago_ sLabbroll:earst
rdioand I and Francis 1., exercised a oonsiderable
influence on the government.
Dam) LETTERE IN THE FEDERAL STA/MR.—The
report of,PostausAer Dennison stows an extraordinary
amount of carelessness on the part of the letter-writing
community. Three million five hundred and eight
thousand three hundred and twenty-five dead letters
were received during the past year—being over nine
thousand per day. Many of these letters contained
money, deeds, hills of exci.ange, drafts, checks,
jewellery, and other valuables. Some of them were
misdire, ted, others not directed at all, others unstamped,
slid °theft; Only pertiaily tbreettd. Thousands of these
dead letters were returned to the writer", but the great
majority had to be destroyed. This statement ought to
teach the public to be more careful in their corres-
pond, nee, for the amount of suffering callao,l by those
lost letters is incalculable —New York Herald.

ALLEGED ATROCITIES BY THE FEDERAL ARMY. —lt
seems that during Sherman's march his sotiers had
time to spend in the perpetration of outrages which
make humanity blush. What need has the Confederate
Government to appeal to its people te arm themselves
and swell the rank, of its armies, when horrors like that
described in the annexed extract, from a letter publighed
in the August., (Georgia) Constitutiona/ist, written by
its correspondent at Milledgeville, are of common
occurrence?—" The most dreadful thing was their
violence to the ladies. At least six or seven suffered
the last extremity. One young girl became crazed in
consequence, and has been sent to the asylum. Other
ladies were stripped of their garments, and, in such a
plight, compelled to play the piano, and in the event of
a refusal, switched unmercifully. Let Georgians re-
member these things in the day of battle."
Low, Ltorte AND THE RECOGNITION or THE SOUTH.
It is quite true that failing health is the immediate
cause of Lord Lyons's return ; but it is said that Lord
Palmerston has not been at all sorry for an opportunity
of having personal oonversation with the ambassador.
In conversation matters can be explained with a frank-
ness and lucidity not possible in official despatches,
and the visit of Lord Lyons, we believe, will be em-
ployed in this way. The question of recognition will be
fully discussed, and we understand that it will meet
with no serious opposition from Lord Lyons. Of course
it would be improper for an ambassador to express
publicly any views inimical to the court at which he is
accredited • but we nevertheless hear that Lord Lyons
is now fully persuaded that the subjugation of the
South is hopeless. It would not be judicious to raise
the question of recognition while Sherman is prosecut-
ing a campaign in4he heart of the Confederacy ; but if
the Federal' arieidriven from Georgia and renneseee, of
which there is honsinerable likelihood from present
appearances—the public will not be surprised to hoer
that the Cabinet have determined to recognise the
independence of the South. At any rate, we
have reason to believe that the subject will be
earnestly discussed between Lord Lyons and Lord
Palmerston' and as both have Southern tendencies,
the upshot will most probably be the recognition of
the Confederacy in the course of the ensuing spring.--
Liverpool Courier.
ROMANTIC STORY —The Imperial Court at Paris has
just heard an appeal from • judgment of the Civil
Tribunal of the Seine in an action brought in Tune,
1863, for the recovery of a diamond valued at 600,000 f.
The circumstances connected with this affair are quite

romantic. In the year 1777 a man named Loustauneau,
• native of a village in the Pyrenees, left France for
India, where, by his talents and courage, he ultimately
became the generalissimo of the armies of the Mabratta
empire. For 18 years he was the moat trusted officer
of the ruling prince, and exercised • kind of superstitious
influence attributed by the magicians of the oountry to
• silver hand which he had got made to replace his left
hand, which bad been mutilated by • grape shot. Not-
withstanding hts brilliant position, Loustauneau could
not forget his native land, for which he embarked in
1808. From that moment fortune seemed to desert
him, for he bad a narrow escape from losing his life by
shipwreck, and when he at last arrived in France he
found that 8,000,000 f., which he had remitted to that
country some time before, had been invested hi enigmas,
and then represented but a small fraction of the
original sum. With what remained, however, he re-
solved once more to try his fortune, and, in 1807, he
purchased some ironworks on the frontiers of Spain.
Raving been taken prisoner by some Spanish guerillas,
I and imprisoned in a small island of the Mediterranean,
he at last effected his escape by swimming to a passing
vessel, whi h landed him in Egypt, whence be pro-
, oeeded to Syria. He there became the guest of Lady
, Stanhope, and was subsequently joined by his son, a
captain the Imperial Guard, who had been w.‘tinded
at Waterloo, and was persecuted for his political opinions
by the government of the restoration. His son died in
1820, and, at Lady Stanhope's decease, which oconrred
not long after, General Lottatauneau, not having any
mode of living, was received into a charitable asylum,
where he ended his adventurous life. When he par-
chased his ironworks in 1807 the general went to Paris
and deposited with 81. LoSpine, the wart jeweller. a
large diamond, the farewell present of the Prince of the
Mahrattas, valued at 800.000 e, and which the general
lied intended to offer to their Imperial Majesties. To
recover this diamond Mdllea. Loustaunean, the general's
heiress, brought the action above mentioned against the
heirs of M Lepine but their demand was rejected by
the tribunaL Against that judgment the Madlles.
Loustauneau now appealed, alleging that the diamond
hod either never been restored, or bad been given up to
• person who had no right to receive it. The heirs of
If. Levine, however, produced the deposit receipt and
proved that the diamond had been restored to the l'er-
son to whom General Loustanneau had entrusted that
document. Their counsel added that, even were this
not the caws, the demand was barred by prescription as
thus thudded by the civil tribunal. The Imperial Court,

taking that view of the case, declared that judgment
must be confirmed, and condemned Madllea. Loustau-
neau to pay all costs.
THZ SMALL ARMB IN THE SOUTHERN ARMY.—The
principal small-arms in use are the smooth-bore musket,
0.63 ; the Enfield rifle, bore 0.57; the Springfield
(Illinois) rifle, o.sB—the same ammunition does for both
the last named ; the Mississippi rifle (U.S. make), 0.54;
Austrian rifle, 0.24, with foresighted bayonet. In
Pennsylvania, Lee's army, with the exception of Hood's
division, was armed with Enfield and Springfield rifles.
The uniform calibre of 0.57 and 0.58 will be adopted in
the whole army as soon as possible, Three-fourths of
the arms in the armies of the West are smooth-bore
muskets and Atli:et-jail rifles ; and some think smooth-
bored muskets for eight companies out often, with rifles
for the other two, flanking companies, a very good
armament. The Eufield is the best rifle. The
Mississippi and Austrian rifle clog very soon—i. e., after
twenty rounds. I may say here that I never saw •
1 breech-loader in the hands of a Southern soldier, nor
were ever any large numhers taken from the Yankees.
If they had been they would certainly have been
brought and shown at headquarters, as was the case
with some Spencer rifles,and a good lot of revolving six-
shooter rifles, and some excellent breech-loading cavalry
carbines. Attached to each corps were some picked
sharpshooters, armed with a telescopic Whitworth rifle,
with which they did great execution.
TERMINATION OP THE RECIPROCITY TREATY WITH
CANADA.—The New York TiMlf says : By our Wash-
ington news report, it sviil be seen that the House ol
Representatives, by • vote of 85 to 57, have adopted a
resolution, giving notice of an intention to terminate
the reciprocity treaty. It is, of course, competent for
the house to pass inch a resolution ; but, if we mistake
not, the time and mode of giving the notice indicate.]
in the house are matters of purely ex, cutive action, in
which the house may properly suggest, but does not
necessarily assume to dictate a policy for the guidance
of the executive. The character, moreover, of 013 vote
token on this question will show it to have been a vote
of an almost entirely sectional character. These we
take it, are hardly the times to create new geographical
parries in the national legislature. The try •ty in ques-
tion most assuredly needs revision in the interests of
the manufacturers of the north-eaat. But its abrogation
at this time would simply be a new sectional triumph
among ourselves. Is this wanted?
TRADE WITH THE SOUTHERN STATES.—A Washington
despatch says :—The recent trade regulations issued by
the Secretary of the Treasury respecting trade in cotton
and other products of the insurgent distriots still
remain inoperative, ea to that particular portion which
permit one-third of the purchase price to be paid in
goods or supplies. The Secretary of War not yet having
decided which particular supplies are contrabmid of
war and which are not it is possible that the secretary
may decide that all supplies, which Would naturally be
in demand to exchanee for products, are contraband,
lines notb ng could 'sore i fficieutly enable the rebels to
protract the war than supplies of clothing, food, and
medicines, which would be fuznished them under this
legalized trading. The subject of trading within the
rebei lines i- also before the military committee of the
house, and although no official report has been made on
the subject, yet, knowing the opinion of several of the
individual members, it is probable that they will
initiate legislation that will effectually stop the whole
thing."
THE ST. ALBANS RAIDER/3.—The Canadian Courts in
Montreal and Toronto on the 13th ult.,both decided teat
they had no jurisdiction in the cases of the St. Alban's
and Lake Erie Confederate raiders, and the prisoners
wire all liberated from arrest, and are now again at
large. United States Marshal Murray has received
Instructions from Secretary Seward to proceed to
Montreal immediately to look after the interests of the
United States government in the case of the St. Alban's
raiders.

Carrarts SEMNES.—New Orleans advises confirm the
reported arrival of Captain Semmes, of the late
Alabama, at MataMoru en route to Richmond. It is
stated that he is proceeding thither to stand his trial
for the be of the Alabama.
MEXICAN PRIVATEERS AND FRENCH COMMERCE.—
The Boston Herald states that it is considered more
than probable that two very fast vessels which sailed
from New York during the past week, were intended to
be converted into Mexican privateers, to destroy vessels
flying the French flag. The fact that large numbers
of the Juarez family were, with some of his military
officers, in the city, apparently with plenty of money,
seen moving about in commercial circles recently, gives
sufficient *eight to the rumour to warrant our govern-
ment in placing detectives on their track. Instructions
have also been sent to our naval officers in the Gulf,
relative to the course to be pursued by them should
the escaped privateers show themselves in that
latitude. The French minister has had an agent in this
city watching the movements of Mexican refugees for
months past,

Rumex CANNOL—The /avaiide Raue says :—" A
fourth enormous cannon in iron was lately cast at
Petrozavodsk, in Russia. on the American system, that
is to say, by cooling the inside with water In a rough
state those guns weigh 20,000 ponds (72,0001 be. and
when finished 1,200. Their diameter is 15 inches, and
they are more than 12 feet long. They throw balls
weighinz 3981 b. This gun when tried bore a very
heavy Charge of powder, and produced a most destruc-
tive effect on a plate of iron of considerable thickness,
particularly when shells cast in hard meial were used.
These cannon coat oneaixth less than those in steel, and
yet the system has never been adopted except in America
and at Petrozavodsk."

Ice ON TITS SEINE. —A number of persons assembled
on Wednesday on the quays and hi Igen to witness the
movement of the blooke of ice on the Seine. lltinng
the day the canal old arm of the river from the eastern
point of the Cit-6 to the sluice near the Mint was coin.
pletely fast, and of the five arches of the Pont Royal
only two were open. The low state of the water, which
is only about 18 inches higher than the lowest level,
favoured the fixing of the blocks of ice, and in the
evening the river in its piveage through Paris was
completely frozen over. Numerous persons were also
seen directing their steps towards the Bois tie Boulogne
and the Bois de Vincennes, where the lakes afforded
them a safe place for skating. At Rouen the navigation
of the Seine is completely stoppe I by the ice.
The Monirese publishes a note, stating that the
extraordinary Budget for 1866, which amounts to a
higher figure than the previous yt-ar, will be entirely
balanced without having recourse to any extraordinary
financial resources.

Toe Constitwionnee publlihes an article signed by M.
Paulin Limayrac, stating that the encyclical letter of
the Pope has caused general surprise. He says that
its application is impossible, and that if any danger
exists, it is in the reaction to which such attempts may
give rise. France will remain faithful to the principles
inscribed at the head of the oonstitution.
The Prince Imperial (says the Sport) has his guests
at the Tuilriies as be had at Compikne. Every Sunday
and Thunday he receives in his apartment his young
friends, tbe sons of Dr. Conneau, Generals Fleury and
Bargoing.and the son of the late General Espinasse.
The aftersoon is passed in play or in a drive; at six
dinner tikBll place, and at eight or half past eight the
young gusts take leave of their host. On the occasion
of Christmas his Imperial Highness invited his friends,
and, alter having made them gather from a tree
charged with presents of various objects, kept them to
dinner.

Prince's Csartoryska, widow of Prince Adam
Csartoryski, died at Montpelier, on Christmas-eve.
The princess had been taken to Montpelier on account
of the state of her health,and had deputed her daughter,
the CouutessDaialynska,to take herplaoeinthe direction
of the annual bazaar at the Hotel Lambert, in Paris,
for the benefit of Polish refugees in distress.

Private advice+ from St: Petersburg state that
Prince Gortachakoff seriously contemplates retiring
from office. Baron de Budberg is spoken of as his
successor.—M. Walmew, the Minister of the Interior,
would, it is said, then proceed to Paris as Russian
ambassador, and be replaaed by General Mulitin. It is
further stated that Admiral Brable. the Minister of
Marine, would resign, and that Admiral Glassnarip
would assume the vacant miaistry.
LIABILITY OF RAILWAY MANAGICHS AND OFFICIALS
IN FRANC.—On French railwsp, from the engineer in
chief downwards, all are criminally liable in cases of
accident The French Penal Code is as follows on the
subject :—" Art. 319. Whosoever, by unskilfulness,
imprudence, inattention, negligence, or non-observation
of rides, shall involuntarily commit a homicide, or shall
involuntarily be the (muse of one, shall be punished by
imprisonment for three months to two years, and a fine
of £2 to £24.—Art. 320. If the deficiency of skilfulness
or precaution produces only wounds or blows, the im-
prisonment shall be for six days to two months, and a
fine from 12s. to 1.3." These two articles of the code
are enforced in all cases of accident in France; no
privileges of station or influence are taken into acciount,
and the mass who is at fault, whoever or whatever he
be, is sent to prison.
The Giornale di Roma in correcting some details of
the recent encounter between the French troops and
the brigands, and in which some of the former were
wounded, says that the Pontifical Government does not
encourage, but is rather the victim of brigandage.