The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-03-13 00:00:00

powerful incentive to most disastrous conse-

quences.
The poverty of the arguments of the Opposi-
tion, their glaring fallacies, and transparent speci-
ousness, all show that there is something
beneath, but unavowed, which gives warmth to
reasoning that would otherwise be cold, and life
and vigour to that which, without it, would be
bleak and sterile. There is only too much truth,
we fear, in the observation of a contemporary,
who says:—" At heart the Conservative
party in England has always been Sour-
bonist, and no interchange of gilded com-
pliments between the Courts of Wind-
sor and St. Cloud, or reciprocation of presents
and hospitalities, can persuade the world that
those who have been born to the purple,
would not rather see a descendant of Sr. Louis
enthroned at the Tuileries than any other poten-
tate or power. For sake of this principle of
Legitimacy, the Tories in Parliament and Cabinet
plunged England into the greatest and costliest
war in which she has ever been engaged,
and the pecuniary consequences of which she will
never, unfortunately, be able to forget. And if
they had their way they would betray us into the
same disastrous and insane course again." But,
while we deprecate the spirit and tactics of the
Tories, which are found both on and beneath
the surface, we are not to be understood as ad-
vocating a total self-abandonment to the appa-
rently good intentions, forbearance, and friend-
ship of the Emperor. Nothing is easier and
nothing call be more honest than to give him
credit for fidelity to his pledges of friendship and
peace, when we cannot discover even the semblance
of anything which can reasonably excite the
smallest distrust. To be for ever treating with
acorn and contumely the reiterated and most
earliest expressions of good will, must be in itself
a source of great irritation to a neighbouring and
powerful ruler; and the galling nature of these
provocative' must be aggravated just in propor-
tion as they are undeserved. There is evidence
already that the mischief is beginning to work
Patience will have its limit. A Paris correspon-
dent states deliberately the conviction every-
where felt in the French capital, that " war this
"spring is inevitable ;" and he adds, in allusion to
the Emperor, "it is a misfortune to have one's
"good intentions and sincere avowals thus mis-
" interpreted, if not wilfully misrepresented." It
is, indeed; and we may say so without being at
all open to the imputation of a particular affec-
tion for despotism, or any undue fear of its
capricious edicts.
"Shall we lend ourselves," says a contem-
porary, "to dynastic schemes Of reaction and
"restoration, or become the passive apologists of
"parvenu absolutism." These propositions are
put as if there were an absolute necessity of
acting upon one or the other of them. In our
humble opinion we have nothing to do with
either. The Empire is the work of the French;
let them enjoy the work of their hands : far be it
from us to meddle directly or indirectly with
any such projects as those of "restoration." As
to "absolutism," it is difficult to see, how, in
maintaining friendly relations with a power
whose alliance with this country has been rati-
fied in blood, and whose government has been
acknowledged and respected—how we can be at
all construed as belonging to that quiescent body
of personages called "passive apologists." We
desire peace, with honour; and it is because we
do so that we condemn what appear to us as the
unworthy tactics of the Tory party in the con-
flict of prejudice and passion which has been going
on within the walls of Parliament; and in what-
ever manner these great questions affecting
France may be ultimately disposed of, we have
a deep conviction that the conduct of the Con-
servatives in relation to these measures will be
greatly detrimental to their future prospects as
a great political party. Fortunately, the debate
closed on Saturday morning with a majority of
four to one in favour of the French Treaty; and
the Government, resting upon the soundness of
their case, have achieved a signal triumph—to
their own honour, and, it is hoped, the prosperity
and well-being of their country.

DORCHESTER PITCHED CORN MARKET, Saturday.
—The supply of wheat on offer to-day was but
moderate, notwithstanding the demand ruled slow,
at last week's rates. Barley is getting scams, the
finest qualities readily taken at an advance of from
Is. to 2s. per quarter over last week's rates. Oats,
for seed in demand, and realizing (roan 275. to 30s.
per quarter. Seeds of all descriptions plentiful, and
at moderate prices.
THE BORROWING PowIRS OF THE LOCAL
BOARD Op HEALTH.—A short time since the Local
Board of Health petitioned the Secretary of State
for the Home Department, praying him to institute
an inquiry, under the Local Government Act, with
a view to obtain an extension of their borrowing
powers. In pursuance of this petition, Alfred
I Dickens, Esq., one of the Inspectors, attended at
the Guildhall, on Thursday, for the purpose of
entering upon the inquiry, and hearing all persons
desiring of being beard upon the subject. There
were present the Mayor, Mr. Eilsor, the Town Clerk,
and one or two other gentlemen, but no opposition
was made on the part of any ratepayer, and Mr.
Dickens said he should have no hesitation in recom-
mending the Secretary of State to grant the addi-
tional borrowing powers for any sum not exceeding
.C 2,500.

FATAL AtVIDIENT.—On Wednesday morning an
inquest was held at the county hospital, before Giles
Symonds, Eeq., coroner, on the body of Matthew
Long, a labourer of Upway. It appeared from the
evidence, that on the previous day deceseed was
engaged in chalking some land upon Kingston farm,
near Dorchester; and that while the donkeys were
being loaded with the chalk to spread about the
field, the side of the pit gave way and buried the
deceased and one of his donkeys. The animal was
killed almost immediately, although its head was
not covered by the fallen earth. Another man who
was working near the spot proceeded at once to get
the deceased from under the rubbish; in four or bye
minutes he succeeded in doing so, and no time was
lost in afterwards conveying him to the hospital;
he, however, lived but about an hour after his
admission. A poet mortem examination was made
of the body by Mr. Tapp, assisted by Mr. Phallus,
the house inirgeon, and it was found that the fourth rib
on the right side had been fractured and driven into
the lungs, which, of iteelf, was sufficient to cause