The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-03-21 00:00:00

King should publicly declare that no such
paragraph exists in the convention. The King
will visit Naples in the course Of nekt
and as he will aridreks the Neapolitans on that
Otdtan it is thought that he will make some
observations on this subject.
The Memorial Dip/ornatique of Sunday
contains an article on The Monroe doctrine
and the Mexican Empire," signed by the
Chevalier L. Debranx de Saldapenna. It is
devoted to an elaborate exposition of what the
Monroe doctrine really is, inforthing us who
Monroe was, and, being in short; an exhaustive
treatise on the Object ; but the chief piaßical
Intereat is ontaitied in the Closing p.asiages, in
Which the writer contends that the Washington
Government, by giving notice of its intention to
abrogate the engagements subsisting between
England and the United States with respect to
the Lakes, manifests its conviction that sooner
or later a rupture with this country will
become inevitable, and that preparations for the
eventuality should therefore be made. When-
ever peace shall be concluded between the
North and the South the disposable American
forces will be "utilised," says M. de Saldapenna,
against Canada. Such a peace, however, Come
when it Mat *otild be bet tt thide the spirit
cif teCeSslon IS too deeply rooted for a lasting
reunion. What the European great Powers should
do, therefore, is to recognise the South, and they
will then find an army ready to their hand to act
stith theta itgaist the nonimdn etiertly. In such
an kinterprike England, Franc* tind Spikin Plight
reasonably be expected to join.
All Polish refugees at present residing in
Bavaria have been ordered to leave the country.
The application made by the citizens of Munich
and other towns in Bavaria to be permitted to
give employment to the Polish refugees has
been rejected by the Government. Those who
were unable to pay their own travelling ex-
penses were provided by the Government with
thir&class railway ticket to the Bavarian
frontier. Sitttilar ME6IIO Ott have been taken by
seieral tither Minor, ,Gertnan States, The
number of Polish refugees in France now
amount to 10,000; of whom 2,800 only were
engaged in the late insurrection, the remainder
having sought refuge after the insurrection
of 183 L

The excitement in the Duchies against Prussia
is daily increasing. Some of the Holstein
journals go so far as to draw comparison between
the Prussian and , the Danish rule. The
agitation is kept tip by politiCal agefita Sent to
the Duchies from the German Minor States.
The German aristocratic party has also sent
agents who represent the annexation as en-
dangering the public liberty. The opposition
against Prussia is also increased by the National
Verein, whose programme is the national unity
of Germany, and who apprehend that a too
pcstekttil PrthpliS wotild prevent them from
attaining that object. The middle clued doti:
eider the present state of affairs, on account of
its provisional and unsettled state, as detri-
mental to all commercial undertakings, and
therefore express great dissatisfaction.
The great iron lock-out still continues. 70,000
men are out of employ, and talk of being able to
remain on strike for six weeks, so that they
must have nearly half-a-million of funds, and
are ndt so badly off, without the high-spirited
men conieniplate the werkhouse. Not one of
the demagogues comes fore ard as the friend of
the people, and offers his good services to
arrange matters with the masters. A little
would do it; a little yielding, good feeling, and
common sense, would save much misery now
and for the future. Some of the men talk of
emigrating to Belgium. They may skim off a
small per centage, but such a mass of humanity
cannot place itself in a new position readily, and
is not *anted in that new position.
Although recruiting was carried on wkth less
spirit last year than the year previous, file celet
of our recruiting establishments has increased.
In last year's estimates the sum stood at
£23,951 ;in this year's at £27,700. Yet the
levy money for recruits last year amounted to
£45,020, and this year to more than £36,800.
This is not an agreeable fact to note, yet there
is worse than even this behind, and which
cannot be passed over in silence. The character
of our army is visibly deteriorating ; the stuff in
the ranks is by no means so good as formerly,
and we learn as much from the items in vote 6
in this year's estimates. Here we find an
increase of £l,OOO in the " lixpensea on routes ,
of deserters and their escorts," and the " Re- '
wards paid in connection with the apprehension
of deserters," and exactly the same inCrease in
the subsistence money of prrsoners. The
"clothing and necessaries of military prisoners,
dm. are now £B,OOO, instead of £3,000 last year;
and the item of stores for military prisons has
swelled from £5OO to £2,Boo—a process of
inflation unequalled for its rapidity. But the
worst remains to be told. Last year the country
was credited with £41,C100 on ea:ion:ft of unissued
pay of soldiers in confinement, but this year the
sum is £6ö,000! It is with absolute pain we
record these melancholy facts. Better pay,
better food, better clothing, better lodgings, and
in some respects better treatment, will alone
avail to obliterate this crying reproach, this
cruel scandal on our military character.
The recent debates on the condition and
prospects of the Navy have produced a feeling of
constetnation in the publie mind. Sir John
Pakington's assertion that at this monient we
have not at our commands fleet fit to go to sea,
should war break out with any Maritime power,
remains unaqawered • nor has any One been fool-
hardy enotigh to traverse the statement which
Sir Morton Peto made, as he says, "without
the slightest hesitation," that our navy, as it at
present exists, would prove not "equal to the
emergency" were hostilities to break out. All
that the Government apologists say to these
awkward facts is, " Whateter otir naval defi-
eiericies May be, those of other Powers
are tenfold greater—that if we have
no fleet adapted to the exigencies Of
modern warfare, our neighbours are in that
respect considerably woe off than ourselves."
Well, it it a Sort Of Job'd eh/gift:id that is offered
to tie, and perhaps we might he disposed to
accept it and make the most of it if we did not
recall the melancholy eircumstance that our
neighbours have not, like ourselves, been for
years squandering millions to no avail to discover
the beat model of a ship, and for naval purposes
the beat description of a gun. But even putting
that consideration aside, what certainty in there
that our neighbours may not quickly repair
their faults and make up for their shortcomings ?
Indeed, the (+lett new, lii hand in the yards
of private shipbuilders on the Thames, the
Clyde, and the Tyne, point very much in that
dtrection ; and what certainty is there that we
shall not go on as we began, and blunder
and flounder away to the very end of the
chapter? Lord Clarenee Paget, to do him bare
justice, even while trying to make matters look
pleasant, made no bones of admitting errors and
confessing to mistakes but Lord dlarenoe is one
of that rather too numerous dais of public men
with Whom confession does not imply amend-
ment, nor contrition lead to newness of life. Sir
John Hay distinctly afore that we are wanting
in ships, guns, and meb. We have now scores
of wooden ships which at the first shock of battle
vrOuld tarry 1,000 brave men down to their
last account. We have iron-sides with
stem and stern unprotected, which a well-de-
livered shot or two would riddle with ease.
We have other iron-clads which would swim to
the bottom if they ventured out of harbour, and
which, though they might brave the battle-fire,
would decidedly go to the bad in a heavy sea
and a stiffish gale. We have an admirable
shunt-gun, the projectile of which has an elegant
trick—even when under the experienced hands
of the crew of the Excellent-..0f sticking in the
muzzle. We have another gun which has a
vivacious habit of producing fifteen accidents in
the course of 114 firings, which, to establish its
reputation, threw an 801 b. shot at short range,
and yet was unable to knock a hole in a 4f inch
plate. We have a 110-pounder, which on trial,
showed past dispute, a marked inferiority to the
antiquated 68-pounder. We have men quitting
the service in disgust to the tune of one
hundred a month, and two ships are paid off
that one just oommissioned may be manned.
This deficiency in seamen is something very
serious, and can scarcely be excused on the
grounds on which our had ships and worse guns
are apologised for. We may not know how to
build ships, we may not know how to manu-
facture guns, but surely we ought to know how
to get men and keep them.

DO RC R EST KR.

Prratiri Color Mstittrr, Satarday.—Wheat in
moderate supply, and maintained late rates. There
was an improved demand in barley, for seed and
grinding purposes. at Is. per quarter advance on best
qualities. Oata (both for seed and feed) were in
great request, at fully latis quotations, and in some
oases Is. per quarter was realised for seed oats.
_

DORSET Mtune.—This regiment is ordered to
'assemble at Dorchester OR the let of May for
twenty-seven days' dn'll. The recruits are to join
head-quarters on the 24th of April for 'Oven days'
preliminary instruction,