The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-02-28 00:00:00

sbirt

IRMA. —An Instructive lecture on this subject was
delivered at the Townhall, on Monday evening, by R.
B. Sheridan, Esq., one of the members for the
borough. The attendanoe was most numerous,
amongst whom were • great many of the ariatoaracy
of the town and neighbourhood. The oliair was
taken by John Floyer, Esq., M.P., who, in intro-
ducing the lecturer, said the duties of a chairman,
he believed, were of a very light and ordinary nature,
and if he warn oorrect in the views he took, they
were perhaps, that night, more than ever of that
description. He believed the chief duty of a chairman
was to introduce the gentlemen who was kind enough
to deliver the lecture ; but If he were to attempt to
Ittillee the hon. member for Dorchester to them, he
not only be doing that which was rather pre-
sumpticem but would show great want of Piet and
Judgment en Ms part to Ma hon. frieed,who was so well
keown to these, and who certainly needed no introduo-
efefftteen EIS. He (the chairman) thought however
be might be allowed to congratulate them on haying
secured the services of their emellent member, but be
might also congratulate him on havingselected a subject
oflueA general interest, and one upon which he would
speak not only from the dares of • well-informed and
cultivated mind, but from that which always added so
greatly to the interest of any subject which was dealt
with—from his own personal observations and ex.
parlease. lie considered he should be trespassing
without propriety on their time if he were to say more,
so he would now only commend his hon. friend to
theft attention. (Applause.) The hon. lecturer, who,
on rising, was received with every demonstration of wel-
come, mid he was much obliged to Mr. Moyer for the kind
meaner he had introduced him to their notice. It was
not lite latention to make many observations in that
respire!, but rather to apologise for the extreme pre-
sumption on his part in asking them to some there that
oveg in order to hear some very imperfect observa-
tion* upon that very large subject—lndia ; and if lie
trudirtkat excuse it would be, he was sure, received
when he said that in doing so it was his earnest desire
tismesehribete to the amusement of his friends ant
neighbours, and also of promoting the objects which his
friend*, the working men of Dorchester, had in view.
(delephosse.) He was sure of this, that he could not give
them a better proof of his desire to eaglet them, than in
the presumption of his being present that evening. It
was now upwards of 30 year.; ego 'Moe he was in India,
and there would be, no doubt, many things which he
had forgotten, and many changes had taken plsoe there
during that period; but he did hope and toast they
would make allowanes for those omissions arid many
defeats which would no doubt be detected in the
course of his lecture, He then called the attention of
the juvenile portion of Ms midienoe to • large map of
India, which was erected on the platform, and said that
the names of all places, mountains, and rivers in that
coantry had • signification some of which he explained,
and then gave a geographilal sketch of its boundaries.
lie said that India was 1,300,000 square miles in extent,
with • population of 180,000,000 persona, all of whom
were sablects of our Queen. The portion of that vast
empire with which he was most familiarly acquainted
with was near the Kistnah river, of which he gave •
geographical sketch ; after which he said that in
twenty centuries there had been but little difference
in the habits of the Hindoo, either civil or religious.
Uniformity of charanter in the inhabitants of • country
so vast and extensive could not be expected, andlthe
people at Madras and Bombay were as different from one
another as the English, Freireh, and Portuguese were
from the Greeks, Poles and Germans. The peculiar
characteristic of the ()emits was groat heat. None
present were aware of the difference in that respect
there was in this country from that of India The
thermometer In England in the summer best was about
76 degrees, whereas the average heat at Madras
throughout the year was PA. He had seen the ther-
mometer indicate from 103 to 109 degrees of heat, and
they had no idea of what kind of a heat it was. The
people of that country could not sit upon a sofa be-
cause the *elation' would be too warm, and they mild
not have ieby revering to their beds bemuse they
because wretchedly hot. During the land winds, which
came Rom the south-west, the wind came across the
land as if f MIA • furnace ; coven of books were turned
op mine wiled %tether, and the people were as
'wretched and uncoraforeable as man could possibly
Gil each occasions every window in the
h▪
ouse was closed but one, and that one ALI covered
witrliellig Wed roam. A servant vas employed to
throw' water upon this so as to enable air to enter freely
into thelroom. That was a relief, but not to the extent
aoyciite Might anticipate. This extreme heat was a very
disevemidefeeliteg, there heal no moisture in the skin.
Whoa., however, theses breeze set in, and the moment
the whale* was opened, although the thermometer
rose, the air Isseanie cooler, there was moisture
In the skin, and people were more eomfortable.
The bop. gentleman then elluded to the great quantity
of isia Shish fell in India during the two rainy semen.
of the jeer, assorting that in • few months double the
a urutititr fti of rain fell there, than was the twee in England
out the yew. They had no idea of what the
derma seen there. The lightning was more vivid than
they meld coneeive ; the thunder was awful, and the
storms were so severe that they produced that amount
of devastation and destroetion of life said property
width people in England meld not, ne.....t,t
ketone then alluded to the es .4 the
speech inbeferenoe to the late at Oaletittrall,
aft...sew-4 read a most graphic tlon of that
- in which it
ad hj the flame.-
a vast e- had mm .
s- the early

the extent 4