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

'IINTY

Thomas Carroll,• brother of Mrs. Jane Read, widow
of William Read, of Yetminster, who had lost •
great portion of her dairy oows by the murrain, has
been visiting the farmers and dairymen in this part
if the country, with • forged brief, purporting to be
drawn up by the respected vicar of Yetminster, the
Rev. G. Southwell, and the Churchwardens of that
parish. The rev, gentleman put himself to the
expense of attending on this occasion, to denounce
the forgery, and also to state, that a few weeks
previous the scamp had imposed upon him with
another brief, of a similar nature, from a widow
named Clarke, signed, and recommended by the
vicar of Harstow.—Prisoner had been once before
oonvicted of • similar offence, and his companion
(who has this time escaped), had been con. icted no
le m than seven times for the same close of offence,
led the respected vicar of Yetminster to believe
that prisoner was only one of an organized gang
from Bristol, to victimize the farmers and dairymen
of Somerset and Dorset.—Sentenced to three
months' imprisonment, with hard labour. (Why
not six months? whilst umuy a poor creature has
three months for a first offence, and that sometimes
for stealing a few potatoes or turnips, to satisfy the
craving wants of • wife and little hungry children).
—Blserborne Journal.
C HARMO UT if .—Cao BCH DECORAtTION. The parish
church is very tast, fully decdratild for the festival of
Christmas. The five panels of the reredos are
wreathed around with evergreens, and in the central
panel is a large cross. In front of the gallery are
emblems of the Unity, the text " Glory to God in the
Hi‘heet," and the monogram, "I, H. S." In front of
the pulpit is • red and white cross. Catlierstone church
is also very prettily decorated, on each side of the
east window being a star, on the north of the nave the
sacred monogram "I. H. 5.," on the south "Alpha
and Omega," and on either side of the west window a
trifolia. On the whole, the church has a very pleasing
appearance.
SODDEN DEATII.—A sad instance of the uncertainty of
life was exemplified on Monday. Mrs. Bragg, wife of
Mr. Bragg, joiner, was presiding over a tea party at her
house when she became faint, fell off her chair, and
died almost instantly.
OKEFORD FITEPAINE.—PRIMMVIS
METHODIST SABBATH SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY. —The
anniversary services in connection with the above
school took place on Sunday and Monday last. On
Sunday a sermon was preached by the Rev. A.
Smith, and on Monday afternoon the school children
were gratuitously provided with cake and tea.
Later in the afternoon about 100 adults sat down to
the same refreshing beverage, after which a public
meeting was held, When the school children recited
soma pieces, of which the following were most note
worthy :—"On the rise and progress of the Primitive
Methodist connection." Mary Ann James;
" Thoughts on the bible," Mary Harding; "Mind
and shut the door," James Rolls; "Buy your own
cherries," James Spencer; "On the desolations of
Babylon," Martha Jane.. The whole of the pieces
were very well recited, and it must be very gratify-
ing to their parents and friends. A collection was
aftarwarda made. The school numbers 80 children.

THE WIISTERS FISHIIIIIIII.—Tho weather during the
past fortnight has been muoh against the mackerel fishery
on the north coast of Cornwall, and the catches have
consequently been smell, the largest catch taken by •
single boat being 700 fish. The prioes have averaged
Ils. per hundred. The herring fishery, however, on
the coasts of Devon/Ind Cornwall, has met with greater
goatees, and !several good catches have been effected.
The fish in all instances are very fine, and have fetched
for home eonsumption from 53. to 6s. per hundred. The
exportation of oared pilchards for the Mediterranean
ports is now in active progress. The harbour of St.
Ives is full of vessels loading for the Italian ports.
A GATHZEING OP ANCTENTS.—On Monday, the 26th
ult., the Rev. T. F. Fergie, incumbent of Int*, near
Wigan, gave his usual Christmas dinner to the aged
poor of his pariah, when 43 were present, 26 women and
17 men, the youngest being TO, and the oldest 85.
Their united ages amounted to 3238 years, giving to
each an average of more than 75 yeara. In solemn
silenee • toast was drunk—" To the Memory of
Departed Priendir —eight of whom had passed away
sinoe their last gathering, whose average sp.m was 75i
years.

WISLIT AND DiIIONIACAL POSSESSIONS.—With
reference to the three letters, lately stated to have
been written by persons acknowledging themselves
murderers, it ix well known that Wesley, the founder
of the Methodists, believed in the existence of
demoniacal comma/ions in his own time:—" About the
year 1787," says Dr. HILL' of Billeshandra, in Ireland,
"I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Wesley, Dr. Coke,
apd some of their as latent preachers, with several
of the Most respectable members of the
linlilin Society, at the hospitable table of •
°daimon friend in Dranbrrow. The conversation
during dinner happening to tarn on the aubject of
witchcraft, I asked Mr. Wedey whether he had read,
and if so, what he thought of Bishop Hutchineon's
book upon witehes ; on which he declared that Bishop
Hutchinson and the whole band of bishops together
oould not 'invalidate the reality of witchcraft.' And
when I expressed some surprise, he repeated a story of
• gentleman of consideration in the north If gngland,
.out 10 ye•ts before, who suddenly disappeared, and
after a fruitlese search for some time was generally
'acceded to have been privately murdered. Sometime
after a person in the neighbourhood voluntarily came
forward and accused himself and two of his own brothers
of having perpetrated the deed, which they peremptorily
denied. However, on his eenisting in the accusation,
and declaring that nothing but remorse of conscience
extorted the confession, they were all condemned, and
executed. But, strange to say, shortly after the gentle-
man .who bad beep missing returned home from France,
whitber he hal abseorided for debt. Mr. Wesley then
Liked me whether the informer's conduct respecting
himself and his brothers was not plain evidence of
witchcraft or demoniacal ponsession." London
Magnolias, August, 1820. Thin curious narrative is not,
I bdiere, mentioned by Southey in his" Life of
Wesley.' —Notes and Queria.
THE LAST Or ft IS NATION.—The Hobart TOWS
Mercury notices the presence at the !set government
bar in that town of the last living male repre•entative
of the aboriginal race of Tasmania, accompanied by
tbre aboriginal women, the sole survive's ot their
piktion be 11,a fendtle lid.. It is estithated, with .101110
ot tOltilmOy, that the natives numbered about
2,000 in 1830, but have of I,te years been rapidly dis-
appearing under the " civilising" influences of the
colonial government. In former times they were
treated with great crueltyand barbarity by the colonists ;
but in the year mentioned a plan for transporting them
to Flinders Island, and keeping them there, was
adopted. The result—which had been foreseen by many
—is shows by the four surviving individaala who were
present at the governcr's ball. The Hobart fount
Mercury crinelndes its notioe of this incident as follows:
- With whom does the blame of this rest? Most
asetiredly, not altogether with the natives themselves.
No one can say with truth that they were not as much
sinned against as sinning in the disasters that befell
them. But they are gone, and their extinction, as a
race, was probably as inevitable as it is inscrutable. As
savages they were found. as savages they lived, and as
meg es they perished! Such an event is deserving of
some notice."

Ins Mttetd tit PRESETTEILIAN
—MO4IILVIINT Irt TR/ FAR NORTH.—A memorial to the
minster and kirk evasion of the parish church of
Lerwiek is in course of signature by the eongregation,
of which the following is the prayer : " Your me-
morialist.—being convinced that the use of • harmonium
in conducting the Psalmody would greatly help to guide
and sustain oongregational singing, and thus give better
and more perfect expression to the devotional feelings
and desires of the Worshippers—respeetftilly reqnest
that you May be pleased to take such steps as yott may
consider prflper, As early as possible, to ascertain the
opinion of the congregation on this matter, to an
amicable agreement of view.; may be attained to, and
the singing in public worship may be improved and per-
formed in the best manner possible, in accordance with
the injunction of the General Assembly." The congre-
gation numbers 1,000, of whom 700 are communicants,
and as yet, we believe, there are no di,sentients to the
memorial.
How MOnr Cellln Is BORK/rt.—Attempts were made
to do without powder for blasting the rock, in order to
avoid the eitiation of the air consequent on explosions.
Boring the rock by steam power was proposed • but the
•team-enirine also consumes oxygen. It ended' in using
sportemen's instead of miners' gunpowder, and by boring
the blast-holes with a machine set in motion by air com-
pressed with the force of six stmoTheres. The air is
compressed by pumps worked by the waterfalls of which
there is no want. Gee-lamps have been substituted
with adventage for oil-lamps ,• gun cotton has been
thought of to replace gunpowder • and sucking-pump.
to draw out the foul air through long tubes. The
extraction of the rubbish is very slow work. At the
distance of 1,000 to 1,500 metres from the mouth of the
tunnel, it requires about six hours, including in that
period shout two hours for firing the mines, which
time will increase as the distanee increases. The boring
of the holes is performed three times as quickly by
machinery as by the ordinary methods. The tunnel is
excavated by machinery only, three metres high and
three metres wide • its final dimensions are intended
to be eight metres high and ten broad. By what means
it is to be so enlarged still reinsinsundecided, During
1862, on an average a metre per day was excavated at
each end, or two metres altogether. The ten thousand
metres which remain to be excavated will therefore,
at that rote, take something like twelve years to finish.
Six ye. .s have already been employed on the tunnel,
the whole time of its execution will consequently be
eighteen years. At first it was expected to be finished
in six years. But eighteen years, a large portion of the
life of an individual, are 118 nothing in the life of a
nation. Many cathedrals and other public monuments
have taken a mush longer time to °omelet To supplant
the old-fashioned borer, M. Leschot has invented a tool
which consists of a metal ring studded with fragments
of black diamond—a bawler variety than the ordinary
diamond—and which is therefore employed to polish it.
The ring, bv means of a cylindrical stem worked by
eaohinery, is made to grind an annular hole in the
reek. When the hole is nearly a yard deep, the tool is
withdrawn, and what remains inside is easily extracted.
Thus a gem, usually employed for personal decoration,
has rendered industrial services, and bee become an
auxiliary in the making of a railway. Instead of em-
ploying diamond or steel, Hannibal is said to have
opened rocks by the application of vinegar. All we
can say is, that the vinegar of that day must have been
considerably stronger than our own.—Dickens', All the
Year Routed.

HoLLowav'e Pitut. —Joy for Invalids—The greatest
and best chemical oombination of the very finest
balmum dwells in this excellent medicine, which to be
praissd in-eds only a single trial. The purifying power
•,f these excellent Pill. strongly recommends them to
the use of families in which any constitutional weak
ness or deleterious taint exists. Holloway's medicine
has the most renovating effect when the system has
become debilitated by dissipation over-indulgence, or
long-continued illness. The Pills, noting gently as
alterative; aperients, and tonics, impart strength and
energy to the whole body. No mischief son possibly
result from the tins of this world-esteresed remedy :
innocent in nature, and harmless in serlonireflil admir-
ably adapioi tar ova 7 deNsate