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

Somersttshirt.

Tausrox.—Lord Portman, the Lord-Lieutenant of
this county has received instructions from the
Secretary of State for War, to assemble the First
Somerset Militia at Taunton for training, the last
week in April neat.

A conversations of the Somerset Archmologiea
Society was held at the Bhirehall on Monday even'
ing. Papers were read by Mr. Alford on Botany
by Mr. Pinchard, jun., on Ancient Ballads, and
by Mr. Pardtt (curator to the society) on Etymology.
A number of the Taunton Itidsmen turned out as
early as six o'clock on Tuesday morning. for a little
rifle practice (long distance). They used, for the
first time, the practice ground at Pickeridge hill, at
Orchard Portman. The distance to the ground is
above three miles. One of Mammett's large furniture
vans couvayed the gallants thither.

Yhorm.— Wholesale System qf obtaining Goods by
False Prelexces.—ElizabetA Maude was broughtn
on two several charges of obtaining drapery goods
from the shop of Mrs. Ryall and Sun, in the names
respectively of Mrs. John Rodber, Kingston, and
Mrs. Read, of the Railway Tavern. The goods ob-
tained in Mrs. Rodber's nanie came to .C 9 Ss. 6d.,
and in Mrs. Reads name, to £3 Bs. 10d., amounting
together to £l2 14s. 24. There were 32 pawn tickets
found on the prisoner, by Maine of which property
was traced to the value of £9 95., the whole of which
bad been pawned at Mr. Vincent's, at various times,
for /3 12s. 3d. Committed for trial at the assizes.
YZOVIL Tow?, Cou9m, Monday.—Mr. Penny
moved a resolution to the effect that the tolls arising
from the markets should be let by public competi-
tion. In the event of this motion being carried, he
should ask for a committee to be appointed to devise
or decide what portion should be let and what re-
tained, and make any suggestion they might think '
fit. At the last meeting he presented a petition
signed by two hundred individuals, all of whom, he
was prepared to say, were on the burgess roll, and if
not directly ratepayers, they were indirectly so. The
amount of tolls which was reported to have been re-
ceived between September Ist, 1868, and September
let, 1869, was set down at £571 fts. 74d., and out of
that £213 17s. 24d. was paid for expense,. Mr.
Jeans' salary was 430. and 1.37 41. to his assistant&
—Mr. Hill seconded the motion.—Mr. Bodenham
fall in with a great deal of what Mr. Penny had said.
He had for some years taken care of his bacon in the
market—(a laugh)—and had therefore seen • little of
the working of the mode. He should support the
prayer of the petition whether the market was to be
let or not; for he considered that, at the present
time, the market was not in a position to be let,
ueither was it in a position to beheld. If a person
came into the town, and had to pass through • gate,
he could look up at the toll-board, and see what he
had to pay. In our market people had disputed the
toll, and the collector had been obliged to say,—
You can apply to your neighbour whether he has
not paid just the raw," when he ought to be able. to
point toe table of tot* signed by the Mayor, whickt

would save him from the rough side of many a man's
, tongue. (A laugh.) Mr. Alderman Mayo thought
the committee should be appointed, and the list of
tolls revised, in the first place, and the question in
regard to letting them derided afterwards.— Mr.
Phelps said his opinion was that the time had not
arrived for letting the market. It was being deve-
loped more and more, and when the new railway was
opened would be still further increased; it would
therefore be a wise determination if they let the
matter stand till that time. He understood that Mr.
Jeans gave satisfaction to almost everybody; and he
could not do with less than four ar five persons to
assist him. —Mr. Penny: He has fotu-teen or fifteen.
- -The Town Clerk: No; that is a mistake. If there
was a case of any improper charge on the part of the
collector, why was it not brought forward? He would
be liable to £5 penalty every time.—Mr. Maiden:
If any one states that he has made • wrong charge,
he ought to be vent for and asked. —Mr. E. Whitby
then moved, as an amendment, that a committee
should be appointed to investigate the queation and
report to the council. —Mr. Neale seconded the pro-
position. Upon a division the amendment was car-
ried by 7 against 6 ; and a committee was nominated,
consisting of Messrs. Phelps, Hill, Penny, Maiden,
and E. Whitby, jun.
It was resolved to let the surplus portion of land at
the oemetry (3 acres) to Mr. Hake, for six months
beyond his present tenancy, which expires at Lady-
day, for £lO.

THE GLOVE THAD,. —A memorial has been pre-
sented to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, signed
by nearly the whole of the Yeovil and Milborne Port
manufacturers, setting forth the damage to trade
which would ensue, were his proposal to defer the
abolition of the duty for a year to be carried, and
praying for an immediate, instead of a deferred ope-
ration of the measure. The memorial was supported
by the London warehousemen interested in the trade,
and, although presented at so late a period in the
consideration of the measure, its prayer has been so
far conceded as to have tensed an alteration of the
date at which the second moiety of the duty will be
abolished (coin let February, 122261 to lit August,
12360. We may hope that this shortening of the
time allowed French makers for preparing large
quantities of gloves for export to this country, will
be effectual in preventing that sudden influx which
our manufacturers would have had to dread, had the
notice extended to February, 12361—The straw-plait
manufacturers have taken a precisely similar coarse
of action, and have been even more successful.

BRIDGWATIII. —The Corporation amd the Rifle
Corps.—Him Worship. the Mayor (R. Ford, Esq.).
invited the RUe Corps and some two hundred of
the inhabitants to accompany himself and the corpo-
ration to St. Mary's church on Sunday se'nnight
Between 40 and 50 riflemen assembled on the
occasion, and with their officers (Captain Poole,
Lieutenant Bate, and Ensign Ford), marched before
the proceedun of the corporate boy and about 100
of the inhabitants, from the Townhall to the church.
The service was performed by the two curates, and
the sermon preached by the vicar. On returning to
the Townhall the Mayor thanked Captain Poole and
the corps for their ready compliance with his invita-
tion, expressed his obligation to the vicar for the
excellent sermon he had preached, and complimented
the rides on the appointment of their excellent
staff of officers. Captain Poole replied that the
corps cheerfully paid respect to the constituted
authorities. He trusted that the alarm which had
caused the establishnient of volunteer rifle corps
would turn out to be unfounded; but should it
prove otherwise, tie could assure the Mayor that the
members of the company he had the honour to com-
mand would be found ready to rally round the town
authorities, and faithfully perform their duty to their
country.

WEST SOMEREET REGIMENT OF YEOMANRY
CAVALRY.—COL U. K. Tynte has received a letter
from Lord Portman informint; him that his regiment
will not aseemble for a week a service in Bridgwater
next May, as previously arranged. The tame of
this is undoubtedly the withholding of the .680,000
grant for the Yeomanry Cavalry by the Government
this year, on the ground of the Cavalry's efficiency,
and the desirability of applying that money towards
rendering the new Volunteer Force equal to the
expectations formed concerning them.
LANOPORT with its 1,100 inhabitants at last has
its Rifle Corps. The volunteers now number 66, 59
of whom on Monday evening met to elect their
officers by ballot. The Rev. E. P. Henslowe, the
vicar, V. Stuckey Wood, and W. Bond Paull,
&qrs., assisted as scrutineers. For the captaincy,
R. T. Combo, Esq., of Earnshill House, was unani-
mously elected, and to the office of lieutenant two
candidates aspired in the persons of William John
Hill, and Johh Louch, Esqrs., solicitors. Ou a
division the numbers were—for the former 2s, and
the latter 30. Watson Bagehot and Hervey Murly,
Esqrs., were then respectively proposed and seconded
for the ensigucy ' • and on the ballot being again
taken, 50 voted for Mr. Bagehot and 9 for Mr.
Murly. If we may form an opinion from the
speeches delivered by the successful candidates, the
Langport Rifles will hereafter turn nut a smart and
effective body of men, and rank high among the
"crack "corps of the country.
HlGHBltnioe. —Fatal A ecident. —Oa Thursday
last an inquest was held at the George Inn, High.
bridge, before J. W. Baker, Esq., deputy coroner,
on tho body of John Harmer Hayward, woman on
board the crow Trotter, of Gloucester, who was
thrown overboard by the jibbing of the boom, and
drowned. The jury were of opinion that death was
purely accidental, and returned a verdict accord.
Mgt).
BURNHAM. —The Ruby in a Squall. —A serious
mishap happened to the steamer Ruby on Monday
week. Most unwisely, she was allowed to leave her
mooring, to convey passengers to Cardiff, soon after
her advertised time of starting, 9.30 a.m., when a
regular hurricane was blowing. The sea was running
high, and she rounded the Gore with difficulty. She
, was struck by several heavy seas, one of which un-
shipped her gangway, and injured the tinilser above
her paddle.wheel. Thereupon the Captain deemed
it advisable to put back. From the violence of wind
' and water he was unable to make for the " gut," and
after heating about for some time, he ran the vessel
,on the mud at Steart Island for safety. The passen-
gers were put ashore in home, several of them much
frightened by the untoward event. The next tide
floated the Ruby, but as the wind remained rough
and unpromising, she did not make her voyage to
Cardiff ow Tuesday.
Wiaas. —The its,. Henry Godden Garrett, who
formerly resided at Blackford, near Wells, and who
left under suspicious circumstances, has been com-
mitted to take his trial for embezzlement, at Chester-
field.

Ws regret to hoar that Sir W. G. Hayter has been
prevented from attending in his place in Parliament
for these last ten days by a severe attack of
bronchitis.

LICTURZ O PLIUIIIO-INIUMONIL IN CATTLE.—
Mr. T. Hardwick, of Milton, the honorary secre-
tary to the Wells Cattle Assures:it* Association,
delivered a lecture on the above supject, at the Star
Hotel, High-street, Wells. Upwards of 60 farmers
were present. The best remedy for this disease, the
lecturer said, was cleanliness, and the best way of
touching the principal came was to keep cows in
markets from coming in contact with diseased animals,
to which many cases that occur can be traced. If
military regulations were enforced many thousands
of pounds would have been saved this country, and
butter would have been about half the price it is.

GLairroastatv.—At the ruins of the Abbey, a
large elm tree was blown down, during the late high
wind, very near St. Joseph's chapel; but it fell in an
opposite direction, and consequently did not injure
lii. venerable walls.

Baru.—Mr. Stone, of the firm of King, Stone,
and Powell, solicitors of this city, has been appointed
Town Clerk, of Bath, in the room of Philip George,
Esq., resigned.
Batirroc. —The wine trade, which has been in a
state of suspense for the last month, was on Wednes-
day last resumed at the reduced duty, 34. per gallon,
instead of ba. 9d. The new *pint duties are not
yet in operation, so that brandy, more particularly,
is still doing nothing. The delay has caused great
inconvenience; in fact, the wine and spirit trade has
been in abeyance.
CRZWILLIINE. —Steam Ploughing. We under-
stand the steam plough is at length actually intro-
duced into Somersetshire. Mr. Henry Parsons
haying just received one of Fowler's sets of tackle,
on the farm at Haselbury, near Crewkerne. We
hear it has been started, and Mr. Parsons has inti-
mated, that he intends setting mart a few days, fur
giving his friends and the agriculturists of the neigh-
bourhood, an opportunity of inspecting its opera-
tions, as soon as it is in full working order, which, no
doubt, will be made known.