The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-08-06 00:00:00

DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS

Dr/RCHESTER, TUESDAY. AUGUST 6, 1667.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

The Reform Bill having passed through committee
in the Lords, its probable reception on its return to
Lb. Commons is noir discussed. The Bill will go
beck with four eonsiderable alterations in it—the
restriction to two votes in three-cornered con-
stituencies, the oopyhold and long leasehold qualifi-
cation doubled, the lodger franchise raised from flO
to £ls, and a new clause in favour of voting papers.
The Times thinks the two latter in the highest
degree impolitic, and believes that both must be
rejected by the Collolllolls, for "the first would reduce
the effect of the Bill in metropolitan constituencies
to aothing, and the machinery of voting papers
would prevent the process of election from free
choice to corrupt or servile complaisance with the
wishes of the rich an d powerful." The Morning Herald
say. that the Bill will probably be read • third time
on Thursday in the Upper House, and the Commons
may be expected to take the Lords' amendments
into consideration on the following Monday, when,
the Daily Telegraph hopes, "the disastrous altera-
tions made in the Bill will be set aside, otherwise
hon. gentlemen must be prepared to meet the
consequences of the most signal political disappoint-
moot ever inflicted on the English people." The
Morning Star is no better pleased, and declares that
the Homo of Commons. with or without the support
of Ministers, will soon lop away from the Bill "the
uneoristitutional eccentricities" which have been
grafted upon it, and for the consideration of which,
if we may credit the Morning Advertiser, there will
be "a call of the House." A call of the House may
be made at one day's notice, but thecustom has been
to allow a convenient interval—a week at lout —to
elapse between the order and the call. The order
directs that such members as are not present shall
be taken into the custody of the serjeant-at-arms,
but this is rarely done, and when a member fails to
wood without excuse, it has been usual merely to
order him to attend on another day, or to "have his
! name taken down." tiessonable excuses are, how-
ever, admitted freely, sail illness, either of the
member or one of the family, the death of a relation,
public datiee, or absence from the kingdom, have all
been allowed. l'he Sunday Gazette also believes
that to obtain an attendance suitable to the impor-
tance of the question involved in the Lords' amend.
manta • call of the House will be made, as large
numbers of members have left town, and not a few
have *red till the prorogation,under the impression
that the more serious business of the session has
concluded with the third reading of the Bill.
-"

Gossip will pursue the movements of royalty.
When the Empress of the French came to °shortie,
it was, so said the quidnancs, to prepare our Queen
for the coming war between France and Prussia, and
to genera her Majesty's good-will by an sesurance
that the independence of Belgium would be re.
'mated. Now that the Emperor and Empress of the
1 French go on a visit of condolence to their Austrian
Majesties anent the deplorable Mexican tragedy,
an Austro-French alliance against Prussia is the
secret motive of the visit ; and people point as •
corroboration of this, to the statement that this year
Baron von Beat, and not Count Bismarck, will visit
Biarritz during the Emperor Napoleon's sojourn at
that watering place. But, alliance or no alliance,
war in the spring is still thought • probable eventu-
ality, despite the pe•oeful tone adopted by the French
press for the last few days. But supposing France
and Prussia are really going to fight, we should
think Austria would rather keep her hands free to
chick any movement of Russia in Eastern Europe,
which must be highly dangerous to Austria under
present circumstances, though ostensibly directed
against Turkey. The two Litter Powers ought to
be able to keep Russia oat of south-eastern Europe,
and it is certainly the interest of both to do so.
We trust, too, the various rumours about Italy being
committed on one side or other, are none of them
reliable; for Italy will get Rome more surely by
abstaining from hostilities against any of her neigh-
hours, and looking to bet own business while they
are managing theirs. Denmark is the only State
that would have any excuse for taking the French
side, unless Sweden chose to join in the defence of
Scandinavian nationality ; and even the little Danish
kingdom alone might prove a very troublesome
thornt in the side of Prussia, while she wee engaging
her great Gallic neighbour in front
" Defence and not Deflanoe" was the well chosen
motto for the English volunteer force, when • few
ye.. Bina, to the astonishment of all Europe there
sprang into existence, as if by magic, this army of
many tens of thousands of effective and well armed
men, without diminishing in the least degree the
regular forces or the militia. The camp at Milton
Abbey, pleasant and delightful as it was, a
lounge, or as • spectacle, must not be mistaken for
an unmeaning display of amateur soldiering. Ere".
thing connected with that event tells in mimic.
takeable language the important fat, that the
volunteer movement has taken deep root in the
country, and is henceforth one of our most cherished
institutions. Aforetime our defensive force was
drawn chiefly from two sources. Our army was
offioered by men taken from that which is termed
the higher clams or gentry of the country : the rank
and file from the very lowest, on whom Sergeant
Kite could prey without much interruption, with his
irresistible attraction of • pot of beer, and the
Queen's shilling. The yeomanry was chiefly supplied
from the farmers, but the great middle class of our
towns was untouched. Commissions were beyond
al. • lab, and the • km beneath their notioe: so that
being practically aciuded from taking • part in he
defence, they almost forgot that they had a country
worth defeeding, It is from this class that nearly
two hundred thousand effective soldiers have heen
drawn, without interfering with their duties as
citizens, and without burdening the country with
any great expense. It is chiefly from behind the
de•k and counter that England has drawn forth
this new source of protection. We must not judge of
its imparters* only from the present numbers,
cithough they present • very formidable muster roll.
But we might to see in it • nucleus of • ter more
efficient force, which would rally round it in • few
days, if there WAS an prospect of its being required
foe waive envies. It is not too numb bossy this
our present volunteer force represents al leek one

million lighting meta, who will be ready and willing
in case of any emergency. The moral and Opted
effects of this movement upon hundreds of our young
Men has been wonderfully beneficial. It has given
them a laudable object lor bodily exercise after their
hours of confinement and labour: it has drawn
them away from more questionable amusements
and it has given them a certain %mount of self
respect, and made them feel that the character of
their company is Owed in their hands, as well as
their own. The effect of this is seen in the state of
these volunteer camps; and if occasionally there
is some small exhibition of folly, and vulgar
nonsense, we must consider what would have been
the case • few years since, if many hundreds of
young men had been brought together for a week,
far away from the restraints of home, or of business;
and then the improvement will be more striking and
apparent. It has done much to raise that particular
clam, from which it is drawn, in the eyes of their
countrymen. They are no longer looked up pas
effeminate and self indulgent, but as men who only
lacked the opportunity to show that they had the
heart and tool, as well as the muscle and sinew of
England's old defenders, who could send • shaft "a
cloth yard long," from bows of the tough yew tree.
With these thoughts in our minds the camp at
Milton Abbey becomes • deeply interesting fact. It
was in truth Dorsetehire proclaiming to the rest of
England that die teas ready I and if the county lisa
reason to be satisfied with her six hundred riflemen,
they have reason to be satisfied with the way in
which their °entity has shown her appreciatiom of
their services—the flags and garlands that adorned
parts of the road that led to the camp: the noble
hospitality of the yeomen, anxious to show who ,
beat entertain their neighboate from the te was al
princely welcome at Milton Abbey, and i.•.
thousands that gathered around them on ,he 1, Vi •
day, stew that it is a national movement, a public
acknowledgement that we look on these men as
doing our work freely, and that we delight to honour
them &sour patriotic countrymen. We cannot help
feeling • little private vanity in reflecting on the
position our own Dorchester company occupied in
the camp. It mnstered the largest number of men
—its band WM ae band of the occasion—and the
bugler of the band, Mr. Wellspring, gained the first
prize of the buglers. We congratulate our town in
making such a creditable appearance, and we trust
that our Maas= will show their appreciation of this
movement, by giving every possible encouragement
GI it. Mestere Mar do much to help it, by giving
ample permission to those they employ to be preeent
at drill and at camp. "He is at drill," or " he is
gone to camp," ought to be • sufficient excuse if any
little work is not completed in time, or any ap-
pointment is not kept. As this movement cannot
be kept up without greal self-denial on the peat of
the men,a Utile of the same self-denial may reasonably
be expected from those, who, by position or age, are
excused from taking part in it. Thus by the united
sympathies and efforts of all, whether in the ranks
volonteers or out of them, we hope to see the
number of effective@ maintained and increased, and
each annual meeting in camp distinguished by im-
provement in all that relines to the duties of soldiers,
and, if possible, in the hearty co operation of the
county at large; and while we would lee the
Doreetshire volunteers equal with the best, we trust
that the oounty town will hold its own among them.