The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-07-02 00:00:00

"Tbenio a divinity (loth hedge a Man."

And couldn' the Royal Foully have yellow robes
like they do in China, or some arrangement he matte
for • halo round their heads, like we se- in medieval
picture.? To think we've hat to satisfy our loyalty
1.7 • compromise with facts, and perhaps to exalt the
son of • country 'Squire in our imaginations to regal
degree! While we've been princehnnting, the craft
have been mustering tor the torpedo 6.:ht, Bluer
steams away to the east, and Blasted come. Ilik 011 the
0. her side, their bowsprit-like .pars are raised, and on
the far end of each it a great red torpedo, a cylin•ler
with a c .n-point. The hosts form into wane kin•l of
line, the order "Close I tivision." la heard, and they
advance. The cadets swarm into a great boat and
put off from Lively to Hercules up wh .00 rigging
they swarm. 1.01110 reaching to the mauve% al Yard, a"
three persevering till they reach the main truck. No
end .1 6.4stinr and loveer•tig Up goes on, the
semaphore on Hercules' quarter deck works it. arms
swiftly, all the broadsi.te ship. (eight ••f the great
'dec.-sided Titans) seem smitten with a madness for
flat-waving, and an impu.lent host pulls up, and we are
masted to go astern, lest we get blown up. We drop
astern of the turret-ship Hecate; but Bustard with
projected boom awe • s round the bows of Hercules,
Blazer • trances as if to meet her with boom also
projecting, and it looks as if these two were going
to tilt at each other, like Knights of ol I with
their lances. A rocket rushes up from Boadicea,
coming the invincible " H." to hope it won't
board its neer, rocket follows rocket, more cadets
rush into the rigging of Hercules, and our Premier
come to the front again. " IMn't you think we
should try the other older sake an over-anxious
eight-seer, " try to see both sides," says our
captain; and we drop round. but find ourselves wrong,
and steam up again till we flank Hercules, and over-
look all. The gunboats and launches have got into
line, dropped their booms, and now they wait in
suspense. the blue flag is waved, and at 00 minutes to
three, off go about nine grand explosions, sending up
geysers about 60ft high. A smell of "villainous
saltpetre" fills the air, or as a learned dock* remarks.
the powder seems to have too much sulphur in it,
others suggest that "those Gas Works have been at
it again,' and while we speculate, four or five more go
off at once, ending the water as high as the main
truck. 5' That Is all over," declares • gentleman who
wants to get bane, the learned doctor impresses the
prophylactic necessity of having lunch within regular
hours, while other* opine that • fish torpedo is going
to blow up a suspicious-looking boat all alone. "Shall
I go and ask the Admiral if tEat's all?" says Captain
Coen, ; I will if you like" But the dinner-less put
pressure on the worthy captain, he yields to circum-
stances, and we leave the Princes, the torpedo !winches,
the gunlbate, the ironclads, and the turret-ships, to
get at our own enquiries and practice for the supply of
that on which every armed force is said to move, and
all the afternoon since guns have been going off in
Portland Roads.
Discus.