The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-05-27 00:00:00

THE "TELEGRAM'S" REPORTS, &C.

Mr. Devenish said it was bat enougb for the presa
to caricature the council, much more their own
hats.

Mr. Drew said he had seen several misatstementa of
their transactions in a paper. He alluded to the Tele-
gram, which had wilfully misrepresented the council,
and twisted and turned the reports to snit a certain
purpose. He thought it was ri;lit that the Mayor
should administer a caution in such • case.
_ _

The Mayorsaid he did not see the paper.
Mr. Drewremarked that he had, by request, carefully
..xamined the Telegram's report and compared it with
the correct reports which appeared in other papers.
Ile found misstatements rim% to bring the Corporation
into contempt. There ha I been a aeries of such prac-
tices.

Mr. R. Thomas Paid he bad seen several palpable
misstatements. He bad intended to bring, the subject
forward, but declined, as upon inquiries be found that
the paper was not much known.
The Clerk said there was a gross miarepresentation
resnacting himself.
. . .

lle—venish said he was glsd to see the gentlemen
connected with Cl.• press present at their meetings,
but if he were in the chair be would not allow the re-
porters to attend to misrepresent matters. The
Council. like the Hmise of Commons, wanted polishing
rather than othrrivise..

• The Mayor remarked that the subject had been
seriously brought betore his notice, lie thought the
time was come when the Corporation should take some
bake of it.

_
Devenieh said lie did not care a "screw," so
long ae.there were no.inikstatemente.

fbe Mayor observed that if be found, in the paper to
which Mr. Drew had reftrred, any wilful misstatements
will be should bring the matter before the Corpora-
tion, and call on them to exclude the reporter.
Mr. Drew said the Mayor would he supported. An
attack had lately been made on the Mayer and Mr.
Devenish evincing • personal feeling. lie did not
know whether Mr. Devenlsh was at issue with Mr.
Winfield. At election times personalities were in-
dulged, but when no Public mittens called for such
remarks they were disreputable. If he were proprietor
of a paper he would discharge any editor or reporter
who Dins acted.
_

The subject then dropped, and the Board separated.
Now we have no sympathy with voluntary
martyrdom. We have no desire to rush
temerariously into collision with the Weymouth
Town Council. Nei ertheless, even at the
risk of exclusion from their deliberations, we
emphatically deny having in a single instance
" wilfully" misrepresented their proceedings.
We do not profess infallibility. We
don't say we have never misapprehended
what a speaker has said, but we do deny
having committed a "wilful" error. It is by
no means an easy task to condense a six hours'
report into a column of type, especially on occa-
sions when a little sharp firing is going on, and
half a dozen members talking at the same time;
but we always endeavour to give a fair and im-
partial epitome of what takes place. We
do not garble our reports by omitting any
little "sparring" that may occasionally occur, and
thus misrepresent the 'Pown Council as being a
neat of turtle doves, when, indeed, they are not.
Nor do we on the other hand magnify matters
or set down aught in malice for a "certain
purpose." What purpose, pray, could we serve
by misrepresentation I We could not serve the
interest of the paper, much less the interest of a
party. Unfortunately there is in Weymouth,
as in many other places, so much that is rally
true to eondeinti ac to render it wholly
nnueuettatary to resort to notion, and none know
Allis better than these who are crying out against
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have to serve is the public good, and in this we
stand alone—free and independent. Mr. Drew
is reported to have said that "an attack had
lately been made on the Mayor and Mr.
Devenish, evincing a personal feeling. He did
not know whether Mr. Devenish was at issue
with Mr. Manfield." For Mr. Drew's infor-
mation—and we trust it will give him entire
satisfaction—we have to state that the proprietor
of the Telegram, so far from being at issue with
Mr. Devenish, does not personally know him.
Why does Mr. Drew ask the question? Is the
Ist November, when he will again have to ask
the suffrages of the electors, looming in the
distance? But where did Mr. Drew 800 the
attack of which he speaks? Certainly not in
any report of the Town Council proceedings;
yet to read his remarks such would appear to
have been the case. This, at all events, is a
misrepresentation. We do not say it is a " wilful "
misrepresentation, but it looks rineontmonly like
a "turning and twisting" of thirties "to suit a cer-
tain purpose." If we are asked, who is this
Mr. Drew, who says "if he were a proprietor,
we answer that this councilman is
a printer in the Southern Times office.
As public journalists we throw open our
columns for the ventilation of opinions
within certain limits, whether they be in accor-
dance with our own views or otherwise. But
the views expressed by correspondents, for which
we do not hold ourselves responsible, surely are
not to be confounded with reports of meetings.
We also assume to ourselves the privilege of
public criticism on matters which appear to us
to affect the public weal; and if two or three
members take upon themselves to spend the
public money on work not absolutely necessary,
without the sanction of the Council,
when at the same time there is so much work
absolutely indispensable for the preservation of
the public health required to be done, they must
expect their conduct to be censured. Our prin-
ciples are "measures, not men." We are not
subsidised; we are not enslaved to party alle-
giance; we are not bound to consult any Mem-
ber of Parliament, Mayor, Alderman, or Town
Councilman; therefore we are free to advocate
the principles of right and justice. In our
public capacity we know nothing of private friend-
ships or personal differences. While we hold our-
selves free to expose abuse wherever we find it, we
are at the same time ready to commend what is right
by whomsoever perfortned. That our conduct meets
with the approval of the public is manifest from our
circulation. 'Tis true Mr. Rowland Thomas has
found out a secret of which, till he happened to
divulge it, we were totally ignorant. It is said that
one should always go from home for home-news.
Perhaps in Mr. Thomas's case "the wish was father
to the thought." What a pity that "wishing" won't
alter the case. We had ourselves laboured under.
the impression that the circulation of the Telegram
was somewhat extensive. We know that our
weekly circulation in Weymouth and Portland is
somewhat over 1,400 copies, We know also that
our agents sell in Portland alone more than either
the Southern Time or the Weymouth Journal print!
Within the district of the Weymouth Poor-law
Union our circulation considerably exceeds 2,000
weekly, and within a radius of ten miles of Wey-
mouth the number of our subscribers is equal to that
of all the other local papers put together. And our
circulation is not confined to this district. We are
extending our sphere of labours in all directions.
Every week we enter on fresh ground and receive
an increase of orders for papers. Yet Mr. Rowland
Thomas has found out, "upon inquires, that the
paper isnot muchknown!" What becomes or the many
thousands then that are weekly disposed of to our
numerous agents? Now we don't for a moment
believe that Mr. Thomas meant fibbing. We are
quite sure he did'nt intend to "wilfully" misrepre-
sent ?acts, because he was denouncingsuch a course
of conduct; but he certainly spoke trom very incor-
rect data.

Great, after all, is the power of talk. Some people
tell their dreams, and suffer brown gipsies to tell
their fortunes. Priests tell their beads; old lathes
and gentlemen are fond of telling stories; and some
little children have an unaomf rtable propensity of
telling tales. Young ladies tell their secrets one to
another, and Hope, we- are given to understand,
"once told a flattering tale." There are on, or two
members of the Weymouth Corporation all, are ex-
ceedingly fond of an altercation. If they cannot get
up one among themselves they must Fist up one
against somebody else; and we, nnfortunatel, have
now been made the victim of their wrath. The
charges brought against us have teen of a generic
character. Let them bring against us a specific
charge, and we are willing to meet it. We fear, after
all, hoe ever, that our offence is twofold
—first, that we exercise our privilege of
animadversion when we see things going wrong;
and secondly, that we report what some of our con-
temporaries who wish to be "all things to all men,"
are afraid to report lest they should give offence, 9.ud
a hich, therefore, makes their reports so "correct, "
namely, the little "affrays" tbcome off in the
Council Chamber. Parhamenta reporters polish
the speeches of the members, by correcting the false
grammar which is employed, not by omitting the
sarcasms of Disraeli, the pungent replies of Lord
Palmerston, the hard hits of Gladstone, or the anti-
national sentiments of The O'Donnogline. If
members of Parliament are caricatured in the re-
ports of the priceedings of the Rouse of Commons,
the caricaturing is of their own utanufaclaire, not of
the reporters. If we have unwittingly caricatured
the Weymouth Town Council, we take the earliest
opportunity of offering an apology, for it was wholly
unnecessary for as to caricature them. They cari-
cature themselves quite sufficiently. But we are
cot of that class who, when opposed to the virulence
of these who wish to break a lance with us, roll them-
aelveslike hostile porcopines,and present on every side
bristling animosities. We certainly have no desire
to misrepresent any party, or any kind of proceed-
ings, but fearless uf all consequences, we shall still
claim that privilege which is the birthright of every
, Englishman to speak our own mind on all matters,
whether of a local, social, or political character. We
have a mission to fulfil, we know that mission, and
we mean to IV 11l it We are quite confident there
are members in the Town Council—men of Clouser-
vative principles, who will say that if there is a
paper that dam report the truth in reference to
what takes place in the Town Council, it is the
Telegram.

PORTLAND.—On Tuesday last the detachment
of the 49th Regiment Foot, which have been
stationed here for some mouths past, took their de.
partnre by the halfpast five special train from
Weymouth, for Manchester, where Only would arrive
on•the following morning. They were met at the
station by a detachment of the 53rd, Havelock's
regiment, who have now been stationed here. They
appear to be smart soldiers, and we understand that
the facings which the Duke of Wellington took from
the regiment at Waterloo are to be restored to it on
account of the bravery of those who fought at
Lucknow.

I:osmium. —On Monday week a tradesman's wife,
while on board the Weymouth and Portland steamer,
had her pocket picked of 30u, and on Wednesday
last a poor girl, while returning by the sante mode
of transit from Weymouth to Portland, hal her
pocket pickel of 9s.
MACKEREL —The Portland and Wyke fishermen
have had a few excelent catches of mackerel. Thu
other day one of the Portland boats obtained £l4O
worth at a !Mule haul.

BEBE REGIS.—A few individuals, anxious for
the good of the place, have united together to see
what can be clone for the improvement of the people,
and as a first fruit one of them hu engaged to go to
Woodbury-hill, where there is a population of at
boast 120, ereiy fortnight, to collect together the
young people, and to give them instruction bearing
on their future life. A Band of Hope has been
formed, which now consists of thirty.eight members.
It should also be stated that an interesting tern.
pounce meeting was held on Thursday, at the
ffichnolroom, when the cause was effectively echo.
cated by a number of zealous friends of the move.
fluent.

We are highly gratified to hear that a cricket club
has been established by the young men of this place.
The first meeting was held at Mr. Crisp's schoolroom,
kindly lent for the purpose, on Monday, the 19th
instant, when twenty two members joined, and
many others we have reason to believe will fo'low
their example. A secretary, treasurer, and a com-
mittee, was chosen to form the rules and regulations
of the scientific game. We have also much
Pleasure in stating that some of our respected trades-
men have offered to close their establishments at
seven p.m. certain evenings of the week, so as to
enable the youths to participate in this noble
exercise.

WIMBORNE.—The chief object of attractien
in Wimborne last week was Sanger's exhibition
of wax figures, which arrived here on Tuesday last.
The exterior of the " Exhibition" has indeed been
very tastefully designed, and as the motto over the
entrance was "Paradise to the soul," many, no
doubt, entered with fear and trembling. There were,
however, many who entered the "narrow gate" by
the payment of 3d., and the celestial beings, although
they could neither see, nor hear, nor feel, seemed to
give them great satisfaction. The paradintical
music was performed by beings inhabiting bodies of
Mesh and blood. Altogether, ho sever, a visit to
this little paradise is quite worth the money paid
for the privilege of admission.
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIRTY.—On Sunday, the
19th inst., two excellent sermons were preached by
the Rev. Talbot Greaves, of Weymouth, on behalf
of the Church of England Missionary Society.
There was a large congregation on each occasion,
and liberal collection. were made on behalf of the
Society's fund.
_

LCINGRAISL—LosoaviTY. —An old woman,
named Elisabeth Williams attained her 99 birthday
on Sunday. on which occasion the servants of Capt.
Biddle presented her with a birthday pudding,
and a nurse containing a small sum of uniney. The
old My ate her pudd.in and afterwards enj.o) ed
.her 31_34mtill
_th,,perteo poisconottgr
It.littrACeitit • _ . -

• .1

•

KINSON. - The members
and.ntlicers of the Loyal Providential Lodge met at
the Dolphin Inn, Kinson, on Tuesday, to celebrate
their anniversary. At an early hour in the morning
the village assumed a festive appearance, Hags were
hoisted, and triumphal arches erected About ten
o'clock the members began to muster in front of the
Dolphin Inn. Barman's Peale hand was in attend-
ance. At half.paot ten they formed a procession,
and marched to Longhatn, in the following order

Banner of the MN.
Band.
Banner.
pigpen/ 'Aloft;
Members of the Ringwood, Wiinbonm,
and limson Lodges.
Banner.
Members of the Lytelistt Matniven
aid Poole Lodges.
Officers of the District.

On their return they attended Divine service,
when an excellent sermon was preached by the Rev.
E. F. Daniell, who chose for his text Corinthians
zit., 14 to 22 verse. After the sermon, they re-Mrined
and marched round the village till half-past three,
when dinner was provided for them in a tent
in a field. fronting the Dolphin. Dr. Lacey, of
Poole, took the chair, and among the company were
Colonel Present, Captain Biddle, Rev. E. F. Daniell,
Dr. West, and Mr. Western. After the removal of
of the cloth, Dr. Lacey proposed the usual loyal and
complimentary toasts. The festivities of the evening
were very poor, and the dancing was without spirit.
The chief amusement consisted in juveniles shooting
for nuts- We are happy to find that this society is
in a flourishing state.
CANFORD.—Fayst. ACCIDENT. —On Tuesday,
the 13th inst., a deplorable accident occurred at
Hatherop, near Fairford, Gloucestershire, resulting
in the untimely death of Mr. Christopher Cozens,
(formerly a resident of Canford, and brother of P.C.
Cezens, of the Dorchester Borough Police-force), the
valued servant of the Hon. Ashley Poneoby, M.P.,
and the respected friend of every inhabitant in the
large district with which be was so intimately con-
nected. It would appear that Mr. Cozens, who bad
been occupied with Mr. Edward Trinder,ot Cirences-
ter, in surveying some portion of the Hatherop
estate, was returning with that gentleman from
Mac:cumin Farm, driving hie favourite black horse.
He had just for a moment given the reins to Mr.
Trinder, when, on arriving at the abrupt turning
from the Eastleach-lane iuto the tlatherop-ioad, the
horse took the corner so shortly that the wheel came
in contact with the roots of a tree, and caused an
immediate upset. Both gentlemen were thrown out
with great violence, Mr. Cozena falling on
his head, sustaining a fracture of the skull
from the top of the head to the base. Aaaistance
was quickly at band, and Mr. Cozens was conveyed
to his house, but a short distance away.—Several
medical gentlemen u ere speedily in attendance, but
their efforts were of no avail, as life was
extinct. It would be difficult to imagine
a more painful sensation than has been
eansed throughout the neighbonrh ad by
this melancholy event. The day following was
Fairford fair, and the great topic of conversation in
every circle, was the sad fate of poor Coaens. The
deceased has left a widow and a largo family of eons.
It is a eingul ir and lamentable coincidence that Mrs.
Cozen. should have sustained within a few weeks,
the loss from vi dent deaths, of a brother and a
bust and, and that both accidents happened almost at
the same spot.