The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-02-01 00:00:00

Conntti extireso.

TUSSDAY. FEBRUARY 1. Ig6.

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Among the 30 mighty men of learning - returned
As wranglers in the Cambridge Mathematical
Tripos just published, the proud place of senior
falls this year to Mr. Joseph Timmis Ward, and
the second, scarcely lea distinguished, honours
to Mr. William Loudoun Mollison, a native of
Aberdeen, and pupil of the grammar school of
that city. The senior wrangler was educated at
Rochester Cathedral Grammar School, under the
Rev. Robert Whiston.

"Our London correspondent" is certainly •
most favoured individual. Nothing is beyond
or beneath his ken. The "gist" of a condemned
murderer's unpublished oonfession he is enabled
to lay before his readers 'ere the unfortunate
man has paid his penalty; whilst the privacies of
Royalty are equally under his command. Here
is an extract from our London correspondent's"
talk in a Manchester paper :—" Although no
official announcement of the fact was made until
to-day, I am in a position to state that the
Queen resolved to open Parliament in person
nearly a fortnight ago. I have reason to believe
that the delay in publishing this intimation of
the Sovereign's intention is duo to a very im-
portant and most significant cause—that is, the
fear in the highest circles that Her Majesty's
long and self-enforced seclusion might possibly
lead to some exhibition of disloyalty upon her
re-appearance in public." That such utter bosh
should be served up to the public is surprising.
An Englishman's loyalty must tell him that,
instead of an exhibition of disloyalty, Her
Majesty's appearance in public would excite only
the greater fervour from its unfortunate rarity.
A nice example of bigoted intolerance greets
our eye in a Plymouth paper. The Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council on Friday
decided the "reverend" question in favour of
the Wesleyan ministers. A day or two ago this
advertisement appeared in the local papers at
Plymouth :—" Notice,—l request that all com-
munications to me through the post-office be
addressed as under : G. W. Manning, P.P.,
St. Petroc Minor, St. Stissey, Cornwall. Corres-
pondents who prefix to my name the now
desecrated epithet of 'tie reverend' will please
not be offended if I reject their letters." P.P.
we presume is intended to stand for "parish
priest," although it might perhaps be more truth-
fully interpreted "presumptuous person," for
Mr. Manning has the self-possession—as his
advertisement evinces—to condemn the judg-
ment of a tribunal whose edicts he above all
other men ought to respect. There are many
people about this time of the year who would
like to "reject" a number of their letters; but
we rather fancy if Mr. Manning, P.P., received
one "registered" the "desecrated" prefix of
Rev, would not prevent his opening it. Perhaps,
after all, we are taking too uncharitable a view
of this gentleman's request, " P.P. " possibly
stands for Peculiar People, if so the matter is
explained.
People who like to have a sneer at those "set
in authority," who must be always finding fault,
and who are continually shouting after a
visionary perfection, will do well just to inwardly
digest one or two matters that have occurred
during the past fortnight, before they cry out
against an unpaid magistracy. Weakly sub-
servient to popular clamour the, Daily Telegraph
made a hero of John Cross, the Dorset labourer,
who stole his master's hurdles. John Cross was
put by public subscription into a public-house
—where they sold beer. He subsequently
exchanged that for a residence in a public-house
-sitipit up at the expense of the ratepayers.
Chandler, a young lady of 13 or 14, who
had a propensity for trampling over flower beds
and stealing geraniums, was sentenced to live
years in a reformatory. Again, "the largest
circulator" screamed and Sarah was released.
Tender-hearted Mr. Cross! She is now awaiting
her trial for stealing a jacket. Not long ago
the Telegraph had a leading article, overflowing
with incbgnation, treating upon the sentence of
a man who had been sentenced to three week's
hard labour, by Sussex justices, for stealing a
cabbage. The man was a notorious delinquent;
there were six previous convictions against him,
and an action now lies against our contemporary
for slander. This is jugt one side of the
question. Let us on the other hand look at the
benefits to be derived from giving a gentleman
£1,500 a year to discharge duties which we at pre-
sent get done for nothing. Sir J. Mantell is the
stipendary for Salford, and, to use his own
words "won't be put down by popular clamour."
A month ago he "gave" a man three months
hard labour for being a vagabond. That sen-
tence was remitted. A fortnight ago he
sentenced another man to three months hard
labour for sleeping near a brick-kiln. That
sentence has also been remitted. A London
magistrate not a week ago "marked the charge
sheet" and descanted strongly on the conduct
of two policeman, who had brutally illused a
drunken man in taking him to the station; but
he sent the man with his plastered head to gaol
for seven days. There is no need to point a
moral to these facts.
"The confidence trick" at present simply
comprehends relieving a gentleman posses-
sed of inure money than brains of as much
of the former as can possibly be extracted;
but if what we hear is true the applies.-
tin will have to be extended. Sausages
land the like we know require on the part of
patronizers almost a blind confidence. That
has always been understood. But we confess
our faith in human integrity is somewhat rudely
shaken when we find that even that expensive
delicacy an oyster pattie is totally innocent of
anything like an oyster. Still it seems such is
the case. A few days ago at the Bristol School
Board, upon the school fees being voted for
certain children whose parents were unable to
pay for their attendance at school, one applicant
was Stated to be a collector of "snails and
watercressas." A mumber of the board asked
what he did with the snails, and the reply was
that they were used for /ireth, and another
member also added that they ware also in
demand for oyster patties.