The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-10-10 00:00:00

Paroane
Rouse, No.
—l'arohase (
Trede Mark.

DORCHESTER.
Tits unusually high temperature of the present
autumn has caused some curious phenomena in the
world of plants; amongst them we note the bursting
into leaf I.r the second time thia season of several of
the chestnut trees that adorn the elks around our
good town. This is a most unusual occurrence.
ECLIPAE orTUS MOON. —A partial eclipse of the
moon took place on Wednesday night, when the
brilliancy of that luminary and the remarkably clear
atmosphere gave an excellent opportunity of wit-
nessing the phenomenon. The first contact of the
shadow was at 9h. 39tn. p.m. The greatest darkness
was at 10h. 40in. p.m., when s.'4:lut one-third of the
moon's diameter was eclipsed and the last contact
with the ahadow was at 11k, dim

The To•VN CourictLx.oks.—The following gentle-
men retire from the Town Council by rotation on
the let of November next :—Mr. G. J. Andrews,
who was firet elected 30th April, 1850 ; Mr. A. S.
Mason, whose first term of office commenced Bth
June, 1859 ; Mr. R. Rayne, who was chosen for the
first time let November, 1862 ; and Mr. Edward
Steele, the time of whose first election was 4th
August, 1863. On the 9th November two Aldermen
retire, viz., Mr. George Curme and Mr. Thomas
Coombs. The Aldermen are chosen by the Council.
SPOTS ON TOSS SIN.—Mr. T. P. Barkas, of NM-
caatle-upomTyne, writes as follows regarding the
spots now visible on the sun's surface t —The sun for
some time past has been in • condition of considerable
quietude; few spots heti() been seen on ite surface ;
but at the present time spots of coneiderable magni-
tude are traversing its disc. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, I
examined the disc of the sun, and observed, passing
off the western limb, a very large, extremely well
defined, and very symmetrical spot. The nucleus
was large and intensely blank, and the penumbra
formed a well•marked border of considerable breadth.
I estimate roughly that the diameter of the nucleus
was 30,000 miles, and that of the penumbra 50,000
miles. I never saw a single unbroken elm-spot so
large, bold, and well defined. On the opposite or
eastern limb another large spot was making its ap-
pearance, and the luminous photosphere of the BUD
near it had that peculiar frilled and puffed appear-
ance which often characterises, ik when a large spot
is either entering upon or passing off its visiblb stir-
face. The luminous matter toinid the spot pre-
sented the appearance of rolling and undulating
billows. Ido no believe that those spots which ate
occasionally, as in this instance, tolerably permanent
are at all compatible with the modern theory of com-
bustion on the sun, or indeed with any theory, elec-
trical, incandescent, combustive, meteoric, or other-
wise, that has yet been suggested.

--
THE "WILD Man" Silo*.-80030 ol our readers
may reeolleet the "show" that appeared in this
town during the Archeological Institute week, the
leading feature of which was several "wild men" in
a cage. Their origin haa just curiously come to light.
A correspondent of the Morning Herald told a
pathetic story of he visit to them. Be wrote :
" The proprietor told me that they had been cap-
tured by her Majesty's ship Constantine, of Yeaso,
at the north of Japan, that they had been brought
to England, and let to him for show. Their language
sounded like a mixture of Spanish and Sanskrit
They are of a short stature, and a copper-coloured
hue. Their fingers are pointed like au ape's) and
their legs are straight and thin. They speak no
language known to Europeans, but by ideate of signs
are induced to go through their performance
of 'moon-worshipping and war-clanOing;' as
the conductor informs the aticlience.'' This
elicited from anothet wAter a statement that the
so-called wild men are simply Mistier, from the in-
stitution known as the " Asiatic Home," who agreed
with the proprietor of the exhibition, of which they
form a part, to sustain the character of savages for a
certain sum per week. He adds that the money
was at first regularly paid to them, but that it was
afterwards wit,fteld, and the poor fellows were
brutally treated. For the proof the writer refers to
a recent number of the Cambridge independent,
which reports an application made by one of the
"wild men" to a magistrate at Cambridge.

THE BOROUGH EXPINDITIIRE : TEM CLOCK
TOWIR, AND THE Nzw CORN EXCHANGE. The
annual abstract of the receipts and payments of the
treatmrer of this borough, for the year ending the let
day of September last, has just been published, and,
as a ratepayer, I am astonished to nnd such an item
as the following appearing in the payments under
the title of " itepairs,"
"By Cash paid Mr. Wellspring—balance 2136 9s. Bi.
due on the Clock Tower,
What on earth can this charge have to do with the
borough repairs? and, on what ground can the Town
Gouncil claim to charge this balance against the
year's income of the borough, any more than they
can the whole expenditure as to the olock ? Again,
under the title of " Miacellaneous," I find that sums
amounting in the whole to £79 14s. 4d. are also
charged in the years account for surveying and
preparing for the erection of the New Corn Ex-
change, thus :

£ s. d.
Mr. Pirer, surveying Corn Exchange . . 19 12 4
Mr. H.q. ditto ... . . 29 19 0
Mr. Jowett, ditto." ... •.. ,t 0
Mr. Hall, pretnium for plan of Corn Exchange 21 0 0
Mr. Jowett, ditto... ... 5 5 0
£79 14 4
Now, perhaps you would hardly credit, that in this
same printed statement,under the title of " Salariea,"
you will find the following entry:—
Mr. Jewett, surveyor ... £3O 0 0
Therefore, what can be the meaning of his being paid
a salary as surveyor, and then paid £7 75., and
£5 59. for surveying ? Surely, there are some
members of the Town Council who will take an
early opportunity of opening this question at a
Council Meeting ptiblicly, when, through the medium
of the Press, the ratepayers may receive some infor-
mation or explanation. —O.

I torn

• far