The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-10-22 00:00:00

mark et ids Severslves Isom br being appointed In
represent liar illfejeft la ewe of the most insalubrious
statione en the West Coast of Africa, called la at the
. Col mi.! Office to make inqsiries as to what might I e the
ret.eio allowance pertaining to the post. The obliging
x
clef k, after a prolonged march through • series of doe.
mentA looked up at the hopeful young man, and blandly
said, " I do not find, air, a single ostance of • retiring
allowance having heen pill t who have gone
out to this Particular station.'
Hossereriost usey be • manly apart, and letting • cheer-
ful occupation But I never in my life saw ouch hopeless,
drip desperste faces as showed themeelves ID the
crowd in Fleet-street on Tuesday, when the placard was
Put out from • newspaper office announcing the winner of
the C sarewite's For upwards of au hour the crowd had
emited io • state of feverish anxiety. It was tm°1"""1
chi. fly of clerks small tradespeople, caleirivers, working
men, and other,, to whole the loss of • few shilinge, not
to mention iorvfo'kin, meant privation for weeks or
month. to come. The banging out of the placard with
the zinnia of the winner. seemed to cast a black and
bitter blight over the upturned faces. Toere woe nit •
gleam of joy anyertirre, and It ems plain to see that
"Jenter" hod not entered into the calculations of this
xsiseralde throng.
It remains as truss, ever that one hell of the world
dose not know hsw the other half byes. Roaming about
the other day on the south-western coast of Ireland. I
came upon a little cove, in which lay • strongly-built 1.8
boat. I naturelly thought the crew were fishermen. But ,
when we became battle acquainted I discovered that they I
were ernimaries of an enterprising tailor in Qaeenstown,
and their minion wm to intercept homeward booed 1
vessels and secuns orders for their employer. This is. as I
tars, I know, quite • new obese of commercial travelling. !
A friend of mine has among the primeit ffo.smi.a• of
hie house a stout box, five feet lone by four deep. This is
filled with the choicest Trichinopoly cheroots, to which •
peculiar flavour la added by the recollection of the fact
that they have never paid duty. The flavour was enquired
thug: When my friend arrived at Smthampton be fell !
Into the hands of an exceptionably austere Custom Roues ,
officer. The man insisted upon rooting everywhere,
diligently examining boxes innocent of contraband
ottents, and poking the bed to dienover in the mattress ,
Drillable layers of tobacco. Coming in due course to the !
box containing cigars, be curtly asked. "What's in thi. r
" Tobacco," mid the traveller front the for Etat The
Custom House officer turned upon him a withering glance. ,
Here was a man indulging in untimely jests with • I
responsible offirer H.M. Custom With an angry snort I
the offended dignitary hurriedly scribbled a cabalistic
mark on the box, and passed on to the next luggage. So
the 'beet came eihore duly pamei, and duty free.
The wind is tempered to the shorn lamb, and rev, gentle-
men who, from preemie of other engagements. or from 1
eheer inability, find • difficulty, in writing their own !
serious, will find none in obtaintag • supply. Here Is •
tradesman, appropriately established at St. Paul's Church- I
y•rsi. who advertise* that he "has alwaye on sale man, y
thousands of sermon* in manuscript and lithograph." He ,
"• series for the year." They are "sound Church ,
Evangelical, gent composition," and, above all, are
"legil.ly snitteo " He particularly recommends "a large I
collection of sermons by the late Rev. W. Watson, known
uS. P. 0." These are valued at the modest sum of
sixpence each, a hundred for CI The Rev. J. Rogers runs
g little higher in the market. His aermons will cost a
shilling each. But here, also, a deduction is made on
taking a quantity, and you can have a hundred for LA It
must be • great comfort to a good man, who, having Sell
to spare. can get in (probably by Parceh Delivery Company/
• hundred sermons—a year's stock at the rate ef two
sermons per Sunday, and no more trouble for twelve
. months to come
. . . . . . . .

It i ot;;;Cor-nr that the system might be improved upon.
Why shoultl a man in receipt of a yearly stipend of from
lam C3:(X1) spend £4 every pearl Suppose be gets •
batch of sermons, why should he not, at the rime of the
year, exchange them with • rev, brother in • distant
parish I This might go on almost indelnitaly, alter the
manner of the widow's cruise.
It is not generally known that the Russian Pacific Fleet
I. dependent for Its coal supplies upon the mines of
Australia : this, I am informed on the authority of a
Itussian oflioer at Vladevostock, is nevertheless the fact.
Geographically speaking, RUltil ought to draw her coal
from Fiagloilien, where there are Immense carboniferous
deposits. But owing to the scarcity of labour and the
corruption prevalent among the island officials. the
Government ends It cheaper to purchase coal from our
cameos at New Rooth

--""li—yraaTnicinoe liTsin—arrlie favourite dog. who neerly
gave • new turn to European politics by partially eating
Prince Gortachakoff, has just dietinguished himself in a
new way. • friend of the German Chancellor called

Tiiitri.n him very early the other morning to pretreat his
compliments and congratulation. on the betrothal of his
daughter. Prince Bismarck was dregring, and In the
meanwhile the visitor waa shown into the drawing-room.
To him entered "Tyres," who, altar sniffitut round his
Ices in an exceedingly uncomfortable manner, suddenly
observed the visitor's hat, which had h-en placed upon •
chair. "Tyra( straightway made for the hat, took it by
the brim, trotted out, and der—sited it on the doorsill.
This hint, coming from such a quarter, was not to be di..
regarded, and the visitor, thankful for his personal escape,
took his hat and fled. He said he would call again when
the Prince was up.
A veritable hermit has just been discovered at Welsh-
pool, where he lives in a cave and receives friendly con-
tributions from peening visitors after the fashion of
hermits from immemorial time. His cave is large enough
to accommodate ten people at once, and round it are
ranged the small excavations in which the hermit keeps
his frugal sore. 1,,y fully fifteennears be has lived in
his present pbs.ce of abode, and Juicing frola appearances,
so a correspondent informs me, will not die of oil age for
another fifteen years at I,asx Rumour, which has
suddenly spread an extended knowledge of the ancient
recluse's subterranean dwelling, asserts that he is by no
me ono so poor as he looks, and that his weekly takings
aue,unt to • considerable sum. _