The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-10-18 00:00:00

NOM OF THZ WIFX.

There have been during the last few days some
very indistinct rumours of Ministerial c.4nges,
consequent upon Cabinet disagreements. There
Is stalk that Earl Russell is tomes way to Lord
Clarendon, and that the latter is endeavouring to
revive the Congress schema, which the former
snubbed. We, however, don't believe there is
any truth in it. If Lord Russell has survived
the rebuffs of the last two years, he is not likely
to 11UOCULIGb now. The only Ministerial event
of the past week is Mr. Gladstone's visit to
Lancsabire, where be has spoken to large and
enthusiastic audiences on various subjects. ts
to the other members of Government, they are
disposed up and down Europe. Lord Granville
and Mr. Layard are in Italy ; Lord Clarendon is
at Vienna; the Lords of the Admiralty are at
Malta. Lord Palmerston does not go to
Widmer this year, as alterations are being made
in the warden's residence. His lordship is
spending most of his time at Broadlands.
The papers mention that the Lord Chancellor's
son has had a narrow escape from the fate which
befel Captain Spoke. The Bethel' do not seem
to be first-rate shots. There is an amusing story
told of Lord Westbury in connection with sport-
ing, which his son's misadventure has revived.
Ousel the •udges bad occasion to confer with
the Lord lor on some legal point that
had been raised, and so his lordship, on hospit-
able thoughts intent, invited the judge to Basing-
stoke. After dinner was over the judge
mentioned the matter which bad brought him
down, but Lord Westbury said that he would
not discuss it then as the ladies would be wait-
ing in the drawing-room. The next morning
the learned guest again alluded to the business,
but the Lord Chancellor would not listen to it.
"ma • fine morning," be said, "let us go and
kill something." A party was formed, and after
beating about for sometime, a whirr was heard,
and his lordship and his son fired simultaneously.
The bird did not drop, but the gamekeeper did.
The luckless guardian of partridges and pheasants
was not dangerously hurt, and the 13ethels
thereupon each endeavoured to amigo to the
other the game that one of them had brought
down. After the return of the party to the
house the judge again endeavoured to do busi-
ness, but with no result, and he was at last com-
pelled to have Basingstoke with his mission no-
accomplished. Sometime afterwards the matter
was twos& before him and the Lord Chancellor
4n a formal manner, and the latter thereupon
lave his opinion, which be knew was oppomi to
that Of the j ud ye, and said that his learned brother,
after conferring with hint bad arrived at the same
atineluetou. Thereupon the judge protested that
he hati never conferred with his lordship, and
neverainthorised him to make such a statement
"'Cyril as a Cucumber," or Charles Mathews,
'Lord `Westbury replied, "Dor't you remember,
it was when you were down at my pls.e and
abet the gamekeeper I"
The last mail from India brought one curious
piece of intelligence. An embassy had just
arrived at Cashmere on its way to Calcutta,
from the kingdom of Khiskand. The object of
the mission is to procure British aid and assist-
ance in resisting the aggressions of Rama upon
Khokand. The people of that State smut that
the purpose of Rums in making these aggres-
sions is to be in readiness to attack India in case
of a war with England. No doubt these appre-
hensions are true ; and the real struggle between
Britain and Russia will be on Indian soil. But
ought we to precipitate the struggle by prepar-
ing for it I That is a question of the highest
importance for the British Government to
decide.
Gossip has been very busy lately with the re-
lations between the Emperor and Empress of the
French. Gossip has accounted for the long
absence of the latter from the Court, and for
the fact that she has travelled alone, by explana-
tions as inconsistent as they are exciting.
Gossip even says what the jars have been about.
Gordp, however, is a dirty, idle, lying jade.
Every Englishman will rejoice to !emu that
the war in New Zealand is at an end. An inter-
view has taken place between the governor of '
the colony and the chiefs of insurrectionary ,
natives, which resulted in the latter tendering ,
lifters of allegance to her Majesty the Queen.
'These offers seem to have been unconditional,
the natives actually placing their lands at the '
governor's disposal. Thus not only have the
objects of the struggle been abandoned, but, as ,
far as we can foresee, the grounds of all future
struggislas been given up. Let us hope that
these aasicipations may IA realised ; and that
•our fellow countrymen to tam
.now thud opportunity for the uninterrupted ,
.development of the spirit of enterprise by which
Tuley are animated.
The American news of the past week proves
that the Lincoln administration, by falsification,
misrepresentation, and suppression of facts
greatly exaggerated the achievements of the
Federals in the Shenandoah valley, and in a like
ratio multiplied the disasters of the Confederates.
It is true that the Confederates experienced
disaster, which may, perhaps, be described as a
defeat, but it was a temporary defeat. After
hard fighting for a whole day the Federal* saw
the enemy compelled to retreat. But under
what circumstances was this victory achieved
And with what issues was it pregnated I in the
first place it may be safely warted that the
Federal force was exactly double that of the
General Confederates. Gom' Early's army could not
hare amounted to more than 20,000 men;
General Sheridan's could not have been far short
of 40,000. Sheridan, moreover, had an im-
mense superiority of cavalry; but even this
advantage, which enabled him to pursue Early's
farce after the retreat had been commenced, did
not result in the demoraliestiou, even in the
slightest degree, of that form. Since then
,General Longstreet has joined General Early
with 20,000 troops, and assumed the command,
so that the Confederates have been able, not
only to maintain their ground at Brown's Gap,
but to assume the defensive. They had, at the
latest accounts, actually driven the Federals
back six miles and taken almost entire possession
of Sheridan's communications. Meantime
Sheridan is eighty miles distance from his base
of operations ; and to retreat over that eighty
miles will afford him abundant, though not very
congenial, opportunity of reflecting on the
mutability of all human affairs! The intelli-
gence from the main armies it Petersburg is ex-
ceedingly vague. On the 30th ult., in an en-
gagement north of the James River, the Federal'
lost, in killed and wounded, between 2.000 and
3,000; among whom were General Ord,
wounded; General Burnham, killed; and many
staff and line officers. An equal =ober were
lost in the conflict, to the south-west of Peters-
burg on the tat instant A shell grazed General
Meade's leg and buried itself in the ground in
the midst of Generals Humphrey, Bartlot, and
Griffin. What further had taken place was not
known but on the sth inst., in the Amore of
news from Grant, Washington was filled with
rumours of disaster to his army. There was also
a report that General Butler was killed in an en-
gagement north of the James River. In Missouri
and Tennessee the Confederates have made a new
movement. On the former General Price is
*deeming. Five thousand recruits from that
State are asserted to have already joined him,
and Federal conscripts hourly desert to his ranks.
A porajon of his forces are threatening Rolla,
and he will, no doubt, succeed in diverting to
Missouri • Federal forts which Grant would be
glad of elsewhere.
The question has been raised whether or not
the Emperor of the French, in concluding the
Franco-Italian treaty, has done well as regards
his own popularity in France, which is for him
a primary oonsideration, snd which is indeed
necessary to the stabiliq cd his throne. On the
one hand he has gained the applause of all men
of liberal opinions, even of those who bate Im-
perialism and pray daily for its downfall • and
perhaps if the country were polled it would be
found that they possess greater intelligence and
=wealth than the rest. But on this other
be has made the clergy his deadly foes,
end has disquieted the conecithoss of millions.
The clergy will assuredly exercise against hlm .11
the immense inflames which the confessional
and the meddling in the private affairs of familia*,
give them, and they will, so far as they dare,
preach against him in their pulpit; and their
Bock!, being disturbed in oonscsanc.
ofeTtrra-
ith them. The a
liberals is sweet, assuredly; gr the animosity
of the Church and of the multitude it commands,
is formidable. Some now affirm that the
Emperor, seeing both face to face, is more
noes'', at the latter than phased with the
former; and that, consequently, be will
allow his famous treaty to drop, and his
troops will have to amain Si ROOD as hereto-
fore. Ness earths. U, however, the treaty be
executed, he may expect to have to encounter a
new difficulty. The Hallam, with Rouse in their
hands—sod that it will be theirs within a very
short time after the French have quitted the
city. nobody doubts ; nobody, not even the
most fanatical partisans of the Papacy—the
Italians in Room musiefight against Austria to
get Valais ; nay, it is even asserted that they