The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-05-14 00:00:00

WITIVIIIITE.
!WU anb 'gnu.

May did not being the Cherbourg atomism on the
first. •• was expected, the fact being that the Greet
Western directors found delay from other quarter, "
well as from the little port which they think of utilising
as their English outlet. The agreement Wilk the
Western of France had not been ratified by the
Government, and I believe ths place at Cherksern Was
also not quite acceptable to tbe Western iienvray.
While the Company delayed it was not to bee=
that Pultentry buildiags would 10,14890)
another attempt to save its genteel quiet crew the
grinding of hoists, and the hustle of commercial trait
at its backdoors. Mr. Weleford saw in the very
uncertain tenure of the traffic • good strong reason for
the Council endeavouring to economies their outlay.
When it is remembered that the traffic II not
guaranteed even for three months, while £lOOO or so
must be paid oil to the Great Western before a Riegle ,
shilling can come into the Harbour fund, the positive
profits certainly seem to be most doubtful; in fact a•
Mr. Thomas said, 't.is like • repetition of the old game,—
Open your mouth end shut your eyes, and see what I
shall send you." The Great Western Railway won't
promise to send anything definite, except the money
to erect a staging. That, however, is not ti be
despised, as it shows they have confidence in Wer
mouth traffic to that extent at least, and they are too
astute not to take very go id care to be repaid, while,
as the harbour dues are the only source of repayment,
traffic of some kind must certainly be brought. The
Opposition made • very good fight on Thursday ; but,
as they were entirely defeated, I may hope that
nothing further will be allowed to endanger a fair and
honourable trial of the traffic. The discussion must
do good if it make more certain and more clear the
terms on which the Great Western's money is lent;
but it was surprising to me that Pile-pier interests
were not mentioned in the debate. The present state
of things. appear to be that the Great Western are
more willing to lend a "thou." or so on other people's
property than the Pile-pier bondholders are willing to
advance it on their own. 'he whole unmet of the
matter is, therefore, altered, and while I think the
traffic ought to have paid Pile-pier dues as well as
Wh.eage and Harbour dues, it would not be wise to
throw away every chance, for the sake of securing an
interest about which its owners do not sum to care.
The decision as to the terse meet be recorded, as
Mr. Nangle pointed out, in alb agreement to embrace
all the points. A very careful and rather anxious
matter this will be, for although Mr. Dennis's dignity
seemed a little hart when Mr. Robens noted the extra
sharpneee of the Great Western Railway officials on
behalf of their company, as compared with councillors'
acuteness on behalf of the town, I don't think Mr.
Robens was very far wrong. Would the worthy
councillor, if he had had his way, have left the quays
to be used by the tramway without responsibility for
keeping them up? If so, he is not the man I took
him for.

Want of faith in the value to the town of the Great
Western scheme may be amounted for by the
persistent habit Englishmen have of discounting all
such plans. It is quite certain, as old experience
teaches, that we shall neither get all the advantagee
promised, nor shall we get them at so cheap a rate as
was proclaimed. Filet we were to have the steamers
running between here and France, communication
with the centre and south was foreshadowed, and we
were led to suppose the line would be a lasting one.
Now we cannot be gum of having it three month.; in
fact it becomes more and more evident it is a specula-
tion, though I heartily hope and believe it hes a
reasonable chance of success through getting a good
start from the Paris Exhibition. Then we were to
have the Harbour dredged at a very cheap rate for
the dredged material was to be projected on a bit of
amphibious swamp. On the strength of this Mr.
Morgan is despatched to London; but the dredger
there is angaged ; then he telegraphs to Wales; but
again disappointment follows, and we have to resort
to an ordinary style .4 dredging and delivery after all,
with the expenses proportionately increased. So let
us have everything reduced to writing, and the agree-
ment made as stringent and plain am our worthy Town
Clerk can devise.

One important condition must be held to firmly—
namely the passages must be day ones; the steamers
to start won after midday, as promised. If the " day-
light passages" are altered, as in the glaring instance of
the Jersey steamers, to midnight use, the traffic will
do Weymouth little or no good after all.
Filling up the low land I shall hail with satisfaction,
especially if the ratepayers are not taxed. I hope the
Council will proceed to realise as soon as may he;
can't they let the place on leases, agreeing to furnish,
at a certain price, so much tilling-up stuff? We cannot
afford to be burdened with rates at a time when trade
I. most wretched and we have the double shadows of
threeleawar and the meddling of the Local Govern-
ment

That Government Board seem anxious to prove they
are not dead. But they must be nearly u useless if
they do not examine the Registrar-General's return,
anti see how healthy w• are. With • rate so low as
16 in 1000, why should we be troubled, impoverished,
and poisoned, just to show that the Government
Board have the power of legally putting us to death?
Gentlemen .4 the Government Board, we have no land
lit for sewage irrigation ; our subsoil is clay except
what the town ..f Arelcombe Regis itself is built upon,
and a little near Ferry bridge; but a hospital will be
built at the latter place. Would the Government
Board like the grounds and neighbourhood of the Port
Sanitary Hospital irrigated with sewage? The com-
mittee, who have to answer the Government Board,
might do it in about a dozen letters -"Clay soil here."
Yet that very clay soil offers what will by and by
furnish the real volution of the difficulty in another
way. Dry earth, especially when clayey, has
.oireeeded over and over again in dedorising and
ant the more clayey it is the more cinder
atihe. insv be lois- i with it. The idea is only a little
before the age, which is, after all, a troubleeitirking
.ue, and not too clean.

If cleanliness were the guiding rule of our Local
Boards, they would not tolerate for a moment that
devotion to money-getting and delay of purification
shown in delaying the filling up of Railway Arch
pond, while all our officers' energies are concentrated
on the new staging. Long has Mr. Dennis fought this
dAnger to health, and step by step all obstacles have
been removed; yet, now that the sun is getting more
power over us, the dirty pond remains defiant of
, decisions of the Board. W- is

unanimoin
said to be in fault; but if so our urban =km;
authority should not tolerate& danger on its boundary,
and should take action against any power which is not
doing its duty. In order to be consistent, it must
compel its officers to do their own. What will be the
net profit from the Harbour staging, if we are to wait
years for any return, and if its c• natruction delays
the carrying out of • mammary sanitary work?
Whoever laughed at Mr. Wallis, when he advocated
lending the Market-house for drilling the Rifle Corps,
would laugh the other way if we had to be defended
by an army who didn't know the use of the bayonet.
Yet at the last a ljutant's inspection the sth D.R.V.
were better "up" in almost everything than in the
bayonet exercise, of which they kad'nt had muck
practice fairly. There is plenty of room overhead at
the Market-house, and tulles, the civilian army are to
be taxed for permission to learn how to defend their
neighbours, the Corporation should make them free
and welc me of the unused space, hoisting out of the
way the two interior and useless rows of stalls.
Now that the Council have decided to accommodate
the Cherbourg steamers, let us hope they'll soon
Most essential is the deepening of the Harbour. unless
the steamers are to be kept waiting on the tides, and
then it will be a hopeless tank to keep the back of
Pulteney-buildings clear. If the steamers are to
arrive with any regularity, and the tramway is ever
to be cleared of trucks, the packets must be &hi* to
enter at all states of the tide. But the contrary is
the case now • so hostile Is the comparative shallow-
ness of the Harbour that last year three or four large
vessels which would have been repaired bare were
actually 'sent to Southampton, while—speaking of •
port which is • rival to Weymouth and Portland, I
heard an old salt, only on Tuesday, say—" Compare
this place with —1 Why I there the biggest ship
that ever swam can come in at low tide I But here"—
Well there was no occasion for the old salt to spit
so violently on the ground for haven't the Council
agreed to dredge?_ The plan of an experienced
surveyor—sot Mr. Morgan, though be is experienced
too,— is to dredge the bottom to a regular curve.
deepest of course in the middle, and taking away
nothing from either Quay side, except just where
large vessels have to come to Quay. Let us hope the
work will be done briskly now. While we were
fighting for Pilsvpier dues, or to resist companies'
encroachments, it was necessary to wait; but now the
party of caution have been thoroughly beaten, let the
Council by all means go ahead, and secure the
performance of the oonspanies' promises. The heating
will be taken whit& good grace, if the Council
secure the gain.

The pleasure but at the back of Pulteney and
Devonshire-buildings have quietly to be provided for,
mince the pleasure season is approaching fast. I was
glad to see the trim-built steam yacht Priuoe go out
of harbour with • fair load of passengers on Tuesday,
and the smaller boats are awaiting their share of
employment; but the New•Quay-Enders expect a
good new place to be allotted them lithe Cherbourg
steamers turn them out.

English watering place, are eurpeased by our French
neighbours inzrz. on heavy charges in a busy
season. Mr. wards, IL P., whom everyone
here will admit to the most liberal gentleman that
every travelled, complains of the extortion
by the Pmisians. For a gentleman's simple Vneri"d
lie
had to pay very nearly am much se it would have wet
him at that proposed banquet which has not oome off
yet. But the French were all behindltaed with their
exhibition, which we, worse than unfinished, it was
DO exhibition at all; so the intsudbig Putiffrus by
the Weymouth and Cherbourg stesmSt have
probably last little or nothing yet had better
come down se far ea Weymouth, and a week of
It while the Q.O.Y.C. are here.

Mr. Edwards is very serious about the Eastern
question, and hie word. are well worth consider.
lag. But a number of friends whom I respect have
signed a Declaration throwing the whole responsibility
upon our Government, if there should be a war with
Honda. One might have thought Ronala wee to
blame, considering her bruied imseinues to Raumasda,
whom faults were first that, like iligUnk Übirsis, she
was deceived into faith in Roads, sad meeedly Mat
what had been given her in trust by 'grope, the tried
to hold. Ls to the Declaration, one of the principal
nepportere is, I believe, the Marquis of Bath, and
lams of religious freedom will learn something if they '
wash his lordship by what he said at the Salisbury
Synod last week about,istrist:irvsangelista. I droner
*se that howschmels and members would
alter setae el their reepeeting this &stern
question, had they a tads of Harlan ea* meleted by
sec riorrahy Mum Yarifsateris el Thu faet
Is, mime ell as web* millearals *be *lie Paw