The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-03-28 00:00:00

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(the Moravian) bringing down the American news
to the 12th of March, that President Lincoln
has been apprised of the British Government's
approval of the Canadian Federation, and rather
seems to like it, for his Government have agreed
not to increase the naval forces on the Lakes.
On the other hand, the Marquis of Hartington,
in the House of Commons, has brought forward
amongst our army estimates an item of £50,000,
part of £200,000, for the fortifications of Canada.
The plea for this is thal America within the last
four years has grown up into a great military
power, and we must strengthen our frontier
after the fashion of the Continental powers who
happen to have military neighbours. Some
people will laugh at the idea of voting such a
sum to guard a line of frontier nearly equal to
the width of the Atlantic Ocean. 13sit it is not
the money, it is the recognition of the duty of
defending Canada, which is important. No
matter for the sum; once committed to the fact we
must go on, and "in fors penny in for a pound."
Twelve thousand men it is said would be re-
quired to garrison Quebec and Montreal, but in
case of attack 35,000 will be required with a
farther disposable moveable force of 26,000
making a total force of 60,000 men for
Quebec and Montreal, with 20,000 enrolled
volunteers in the colony. These figures possess
an additional interest in this locality from the
circumstance of Sir John Michel being about to
leave Dorsetshire to assume the Canadian com-
mand. But it would appear that the Americans
would rather lihe to drive the French out of
America than to take Canada, and significantly
enough, President Lincoln is not renewing for
the present his French diplomatic appointments,
whilst Sir Frederick Bruoe is on his way to
Washington to take the platse of Lord Lyona,
The latest thing ventilated in the House of
Lords is the case of a Mr. Docknall, whom Col.
Johnson, a Durham magistrate, having immured
for five days in a lunatio asylum on the report
of one medical man instead of two, certifying
at the same time that he had personally
seen and examined the poor man, who
was a bookseller, wheu he had not, Lord
Malmeabury says, "took prussic acid and
died" in consequence of being unable to
obtain justice from the Home Office. And
Earl Shaftesbury, as a Commissioner of Lunacy,
confirms the statement , adding that "from persons
in the magistracy boldly and impudently evading
the law, without any notice being taken of their
conduct, the Commissioners might as well resign
their position." This is a pretty state of things,
and p.:a the liberty of the subject rather at a
disadvantage. But both Earl Russell and the
Lord Chancellor promise inquiry.
V.—ln our miscellaneous home intelligence there
is little that is striking. The great Lock-out in the
iron districts still continues to take the bread out of
the mouths of a quarter of • million of the people.
It is even feared that from North Staffordshire the
struggle may extend itself to Scotland, Wales, and
Leeds, when the numbers doomed to voluntary
martyrdom will become still greater. At Stafford,
on Saturday, the Earl of Lichfield, however, made
the endeavour to meliate between the parties.
From the same neighbourhood, Wolverhampton, we
have • letter, whiriE will be found in our column of
oorrespondenee, titimeroini suggestions for
the improvement oi election rules, and possibly of
the franchise. Whatever may be the conflicting
opinions on "Reform," there is no doubt that many
of our election regulations are open to amendment.
The author, however, while he offers many valuable,
and what is more essential, economical hints, (for
parliamentary elections cost the country enormous
sums of money, and we are again about to incur the
full infliction, since we cannot escape an immediate
general election,) he yet appears to us to throw out
some which are utterly impracticable and oontradic-
tory, as where, after basing the representation to a
ftrkid etttent on wealth or income, as tested by
rating and taxation, he would disfranchise • man be-
cause he could not write his own name. Now we
have known the largest manufacturer and owner of
power looms in a great town who could only do that
and no more; and • man might, from illness,
debility, accident, and various causes, be momen-
tarily disabled from writing, who was not ignorant
of letters. If the author means amply to base
this tansy franohise on education and intelli-
gence, let him say so, and testa will be found.—
Devises which as a Borough so recently witnessed a
conservative triumph in the return of Sir Thomas
Bateeon, has, ass county town, had the table' turned
by the election of Lord Charles Bruce for North
Wilts in the root of Mr. Sothern Estcourt who may
be pronounced amervator conserea•tories. iitut
really the party who nominated a" Mr. Fowler, of
the firm of Dimadale, Fowler & Co., of London," as
their "protest against the implied compact of
governing families" mast have known little of local
feelings and local attachmenta. North Wilts escaped
the snare of the Fowler, the show of hands was
overwhelmingly against him, and Lord Charles was
declared duly elected as a native and a known man.
VL —From abroad the news is various. In
America, General Sherman keeps the world in
bewilderment about his movements. Some say lie is
marching here, some there, some everywhere. He is
unquestionably a man of rapid and eccentric military
genius, and has brought the Ameriean war nearer to
a close than all his contemporaries put together.
He has defeated but not captured General Early as
reported by • previous arrival. As nearly as MD be
guessed, hia army is now in the centre of North
Carolina; or else betwixt the Catawba and Yadkin
rivers. The main army of the enemy tinder
Johnstone is posted on the left bank of the Yadkin.
Lee has taken up • strong position on the Roanoke,
south of Lynchburgh ; and should it be Sherman's
object to take Lynchburgh, which would be a final
blow to the Confederates and necessitate the evacua-
tion of Richmond, they can unite and oppose him in
a great battle.

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