The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-03-06 00:00:00

Sontrrsctsbire.

Ssunayav •ND halt.
yearly meeting of this company was huh! on Wed.
neaday last, at their offices 2 Lea.leuhnll-strcet,
London ; H. li. eymour, Bai., M.y., in the chair,

when the 6.lh,witig'report.wiw'read by •Mr. Notmau,-

the Secretary :

The Engineer in his report to the Directors, of date
the 13th inst., on the subject of the works. states
" Since my lastreport, the works on the line of this rail-
way have progressed satiafactorily. The 'Wind near
Gillingham, which had created sonic delay, ha. 4 WV/
nearly reaclwid completion,—tbe last length for brick-
work being in hand, and this will be cloned during the
next week. The whole f the permanent way on tile
main line, excepting the portion through the tunnel. is
laid, and the ballasting, wind' is rapidly proceeding, will
be completed by the end of the month. The clearing
out of the tunnel, and the laying of the permanent rails
therein, will be procemled with at the saine time ; and
the ballasting of the entire main line will be completed
within the month uf March next. Allowing, therefore,
. . . .

a few weeks fur contmgencies of weather. lc.. there ii
Do doubt that the entire line (rum Gillingham will
. . .

be ready for opening early in April. All the inter-
mediate stations are well advanced, and little besides
painting is required to be done. Everything connected
with them will be finished by the tunic the permanent
way is laid through the tunnel." The traffic returns
furnished by the London mid South-Westeni Company,
for the half-year ending 31et December last. show the
following results —Coaching. P3,64213s 24.1. ; goods,
£2,222 I6s. (id. If to this be added the AIIIII earned for
for May and June last, viz.-1:1,889 ;Is. 141,1 ; the
amount 1.7,7.-4 12s. lotd., is equivalent on the 22 miles
opened, to PIO per mile per week, a rate satisfactory to
Dilsaturs, as ia•liotiias *slate the tratlis mast lw
wheu toe line is opened to Yeovil and Exeter. In the
grins earnings of Ja,7:4 12s. 10'4d. there is no sum in-
cluded for the rebate of 25 per cent. due to the company
on the gross receipts un the South-Westere Railway, in
'respect of all traffic brought from or carried to the
Yeovil Line from or to the South-Western Railway, as
far as London or within ten miles thereof, as provided
for under clause 16 of the agreement of 3lst Dec., 1855.
The London and South-Western Company have declined
to allow the rebate specified, on the ground that the
arrangement to work the line from Salisbury to Gilling-
ham at 50 per cent, until the railway was completed,
superseded clause 16 of the agreement, and left to thin
company one moiety of the earnings in full of their
share of' the receipts. It has, however, been mutually
agreed to leave the matter to the arbitration of Mr.
Buller. The Directors have entered into a conditional
agreement with the Bristol and Exeter Company for the
construction of • joint station at Yeovil, which will
require the abandonment of a portion of the authorized
line, and the substitution of • short deviation. This
will permit an interchange of traffic between the two
companies, which cannot fail to be of great advantage
to both, while it will tend materially to the convenience
of the public. A bill has been introduced into Parka-
ment for enabling the company to carry out this impor-
tant object, and also for authorizing the raising of
additional capital, rendered necessary in order to supply
the auiount deficient under the Original Subscription
Deed of 1045.3, and to provide for the extra cost incurred
in doubling the tunnel at Gillingham and parts of the
line at Wilton, Sherburne, and Yeovil. The bill will be
submitted for the approval of the shareholders at the
Warncliffe meeting. The Directors retiring by rota-
tion are Mr. Chapman, Mr. lietley, and Mr. Pain, who
offer themselves for re-election. Mr. Butt, one of the
Auditors, also retires, but may be re-elected.
CASTLX CARY. —A t the Salisbury County Court, on
Weduesilay last, Mr. Whatmati moved for a new
trial in the case of Strong v. Phillip., which it may
be remembered was an action brought by a farmer,
living near here, to recover damages on the sale of
some unsound sheep, and which terminated, to the
surprise of the judge and many in court, in a verdict
for the defendant. Mr. Wiliam= now animal, not
only for a new trial, but a change of venue to Dor-
chester. Mr. Lee, on the part of the defendant,
objected altogether to the change of venue.---His
Honour asked Mr. Whatinan on what grounds he
moved to change the venue '!—Mr. Whatuaan said
that moat of the gentlemen who would be likely to
be called on a Wilts jury were sheep sellers.—lf is
Honour : And buyers also--Mr. W batman said they
bought ewes for stock; but for one sheep which they
bought, they sold lOU. Wilta was (essentially a sheep.
selling district, and hence the great fairs at Britton'
and Wilton, to which people mune from all parts Par
the purpose of buying.- -Ills Honour : You ought to
have a very strong affidavit to induce me to change
the venue. —Mr. %Vhattuan said that he had looked
at the section of the Act, anal ho found that the judge /
had power to change the venue. —His Honour said
that he had never known a chamol of venue without
an affidavit to the effect that the parties applyieg
could not get a fair trial in the county.—Mr. %% bat-
man said he did not think his client could undertake
to swear that point blauk.—His Honour: Then I
can't grant a change of venue. I can't jump to a con-
elusion without some evidence to guide me. His
Honour, in answer to the appeal, said that it was im-
possible that he could grant the application for a
change of venue without an affidavit. Anil with re-
gard to the second questiou, was there nutlicient
reason for a new trial, on the ground of the verdict
being against the evidence ? lie hail no hesitation in
saying, that at the time the verdict was given his
impression was that it was against the weight of evi-
dence. His Humour mancluded by granting a new
trial, on the ground of the weight of evidence timing
against the verdict--the defendant to be entitled to
his costa on the first hearing.
TAUNTON.—The remains of the late Mr. W. C.
Ball were interred in uur cemetery on Friday. Mr.
Ball was for many years organist of St. Mary's
Church in this town. He died at Wells. Several
tradesmen of the town, and the chorister boys of
Saint Mary's, attended the funeral.
A fire occurred at the farmhouse of Mr. Hodge, of
Thorn Falcon, on alonalay, about mid-day. The
preinises were partially ileatroyed, but by the ener-
getic etforta of the persons present, a good supply of
water, and the aid of the West, of Eagland tire-
engine, the flames were speedily got under. There
was a fire on the same farm not many months ago,
when several valuable ricks were demtroyeal.
At a meeting of the Board of Health on Thursday,
Mr. Sliewbrook's tender of XX ss. was accepted,
Par taking up an old sewer in East street. Another
person's tender for the work was £34; the sur-
veyor's estimate was £l7 2s. Id. A report was '
presented by the committee appointed to consider
the subject of borrowing money for the purpose of
carrying out pernianent improvements. The sur-
veyor estimate I that .C 4,000 was wanted for new
paving anal sewage works, besides a further sum for
repairing and restoring existing pavements. The
report was received, but the propositious with
regard to the new paving anal sewage works were
referrod to the standing committee on those subjects,
to see if any that were thought necessary by the
surveyor could be dispensed with.
The Taunton Rifle Corps was inspected on Thurs-
day afternoon in the \lvory l'ark, lay Major Hume,
Volunteer IWe Inspector for the counties of Somer-
set, Devon, and Cornwall. The members mustered
nearly a hundred strong, but we believe the fovea