The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-08-24 00:00:00

SOUTHAMPTON.

Tits MILITIA—The Hampshire Militia Regiment
has received orders to assemble for 21 days' traimng
at the Militia Armoury, Winehester, on Monday,
the 20th of September.

SOUTHAMPTON DOCK COMPANY.—The directors,
in their half-yearly report, to be submitted to the
proprietors at their meeting on the 28th instant,
state that the decrease in grou revenue, as com-
pared with the corresponding period of 1867, was
£3,357, and had arisen from a general falling off in
the business of the docks. Thu accounts show a net
revenue for the half-year ending 30th of June last of
£3,309, which, added to the surplus of £l4l from the
previous half-year, !mikes an available balance of
£5,460. From this sum the directors recommend •
dividend at the rate of 3 per cent, per annum, pay-
able on the Slot inst.

RINGWOOD.—Fat Cattle Alarket.—The market
on Wednesday was well attended, though the I
weather was not very favourable. About 45 prime
fat beasts were in the market, and sales were effected
at about 10.. 6d. to lie. per score. About 41.:0 sheep
were penned, many of which were of superior
quality. Prioes ranged from ed. to 7id. There
worse's° in the market 155 pigs, which sold dull at
late prices.
Purranx..• -Aliwerable Death of to 11fiow or Pot.
terse.—A wretched old miser, named John Few,
has Just passed out of the world et this place, after
living fur 50 years in a state of the most eiJeut persi.
many and squalid Illth, For year.: pest he liad never
been known to buy anything except breed, and now
mid then a morsel of cheese. He wits generally to be
seen wandering about with a aniall piece of each of
these eiminvallties in Lis left hand, hut his ininury
wee so great, that he rarely ate anything exuept
bread, anti that very sparingly ; indeed he has been
known to carry the same Move of chem. in his hand
for week. together. As to his clothes they were In
tatters, and the exuuse which he made for them was
that he was so badly off that he was unable to pro.
ours better. In this condition he passed through
life, under the cognomen of " John Few, the Old
miser," On Matuiday week he was suboal with (liar. '
rhraa, and finding himself very weak end ill, lie
went to the house of a distant relative, about a mile
from hi. own cottage. He was immediately carried
to bed, and a inedieal gentlemen was sent for, and
lin taking off the old cloth which he wile round his
nook, fifty shilling. were found in it. Hu lingered
on for a day or two, end in the meantime was Visited
by the vicar of the parish, who feeling eontlilent that
the old man well worth some property, engin:v(l of
Min %hither he had made a will! He replied
that he had not, bot that he should get
better, and that he might then perhaps
think about it. Upon being pressed to do it at ono.,
he agreed to do It at 9 o'elook the following morning
but by the following morning he was insensible, and
in the afternoon he was a corpse! immediately
after his death, the vicar very properly rannmuiti.
eatstl with the Minn:l:warden and °venom of the
parish ; and, an the deceased appeared to have 110
immediate relative., it was thought right to go to
Ms house and take posieumn of any goods and
chattels wliloh it might oontain, until a legal owner
could be found for them, Hr. Weeks and Mr. HU:.
herd sooordingly forced open the door, but the stench
inside was so overpowering as almost to prevent re.
apiration. The room was literally one mess of filth
—the accumulation apparently of years. With the
exception of • miserable little table, it eontained no
furniture of any kind, nor was the slightest ep.
pearanee of any tire having been used ; in short,
there were neither lire-irons, kettle, put, saucepan, '
nor a single utensil of any kind in the house, An at•
tempt was next mail. to go upstairs; but the stench
which proceeded from this part LI the house was
really so intolerable that even with a silk handker-
chief over his mouth, Mr. Weeks found it itupossi.
Me to enter the bedroom ; and it wee only after a
quantity of tobacco had been burnt, and the church-
warden had fertitlei. his *mach by • couple of
slaws of brandy, that he could venture to go
into the room. Such • scene of 111th as this room
presented was perhaps never before witnessed.
The room down stain was bad enough, but it was
nothing compared to the room in which the wretched
miser had passed his nights. It contained neither
bed, bedstead, nor bedilng of any description ; two
old sacks and part of an old great coat were the only
things upon the door (and upon these the old man
appeared to have slept.) But the filth around baffles
all description ; the door was nearly six inches thick
with filth and human excrement, and was literally
swarming with mane' of living maggots—even the
sacks on which the old man had lain were covered
with the most loathsome matter. The only piece of
furniture in the room was • box ab .ut • yard long,
which upon being opened was found to contain what
had once been • suit of good black clothes, and • pair
of buckskin and a pair or corduroy small-clothes, but
the mildew and rut had taken such possession of I
them, that upon being removed from their long rest-
ing place they fell to pieces. But besides these
articles of clothing theie were some old things hang.
ing about, and on searching them the deeds of two
or three cottages belonging to the old miser
were found in one pocket; a banker's receipt for
£lB5 (upon which it has since been ascertained that
no lees than £4O interest is due), in another;
Savings' Bank book, in which he wee credited to the
amount of £195, in another; and in others several
odd memoranda of money lent—amongst them a note
of band for £200; whilst upon further search down-
, stairs, there were found in a corner, buried beneath
• quantity of rubbish, an old shoe containing thirty
sovereigns, and concealed in other parts of the house
various smaller sums in sixpences, half-pence, and
farthings The search altogether proved the old man
to be worth upwards of £6oo—the whole of which
will be divided amongst persons by whom he WWI
loathed during life, and who can have no respect for
his memory now that he is gone.

Wivra ARCHERY Ftre.—Wedne•day, the fourth
meeting of the society of Wilts Archers was held at
Roundway House, the seat of Mrs. Colston. Oaing
to the inclemency of the weather, the morning being
so decidedly wet, and there being every token and
appearanto of a rainy day, only a few of the most
sanguine members of the society, and of those
most devoted to the sport, had sufficient oourage
and resolution to sasemble before the targets at the

appointed hour, two o'clock. About 40 ladles and
gentlemen sat down to dinner under the spaciona
tout provided by the club. The weather, howeve,.,
Mamma more propitious than was anticipated. and
fewer showers appear to have fallen in the vicinity
Roundway than in other neighbouring plafte.
Consequently, the company who ventured upon the
ground were rewarded for their enterprieing spint.
Ms prises recompensed the skill of the most swamies.
ful oonipetitore amongst this gallant hand of archera
The ladles who distinguished themielves were Mre,
?dayuw, Miss Vincent, 841— d Mr.. _Maher ; and the
corresponding
_gentlemen were Mr. Hailow, capt,
Rooks, anti dlr. Cleather. At the onnolnsion
the contest.' the oonipany were invited by aim
Colston to the howls, where all the principal
families of the northern division of the county,
whether members of the society or not, were also M.
vited to meet them. Between ti and 9 o'oluck then
latter guests began to arrive. The whole suite of
apartments; wee thrown open for the festive rioession,
At II o'olook, in the elegant circular saloon odium.
lug the hall room, a sumptuous banquet au ills.
plitysAl. After supper dancing wee resumed, and it
woe nearly two o'clock before the loot remaining
guest' reluctantly retired from the varied pleasure;
which had been provided for their entertainment,

WA N T Z Pi pntlinuan's tingly, 6
N MUM, Red about N 5 years of ap,
tbolablo referaneaa sa to olearaoter will be trquir4,
Wages Ton Pound., a Vier,
For further partloulare, apply to THOMAN N,
ilootlpoireatl, Porubeitur.