The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-08-21 00:00:00

TREAT.

THE LATE MR MENET I). SETIOITII.—The mortal
remains of this gentleman arrived at Trent-brook from
Bridgwater, on Thursday, and, the fact becoming I
known, a number of the tenantryiof this and several :
other parishes, formed a procession and met the hearse
about a quarter of a mile from the village. The
mournful on-teg#. then wended its way to the little
parish church, where the rector, the Rev. R. C. Tate,
performed the last ceremony. The service was very
unpressive, and a feeling of solemnity prevailed among
the large number who were in attendance. The oaken
cutfin, which contained a shell encased with lead, was
lowered into the family vault in the Seymour chapel,
beside the remain,, of hum mother ana father, this being
Mr. Seymour's express desire. The following Sunday
the rector took an opportunity of improving the death
of Mr. Seymour by • sermon upon the shortness of
time and the necessity there was of living to purpose.
The announcement of the death cast quite a veil over
the parish, and the feelings of respect were very
manifest.

Booty OF GUARDIAES. —At the last meeting the Board
decided that every application for school fees, must he
Lucie personally, in the mune manner as applications for
relief.
Potter:cover, Saturday.—Before Mr. E. 'tenthsll, and
Captain Carr Glyn.
AN HABITUATED WIFE DFAERTER.— Henry Webb
who had just returned from pi-is m, was charged in
custody with neglecting to maintain his wife and child,
whereas they have become chargeatile to the common fund
of the Sherborne Union. —The Bench sent him for another
month's hard labour at the game time cautioning him
that his neat offence in that direction, would necessitate
his being committed for trial as an incorrigible rogue and
vagabond.
A Miszasete Werrcit— On Monday, before Mr.
Edward lienthall, a dirty-looking fellow, named Robert
Watianse, who, the police said, was covered with vermin,
was charged under the Vagrancy Art with being an idle
and disorderly person, and was sentenced to one calendar
month's hard labour.
Parts SESSIONA.-00 Thursday, before Mr. F.. Bantle%
Captain Glyn, Revs. J. (sodden and J. Blennerhasset,
and Mr. B. Littlehalea.
CATTLE STRAYING. —Robert Stow*, a milk-man, living at
Greenhill, pleaded guilty to allowing three COW/I to stray
on the highway, and as this was not his first offence, be
was fined 3s. and the costs 4s.
DRUNKENNESE.—A woman named Mita Clant, of Sher.
borne, was charged with this offence.—The case was pre-
ferred hy Fanny Burgess, who it was mentioned had •
" spleen " against the defendant because she had cut down
a galvanized clothes line in her yard.—The parties are
neighbours, and after hearing the evidence the Bench
decided to dismiss the case.
AI4SAULT. —Jane (fitment, of Ryme Lutrinsiea, summoned
Jane Barnes, for assaulting her—Mr. Watts appeared for
the complainant The evidence in effect was that on the
25th of July, defendant went to Mr. Blennerhaaset's
house at lime, after some milk, and the complainant,
who was cook at the house, lifted up a jug to strike her,
telling her at the same time that she was the woman who
had been courting her husband. -Defendant pleaded
guilty, and was bound over to keep the peace, and ordered
to pay the meta.

A VOLITIYTIZR NAVY.
The Duke of Westminster is going to Besumaris on
Monday to take the leading part in the ceremony of
inaugurating the training-ship which Mr. Whalley has
been instrumental in obtaining for North Wales. The
occasion is to be seized to inaugurate • still more ambi-
tious project, being nothing leas than the ebtablishment
of • volunteer navy, composed of yachts. This is a
development lof the scheme of the Naval Reser/e.
Yacht-owners enrolling themselves in the squadron under-
take to give, when called upon, such services as they may
render in conjunction with the land force of naval artillery
volunteers. Captain loot, R. N.. who has done much to
establish the Naval Artillery Volunteer Brigade, which
heri its bead-quarters at Liverpool, and branches at South-
pert, Bangor, Cansarvon, and other branches in North
Wales, has deemed himself t,, this new project with
am.cteriztio energY. The Prince of Wales, who is captain
of the Naval Ewe, Ms expressed • very kindly interest
in the new esevaimet. The Admiralty also look with
favour apes the prepaaad addition to the British fleet, and
have granted • sidelal Bag to the infant squadron. Sir R.
Williams Balkeley. Bart, has undertaken to act as commo-
dore of the yacht squadron that will muster at Beaumaris
on Monday. —Magfair.

NOT A MODEL POLICEMAN.
At the Liverpool Police Court, Peter Sutherland, late
No. PM in the Liverpool borough force. was charged with
absenting himself from duty without leave. Mr. Supt.
Helios stated that the prisonet by making fable tePruccuts"
tions induced two Liverpool contractor' to give him a
character, and by that means got into the borough force.
He joined the force on the 13th of March this year, 1113 d
absconded on the 20th of April taking with him a pair of
boots belonging to the police force. Since he had been
absent it had been mccrtained that he had been dismissed
from the (amigos, Edinburgh. and Greenock forces for
bad conduct, and had been four times convicted of assault
in SutherlarWalare, besides having undergone a term of
sir months imprisonment. with hard labour. He had also
been twice aptftehended at Aberdeen for stealing watchee,
but had the good fortune to escape each time, although
err little doubt of rain.
He hmi also got •
Tan Roman Catholic priest, of Maocleefield. haa *slued twheaetrch by fnlie pretenees from • Liverpool Liverpool. resuesman Due
to bury a yonag man who !raddled suddenly on the ground
before he absconded, and pawned it immediately alter-
that he was • Freemason. It is contrary to the rules of
wards at Newcastle-on-Tyne for 40a Detective Strettle
the Church to inter a member of any Deseret society, stated that he took prisoner into custody at Aberdeen on
ENGLAND •IRSON FRANCE. -- For generations Friday. In reply to the charge, the prisoner said be was
Chocolate has been imported in large quantities into sick, that be hod not sufficient money to keep him in
thia country from France. We are glad to find the Liverpool, and that he went to his friends for fresh Mr.
tables turned at last, and that Cadburys the Makers of The prisoner now said that he had sent in his resignation at
elegant the well-known (locos Essence have opened e
the time he left Liverpool, and did not know that he could
not go away, he was sick. Mr. Mansfield said it was
ateeis at 90, Fabourg, St. Honore Faris. Th'ir nan
iter clear thst the prisoner was net fit to be in
Eames being perfectly genuisie is a beverage Le police form, and it wan probably aa god= for Q.
far bitter milted Ss warn' ellMatal than the thick InhaUtania of Liverpool that he had left it. He had cam-
hoary emirs& of Cocoa with rope and starch maned an ottontoe, however. by leaving la he had does, and
gessrally ha mg my SOL and costs era mon* In &dam&

AGRICULTURAL ITEMS.
MI AGRICULTURAL CILIGIUTT AT ROME.
A good type of the ideal British farmer—burly,
hearty, and genial— meets the frequent visitors who
drive up to the hospital doors of Tiptree Hall. For
twenty-nine Mlacee.sive years. Mr. Mechi had enter-
tained his agricultural friends at his well-known
"annual gathering ;"' but this year he issued a notice
excesing himself from receivieg hi. friends ea more,
on the ground of advancing age. In a tent on the lawn
in front of the mansion as many se two hundred guests
have enjoyed the goad cheer and the good saying,' of
the moat genial of hosts, after inspecting the crops, the
stock. and the farm-premises. At the age of seventy-
five it is no wonder that Mr. Mechi gives up thou
large gatherinen which, in a somewhat remote country
house, moist have occasioned a great deal of labour and
anxiety. At the came time, visitors, singly or in small
groups, are as freely welcome an ever to view what has
been a show-farm for more than thirty years. It is
not easy to believe that the hearty active man who
walks round the farm with you as briskly as a young
one, and who enjoys a good dinner and a good cigar as
well as when he was a London alderman, hair Noised
by half a decade the limit of threescore years and ten.
But he will tell you that he was born at Blackheath on
the 2fith of May 1802; and you hove only to come to
the conclu-ion that you have one before you with whom
time has dealt gently, and one who, in spite of reverses
that would have embittered a less genial nature, has
taken life easily.
Mr. Nlechi'a father, a native of Bologna, settled in
London in the latter part if the last century. John
Joseph received the greater part of his educaticn from
the late Rev. Mr. Watson, and at the age of seventeen
he became clerk to a mercantile firm in the rity, and
remained with them until 1827, when he opened the
bileiness in Leadenhall-street that was to become so
wit-known and successful. For nearly fifty years Mr.
Mechi may be said to have been a public men; for
long before he attempted to teach rren how to farm
profitably, he supplied them with the means of shaving
comfortably. Mr. Mechi hap, very properly, as much
pride in his early business life has in his farming
toCCU pitiOnS,
and be will speak as freely of hie intro-
duction of commercial specialties as of the bronching
id agricultural theories To thi.wianda in all parts of
the world, to whom shaving bail been torture, Mr.
Mechi became a benefactor. After a lengthened period
if experimentalieing urn the best sharpening
materials for more, he hit upon his renowned "inagic
paste." which, with his &mons strops and razes,
become quite the rage with the shaving community.
The razors were of the best Sheffield steel, and the
strops and paste remoiii t.t title day unsurpassed in
efficiency. So great WVA their success that when the
ful J ~,, if wearing beards came in, it iliminiehed Mr.
Mechi's income to the extent of 4:1 010 annually. Thom
a great business of a miscellaneous character was
developed, aoi, is large establishment was opened in
lieeent.street, in addition to the one in Leadenhall-
street.
By the year 1841 Mr. Mechi hail realised a consider-
able fortune, which he invested in the purchase of four
farms. At the time he hod no idea of becoming a
farmer, and it WM almost an accident which induced
him to become one. When he Purchased Tiptree
hall, he found the land was suffering from the want
of draining, and he offered to drain it for his tenant if
the latter we'll,' pay a small percentage on the outlay.
lint the man was incredulous as to the benefits of
draining, and, in the end, Mr. Mechi bought him out,
and entered on the work of improvement at Tiptree
Hall on his own account. The ',repent mansion wasil
then built, with some of the excellent farm-premises;
the land wag drained ; miles of fences were knocked
down, and hundreds of wretched pollards and other
hedge-row trees with them. The soil was not one of
the most hopeful to work on, having been more or lees
recently reclaimed from Tiptree Heath; but by keep-
ing a large quantity of stock, and feeding with pur-
chased cake and other materials, together with drain.
Mg. chalking, and steam-cultivation, the farm was Pun
made one of the most fruitful in the country, showing
a marked superiority to those iinmeiliately surrounding

it.
Mr. TlfechTs find agricultural letter, describing his I
operations in draining and other iniprovements, !
rendered him f mons. Land-owners and farmers came
to see him, and he was soon engaged in a large public
and private correspondence. He is properly described ,
an an agricultural preacher, and a preacher who says i
not only "Do as I say." but "D. as I do" also.
l'hus the "sayings and doings" of Mr. Mechi were
coupled together, and formed the fitting title of one of
his works. The principal points which he insisted on
as essential to good and econgonical farming may be
thus enumerated: Tile draining; deep cultivation;
thin seeding; covered and ventilated stock-yar.in with
paved floors ; close folgling for sheep; a certain portion
of land irrigated with sewage; the absence of hedge-
row timber; freedom of cultivation ; the use of straw
, as food for stock; and the ri-e of steam as a motive
' power. All, or nearly all, these inints had been intro-
duced by different agricultural reformers before Mr.
Mechi combined them in his practice and became the
indefatigable apostle of them all. Over thirty years
he has been pounding away on these and kindred
topics with more or lees effect.. Many who at first
lnughed at the "cockney fanner" learned to imitate
him, and others have been warned by his mistakes,
whilst profiting by his PIICCCA,S.
In the early days of his agricultural apostleship,
Mr. Mechi Wrl.4 subjected to a great deal of dislike,
and even to vituperation and threatening, by some of
his fellow-fanners, who thought that, by telling their
landlords how much more the land could be made to
produce, he was lesviing up to the raising of rents.
Anonymous letters, filled with the vilest of abuse and
the direst of threats,eame ever and anon to the spirited
H farmer of Tiptree all ; and even at his own table
Mr. Mechi has more than once been most grossly
insulted. His imperturbable good temper, however,
rendered him proof against these contemptible
demonstrations; the anonymous letters were first
laughed over and then jolt in the tire, and public abuse
was answered by public argument.
Mr. Mechi has been twice married, first in 1523,
and a second time in 1844. By his first marriage he
had no children, but by the nennill he has one son and
four daughters. In 1854 lie was made Sheriff of
London and Middlesex, and in 185 ii he was
nnaniinously elected Alderman of the Ward of Lime.
street. This position he resigned in 1866, on account
of heavy losses consequent upon the winding up of the
Unity Bank; for the liabilties of which Mr. Mechi
was to a great extent responsible. By the failure of
the Unity Bank Mr. Mechi lest £30,000; but he has
the pleasure of boasting that his was the only hank
that paid all its creditors before closing its doors.
Thin heavy loss compelled Mr. Mechi to reduce his
establishment, and—what was perhaps the 'greatest
grief of all— to reduce his farm capital also. One of
the most u-eful acts of a useful life was the establish-
ment of the Agricultural Institution, which Mr.
Mechi started in 1860, and which last year distributed
annuities amounting to nearly £lO,OOO to destitute
farmern,farmers• widows and farmers' daughters. Mr.
Mechi still carries on his London business, but spends
the greater part of his time in the country. When at
Tiptree he risen early, dines in the middle of the day,
! and lives as simply as his agricultural neighbours.
! Ills time is occupied with farming, receiving
, numerous visitors, and writing, which last item
includes a large private correspondence. His con-
- vernation is spiced with humour and varied with
anecdotes, of which his store is considerable. As a
public speaker he is fluent and illustrative, and what
' would be a fault with most men—the tendency to
diverge into purely personal historyandexperience—in
Fr agreeably and instructively egotistical in one who has
so) much that in interesting and imismtant to tell about
himself and his doings.—The World.
BEETLE.

COLORAI