The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-02-07 00:00:00

GENERAL NEWS.

Colonel lirMardo's connection with the Volunteer
force terminated on Saturday, the 28th ult.
The Hon. J. W. Strutt, who appears as Senior
Wrangler in the list of mathematical honours, is the
eldest son of Lord Rayleigh, of Terling, in the county
of Essex. Mr. Stnitt is the first nobleman's son who
has ever achieved this high destinction.
By the latest advices from America Mr. Stanton has
announced that the cotton captured at Savannah has
been transferred to a treasury agent for shipment. The
tone of Southern adviees show no disposition for peace.
The'news of capture of Pototaligo is confirmed. The
Confederates retreated in direction of Charleston. The
Federal navy department is about to organise an
European squadron, under command of an American,
and largely to reinforce the East Indian and Brazilian
squadrons.
A rumour is current at New York, that General
Sherman has become insane; two years ago he had a
similar attack, and was removed from a command in the
West. A similar story was related of General Wolfe,
and it being told to George IL, the Monarch replied,
"I wish be would bite all my other generals."
The OS:* of the Clerk of the Peace for Hants has
been conferred by the Lord Lieutenant upon Mr.
Thomas Hughes Earle of Lincoln's Inn, Barristerat-
Lew, a son of Mr. Earle, solicitor of Andover and
steward to the Lord Lieutenant.

WINCIt6STIM CATHEDAL. —The canonry in Win-
chester Cathedral, which became vacant some days
since by the death of the Von. Archdeacon Hoare, will
not he filled up. The number of canons will now be
reduced to six.

THE WEATHER AND THE PARES. —Suuday week will
long be remembered by the many thousand persons who
promenaded the pathways of the Royal Parks at the
West-end, to witness the skating and sliding. As
might have been expected, from the great quantity of
snow that had fallen sine* Friday, the ice in the
Parks was rendered extremely rotten, and by no means
lit to bear any great number of persons. In spite of
this, however, an immense multitude ventured upon
the ponds.
THE LONG WATER, ICISNSINGTON•GARDENS. —About
5000 persons, including nearly b 0 ladies, ventured upon
the ice in these gardens, and during the day not fewer
than 25 individuals broke through the ice and became
immersed in deep water. The icemen of the Royal
Humane Society, with breaker ladders and ropes,
managed to get the endangered persons out, but in so
doing they were themselves several times under the ice,
which was so rotten as not to bear the weight of the
apparatus and the men. One man, named Rawston, of
Trinity Cottage, Brunswick-street, was brought out in
such an exhausted state that at first it was feared he
was dead. He, however, recovered, under the able
treatment of Mr. Superintendent Williams and the
other officers oUhe society.
THE ROYAL ROUND POND—Over 7,000 persons, in-
cluding from 40 to 50 ladies, ventured upon this pond.
Their sport, however, was suddenly broken up by the
ioe giving way, when seven of the party became im-
mersed. They were fortunately rescued by the Royal
Humane Society's men, and were enabled to go to their
homes.

SNOW-BALL RIOTS AND DISGRACEFUL BRUTALITY
IN VICTORIA PARK.—Victoria Park on Sunday after-
noon was the scene of a most brutal and disgraceful riot,
lasting for nearly three hours, during which time some
hundreds of respectable men, women, and children were
mast shamefully maltreated and ininred,some seriously.
Owing to the frost and the day being fine, an immense
concourse of persons were attracted to the park. The
roughs lined the carriage road running across the
southern portion of the middle ornamental or centre park,
and every carriage, chaise, cart, and other vehicle that
came up,containing ladies and children,or tradesmen and
their wives, were assailed with showers of snowballs,
both right and left, demolishing the carriage windows,
and doing a great amount of injury to the occupants.
The park-keepers could do nothing against so many, and
the mob, now finding themselves in possession of the
park, assailed the people indiscriminately. Ladies,
women, and children were all assailed, and on escaping
were found bleeding from cuts and wounds in their heads
and faces, evidently inflicted by pieces of sharp ice or
stones rolled up in the snowballs. Besides whioh, their
dresses were either spoiled or destroyed, and the poor
creatures were in &fearful state of suffering. There was
a general cry of "Where's the police !" "Can it be pos-
sible that such scenes can take place in a London park r,
and other similar exclamations. The riot continued
until dusk, when the mob made for the park gate
leading to Cambridge Heath Gate, and here a frightful
scene took place. There was only one police constable
present at this spot—namely, Chadwick, No. 350, of
the K division who, it is but justice to mention acted
in a manner division,
of the highest commendation.
He got hold of one of the ringleaders, and endeavoured
to take him to the pelice-station, several gentlemen
volunteering to assist him. The mob, some 1200, bore
down upon them, and attempts were made to rescue
the fellow. For some time they were
kept at bay, until the officer reached the Con-
sumption Hospital, where the roadway has been
recently made up with granite stuff and flints.
These were grappled at by the mob, and in an
instant these fearful missiles were hurled at the officers
and those who were with them with murderous force.
One or two gentlemen had their heads split open, and
others were badly hurt, while-a great many people who
were standing at the side of theiroad were struck and
hurt. The officer held on to the prisoner for some time
until he was struck down by a stone and violently
kicked, and was forced to let the fellow go. The mob
then dispersed, and on the arrival of the police from
Bethnal-green.road the streets, the inhabitants of which
were in a state of excitement, many windows having
been broken, were cleared of the crowd of bystanders.
At the Worship-street Police-court the following day
several of the rioters were brought up, and three were
fined 10s., or seven days' imprisonment.
THE SERPENTINE., HYDE PARK —This immense sheet
of water was patronised by about 1,500 sliders and
skaters, including several ladies; but suddenly, owing
to the strong wind, the ice parted and eight persons
(became immersed. They were extricated by the society's
ieemen, and after being attended to were able to return
home.
• Sr. Jaiirs'e Pam.- -Flee thousand skaters and
sliders disported themselves upon the ice in this park,
and over 100 immersions occurred during the day, and
three persons had,their heads out. The whole were
attended to by Dr. M'Cann, of Parliament-street.
SNOWBALLING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.—At the
Marlborough-street Police-court, John Alfred Clay, and
George Alfred German, young men, were charged before
Mr. Tyrwhitt, on Monday, with throwing snow-balls in
Kensington Gardens, the previous day.—Lieutenant
John (3. Maloolmson, said, on Sunday afternoon, I was
by the Round Pond, and as I came towards the
Serpentine, I found a large number of men snow-
balling. I tried to get out of the way when I was
set upon and pelted by a large number of fell we.
My hat was knocked off, I was knocked down, and then ,
surrounded by 300 or 400 fellows, and pelted with snow.
balls. A stick, with which I tried to defend myself, was
broken to pieces by one of the crowd, and I was knocked
down repeatedly. When I first saw the snowballing
going on I thought it was only • game, but I soon found
that it was not. Why I came here was, not so much to
punish the lads, who were not the ringleaders, and were
two of the smallest, but because I did not see a single
park-keeper or constable present to stop it, or to warn
persons away. Some of the gentlemen at last formed
together, with the assiatence of the police-constables, and
mailed down and drove the fellows off. I saw Clay dis-
tinctly throwing. I think the constables ought to have
done something, ladies being served in the same way.
I was very badly treated, and was wet through. Mr,
Robert Wheble, of the Reform Club, and Mr. George
Shipton, of 32, Great Marlborough-street, deposed to
the deficiency of the poliee-constables, and the violent
eonduct of the mob to all classes of persons. The
latter gentleman had been very badly used, the
prisoner German amongst others snowballing
him.—Clay : I had only Just come off the ice.
German : When I threw, it was in the road.—
Mr. Tyrwhitt, after commenting on the intolerable
nature of the offences with which the prisoners were
charged, sentenced Clay to pay the fine of LI, or six
weeks imprisonment, and the other prisoner 405., or a
month.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE ICE.—A. Hungerford
carrier, returning home from Marlborough on Wednes-
day, discovered a farm boy struggling in the water at
a pond near Puthall Farm, Savernake Forest. He got
him out, in a very exhausted condition, when the lad
informed him that belied been there an hour, and that
his companion, another ploughboy, had also fallen in,
and sunk. The carrier left information of the circum-
stance at Froxfield, some miles distant, when the police
and others went to the place, and found the dead body
of the other boy under the ice.
Dna:tenon or TRAINS rams SNOW.—The trains
running into Leioester have, in many instances, been
delayed by the unusual quantity of snow which has
fallen. In one cutting the snow had drifted to a
depth of between six and eight feet. It is also
reported that several shooks of earthquake were felt in
Leicester on Friday moraine.
MIDDLE-CLASS Corwrarrieneurize.—The conven-
tionalities of life are now here more striking than in
the intercourse of what are called the middle ranks of

society. That portion of the community (sad WOllllB
I especially) would seem to be haunted by a perpeteel
dread of individuality. Aisoordingly, a host of voter.
able absurdities are perpetrated at dinner parties and
those exotically-titled entertainments known as soirise
and convemziones, which we all agree in condemning,
but which are, nevertheless, °Marred with glee*
punctilio. From the moment when the footmen (or
disguised green-grocer, as the case may be) open. Elie
hall door to the period when the last wax-candle is az-
tinguisktd, what a host of little useless rites, of un-
meaning proprieties, of idle posturing, one has t•
encounter I The very smile with which our host=
greets us, the vapid, anti-prandial remarks about the
weather, lac., the solemn manner in which we pair
to the dining-room, are stereotyped incidents of •
ceremony as precise, as imposing, and as ludicrous Ist
the abstract, as those of a Sybarite banquet or •
war-feast in Feejee. The dinner hien is a wonderfully
methodical institution. I suppose no gastronomist of
any repute would think of asking why soup shout
come before fish, or fish precede the entries (albeit that
particular succession did not always obtain in rano
England, nor does it now in many parts of Europe);
but what ingenious epicure first decreed that we Amid
eat sweet jelly with roast mutton, and .our capers with
boiled? Oysters with cod-fish, and cucumber with
salmon? What would be thought of a riudi youth wh•
should venture to ask for a second helping of muftis.
tawney, or send back his plate for • relay of whitebait?
In the last century claret was considered an admirable
accompaniment to salmon, puddings came on in the
middle of dinner, and the fashionable hour for tbs.
repast was three o'clock. "Tempora dispensant usu,
et temporit cultuz."—London Society.
A TERRIBLE NIGHT IN THE SEG/I.—On &Hide,
evening the Rev. Donald Carr, who had been eondureins
Divine 'service at Ratlinghope, left that plaoe to return
to his house at Woolstaaton. His road lay over th•
Longinynd, Shropshire, with which he was perfeetly
acquainted, but, owing to the terrible blinding MOW,
storm which took place as he ascended the hill, the rev.
gentleman lost his way. Repeatedly tumbling WU
snowdrifts of considerable depth, and gallantly Eighties
his way out of them, he gradually lost his boots, eta&
Inge, hat, and gloves, and in this deplorable etate he
was compelled to wander during the night. Be maw
fully continued his efforts till daylight, sad "beat teak
o'clock in the forenoon he reached the Cardimmill Ia
the valley, ,now blind, and fearfully frost-bitten. Hs
was carefully attended to and carried to Church Birettas,
where he was put under medical treatment, and isal
to recover. It may be stated that he had not
food since his breakfast on Sunday morning. On the
same night a labouring man perished In the anew On
the Longrnynd, and hie body was discovered near the
track that Mr. Carr had missed.

__----
1111RRIOANI ON THII DMZ Or ILAN COMM.—mow
WORTH Or PROPIRTY DINTROTRD.—Ooe of the most
terrific easterly storms that have visited this island for
some years broke over it on Sunday week. About noon it
increased into a violent hurricane, accompanied by snow
and sleet, ceasing the roads to be impeded to some el.
tent. Some time during the afternoon the Jane Agnes
put into Douglas Harbour, hailing from Orcushead, and
bound for Chester, whither she had been driven by this
gale; but, beaming unable to steer against the wind,
was driven in here. She anchored behind the break.
water, but the storm increasing, she began to drag be
cable, and was finally dashed with much fore' against
the pier, then rebounded upon the rooks beneath the-
Imperial Hotel, where she shortly became •total wreara
The crew, consisting of three men and • boy, went,
saved by means of ropes. In a abort time after sime,
had left her she became • heap of broken Minh*/
planks. The most disaatrous affair, however, to the•
almost total destruction of the Douglas breaks/4M
About one o'clock on Monday morning this pistil
engineering skill began to give way, and huge pilles
balks were burled with terrific violence from the
stanchions which supported and held them in their
places, and strewed the whole length of the shore and
in several places through the narrow passages le;ding
from the shore into the middle of Strandetreet and
Duke-street. In some oases these passages were heaped
up three or four feet in height with these huge balks,
and the irons which attached them together were
twisted and turned as with • vice, into several grotesque
shapes. The breakwater presents a most dreadful
wreck, only 17 upright piles standing out of 41; and
these are so much damaged that they are worth nothing.
A length of about 120 feet has been cleanly swept away.
The damage ii estimated at about E 20,000. Besides
this, the contractor estimates that be hos lost plant,
/Lc., to the value of another £lOOO. Some of the houses,
too, in Strand-street have been flooded by the *ea
washing in, and chairs, tables, and sofas fioated pro.
miscuously about. The damage in this !Osten° is not
at present known. The portion of the promenade
which has only lately been erected, and was not bum.
pleted, has sustained severe damage, the sea having
washed the upper part of the wall for some distant*
entirely away, and made • large breach in the well it.
self. :fgo great is the mischief caused by this storm that
it will be some time ere its full extent ii known.

CHANGE RINGING.—On Saturday, six members of the
Society of Change Ringers of All Saints' Church, Stand,
and two members of the Prestwich Society, ascended
the tower of All Saints' Church, Stand, Whitelield,
and rung a true and complete peal of Mr. J. Holt's ten.
part peal of grandsire triples, containing 5,040 changes,
which they brought round in an excellent manner in
three hours and seven minutes.
AMUSING CONTEST IN AN AUCTION ROOM.—Am
amusing incident occurred at an auction held in Mr.
Marsh's rooms, Cork, on Thursday. A lady and gentle.
man, who were so placed that they could not see each
other, kept up the bidding for an article of furniture
after all other competitors had given in. Eash seemed
determined to have it—neither would yield. The
surprise of both may be imagined when Mr. Marsh, to
the great merriment of the bystanders called the
gentleman's attention to the fact that he wan bidding
against his own wife.
SUPERSTITION IN THE NINCIT.ENTH CENTOET,
Catherine Perks, of Naunton Beauchamp, Warwick, wait
charged at the Petty Sessions, on Thursday, with an
assault upon Jane hinter, of the same place. The case
showed the intense ignorance and superstition which is
still prevalent among the labouring classes in village*.
It appeared_that some turkeys were stolen from Mr. O.
Hunt's, of Manton Beauchamp, and in consequence •
meeting of the rustles of the village took plebs at the
residence of Panter, the "wine woman," in order to
ascertain who had peretrated the theft. The mode
used is known as the "Key and Bible test," the thief
being detected by the way in which a key held edgewise
by the diviner between the leaves of a Bible table
when pressed. A kind of incantation from the Book of
Rath in added, to make the matter extra certain. Mt-
fortunately the key at this meeting turned to defendant,
who was immediately accused of being the thief by the
enchantress ; whereupon the defendant, unable to curls
her passion, pounced upon the complainant, in a most
Infuriated manner, knocking her down, and pulling the
hair off her head by handfulls. One of the magistrates
(Rev. Mr. Amphlett) addressed bith parties, and
severeley reprimanded them for the absurdity of the
transaction, and the unlikelihood of the use they had
made of the Bible being of any avail in endeavouring to
trace a thief, and the defendant was fined Is., with
Si. 6d. costs.

_
DESTRUCTION OF THE SURREY THEATRE BY FIRE
On Monday night, shortly before twelve o'clock, a fire
broke out in the Surrey Theatre, which resulted in the
total destruction of that building, but fortunately, we
are happy to say, without any sacrifioe of human life,
though an audience, smaller than that which flimsily
frequents the Surrey, was present when the fire broke
out. The damage is estimated at £lO,OOO. Messrs.
Shepherd and Anderson, the lessees, are insured only to
the extent of £2,000, and the building was the property
of Colonel West.
FATAL ACCIDENT TO A CONVICT.— A. convict, named
Thomas Arnold, was engaged a few dayesince in removing
some trucks on the works at St. Mary's Island,
Chatham, when by some means the irons gave way, and
not being able to get clear in time he was caught be-
tween two trucks, and received injuries which resulted
in death. An inquest was held upon the body, the jury
returning a verdict of "Accidental death."
RUMOURED RETIREMENT OF VIZ VENN OF ENGLAND.
—Peril, Jan. 29.—TheAfernorial iplonsattque says it
has received from a high authority at London, the
assurance of Lord Palmerston having tried in vain to in-
duce Her Majesty the Queen to appear again at Court,
and perform the ceremonies of State. Of course we know
not on this side of the water how far such an assertion
Is founded on fact. The same journal speaks of •
regency, and says that the Queen will probably retire
to Coburg, and there spend the remainder of her clays.
The abeurd reports indulged in about the Emperor and
Empress of the French in London, you observe, find an
echo here, the Queen being the subject of gossip and
conjecture.—Correspondent of the Morning Post.
HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN RUSSIA. A MOTH=
BAYING HER CHILD.—In the village of Schapsohs, in
the government of Kassau, a short time since, a hawker
of precious stuffs and jewellery stopped for the night at
the house of • peasant who was ahead. The peasant's
wife, dazzled by the sight of all the fine things which
the hawker had brought with him, killed him with a
hatchet as he slept, hid the body in the loft, and the
goods under the floor. The peasant's child, a little
girl of five years old, had, however, seen all, and when
her father returned she ran towards him and told him
with all the eagerness of childhood, that they now
possessed a quantity of fine things which belonged to the
pedlar, whose head her mother had cut off, and whose
body she had hidden in the loft. The lather sternly
upbraided his wife, but in a short time the woman's
energy WO triumphed over the weakness he displayed.
Seeing that what was done could not be undone, and
that his wife mast be saved at all hazard, he resolved to
get rid of the poor little girl, and the same night took
her into the wood, where he intended to leave her, in
the hope that she would perish of cold. The tears,
caresses, and supplications of the child were too much
for him, and he returned home with her—his fearful
purpose unsooomplished. The mother was pitiless. She
heated the oven, and into it she thrust her helpless
offspring. The crime was discovered the next day, and
the unnatural mother was apprehended. The father
hanged himself, and was found suspended by the pollee.
ANOTHER HOMIWARD•BOUND INDIANAN WRECKED.—
Loss, UPWARDS OF £300,000.—0n Monday telegrams
were received in the City announcing • very disastrous
shipwreck on the extreme portion of the south coast of
Ireland, in ROM Bay, near Gaily Head, between Cape
Clear and the Old Head of Kinsale. The unfortunate
vessel was a fine, large, teak-built ship, called the
Assaye, originally ceustructed as a war screw steam
frigate for the Hon. East India Company. She was
launched at Bombay in 1856, and was more than 1500
tons burden. The Assaye left Bombay with one of the
most valuable cargoes of East India produce for Liver-
pool, in the course of lent October, and nothing was
beard until the receipt of the telegram, intimating that
the ship had been out on the rocks in Ross Bay early on
Monday morning, and melancholy to add, that the
commander had been drowned in endeavouring to reach
the shore. The first dispatch left some hope that the
cargo would be saved, but a subsequent telegram an-
nounced that the ship had gone to pieces, which, if true,
as a natural oonsenuence,the cargo will be strewn along
the beach. Notwithstanding this second report a hope
is still entertained that the statement of her breaking
up is premature, as she was • very strong built ship,
and it was thought would bear a considerable amount of
knocking about before she gave way. The value of her
cargo is estimated at upwards of £300,000. it coin.
priced 6,254 bales of cotton (£4O or £6O shale), 566 bales
of wool, 200 bales of pita, 99 tons of linseed, its. The
ship was valued at £40,000. Both vessel and cargo were
largely insared at Lloyd's, and in the different marine
insurance offices in London, Liverpool, and Glasgow.
The Assay° was the property of Messrs. Bristow. and
Co., of Liverpool.

- z rt. ri urrIILTURAL GAZETTE, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1865.
• th• because be came round to society. Tbat pot'on of the oommunity (and waseu
11 1 em to be baunted by perpetual a
ha I IVollld le •
nf vamr.

•