The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-02-15 00:00:00

IRSET COUNTY EXPRESS AND AGRICULTURAL GA;

when she glaii MIN in milk her freight
of disaster and death, with her blown-up
funnel, her ruined saloon, and her scalded men.
From it, too, she was men to leave, still in her pride
of etrength. The leadsmen law her first from there
when she called in on her way to lay the cable spin
to connect two worlds, and thence it was that she
was watched departing on her last successful voyage-
To moralise on the "Look out," one bad oeod
recount the whole of the history of the greatest
harbour in the south of England. But the Look-out
is gone at last, and though perhaps the right, and
even justice., of those who have taken it away, can-
not be questioned, yet every true Weymouthian
must feel regret at the event. An long as memory
can reach hack, we can renal tbe Look-out
and the seat there, and enquiry of older people
carries the remembrance of them back to 35, 50, and
even 70 years ago. But at that distant time it must
be remembered they were much farther out than
they here lately. Then • broad piece of land ex-
tended in front of the property an which sow "Imam
Belmont-place, and the Link-out was beyond the
public road leading from the Notbe to Bincleaves
The sea gradually encroaching on Newton's Gee,
sapped the foundations of the road, and caused it
and the Look-oat to be moved farther and far her
back. the encroachments of the sea in old times
were probably not measured, but within the lest 20
years the rued has been shifted inwards gradually
about 15ft. The ancient seat, carved all over With
names, had got quite rotten, and about 15 years ago
Pilot Smith placed a new seat OD the Look-out, and
the new one noon became decorated almost as much
as the old. In the gradual retreat from the ma be
Look-out seat was at lest placed on private property,
but the late Mr. Groves most willingly gave the
retreating seat abundant room, and the pilots, the
old mariner', and their families, and the yarn-seeking
visitors, assembled here as before. The railings of
the gardens were also moved back, and • road was
left for the public, in front of Brlniont-place, the
old road having again and again sunk down. Honour
to the memory of Mr. Groves, who did not allow
; his private rights to interfere with th 3 public con- .
• venience! Perhaps he eympathsied with the old
folks who sat there often and occupied the pilots'
filace. One of thise, old Sally Warm, after many
....i. to the Look-out, went boson sod elina in
oreford•atrent, et the ass of 90, her lest years
cheered by the open view of ocean cud sky she had
from this spot. But people began to presume, and
beasts were often driven up here and turned out on
the Moths to grate in front. Unwilling to put the
poor people to ecpense by impounding their beasts,
Lieut•GoL Belfield used the power of the War
Department to inclose the Noche at this part with
posta and railings covered with coal tar, and
this was met by the owners of the property behind
running their boondary wall down as far as
the war department fence, and so shutting the
pilots and the public out from the Look-out. On
this Pilot Smith removed his seat, and the pilots
have no plat* now to watch the entrance to the
Roads. There is not teen standing room, for the
only spot is just the top of Hill's-lane, shut in
between the walla of the Engineers' office, and that
of Belmont-place. Down this gorge the wind at times
rushee, "fit to cat one in two," and how the pilots
are to stay there in bad weather, even if they are
not charged with obstructing the road, we cannot
tell. Then the path from Hill's-lane to Bincleavei ie
blocked, and between the War Department, private
rights, and the sea, the public convenience has come
to the ground. The War Department claim the
ground down to the beach, for they have preveuted
the pilots from hauling up their boats below, except
on payment of • yearly rent, and it would not DO
maim for them to build a good sea wall, put a wicket
gate in their new railings, make • public road from
the Nothe to Bincleaves, and • bit of wall to *bolter
a new "Look-out" would be an additional boon.
For, be it ever remembered, Governments them-
selves, and 4 fortiori each of their departments, only
exist for the good of the public, and unless they
prove themselves more than fruors conaumere matt,
the time comes when they are dons without. On
the other hand a restored and secured Look-out
would be a monument to the officer who should re-
commend it, and get the work done, far superior to
any statue, and would keep his memory green in the
hearts of Weymouth, when himself and his office
weer pawed away. The subject was considered
at the adjourned quarterly meeting of the Local
Board on Saturday.

THE socIAL
A meeting of the inhabitants of Pedoadwarncell"
by the churchwardens and overseen, IS espaider the
desirability of sdopting • petitioo agoit Attending the
Contagious Diseases Act, of 1966. • has been In
force in garrison towns, and is sieve" ho benb"'n
of
general application in the present mosion• The meeting
consisted entirely of male adults. about " in number'
who quit. filled the Morrie schoolroom. The meeting
was presided over by the Rester, Rev. 11 lingartb, an
the following is the test of the pstitioo propelled
"That in the judgment of your Petitioners, tbe
measures known as the • Contatincs 461.-'
which provided for the poliee and medical surveillance
of prostitution, are both solid,' in themselves, and
amt.-roes to the public health and to public morality.
Your Petitioners believe that memuteo, designed es-
pecially for the protection of men from the cousetmenoes
of their own vices, are demoralising to the man who
profit by them, degrading and cruel to ths women who
suffer under them, dangeroui to the liberties of
.11
women, and worthless for the permanent prevention, or
even mitigation of disease. Your Petitioner, farther
believe that evils of the kind which these Asti ek
to
mitigate will never be controlled or eradicated by
material treatment alone, but that, inasmuch as th-y
are in their origin moral and not material, such leg's'
lotion only will suooesofnlly deal with them as eats be
embodied in preventive measure,. 'icor P ditkners
therefore humbly pro), that your Lordships will pass •
tnessure tepealing the Contagious Dl•esilei tots' of
former osseous, and will moat earnestly consider what
are the itst mothods of dealing with the causes of
immorolity among our people."
The Kerr. HotaxgrO opened the meeting with an
address of about half-an-hour's duration. He said
according to the Act, a policeman might, in bin dis-
cretion a t any female whom he suspected, whether
111.1Tri'd Or nomar,i-d, and bling her before a magis-
trate, who might order her to be examined by a district
medical , their. If she refused, she would be liable to
: itoprimoment not matelots Slime months. After
elimination if the doctor thought necessary, she w .uld
be sent to hospital, ti.l he could give her a clean bill
of health. when Ate would be cent back to carry on
her infomous trete—(l6.es) This would be giving •
licence to prestoution, for if the woman obtaineel a
mittficate from the doctor, else could not be called to
account for her deeds. Mr Hogarth asked if they
would like for their wives, and sister', and daughter.,
to be taken up at the will of • policeman, when he
thought fit, or, in the event of refusal, to be committed
to prison—(Cries of "N' ! No !" and "No fear I ")
Mr. E J. PleAßCit 'taked whether either of the
gentlemen on the platform had seen the Ast,and if they
hat • ropy oold they read it, so that the meeting
might be able to form their own judgment on the
matter.
The Rev. S. HoOldei asked the last apoaker to wait
and learn.
The Rev. Mr. llcCoagtog replied that they had not
seen the Act, nor where they able to get one, nor were
the members of the British Parlitaineat able to get one,
for it was not printed.
Rev. S. HOOLLT mid Mr. Hogerth had explained the
matter no fully that thee was little left for him to
my. He oon.idered the Act one-sided, for why should
not the scoundrels who brought these poor °restores to
their miserable eondition, ha subject d to examination
abot He liked colliers himself, and might have been •
soldier if he bad been strong and tall enough, and he
did not see why the Government should not allow
them to be married, and he thought • rich country like
this was able to pay them better than they are now—
(cheer.).
Mr. A. SORIVIN said he had been a mariner for a very
long Vane, and be had bees in very many lonian part.,
and he considered this Act one of the greatest blessings
that the Government had conferred He spoke el the
Protection given to oar sailors in foreign ports, where
no women were allowed to whet them, for the latter
were shut up in redder licensed houses, and regulatly
examined, and if affected, sent to hospitals, so that our
sailors were protected from disease—(hear, hear.)
Mr. itOBERT PEARCI thought the meeting should
wait until • copy of the Ant, or until an explanation
was given thereof. While those fallen women wore
in hospital, they would not be emximiting their usual
.in nor contaminating others. They would be visited
by the clergy, and would have opportunities of obtain-
ing religious and moral instruction.
Mr. B. 80111,01 (trustee) ms.intalned that they were
not in a position to pees judgment on the Act till it was
read to them.
The Rev. Mr. McCoariog, who appeared greatly es-
cited, said he had written to • Member of Parliament
who had stated that he himself was unable to obtain a
sight of the Act until passed. Item smuggled through
the last day of the session. The Press seemed to be
in favour of the Act, and bad been silsnt on the
matter.
Mr. E. J. PgARCII asked Mr. McCormick, as they had
been one-sided on the matter, to read an extract on the
3lst page from the pamphlet from which be Ind already
tooted.
This extract, which was not read by Mr. McCormick,
stated that at a meeting at Chatham the Ant had be, n
considered highly deitirable, •nd the Rev. G. J. Ballet,
ohaplain of St. Bartholomew's Hoepital,said that dui ins
the ten months it had been in force, no lets than 39
f.m.les had been induced to leave their infamous pro-
fession and rettpn home.
l'he Rev. S. IIUOLIIT proposed, and the Rev. A. Hill
seconded, the adoption of the petition.
Mr. F. .1. Pealing propswed that the meeting wait
until the act be obtained. - Seconded by Mr. A.
SCRIVEN.
The proposition was ouvied.