The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-01-19 00:00:00

Itampshirt.

Burrmartlen have been seen sad naught in the
neighbourhood of Satanism Floe, during the past week.
Tug NIUHTING ALL —The lodge keeper at Mr. Gillett's,
Bitterne, near Southampton has • nightingale to full
I sorts. It wee taken from Hi; neat in the garden whilst
quite young in July last.
A VAGAROND who wee afforded shelter for the night
on Saturday, in the South Stoneham Union, tore up the
workhouse clothes in the morning, and, because he could
not be allowed a better suit, bolted info the highway,
and ran for some miles in a slate of nudity, taloned by
arowds of men and boys, before he could be captured.
DEATH OF THZ SENIOR ADMIRAL OF VIZ FLltnr.
Admiral Sir Lueius Curtis, Bart., K.C.8., the senior
'desirel of the Beet, died under somewhat sudden and
unexpected eireu =dances, ethic resident*, Emit Co.ham,
Hut" early on Thursday morning. By the death of
Sir Lucius Curtis, Sir Thomas John Cochrane, Bart,
o Cs., becomes the senior admiral of the Beet.
EMPLOTNINT OP WOM RN AND CHILDREN IN AGRI.
CULTURZ.—The Hon. E. Portman, one of Her Majesty's
Commialoners visited Fordinbritee on Thursday last,
to inquire into the employment of women and children
in agriculture in this district There yrs. a good attend•
Knee of axriaulturists and clergy, and Sir E. Hulse,
Bart, presided. A resolution wax passed "That pre-
ferring voluntary action to oompuleory legislation on
the subject of the employment of children in agriculture,
inasmuch as such legislation would be regarded as an
undue interference between humeri and agricultural
labourers, thin meeting expreasei • drone opinion that
children should not be employed generally in
egricultund labour before 10 yearn old, or unless they
can real and write sufficiently. A proposal that the
ability to read emi write should be certified by the clergy-
man or some other parish authority was rejoined. It was
remarked that labourers could not support their children
withouttbeir children were sent to work as early as pos-
sible. The Rev. IL W. G. Aubrey said the diaries was low
wages; and the oharities, clothing club', coal clubs, and
poor-ratee were only ways by which those who were
better off had to pay at last what they ought to pay in
wages—(hear, hear)—and they ought sot to look upon
these things am permanent institutions on wl.lst to rest,
but on the contrary they ought to try and make the
labourer an independent man who could feel that what
he had he bat earned by the sweat of hia brow—(hear,
hear, and applause).—The Hon. and Rev. S. Best
ol served that for the sake of 2a. or 2e. 6d. • week, the
farm labourer's boy wu prevented getting eduoation
which might enable him to obtain better employment.
He thought they might say • child should not be em•
played until be was ten years of age, or until he had
shown by a certificate given by a competent authority
' that the child was at all events educated up to certain
point before He went out into the fields. He bed a
great deal to do with • society that granted eertillsates
of education, and be thought they had granted 1,500 or
more of those certificates. Now he should like to ask,
as a general rule, taking • large body of farmers,
whether if a boy went to hint with one of thaw cart&
mites in his bands, it would !messily weight with them
as regarded that boy's employment' He should like an
answer to that question because it would teach him the
?alas of the certificate; which they were giving away
leery day--(laughter). Re confessed he believed their
value was very little in that respeet. If • boy went to
a farmer and showed him that he had a certiecate for
having pained an examination &wording to a fixed
standard,—say in Scripture history, in the catechism,
in arithmetic, in geography, in English history—it might
be in three only—he wee afraid it would not have any
weight with the farmer u withe employmeat of the boy
out in the flelds—(cries of Worthless," "Uselesa,"
"No value at all," and laughter). If that were the
GOO, could they then sesame it as an axiom that the
farmers as • dam were in favour of i education?—
(" YIN," and laughter). He knew by many splendid
instances how =my farmers were in favour of educa-
tion, but be wee speaking of them as • class and ern-
ployers of labour. They amid not abut their eyes and
ears to what was going on around them. It would not
be left to the resolution of gentlemen like then:melees
to determine what should be done. There would be
some general measure, and they must therefore be
prepared with their answer whenever new things were
prepowd to them.