The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-19 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

POLICE (COUNTIES AND BOROUGHS.)—Reports of the
Inspectors of Constabulary for the year ended September
29, 1857, made to the Secretary of State, have been
presented to Parliament and printed. The local reports,
which refer to matters of detail, are prefaced by one of
Major-General W. Cartwright, Inspector of the Con-
stabulary in district No. 1. He urges the advantages of
consolidating the smaller boroughs with the counties as
regards their police force, reports certain boroughs to
have an inefficient force of constabulary'
(22 in number),
and offers sundry suggestions, which will no doubt, re-
ceive the attention of the authorities at bead-quarters.
The whole of the reports occupy 120 pages of a Par.
liamentary paper. Major-General Cartwright states
that on his appointment, in August, 1857, he found that
15 out of the 25 counties forming his district had
established a police force (Warwick for part of the
county only), but only nine had a form that was efficient
in point of numbers. Among these nine were Stafford
and Worcester. As regards the boroughs, each was
eating upon its own individual system, and in many of
them there appeared a weakness of force, want of classi-
fication, a total absence of any attempt to co-operate
with neighbouring forces and an imperfect mode of
working the beats, particularly by night. In order to
carry out his instructions, RS to placing himself in com-
munication with the magistrates of counties and the
Watch Committees of boroughs for the purpose of afford-
ing them assistance, he made a tour of the district
during the first six months of last year, and submitted
to the local authorities a plan for establishing unifor-
mity of system as regards strength of force, assimilation
of pay, and classification ; the undertaking of duties
which appeared to him to belong to the police bringing
counties and boroughs into closer communication with
each other, and thus establishing a complete system of
co-operation throughout the district. He reports that
generally his views met with every attention, and that
the authorities showed an earnest desire to make their
respective forces as efficient as possible. The result was
that on the general inspection made in the last quarter
of the police year, ending October 1, 1857, the counties
which had been deficient in numbers, or in other re-
spects, were so increased and improved as to be efficient,
and the new counties had not only organized their
forces, but the chief constables, displaying great activity,
had allocated their police-constables throughout their
various divisions.

COST OF PRINTING FOR PARLIAMICKT.—A return
presented to Parliament by the Royal command shows
that the total amount of the cost for printing for the
various Government offices (paper, printing, and bind-
ing) during the session of 1856 amounted to £24,982.
The Irish-office figures for £6,415, the Home-office for
£5,961, the Foreign for £1,404, the Colonial for £1,351,
the Treasury for £3,599, the Board of Trade for £2,374,
the War Department for £1,769, and the India Board
for £2,019. The Admiralty only figures for £B6.
These sums are exclusive of the cost of printing ordered
by the two Houses of Parliament themselves, and job.
work printing. The number of copies of each paper
printed varies from 1,750 to 4,750.

THE TIUNSFER OF ESTATES.—The Bill of Lord St.
Leonard's to simplify the title and transfer of real and
personal estate, and to secure the titles of purchasers
more effectually, has been reintroduced and reprinted,
with a view to its consideration during the adjournment
of Parliament. The provisions of the measure, which
are already known, will not extend to Scotland.

SEABORNE COAL PROM THE NORTH—The coil
trade of the north has suffered comparatively little
during the recent depression. The export trade has
been brisk throughout the past year, while the returns
from the London market are very favourable, consider-
ing the fierce rivalry which has existed during the past
two or three years between the sea and the rail. "The
total quantity sent over sea into the London market
during the mouth of December, 1856," says the Colliery
Guardian, "was 280,880 tons." Last year for the same
period the quantity was 340,768 tons—an increase of
59,888 tons. By far the greater portion of this quantity
is sent from the Tyne. Wear, and Tees ; indeed, the
totals from Yorkshire, Wales, and Scotland put together
do not reach 20,000 tons. Of this total of 340,768 tone,
I 155,914 tons were sent in 452 vessels from Newcastle,
%mind 120,096 tons rent in 358 ships in December of
last year; 70,695 tons were sent in 188 vessels from
Sunderland, against 59,857 tons sent in 177 ships last
year; 25,491 tons were sent in 102 vessels from &sham,
against 20,392 tons in 83 vessels last year; and 4,541
tons were sent in 19 vessels from Blyth, against 2,742
tons in 11 vessels in December, 1856. With respect to
varieties, there is a noticeable falling off in the Tyne
household sort on the year. In 1856 we sent into the
London market 226,086 tons of this variety; this year
we contribute only 174,170 tons. In the household sort
sent from Sunderland and &ahem there is a slight
increase on the year, the figures being for 1856 873,010
tons, and for 1857 894,067 tons, while a corresponding
decline is observable in the Hartlepool, Stockton, and
Middlesborough households, the quantity sent in 1856
being 569,409 tons, and in 1857 562,022 tons. This de-
cline in the household variety is, no doubt, to be attri-
buted to the mildness of the season.