The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-02-08 00:00:00

ifteraturt

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The Hay qf Does, Han,' and Heart, Home Worl
Hien Fireside. (Nisbet and 21, ham,. bL,lild One
Id. weekly). Four capital Periodicals are 'tj,;.`''
although m
edited by the sae rev. gentiemm. std.
distinct in their general character. The 1,4 uneLrits consider a model of interesting and pure rea het o
enr.les of Married Life" (by Jane Sunpr,m)P.
written and ought to be perused by every En':li;i; "Pictures from Paris" (by the Rev, W. Burnett)
of old recollections and fresh facts, while the illustne,74l
are good. Among other contributors is the .treldners, of York.
,er.l
Evening flours, edited by Lady Barket (itralian
31, Patenioeter Rew), is, as its name de,,,,tes,
Magazine, and the name of the distinguisheet nejihrbtly
guarantee of the bright and pleasing nature of it, tents. Exquisitely fanciful is "German Love," Ly
Muller, and intensely interesting and more then t;•4
welcome at this particular time, is "First linpreag„, fre
South Africa," by Lady Barker. "Our New Seidl:owl
is a pleasant little sketch: and "Sonic Curious Cut
of Lincolnshire," readable as all sndh papers are. 'tat
History of India (Messrs. Cassell, Petter, and
Especially appropriate is the issue of this work, now thet
the eyes of the world ars turned towards that vast lithe, empire. It promises while readable to he exhisys, sad
is as that firms productions always are Print
i ed clew
and on good paper, and is abundant in llustration ,s. tine portrait of the Prince of Wales was given with the
first number.
British Workman (Partridge and Co., 9, Pateranden
Row) the name of this excellent broadsheet is ke,wn wherever the British Workman has an existence. sir
Suffolk Wren, land the Suffolk Woodcutter, is the subject
of its present large Plate.
The Prep Show (Strahan and Co., Paternoster Itow),
picture inazizine for little readers. We have submitted it to the opinion of a little reader, WA the ileli4hted per,„,
of it was a sufficient testimony to its merits, alth,,nei
there are one or two comic pictures in it that would mut
a smile on an older face.

Holy Bak (Casiell f'etter and Oalpin). flmagma,
cent work is being re-issueil, printed on t 421 paper. Ty,
heautiful plates come out to advantage 411 d the type is likewise clear and bold.

joô
Eueigeodpedia (T. C. Jack, Lliohurzia
I)pening the first part of this work one ii lost in the isst
range of subjects dealt with, and in the most scholarly and
comprehensive manner. It is illustrated, amt the type
everything to be desired. When completed it will he one
of the finest books of reference of the day.
Musical Budget (Clarke, Fleet-street). This is a peas,
monthly budget of hinnerous and -entiniental song az,d
piano and dance, and concertina music. The tens before
u. are clearly and nicely printed on goal paper, ant tj
pieces selected are some of the hest of compositions.

DISAPPEARANCE---OF A —SOLICIT—OR.
It is stated that a well-known London solicitor has ,11,.
appeared. Ile was one of the most respected members .1
his profession, an old man, • sexagenarian. and one who
has limn widely trusted. Ile hasperformed operotiou
most cruelly. Those whom he has victimised are tuainly
widows and orphana A. trustee for them he has 1... a
immense minis of money placed in his hands, lie
realised it all, and has decamped with at least £79,11.111. A
London correspondent writes:—" As the (aft. kap to I.,ht
the disappearance of the West-end solicitor beCol“c• L., re
serious. It was at first thought that he had gone err .4
£70,010). It is now discovered that more than Linemen
missing. What is worse, it is newly certain that he
neither has the money, nor has the power of reaming a.
1 Ile and his partner have been gambling on the it
Exchange. They losL They made up the delicien.l 41
.1 their clients fund, and gambled again. Aglall
loot, and then had to decamp. The), have g.‘1,161
together. !tie consequently a ease of running as
avoid shame, not of running oil to et.joy stolen nt..
Ile has been adjudicated a bankrupt- Ills lisbiljj art
reported at A:150,000.

OCR NAVY.
A return has just been issued for the put quarter
showing the strength of her Majesty's Navy, eel inere
ean assuredly be no suluject of greater interest to the
country. The total number of vessels of war ends, ten
Majesty's Hag is reported, compriaing the latest Mooches,
at 564, mounting 3,643 guns, and maimed by 33,i11u; sea.
inetuding coa,m-guards and Krooinen. The state-
ment looks well enough beside any foreign return of the
same kind, but much of the brave display must be ell.
%Meted as delusive. To begin with, °tit of the aluove sum
.4 vessels only 210, mounting 1,700 guns, are :squally in
'ssion, and since that uliminished mauler maims,
a large category of ships useless, or nearly so, in the
event of • war, we must reduce it still farther till we
come to the ironclad fleet, the armed cruistra, the rams,
the floating batteries, and the gunboats. Our plated
Navy of the broadside tiny has jut been ...howl,
thinned by the drafting off into harlsiur service of six
ships-the Lord Clyde, Prince Consort, Royal Oak, o.ma.
Z,alotis, and Enterprise. These were converted wooden
liners,. and their superannuation [amok,
the of
broadside ironclaule down to about 311 lave and small,
vrh m ile even from these five at least--the Res'earoh,
Favourite, Lard Warden, and Royal Alfred-are • on
their last legs' as war vessels ; and must 50451 join their
uncelewsided comrades in the dull duties of loug.shore
service. Among those which remain the fighting power
varies no much that the magnitieent Sultan and lievules
are not to he clamed together with the long unhandy
live-masters and the little Vixen and Waterwiteh. One
or two, however, are not yet in readiness-fifteen to
twenty of them at most can he counted upon. if tumet.
vessels we own thirteen, containing no doubt raug of tht
most powerful &goat for defensive and offen.:lvc purpose.,
chief among which may he mentioned the Devastatist.,
Thunderer, and Monarch. Enctudiez those utonst2rs, the
dimensions of ships ir, the elms they belong to rapidly
dwindle; the Euf.ert, (Hatton. and Hotsphur althou
formidable, only caning SJO haus& on board ; while .
Prince Albert, Wivern, Scorpion, Cyclops, Gorgon, Hydra,
and Hecate are yet smaller, although still, doubtless, very
warlike little craft. These thirteen mount no suture than
el suns -such is the weight of modern metal--with Vol
officers and men, while the broadsides have 442 guns and
are manned by 14,491 of all ranks. Putting the estimate
as favourably as possilule, the active main leviy ..f ght,
fighting force .4 Britian on the news cons'esta uf &Wet
thirty-five armoured vessels, carrying shout 17,101 eithe,.
and lien; and, though 601410 cj them are humen_eli
powerful there are two considerations which emphasis,
the reduction in smunerical force brought als.ut u,y he
costliness of the iron age ; first, that the finest tuan-of•wat
CAP only be in one spot at a tins:: secondly, that the
torpedo uur the rani may send her in an hour whither the
Vanguard haa gone.

It is understood that a large increase to the land sal
forces will be voted during the coming seseion.
The Irish Court of Exchequer on Saturday ruled that
legacies for the mitoses for the repose of the soul of the
.lonor are liable to legacy duty.
Tile CHAPEL in the Vicars' Close, at Wells, ha. just teen
rwopened after undergoing restoration. The Bidlop
preached in the morning, and the offertory amounted to
no less than a:311 las.
I tin Satunlay afternoon Mr. Ahmed lienealv iiMett an
address to the electors of Burnley, but the bill-pesters,
not unnaturally, perhaps, refused to pod them until tits
inoney for that service was paid.
DISGUSTING DIUTALITY.—At FAkington, Derty, ucollier
natned Whitlow, was committed to prison for two months
for biting off the nom of • man with when he had
1 quarrelled Ina pliblic-hoit.e.
1111:11/DKR IN BIIIISINGHAN.—A• birwingasni, memo
Underhill, on independent gentleman, ow maronitted tx
the Wai wiet, Aisl4eá fur the wilful bowler of .11fred
, Parke, a Lootruakeee clerk, on the 12th ulf. The
accused, who was snowballed, fired hi, pistol, and hit.
Parke who died ten days afterwards.
A CHURCH " BRNEVIT AT • TiIEtTRE.—A grand even-
ing performance, under the patronage of the bier. William
Nlarnr, vicar of Thornley, and the churehwarlens hat
been siren in Thorniey Theatre for the benefit si the
Thornley Church. The play selected for the oecodun was
Slut Lynne. The licensed victindlers displayed eards its
their windows announcing the sale of tickets.
Gossip is busy with the Intended 1110Ve,110.C.
Queen in her forthcoming journey to the coutineet It Ia
slated that on her way to Baden-Bolen her Msiest:Lia
expeeted to visit Colturts &Lunt tam Pith .4 April. ni•
hope is also expresiod that she will oleo psy o ViAit to
Berlin.

THE Royal National Life-Boat Institution ha+ now 2,4
life-hots under its charge. It is moot gratifying and
encouraging to know that, notwithstanding the peril mad
exposure incurred by the gallant crews last year,..nly eas
life wee loot from the life-hosts .4 the ..ociety, although
about lI,OUO men were out in them on all occasions
during the twelve month..