The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-04-11 00:00:00

impressive manner. At the conclusion of the service the
Masonic brethren filed pest the grave, and dropped on the
coffin, of their departed brother, a sprig of the Acacia
plant. The funeral arrangements, under the direction of
Messrs Martin, and Son, of Oakley-place, were well
managed.

THE QUEEN OF SKATING
RINKS FOR WEYMOUTH.
A proposal has been brought to our notice by is
thocghtful tradesman, which if carried out would give
Weymouth a skating rink surpassing all others in
attraction, and might be the mean. of filling us with
visitors in the most fashionable variety. Our friend
proposes that crunching beach gravel, muddy Poole
clay-stuff, and all other :shifts for covering our
Eaplanade, be at once abandoned, and the whole
surface be laid with good wiihalte. This would, he
thinks. be done for about £2,000, and would at once
settle the question as to what is beet, for the wephalt*
is so durable and clean that nothing else would ever
be tried. Says he, "let it be laid at such a level as
would be suitable for roller-skating, proper surface
drainage being also provided for, and then let the
Local Board throw open the whole to the public free
of charge, and permit skating thereon." Of course a
curved rink a mile long. in full view of the Sands and
the Sea, and free, would spread our fame all over the
United Kingdom, and visitors would flock from every
part. The proposal is tempting; "but what," said
we, "about the wheel-chairs?" " Let them all," he
replied, "have india-rubber tires instead of iron, an
they would move along so silently, softly, and alto-
gether luxuriously, that the value of the investment
would be beyond what the men nowconceive. Nobody
would ride in an iron-tired wheel-chair, after having
tried the rubber-tired ones." One thought more
occurred to us--" Supposing a lady or gentleman
skated weer the Esplanade; and got hurt,or even killed
should we not be ruined ? But at once our eyes fell
on the water-colour of Naples Esplanade, which vindi-
cated Weymouth's claim to he called "The Naples of
England." awl we perceived that the chains awl stone-
posts, which in Weymouth cutoff the Esplanade from
the roadway, are in Naples represented by similar
stone.posts connected by iron bars, and placed at the
e 410• of the Esplanade, so auto form a defence. Such
on arrangement in Weymouth would provide places
whereon visitors could lean, and would ale. stop any
ekater whose feet had run away with him er her, thus
making the proposed rink perfectly safe from any
danger of falling on the sand. The chains are now
not necessary to keep away carriages from the Espla-
nade, for Mr. Howard, in his r ayoroltv, effectually
bounded them by the dwarf wall. Other improve-
ments might be 'suggested, but at present our friend's
scheme le very attractive, awl, we nture to think.
would form a fine opening for displaying the talents of
our new Surveyor.
As an investment for the Local Board, the asphalte
covering might even be found to pay, for it could he
swept almost as clean as • drawing-room floor, and
would not even soil iv silken slipper, while the con-
stant outlay for gravelling, levelling, and rolling would
be got rid of, after the expenditure of the capital sum
Repairs would not be frequently required if the
asphalte were well laid, perhaps not at all, for the
Esplanade should have no heavier wear than another
of our footways. Even if the Local Board do not see
their way to borrowing the capital, our friend nays the
tradesmen would find it to their advantage to sub-
scribe it, for the I,oottruskeni must Dell "rink hoota,"
the ironmongers "rink skates," and, above all, the
drapers "rink costumes," bonnets, hats, and all those
prettineirea which are the delight of the female sex,
nay, of both. Accidents, which will happen on other
rinks, would be reduced to the minimum of incon-
venience with such an efficient medical faculty as we
have in Weymouth, and even the clerical profession
would reap more advantages than accrue from an
enormous increase of gifts at the offertory, for marriage
licenses would be in g_reat request, and there must be
an influx of fees. The whole matter is worth con-
Rider/Le by those who desire truly high-class, or at
lead numerous and respectable visitors, especially
now that it is maid indoor resorts are, just a trifle, in
danger of being invaded by another clams