The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-09-24 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTIMIR ILZVIEW AT WEYMOI7TH.
" Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well,"
sap the old saw, and the people of Weymouth seem
to have adopted the maxim cox some in carrying out
their resolve of giving a welcome to the volunteers on
meembilag at Weymouth for their anneal field day.
The Mayoralty of Mr. John Tigard will be pleasurably
remembered for this at any rate- -that he spared no
effort to maintain the dignity and honour of the
borough, The Mayoress too, and the ladles of Wey-
mouth, did • graceful thing in a graceful way in pressot-
ing to the battalion two handsome flap "in the hope
that they would be prised in remensbninee of their
visit," and assuredly they will be prised, and whenever
the battalion amentleles the fair donors will be brought to
their recollection as also the handsome treat:meet they
received in Weymouth. The Corporation, with true
fealty, co-operated with the chief maghtrate of the
borough in msking the arrangement. for this day's
proceedings, and if we may venture to sines oat any
without appearing to make invidiou distinctions, we
would indicate Mr. Alderman Howard and Mr. Alder-
man Ayling. These gentlemen, together with
the other members of the Council, and a number of
the townsmen, entered earnestly and ably into the work
when it had once been resolved to remise the volun-
teers as they esteemed them, as their brethren of
Dorset, and as representatives of the 900.000 now en-
rolled in different parts of the kingdom, to show foreign
nations that we have the will andr:ep to hold
our own against any who may feel die to come
against no. It can be readily understood that rash an
ungertakisg as the people of Weymouth gladly imposed
upon themselves was no light teak, and the ems/olive,
with the Manor as chief amongst them, deserve the
thanks of the borough for the MONIS of their
endeavours. And this none the less because the towns-
people freely and liberally contributed to the expenses
of the demonstration, for the £9OO they subeeribed might
have been frittered away in a thousand ways without
giving half the gratification their arrangements did
either to their guests or to themselves. The programme
of the committee, no far as we could observe, was to
decorate the more prominent parts of the town,
offer the volunteers some refreshment on their arrival,
give them • cold collation at the close of the
review, and provide • little pyrotechnic display to
conclude the evening. All this was done with
remarkable 'moos., considering the irepostihility
of avoiding trifling lames where a thousand men are
concerned, and indeed the only approach to • "hitch"
was at the dinner, where in consequence of the men not
being seated so closely together as it was intended they
should be, a few of the later camas west, crowded out,
and had to wait till others had boated. Well, all
this is most gratifying, but, as there's "a sksietoein
every house," no does this grand entertainment leave
behind It the consideration that every town is not able
to receive the volunteers with such profuse hospitality,
yet to do less may be distressing to the esprit cie vile
of other places, and seem rather tame to the volunteers
themselves. For see bow this hearty Dorset eelooming
has advanced till it has culminated In the present di..
tinguished entertainment. In the early years of the
movement it was deemed sufficient to show by attending
the review, and, tartaps, the pealing of the bells at the
churches, that the movement was highly regarded ;
then, in 1865, the pleasant inland town of Blandford
stepped out of the old rut and decorated the principal
thoroughfares, and made holiday on the occasion; last
year Bherborne aroused itself from its wonted colm and
manifested their satisfaction at the visit of the volunteer,
by decorating the town—and this is one of the things
Sherborne can do—and adding some alight refrestimeut;
this year the battalion has been feted to the unpre-
cedented degree we have indicated. Guessing as to the
conseepienose of this demonstration in the future may
seem somewhat like looking "a gift horse in the
mouth," which it would be an ungraceful thing to do
at this time of Immo' and gratification, and we will
therefore proceed with the immediate business of the
day. The weather was all that could be desired.
A fine autumn morning dawned as the townsfolk, whose
seal in the matter of deeomtiog their prints establish-
ments and residences merits all pralso, were adding
the lam finishing touches to their trophies, and garlands,
and mottoes. The sun had ceased to send forth a fierce
hest, burning and blinding as when in its summer
effulgence, but it diffused a genial warmth through the
atmosphere, while a fresh breeze fluttered the bunting
and displayed it to the best advantage.