The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-06-05 00:00:00

Zonursttsbirt.

Yitostt..— Ercursion.--An excursion train called
at the Pen Mill Station on Friday last, route fur
London. A at nuniber of passengers availed
themselves of the C pany's liberal offer to give the
pidilic a cheap trip to Loudon. An excursion tniiii
arrived from London on Saturday night. between 10
and 11 o'clock. A large nimilier of passengers stopped
brie. but although they arrived at no late an I
but little inconvenience was experienced in obtaining
Hotel 3CCOMIII.KIatiou.

14.0nEwarrsillitt SeicitTV. The 49th Anniversary
festival or this society was celebrated by a dinner at the
Albion Tavern, Alder...gate-street, Lundou, on Tuesday.
Lord Cork presided, and amongst tic company present
were Sir W. Mike. MP., Sir Alexander A. Hood, M.P.,
Sir P. Ached, Bart., G. Murray, Fsici.. Vineent S.
Wool, Dm., G. 11. lloysey, Lai., U L. Bullock, Lei.,
W. )10.1y, bui., Merin. Bennett, Sheppard, Simpson,
Goodford, Pullen, Wolter, Phelps, Jenkyns, Warry,
mid many others. The report which Wlo{ lii on the
table mated that the society had been the means of ac-
'dishing much good amongat poor Somersetehire
people ill ismilon. The committee regretted that in
conwNitenec of the death of some subscribers and the
withdrawal of other., only eight candidates would be
elected for apprenticeship daring the present year. The
balance.shott stated that the hies ...... during the post
year hail been I:3lEt 2s. 7d., arid the balance in ham'
1:100. The funds of the charity invested in 3 per rent.
snot:it-les are £2.691 :S. 11d. ; consols, £2lB 13.1. Bd.
After the removal of the cloth, the Innlal 1/11•1 anti pa-
triotic toasts were prolosed and iesiondeel to • ith the
accustomed b is. Mr. floysey acknowledgs.4 the
toast of the ".Irniv Pall Navy," being one of the semeeeex
ltdies. The president next proposed "the Members of
Pailiament for the tlsionty of Somerset." mentioning
the naines Sir W. Miles and Sir A. Hood. Sir W.
Miles in reply, sail lie had been a Rambler of larliainent
for the county of Smocrset for 26 years. Alluding
to the ride volunteers, lie stated that one of the best
marksmen at Hythe was • Somersetshire anan--(clieers).
Sir Alexander Hood, M.P., proposed " the health of the
noble President," which was drank with all honours.
The preaident, in returning thanks, expressed the aatis.
faction lie felt in preiading on that occasion, and in hieing
eurrounded ny so many Somersetehire gentlemen. since
he hail lined in the county he haul endeavoured to make
himself known to every one of his neighbours, and Ise
hoped, no long as it should please (hal to spare him, be
should no c Met himself as to obtain the regard and
esteem of all shunt him--(cheers). He then proposed
the taut of the evening, "Success and Proeperity to the
Soinersetahire Society." The society, he said, was
founded in 1811 for the purresse of apprenticing the
children of Boinereetabire parents resident in London.
It was also the practice in the present day, whether
rightly or wrongly, to encourage the centralisation
of capital. This had the effect, in ninny Coon-
try districts, of destroying the manufactures
which once existed. lle appealed to hid hon.
friend, Sir W. Miles, to confirm him in the state-
ment that no county had suffered more in this respect
than the county of Somerset. His him. tricot' had
stated, a few evenings since, in the House of ~,,,, non%
that a number or paper mills and other manufacture.
had altogether dieappeared fruio the county. Among
the many adventurous epirite, who, under these cir-
cumstances, found their way to the metropolis, few ever
succeeded in their anticipation. He lad sees. them
wandering through the stet eta with disappointment
painted on their faces, stricken in health, heart broken,
and in great poverty; many of thew, from their ap-
pearance, having evib u:ly seen better dart. It was
for this class of ogee that the Semersetshire Society seas
instituted. The toast was drunk with all the honours.
The Hon. Secretary (Mr. T. F. Chorely) in aeknowlelg-
ing the toast, te.titie.l to the exemplary character which
was borne by toe boys who had been apprenticel by the
society. Several other toasts were proposed and duly
m.t.....61 to. !luring the evening • selection of songs,
•iit.. glees. madrigals, ko., were performed by Mdlle.
Viimr, Mr. (lenge, Mr. Holmes, and Mr. Buryera.
Toe arr n evients were under the directions of
ge, fortuelly id Teo, il, and elicited the highest

LaNtroirr.--Amongst the favourite candidates
for the reprelentatiou of the London University is
Mr. Walter Kagehot, the well known writer in the
Reriew, and it is said the author of the
attack on Mr. Bright, in a recent number, entitled,
•• Mr. Bright painted by himself." We may men-
tion that Mr. Walter Hiagehot is the only son of T.
W. Begehot, Esq., of this t..ii n, i. 11,1 a son-in-law of
that tat tiwincier. the 11011. Jaa.ies
fluitisiwermi. --The Free Libraries Act, which
empowers Town Councils to levy a rate not exceed-
ing Id. in the for the support of a free circulating
library, has been unaniinowily adopted in this town.
The tollowing statistics of the rates of the town
were given at the public meeting by Mr. John Ilur-
man : In Ib4B they bad a borough-rate of Is. thl.
in the pounil—(hear, hear); in IS4h their siateh•rate
was sixpence in the pound—it was now fourpenee—
(hear, hear) ; in ISIN the poor-rate was 41. 6,1. in
the pound ; this year it would be about 3a.—(hear,
hear); the Church.rate of 641. in Ib4S had vanished
altogether in IS6O--(clicers); the highway-rate had
increased from threepence to four pence, and the
Market-house rate remained at the same sum
elevenpetice. Taking there rates altogether, he
four.d that they had effected a saving in trig), as
compared with 1848, of no leas than 3s. Id. in the
pound upon the whole of the rateable property in
the borough of Bridgwater—(applause). In addi-
tion. they had saved I:1,000 per year upon the
assessed taxes and the window tax.

Bev. Christopher Clarkson,
vicar, was tined .C 3 and XI 4s. ousts, Thursday
week, by the magistrates of Holsworthy, for assault-
ing his wife's lady's maid. He had given her notice
to quit, which she had not complied with, and on
her going up stairs with her mistress's water he
struck her against the wall, and pushed her down
stairs. Defendant denied the assault.

VI. INC A NTON. ---M r. Clark having received a letter
from the Lord Lieutenant, stating that the offer of
service of the Wincanton, Bruton, and Castle Cary
Volunteer Rifle Corps had been accepted by Her
Majesty, a meeting will shortly be held to make all
necessary arrangements for providing clothing and
accoutrements ;in the mean time it is desirable that
all who are desirous of joining the corps should do so
at once, to be prepared to appear in uniform when
called upon to assemble to take the oath of allegiance.
The progress of the corps in MURIA exercise is most
satisfactory, and all new volunteers are easily pre.
pared to take their place in the ranks. The morn-
ing and evening ilfllla continue in the three towns,
and are well attended.

WELL& Rant Aria. On Tuesday last, a
" Stonily Petrel," one of the smallest species of the
web.footed birds known, was picked up in an ex•
hunted state in the Market-place by a little girl.
The sergeant of the police took the bird home and
pre it same soaked bread, which appeared to revive
it. William Yarrell, in his well-known history of
British Blnls, in speaking of the Stormy l'etrel,
states, "these birds are frequently driven by the
strong winds to a great distance inland." To the
heavy winds with which we have been visited the
last week (and which have been unusually rough, in
many cases rooting up trees of many years standing)
may, according to this authority, be attributed the
appearance of this unusual visitor amongst us.
SUDDEN DEATH Or A SOLICITOR.--The words.
" in the midst of life we are in death," were never
more clearly verified than on Tuesday last, in the
very sudden death of Thomas Conway Itobius, Esq.,
of the Cathedral Green, who was found dead in his
closet: Mr. Robins attended drill in the morning,
and attended to his other duties as usual. Only
halfan•hour before lie died he was seen walking in
the Cathedral Green conversing with a friend. The
cause of death is attributed to over exertion, which
accelerated disessa of the heart, to which lie has been
subject for some time past. The wife of the deceased
heard a noise as it wimething had fallen heavily, and
on opening the door of the closet found the deceased
on the ground. Assistance was soon procured, and
Dr. French soon in attendance, but the vital spark
had fled. The deceaaed was clerk to the Commis-
sioners of Turnpikes and Sewers, and clerk to the
Commissioners "f Taxes for the Wells Forum. He
was highly respcxted and endeared to all by his
urbanity and courteousness. Out of respect for the
deceased the drill of the ride corps, of wlnch he was
celouneergeant, was adjeurned to Friday.
Esearx or A PRISONKIL FROM W1L1.1,4 GA9I..—A
tramping cordwainer, calling himself Henry Watera,
taken into custody on a charge of stealing a watch
from an engine driver on the Somerset Central Rail-
way, and committed for trial at the sessions, was
handed over to the charge of Mr. Woodward, the
gaol-keeper, who placed him in cell "number 20."
While, however, the police were exerting themselves
with • view to connect the prisoner with another
watch robbery, he was "laughing at impossibilities"
and planning hisescape. Ou Wednesday morning, on
visiting "number 20," he found, despite "locks,
bolts, and bars," the wary "bird had (lowa." With-
out any implements, the prisoner managed to causes
considerable indentation in the end wall of his cell.
One brick had been quite removed, while others
were partially removed. The parts remaining appear
SA though they had been nibbled by the teeth of tiny
mice, so exceedingly small and tine are the marks on
them. Though he had made considerable program,
and evidently would have succeeded, he hit upon
anotl:er expedient. He thrust Ids hand through the
trap, (a small opening in the cell door, for the pur-
ism of ventilation) and with some instrument—
very probably a bout tip,—he managed to take off
the lock, and become his own deliverer! He then
went up into the corridor, mitered one of the cells
there, and took three new blankets, which he tore in
halves, and with ingenious knots fastened the whole
together. That done, he placed a chair on a table
directly underneath a trap door, within which are
the cisterns which supply the establishment with
water, and over which is the roof; and getting up
into this aperture (a not very easy task), he tore
away the plaster, thrust off the elates, and having
secured one end of his blanket rope to a rafter, made
the descent on terra firma. But lie appears to have
come down quicker than he even desired, for his
treacherous blanket-rope snapped near the top. But
the wall of the building was not very high, while the
place on which lie alighted was quite downy ; and
the *inclusion is --he experienced what was to him,
after all, only an agreeable shock.
Wesros;-suPEK•NIARE.—FataI Railway Acrident.
—On Monday night, about half-peat liven o'clock,
a fatal accident occurred at the Weston-super Mare
Railway Station, to a MAO named Watkins, belong-
ing to Bristol. It appears that the deceased, with
his wife and daughter, had been spending the day at
the above place, cud in the evening, whilst endea-
voupc• to get into one of the carriages, be had
alij his hold of the carriage door, the ',min being

still in motion, and falling upon ths rails one or two
of the carriages pawed over him before be could he
extricated, but when taken out it au discovered
that be was quite dead—his shoulder having been
literal), covered from his body, and one of his
thighs broken. The poor fellow, who was a
hatter by business, and worked in Castle Green, is
a mitbllceagetl man, and we understand was a little
the worse for liquor at the time of the accident