The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-07-25 00:00:00

Paroet &until Exprtso.!

DORCHESTER, JULY 25th, MI

There is no longer any doubt whether we are at war
Of not, since Arabi Pasha, the defacto ruler of Kgypt,
who has summoned to his support the Chamber of
Notables, and decreed the deposition of the Khedive,
has declared war against us, and la making preparations
for offensive action. The Vote of Credit has therefore
not been asked for at all too soon, though we can quite
understand why it was not proposed before. It was,
of come, foredeen that, though the Conservatives
would support the Government, an angry resistance

might be expected from the Radical ranks. The
tardy consent of the Sultan to join in the Conference,
although from one point of view satisfactory, is not
unlikely to land the Government in fresh difficulties.
the Pone undertakes the mission of reducing Rant
to order, it will be difficult to prevent it doing so in
Its own way. The "unspeakable" Turk may be guilty
of atrocities in Egypt as well as in Bulgaria. On the
other hand, there is no counting on bishommedan
fanaticism. Turkish soldiery may make common
cause with Arabi, and we may ultimately find that in
Inviting the Turks to Egypt we are only doubling the
number of our enemies. We had much best finish the
Oak ourselves, as we have begun it.

Some heart-burning will be caused if the Duke of
Connaught is given the command of the Brigade of
Guards for the Egyptian Expelltion, as it is said he
will be, whilst two officers much his seniors and avail-
able for the service are passed over. No doubt the
Duke has studied his profession with great s al and
earneetnees, and no doubt be is as perfect in the theory
of war as a student of tactics can be; but he has had
00 actual experience, and the spirit of a soldier would
be much beat exhibited by his accepting in the first
Instance a strictly subordinate command. The Duke
of Cambridge would have done better had he fought in
the Crimea us simple Colonel.

The Lord Chancellor has been fortunate in securing
good men for his appointments to the County Court
Beach. During the last few years several Queen's
counsel have accepted positions es County Court
Judges, whilst in more than one instance a junior has
been appointed Justice of the High Court. But Lord
Belborne's selection of Mr. Thomas Hughes, Q.C., to
the circuit of which Stockport is the chief court, wiU
be received with mingled feelings. The genial author
al "Tom Brown, ' and the earnest, though some-
what Utopian founder of Rugby, Tennessee,
deserves something better, and every one will
feel tarry that his colonisation scheme should
bare so reduced his means se to lead him to become a
candidate for a post so far below his merits Still a
Count-oourty Judge may be a great power for good, as
witses. the example of Sir Rupert Kettle. Mr.
Yates whom Mr. Hughes succeeds, was well known
for Ms accurate knowledge of the rate of wages. There
was not a trade, however peculiar, with the financial
condition of which he was not acquainted. For an
arbitrator in trade disputes such knowleige is of the
first importance.

The Bradlaugh prosecution for blasphemy is
generally considered a mistake. Yet it is a doubtful
question whether such publicati ,us as the Freakiskt,
should be allowed. In these days no one would think
of interfering with a publication because its teaching
was Atheistical, so long as it was not ribald. But it
Is not clear that any member of the community has a
right to publicly insult the most solemn feelings of the
majority of his fellow citizens, for example by a series
of illestrationa called " Comic Bible Sketches." It
ought to be, and probably is, crime for an English-
man In India to offer • public insult to the Shrine of
Siva. The religi ms views of the maj aity in our own
country have some title at least to respect. Atheism
of the Bradlaugh type is unsympathetic, bigoted, and
would be persecuting if it had the power.