The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-07-12 00:00:00

THE REV. J. H. AUSTEN AND TEM GIPSIES.

To the Editor.

Sre,—Sinee writing the-le-UTZ-W.1143h I addreesed on
July 3rd to the Dvract Comity express. • copy of the
paper has been sent to we with au ammucit of the
vagaries of Mr. Austen, when ID conclave with bis
brother justices at the last Midsummer Quarter Sessions,
with ruipect to that rev. person's patronage of rep•iee
or tramps. The feet of • lady's cloak having been
stolen from my carries. at Mr. Austen's door (e fact
very well known to himself) certainly p•oves nothing
as to his own loss, although it may be an illustration in
regard to a remark from the chair, that gipsies when
',mate] robbed the neighbours only,but not their patron,
This of coarse canuot (one would suppose) have any
weight with • clergyman and magistrate, yet still it is
impossible easily to aottounk from the position taken by
Mr. Auden, for the grounds on which he seem. resolved
to maintam a nuisance at the expense of his neighbour,.
If any furher proof were wanting as to the thefts and
trespaAses attendant on a gipsv or tramp encampment,
I adduce one within my knowledge, an I pertaining to
Mr. Auaten's lauds. His immediate neighbours have
in several instances applied to we to pound stray cattle
belonging to these tramps, when turned into nay heaths,
unfortunately situated in Mr. Auaten's close vieinity.
On a king these termini farmers why, if the cattle
trespessed upon them, they did not potted them theat-
er-lye.. they iuvariab y replied that if they were to do
so their homesteads and ricks would be set on Bre.
Thi•, in my opinion, necessitates the interference of the
police, who invariably, under their able superintendent
at Witaborne, do their duty with great moderation.
My name having been mentioned in these affairs—
thon4h why it shuuld have been so I am still at • loss
to discover, leads toe to notices the vagaries of this Mr.
Austen, which might otherwise have been passed over
by me with just contempt. While on this subject,
therefore, it behoves me to snuedt an appeal to the
Lord Lieutenant of the County, the (pestle's to be raised
being, whether or no it is in keeping with the respect'
ability, and due aiwunistrsti,n of justice to retain OD
the Bench a man, who, without notice to the chief of
the wanly page, or rateseaas to eslsSiag laws, alarm

Ti. will of the late Erzl Howe haa been Proved by
the prelims% earl. The p.vmnalry I. under £BO,OOO.
cosvOnaTtOe assembled on Friday for the lust time
till Fel.ruary nest. A resolution was carried that •
committee of both houses be appointed to consider the
gravamen in reference to the Vatican Council.
AN inquest was held on Friday on the body of another
child, a female, from the baby farmers, Waters and
Ellis. A verdict of death from congestion of the brain,
prodnoed by starvation and the administration of
opium, was returned.

THE Queen, accompanied by the Princeeesa Louise,
Ele.tritie, and the Prince and Princess Christian,
on Thursday distributed the prizes at the Windsor
Home Park, at th 3 meeting of the Prinoe Consort's
Association. An address was presented to the Qamen„
Dinner and tea were presented to 1,300 holders of
eertifiestes.

LonriSif A ITtaIIURY provided on Thursday it She annual
meeting of Discharged Female Pnsoners' Aid Society.
Mrs. Meredith stated that of 130 women ditcbarged last
year from the various convict prirons and refuges, 33
were accepted as .1+44 for the benefit of Vie aid ; 28
of these lioense holders, and had conducted themselves
satisfactorili. Only seven of the 600 women who came
to the Matitation during the laat five years bad been
re-oommittel to penal servitude.
POOR POLAND. —The police authorities at Warsaw
have iwed regulations for the ammroavion of the Free-
tics of wearing mourning in the street., which has beer
adopted as the outward sign of Polish discontent ever
since the failure of the last iminrrection. No One will
henceforth be nermi,ted to wear black except for the
Ims of a very neer relative In that ease members of
noble families will be allowed to go into inourning for •
year, the bovirgtoise for sit months. The sable robes of
grief most not be assumed by the working clews of
Warsaw nada any lialeit whatsoever.

SCENE ON AN AMERICAN RAILWAY.
A telegram from Salt Lake reports that on the 15th
of June, as • train on the Pacific Railway approached
the Platte river, the engine-driver discovered a band of
300 Indians crossing the line. As the train neared
them they began to yell, and, mew:ming they were
about to attack the train, full steam was put on,
driving it through the band at high speed. and killing
thirteen Indians. The proceeding (the writer remark.)
will tend either to preserve pease on the border or to
ensure the safety of the railroad.

EXPLOSION OF FIRE DAMP.
About half•past cu. on Thursday an explosion of gas
occurred in the Sheriff Pit, belonging to Masora. Stonier.
Silverdale, Staffordshire. There were about 80 men at
work in the pit, some thirty of them In one part called
the eight-foot working, in which the explosion occurred.
On hearing the noise a body of explorers went down,
and four men wrre soon sent no. two of them bof"g
dead. end another dying shortly afterwarda. The
number of dead will amount to at 1611'4 20. Several
men had very narrow escaper. The pit bad • good deal
of gas in it. Lamps were used, and every precaution
was taken to prevent an accident. The eiplosion is
supposed to have been the result of 'tirelessness on the
part of the men.