The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-14 00:00:00

GREAT STORM AT PORTLAND.
BRIGANTINE FOUNDERED.

A violent storm raged over this district on Sunday,
and caused considerable damage by land and sea.
Commencing in the night or very early on Sunday
morning, the wind blew with great violence from
13.5. W., occasionally veering to the S.W., so that in
the morning there was very great anxiety alongshore
lest some vessel should become embayed. The Coast-
guard assembled with their apparatus, all ready to
render assistance ; but the wind still veered to the
weatward, from which direction it blew very strongly
about midday. Still this is not a fatal wind, generally
for the West Bay, as ships can get a slant off the
shore, and double the Bill, so making the shelter of
Portland Roads. As the afternoon came on, the wind
Ceround still more to the northward, making the
icil till more safe' but in the meantime a fearful sea
had risen. The Race presented a most turbulent
appearance, and at Varbarrow, a waterspout of 60 or
70 feet in height and breadth was seen to pass along
the coast in the direction of St. Alban's Head. When
the wind hod got round to W.N.W., still blowing
with terrificiforce, and the Race in a perfect "boil" of
foam, the sea outside running mountains high, the
Tophill coastguard who were anxiously watching the
MI perceived about eight miles to the S.W. of Port-
land Bill, a brigantine and barque, the latter attempt-
ing to beat down channel against the wind- She
weathered it bravely; but the brigantine appeared to
be labouringliessily, and the barque remained in her
company. The brigantine's condition got worse, and
and although she was well outside, clear of the Bill,
the Race, and everything, it was doubtful whether she
would ever reach port again. It is said that she had
only on Friday put out of Portland Roads. Miout
2.30, the storm culminated in a tremendous rage of
wind and sea, the Coastguards were unable to lend any
help to the ships in the offing, which were evidently
sorely tried, and soon it was evident that the brigan.
tine had sprung a leak, for she began to settle down.
The crew climbed into the rigging; and it seemed to
be impoesible for either barque or brigantine to lower
their or that the boats could live if lowered.
At all events the height of the wave' was such that no
boats could be seen, and very soon the brigantine gave
her fatal lurch, and foundered, carrying down all
hands that were on board. The barque remained in
the neighbourhood for some time, but it could not be
seen whether she picked up any one, and she after.
wards beat down Channel, and was out of sight.
In Weymouth, tiles and slates were plentifully
blown about; a chimney stack fell on the path near
Mr. Vertue's shop in High-street, but fortunately no
one was hurt. The early morning tide came up over
the quays, covering a great part of the Harbour tram-
way, and entering the George Inn cellars. At the Cove
It inundated the roadway and footpath, and Hope.
square was covered with watei, looking like a lake.
In the evening the wind moderated, and the night
tide was not much above an ordinary spring tide.

VILLAINOUS VARNISH.
.h wry mini wensloccured in Bucks township, Ohio,
• Tow Son Teak°An seem§ from the account given of the
affair that the church there has lately being undergoing
repairs. Among other improvements a new coat of paint
rhullus raced on tlie news, followed by • coat of varnish; the
t was most Pleming to the eye, but unfortunately
the varnish had been applied so late in the week that It
had not time to become hard before Sunday, when the
congregation Socked to their seats. No apparent incon-
venience wee suffered until the clergyman was about to
deliver the benediction when the congregation were
horrified to find that they were unable to stand up—they
were, in fart, glued, or rather varnished, to their seats.
Their spsentodfe efforts to rise were most distressing to
witness—in vain did the clergyman exhort them from the
pplyi it to resignation. They were seised with • kind of
the more frightful because they were for the
moment powerless; at last, by what seemed to be • simul-
taneous and Hurculean jerk, they managed to tear them-
selves from their sittings; but at what a sacrifice I The
Pews were Utterly covered with Sunday apparel. Shreds
or dm, lawn, calico, broadcloth, and minium' were left
as souvenirs of the varnish used in beautifying
that church, and the hapless congregation rushing from
the doors, hurried home with an expression on their faces
as though their hearts were more severely rent than their
garments.

Tffocwon are nimble to take Cocoa because th
midies commonly sold are mixed with Starch, under
the plea of rendering them soluble ; while saally making
them thief, Asdilwa: indiffar. nix My be easily
t=for ' CO6OO ihWann in all mp ,
1......
," wen& CADaullife COCOA ErionCo is
=; it I. ore three times the strength of these
and a refreshing Beverage like Tee or Coffee•
RAPID 01711.11 Or SitrillC COUGH/ AND ASTHMA by Dr.
LOOOOKII PULMON IC WAFERS—Prom Kr. Manteca
iffls, Gilentokreed, Shetßeld : " Many customsci have
expressed CINDIODIires highly gratilled with the benefkial
results of Dr. Locock's Wafers in Asthma. Coughs, sk.
I was 'smolt troubled with • severe cough, and was corn.
cared by • few Wafers." They instantly retie,.
=
Consumption, Coughs, Colds, Gout, Rheumatism
flmt ell DOWNS 2e4111, and taste pleassistly. Sold by all
&nail& at 11 I"' Per beL

The rage for spelling bees continues, and the
result Is that those now spell who never spelt
before, and those who always spelt now spell
the more—correctly. As a nation we are
learning our complex and erratic language late
in life, but better late than never. But, besides
spelling bees, we are now going in for geograph-
ical and arithmetical bees. So much the better.
This combination of amusement and instruction
is doing much for adult education, without the
show of it.

A man with barely a plausible case against
him, says the Times, might so be thrown into
prison, and, in default of bail, which a poor
man cannot always be certain of securing, he
might lie in gaol for half a year, to the rum of
his business and at the risk of an indelible stain
upon his character, which no subsequent
acquittal would be sufficient to remove. The
treatment which untried prisoners receive in
England is not so generous that we can afford
to expose them to this additional danger. Yet,
while the present arrangement of judicial
business is maintained in principle, any improve-
ment in this respect will be difficult. The '
suggestion that the simpler and less complicated
criminal cases which now go to the Assizes'
might be tried at Sessions has been advocated 1
by many eminent persons, and was approved by
the Judicature Commissioners in their First
Report. No doubt, if a classification of offences,
as recommended by the Counniasioners, regu-
lated at present the committals made by magis-
trates, it would probably be found that more
than half the criminal business coming before
the Judges of Assize would slip quietly away.
It seems unlikely that in that event the present
system of Circuits could be maintained, for if it
be doubtful whether it is worth while to send
down two Judges of the Superior Courts to
Lewes, for instance, to deal with half-a-dozen
civil suits and some two score criminal cases,
there would be no doubt at all when the
criminal cases were reduced snore than half by
the operation of a classifying rule in committals.
This consideration, more, perhaps, than any
other, leads us to believe that the recent change
in the Circuits is but a temporary halting-place
in a process of developement which may be
cautiously guided to a wise conclusion, but
cannot be abruptly checked.

As probably only a few of the offenders are
caught, there must be, to judge from the
number of cases brought before the magis-
trates, quite an army of unscrupulous people
cheating the shareholders of our railways,
either by bawling out " Season " when they
have not the vestige of a season ticket in their
pockets, or by cleverly avoiding to give up an
ordinary ticket and making it serve for an
indefinite number of journeys. Some years ago
the railway companies used to be very fond of
placarding, often for months together, the full
name and address of some unlucky wight who,
when in liquor, had obstructed their officers.
The practice has, of late, been partially
abandoned, such publication having possibly
been discovered to be libelous. If they could
be sure of being on the safe side of the law, they
should revive this species of pillory for the
fraudulent ticket men, who richly deserve such
persistent exposure. Mr. Jack Robinson, we
suspect, would sooner pay three or four 40s.
fines than see his name, address, and crime hung
up for the inspection of his friends and acquaint-
ances at every station up and down the line
which he honours with his patronage.

dition, end ha told him It was a shame to work it in that
Voroet Connttl Exprtos. swt.eitie..budt islieef.enudiadntsirtepiljesd he could da:altya'shwoorurk:cr
saw the same horse drawing a load of Favel through the
TURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1876. village, and it then appeared as if it would fall
down. It warn "nothing more than a frame!" Witness
----- - - ---
NOTES OF THE WEEK. and went to defendant and told him to discontinue work-
ing it. Defendant replied that he did not intend to work
gemiuncitnlxecg longer,
ltilienghatlt. an.iter to take its place and that Last week MIA a bad week for the Ministry,
and they may be excused for saying with Cresar done. He examined the horse alter it was. tahkeenhoadulaianal
that the Ides of March have come but not gone. on the neck he found a raw wound about the size of •
They came off second best in the debate on tho Puinndant had no questions to asl. Ile didn't know
Slave Circular in the House of Lords, and also that he was doing the hors any harm—it was an old horse
on the question whether the Government broke ! - 17 years of age, and did his work very well.
the laws of courtesy _ in the publication of Sir I one of Chat
bruantallyid, aaitd hemwellldl:Knedl£3 in—cliutd‘rnseg
Lange's letters. Then again, in the Lower 1 costs, or in default 2 months in gaol.
House Mr. Samuelson gave the Premier a sore _
rDefendant paid, grumbling that it was too much by half
such a CIAO.
rap on the knuckles for his Asian mystery as to for
A NOISY POACHER.
the Queen's title in India; and last, not least, Clement Chr"' topAer, of Piddletrenthide as , who w very
1 the Scotch Game Preserving Bill showed Govern- noisy, and who had to be turned eut on the first occasion.
; meat in an actual minority. It was all the fault and was afterwards admitted on promising to be quieter,
of the whip, according to Ministerial organs ; but irawalecat fensfworitdh. being in the nnlawful possession of
whipping up English Conservatives to defeat a P.C. John Matcham on Thursday, 2nd inst., WAS on
, Scotch Bill when even Scotch Conservatives duty in Slyar's-lane, met defendant and suspected he had
I voted the other way is dangerous work. The ibieeelodentareho Ling
~,,,urisiiunii t of Ivr,ttne ; asked
ness rhhi!dinidw haenndhienstatie
thistle is not to be touched in this way, and as sleeve of an old coat he found a rabbit which him and
recently
the Ministry learned to their cost. A few more tbanwciatltciinfirivtk He searceehded his pocket pocket and found
such weeks as last will weaken the Ministry to and refused to be searched further, anlvT.hveerpYol«,meann
Mich a point that it will be a serious question took hiss te the police-station,
whether they will see the Seision out without a Defendant, who had frequently interrupted the witness
asked whether the policeman could search him on the
considerable recast of the leading parts. public road 1 lie was • honest hart working man. He
said he had been in an asylum for 18 months.
The speech of the Lord Chief Justice on Ile had been 4 times previously convicted, and now had
receiving the dignity of the freedom of the City to gtoi.to gaol fore month in default of paying 403. and
cos
was a manly and a noble one, enlarged in its A KIND POLICEMAN. '
views, and judicial in its estimates; and his JAMES Nagar, of Puddletown, was charged with being
reception by the brilliant company to which he drunk !,!.'d 9tl •
P.C. Churchill, on Sunday, thelistpit i.. .
nsnla
sawwas on duty
addressed himself was worthy of his high repu- Stinsford between 11 and 12 at
taticn. His remarks were evidently dictated by very drunk and noisy. He said be lived at Bockhampton,
a memory of how grossly he has been maligned, t witnessenuddietwn at kwilig there, s elriiiir.iele home, es,attedeVeva att
and there can be no doubt, though the fact was so violent that at Troytlsown he had to call assistance defendant
could not be stated, that the civic authorities of did not reach Puddletown till two o'clock in the morning,
the metropolis were in some measure moved to dweafendant being very troublesome and violent all the
do Sir Alexander Cockburn this honour as an jefendant was fined 205., and is, costa, allowed a week
expression of their appreciation of his judicial to nay.
a licaaraaalesa:alatler,4fgalliattl:fbredy,lamatle an application for
purity and impartiality, and that the Lord Chief
Justice accepted the honour in this sense. His Supt. Batty lual examinedpi'he premises and found them
sentiments as a law reformer and yet as a fore- Fafe.—Granted.
_
formed admirer of the "old common law of
England" are well worthy of being carefully
studied. He maintains, it will have been
observed, that it is quite possible to codify our
laws, and he shows that the advantages of this
would be so great that the .Nilin judicial opinion
of the Lord Chief Justice of England on this
matter ought to prove an incentive to our law
reformers to carry out this needful labour—
& labour that becomes more Herculean every
session that it is delayed. It is sad to think
that the chief of our great common law system
can take little part in this work, and there
is now and then a touch of melancholy in
his speech in this respect. His Lordship is now
74 years of age, but what a grand and noble life
has his been!

PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE COMPANY.
We refer our readers to the annual financial statement
of this Society published in our advertising columns.
The enormous increase of business and the great
success attending this Company is marvellous. Prompt
settlement ~f claims and good security for investments
is the principle thing required by insurers. These are
characteristics of this Company. There has been an
increase in all the branches during the year, and the
Prudential Assurance Company may well be classed
among the "sound" and prosperous enterprises of this
inventive age.